Just nonsense... on his shoulders
nature. It is elite sport. It is a very difficult time and these days with social media it is very difficult to escape the pressure.”
The trio were all part of a Liverpool side that collapsed as they pushed for the title 22 years ago.
They could have gone when they played Coventry with seven games to go but they surprisingly lost.
After that there were further defeats by bitter rivals Manchester United, the eventual champions, and then Wimbledon to leave them licking their wounds fourth.
“I made my debut in 1990 with everybody who had won it,” said McManaman. “At 16, 17, I was with them all the time in the dressing room, travelling to away games, seeing them win trophies, seeing them win titles, not being a part of it but being the 15th or 16th man.
“I felt as if it was just the norm, this is what we do. So it was easy for me. It certainly wasn’t pressure on my part [in 1997], and when I looked around the dressing room I don’t think it was pressure.”
John Aldridge won the title in 1988 and the former Reds top in especially in the Leicester game. We expect ourselves to show more passion and all that stuff.
“People can say what they like at the moment, and it’s predictable, completely normal.
“The performances weren’t exactly as we wanted them. That’s what we have to change. And that’s what we are working on. We are not blind to our problems, but striker says that it was down to how Kenny Dalglish’s side kept their cool when the pressure was on that made them so successful.
“We were under pressure to win every game,” said Aldridge. “That season we believed in ourselves, we knew how good we were. We felt that we could win every game. We took it in our stride. The camp was at ease.” The recent draws have caused serious questions to be raised about Liverpool’s staying power as they drive to end their 29-year wait. But Aldridge, the club’s top scorer in that title-winning year, said: “Every team go through a blip. The team now have to believe in themselves and have the belief they can go out and win every game.”
●ON March 23 the LFC Foundation will welcome AC Milan’s legends team, Milan Glorie, to Anfield for the third official LFC Foundation Legends game. Tickets are on sale now, priced at £22 for adults, £5 for juniors and £15 for over-65s. For details and to purchase tickets visit www. liverpoolfc.com. it’s not as serious as people make it.
“Obviously it is getting exciting now. It was always clear that would happen.
“We have to show we are ready to fight for every yard, to dig in and then our fans will be there.”