Ian St John
Footballer and TV pundit BORN JUNE 7, 1938 – DIED MARCH 1, 2021, AGED 82
ALTHOUGH popular through his Saint And Greavsie TV pundit partnership with former England maestro Jimmy Greaves, Ian St John was also a key player in Bill Shankly’s Liverpool team.
In 1961 Shankly paid Scottish side Motherwell £37,500 for the 22-year-old forward, who stood at just 5ft 7ins tall.
Shankly had a struggle persuading the board it was a good signing but within a short space of time St John proved his worth.
He formed a fantastic partnership up front with Roger Hunt, which helped fire Liverpool to the Second Division title in 1962.
Two years later Liverpool won the First Division title for the first time in almost three decades, signalling the club really was a force to be reckoned with.
The following year St John lifted the FA Cup after a 2-1 victory over Leeds, the Scot scoring the winner deep into extra-time.
To the question of what would you do if the Lord came down, the response on Anfield’s Kop was always the same – move St John to inside-left.
As time went on his role changed as Shankly utilised his ability to start quick attacks and create chances.
After scoring 118 goals in 425 appearances, St John felt disappointed his manager didn’t speak to him first before dropping him from some matches.
One of six children, he left school aged 15 to train as an engineer at a coachworks. At 16 he joined home town club Motherwell and would go on to score 80 goals for them. He also scored nine goals for Scotland in 21 matches.
A broken leg ended his playing days in 1973 while at Tranmere Rovers and a few years later he began his meteoric television career.
He is survived by his wife Betsy, a son and a daughter.