Doh! Kenny is hooked... by mistake
IN the heat of an FA Cup semi-final replay between two of football’s bitterest rivals, Liverpool boss Joe Fagan shouts out an instruction.
But his coaches Ronnie Moran and Roy Evans appear to have misheard amid the din of Maine Road and take off a stunned Kenny Dalglish instead of Kevin McDonald – and a relieved Manchester United, 2-1 up, hang on to reach the final.
Ron Atkinson, boss of the Red Devils in 1985, takes up the story – just one of many in a definitive book tracing the acrimony between these two clubs.
“At Maine Road, the directors’ box used to have an overhang, over the tunnel, above where the managers sat on the benches,” recalled Atkinson.
“Joe Fagan (below) had decided to watch the game from up there. He had his assistants Ronnie Moran and Roy Evans on the bench.
“When it’s 2-1, with about 10 minutes left, he shouts down. I’ve heard him shout, ‘Get Kevin off’ – meaning Kevin McDonald. But it’s bloody noisy, and I’ve seen Ronnie and Roy looking at each other, going ‘Take Kenny off?’ They’ve misheard him and think he means Dalglish.
“Mick Brown, my No.2, realises their mistake, jumps up and goes, ‘No, he means...‘. I’ve grabbed hold of him and said, ‘Shut the f*** up and sit down’. And they take Kenny Dalglish off. Honestly, I reckon that’s what won it for us.”
United went on to beat Everton in the final, a rare piece of silverware when the enemy along the East Lancs Road were landing title after title.
It prompted the appointment of Alex Ferguson. “My greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their f ***** g perch. And you can print that,” he later said.
Aware of games between the two clubs resembling war zones, Fergie once agreed to a unique safety plan.
Red On Red reveals: “A plan was hatched to use Liverpool’s legendary former manager Bob Paisley as an unlikely human shield.
“Hitching a ride on the United team bus as it entered the city boundaries, Paisley was seated strategically by the window alongside a smiling and – the hope was – safe from bricks and tear gas club captain Bryan Robson and Ferguson. The visit passed off relatively peacefully.”