BOB PAISLEYTHE PATRON SAINT OF PHYSIOS
EXPERIENCED NON-LEAGUE PHYSIOTHERAPIST GAVIN BLACKWELL PAYS A PERSONAL TRIBUTE TO THE LIVERPOOL LEGEND
First Division by storm, helping WBA winger was a pioneer for black players at the time, continuing to let his feet do the talking in the face of disgusting racism, and also becoming only the second black player to represent England in Real Madrid paid £950,000 to make the ground running, scoring twice on his debut and eventually ending the season there is one match from the 1979/80 season, which is still talked about to this victory earned him a standing ovation from the Barcelona crowd at the full time whistle, a reaction that no other
At the start of his second season at was affectionately known, was sidelined spiral for the rest of his time in the ever, he did manage to play in the 1981 England caps during his entire career, an unbelievably small amount considering he was one of the most famous faces in Spain at one dwindled down in the late 80s, he still managed to win Wimbledon in 1988, before he tragically died in car crash whilst playing for Real Vallecano back in Spain a year ready tried his hand overseas with a rel to change for the English striker, with his new manag to play a key role in Mo scoring 14 goals in the process – making him the third highest scorer in the division due to the excellent understanding he had with his new teammate and fellow
and his remaining years at the Stade split between failed comebacks and the treatment table, before his departure to England career (like so many on the wait four more years to win any more still goes back regularly to see the many teammates and friends he made during English one for Monaco and new head his new striker for suggestions who was on the verge of
signing for French rivals Paris Saint-Germain. That was until Wenger intervened and got his man, leaving Hoddle to make the awkward call to PSG manager, Gerard Houllier, to explain he wasn’t signing after all. That Monaco side was built around Hoddle, who was told in no uncertain terms to not come any deeper than the D on the halfway line to receive the ball. His impact was immediate, as Hoddle (at the age of 29) defences with no other responsibilities – something his England managers had refused to do for him. His eight goals and countless assists helped his side to
After two seasons as Monaco’s star man, a serious knee injury restricted Hoddle to just three appearances over the next two seasons and he left by mutual consent in late 1990. His experi his own managerial career, using those same revolutionary methods towards nutrition and discipline, and encouraging his sides to play out from the back. A promotion with Swindon Town and a good spell at Chelsea was enough for the FA to name Hoddle the England manager at the age of 38 – the youngest appointment in their history. Although some questioned his man-management skills, many of Hoddle’s former players still regard him as the best coach they played under. And that is all down to Monaco and Arsene Wenger.
From one half of an iconic 80s pop duo to the other, Chris Waddle‘s £4.5m move from Tottenham to Marseille in 1989 made him the third most expensive player in the world at the time – only Ruud Gullit and Diego Maradona cost more. After struggling to acclima love affair with France soon brought success after success. ‘Magic Chris’, as he was known by the Marseille fans, was part of a superb front three that also consisted of Jean-Pierre Papin and Abedi Pele. Marseille stormed to the French league title in three consecutive seasons while Waddle was there, making the stylish winger the most popular man in the city. There are stories that French police would allow him to park where he liked, ripping up his parking tickets and keeping them as souvenirs.
After Italia ’90, new England manager, Graham Taylor, only played Waddle three times while he was in France. It seems absolutely crazy now to think that an attacking player of Waddle’s calibre – who won the league every year that he was over there – was not used more in a struggling England side. Marseille even reached the European Cup Red Star Belgrade. It was no surprise that Waddle wasn’t up for taking one, as the pain of the World Cup shoot-out still lingered less than 12 months later. He moved to the Premier League in 1992, with the blessing of his adoring French fans. It has to be said that Chris Waddle is one of the greatest English imports to play in Europe, and the fact that Marseille fans voted him their second best player of the 20th century is testament to that. Velodrome, he was joined by former England teammate, Trevor Steven. In a £5.5m move that was the joint-highest fee involving a British player (shared with David Platt), Steven’s time in Marseille would be best described as short but sweet. Within months of the ty and were prepared to sell him back to his former club Glasgow Rangers at a knock-down price. However, the unsettling rumours didn’t affect the playing side of Steven’s life in France, and he had a key role in Marseille’s 1992 league title win, before being sold back to Rangers for just £2.4m. Like I said, short but sweet.
It’s worth noting that at the end of that season, Steven was named in England’s Euro ’92 squad, whereas Chris Waddle was left out for Aston Villa‘s Tony Daley. How the Three Lions could have done with both Marseille players in that tournament…
In 1999, Steve McManaman became
them not so much as footballers but, with a medical person’s eye, as individual people.
physio is a quiet but knowledgeable person with an easily approachable personality.
They have to spend many hours with a player after injury, teaching them therapeutic exercises and, during this period, they must develop a bond of respect.
The trainer will be asked questions way beyond those concerned with the emotional problems will be discussed.
the seeds of discontent which may lead to a transfer request later and, in the case of very serious injuries, the player will draw on the trainer’s knowledge of other players who have sustained similar troubles.
group of people, it wasn’t about titles and initials on tracksuits.
The managers preferred the word ‘staff’ with every one of them being all-rounders, all taking the turn to do the running-on duties on a matchday for three or four seasons each. They even had a rota of who would take the kit home to wash. There were no egos, everyone had a common goal and that was to win football matches.
I was inspired by Bob Paisley and the boot room men of Liverpool Football Club and their true values and philosophy.
It has been a privilege to have been part of football’s backroom staff for many years.