SAINTS STARS BY THE LAWRIE LOAD
GARY McALLISTER relaxed on the luscious links of Hoylake ahead of the Liverpool legends encounter with Real Madrid.
And then the former Kop star joined a sold-out Anfield in witnessing his old pals show their Masters of the Arts quality.
The years may have aged them but though the legs were heavy, the spirits were high in the much-loved LFC Foundation Legends Charity Match against Real Madrid.
Golden boy Steven Gerrard, of course, was the exception. Gerro, at 36, rolled back the glory years at his spiritual home with a majestic midfield starring role. Captain Robbie Fowler, or God as he was called in his IF James Ward-Prowse gets on at Wembley tonight it will be like a trip down Memory Lane for Lawrie McMenemy. The man some still hail as The Godfather at Southampton sees Saints’ young midfielder (left) as the latest international product of a conveyor belt of talent that he first started back in the Seventies. It was Big Mac who launched what became the youth set-up at His sad farewell as Liverpool first-team coach came in 2015 after the sacking of Brendan Rodgers. Jurgen Klopp brought in his own backroom staff but McAllister does not look back in anger. And as a proud club ambassador he now senses that something big is about to happen under the German boss. An ex- Scotland international, McAllister (above) sees the charismatic Klopp in the same light as Scottish giants Jock Wa l l a c e (below) and Sir Alex Ferguson (right). He said: “I was sad that it ended so q u i c k l y, o f course, but I have got plenty of experience and I know the nature of the game. When Jurgen was appointed you have got to say it wasn’t an appointment which surprised me. “There were a lot of clubs after Jurgen and Liverpool acted quicker and managed to secure him. The manager comes in and he brings his own staff so I had no qualms about it. Now, you get the sense LIVERPOOL LEGENDS 4 REAL MADRID LEGENDS 3 day, was his twisting and turning self. And Michael Owen was a blast from the past with his headed opener from a pin-point cross from Gerrard who laid on the second for John Aldridge.
Gerrard, urged to shoot with every touch, was brought down by keeper Jerzy Dudek, feigned serious injury and then smilingly hugged Fowler for tucking away the spot-kick.
Then to the delight of his worshippers, Gerrard banged in the fourth to fling his arms out in his trademark goal salute before Edwin Congo, Fernando Morientes and Ruben de la Red scored to make it a Real goal fest in front of fans who were simply loving every minute of it.
STEVE MILLAR the old Dell and created satellite coaching centres in Gateshead and Bristol that produced stars such as Alan Shearer and Gareth Bale as well as Fraser Forster, Luke Shaw, Nathaniel Clyne, Adam Lallana, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ryan Bertrand and Nathan Redmond.
McMenemy, now 80, said: “We got that something big is going to happen since Jurgen arrived. Momentum is gathering and you know what this club is like when that happens. “Once the fans and everybody else is onside, t hey can do s pecial things. “I spent most of my life playing against Liverpool but that undying expectation is brilliant. “It never seems to waver here and that’s what keeps the players on their toes – you have got to win. “And getting Champions League football back to Anfield will be great. “It’s a good race for the top four and I will be biased and say Liverpool are going to get there under Jurgen. “I would have loved to have played for someone like him. Absolutely. “I played under Jock Wallace, seeing that emotion on the side. There’s Sir Alex Ferguson, too. Jurgen has definitely got part of that. He is very modern in his thinking but there are elements of those old-school managers too.” McAllister believes the future looks promising as Kop legend Steven Gerrard learns his coaching trade at the Reds’ academy. He added: “The brief chats I have had with him he’s loving every minute of it. He’s getting himself involved.” relegated in my first season but the chairman just said, ‘Right, now sort it out.’ There was no choice, I had to produce some players of our own because we had no money to spend.
“The chairman just let me get on with it and we built it up from there. I did it all from top to bottom.”
And he added: “I’m so pleased for Ward-Prowse, He is the modern version of what I brought through.”
The paperback version of Lawrie McMenemy’s life story – A Lifetime’s Obsession – My Autobiography – will be available in May.
XX(KO 3pm unless stated) PREMIER LEAGUE WWLWLW ..........................Arsenal Man City............................. WWdWWL
(Playing Sunday, 4pm) WWWWDL ........................ Burnley Tottenham Hotspur .............. WDdLLW WWWWWW ......................Chelsea Crystal Palace....................... LdLWLW WWWWDW ..............................Hull West Ham ........................... WLWWDL LLDWWW ........................ Leicester Stoke ...................................... LLWLLd dWWWDW ....................... Man Utd West Brom ............................ LWLDDL LWWWLL.................. Southampton AFC Bournemouth .................WLLLLD
(5:30pm) LLLWWW......................... Swansea Middlesbrough .........................LLdLLL
(Playing Sunday, 1:30pm) LWdWDL ........................... Watford Sunderland ............................ LLLLWL
Liverpool v Everton (12:30pm) SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP DLLWWW ...................... Aston Villa Norwich ................................. LWDLLD WLdLDD ........................... Barnsley Sheff Wed ............................ LDWWLL
(12:30) LWDWLL ......................... Brentford Bristol City ............................ LDLDLW WWDWLW........................ Brighton Blackburn .............................. LDLDDD WWdWLW ..................Huddersfield Burton Albion ......................... LWLddD WLDDDd ............................ Ipswich Birmingham........................... DLLLWD WDWWDL ..................... Newcastle Wigan.................................... LLWLLW WDWWWW ...... Preston North End Nottm Forest ............................dLLLdL WWdWWd ........................ Reading Leeds ................................... LWLDWD
(5:30) WLDLLL ....................... Rotherham Fulham ................................ LWLWDW WLLLLW ................ Wolverhampton Cardiff .................................. LLWWLD
Derby v QPR (Friday 7:45pm) SKY BET LEAGUE ONE LWWDDW ............................Bolton Chesterfield............................LDdWLL DDDDWW ........................ Bradford Walsall .................................... dLdLDL WDdDWW ............... Bristol Rovers Shrewsbury ........................... DWLLDL DdWWLd .............. Fleetwood Town Swindon ................................. LLLWLL WWdWWd .......................... Millwall Scunthorpe ............................ LDDLLL DWLWDW.......Milton Keynes Dons Gillingham ............................. DDLLWL LWLWLD................... Peterborough Charlton ................................. DLDLLL DLDLWW ......................... Port Vale AFC Wimbledon .................... LLDWDd LdDDWD .........................Rochdale Northampton .......................... LLDLWL LWWDDW ...................... Southend Oldham ................................ WLdWLD
SKY BET LEAGUE TWO LDWWdL .................... Cheltenham Morecambe ..........................WWDDLL dWWLLW............................. Crewe Cambridge Utd ................... LLDWWW WDDWWL ..................... Hartlepool Portsmouth ......................... LDWWWL LLLLLL ..................... Leyton Orient Wycombe ............................. LLLDWW WWDWLW...................... Mansfield Exeter................................... WLDWLD ddDLLD ................ Newport County Crawley Town ....................... dLWWDD WWDdWW ................ Notts County Colchester.............................. LDLLDL WLLWLW ......................... Plymouth Accrington Stanley .............. LDDWDW WWWWWW ..................Stevenage Barnet ................................... DLWDLL WDDdLD .............................. Yeovil Carlisle ................................. DWWLLL
Grimsby v Doncaster (1), Luton v Blackpool LADBROKES SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP LDWDDW .........................Hamilton St Johnstone ........................ LLWWLW DWdDLW ............................. Hearts Celtic ............................... WWWWWW (Playing Sunday, 12:30pm) LdDWLD ................... Inverness CT Kilmarnock ........................... LdDDWW dWLWWD ............................ Partick Ross County ......................... LLDLWD WDWWWW ...................... Rangers Motherwell ............................ LWLLWL Dundee v Aberdeen (Friday 7:45pm) LADBROKES SCOTTISH CHAMPIONSHIP WLLDDW...................... Dumbarton Morton ................................ WLWLDW DDDWDL .................... Dunfermline Hibernian ............................ WWdDLW LDWWDL............................. Falkirk Raith ....................................... LDLLLL LWLWLL ............... Queen of South Dundee Utd............................ LDLWLL St Mirren v Ayr Hull, Leicester, Swansea, Watford, Wolverhampton, Millwall, Milton Keynes Dons, Peterborough, Yeovil Chelsea, Man Utd, Southampton, Brighton, Huddersfield, Newcastle, Preston North End, Bolton, Bristol Rovers, Fleetwood Town Man City, Tottenham Hotspur, Norwich, Sheff Wed, Leeds, Fulham Brentford,