Liverpool legend Ronnie Moran has passed away aged 83.
Moran was an incredibly loyal servant to the club, operating as a player, coach, assistant manager, mentor and Boot Room original over the course of his life, report the Liverpool Echo.
In the mind's eye of Liverpool fans from all over the world however, Moran's spiritual home was a claustrophobic corner of Anfield known as the Boot Room, where three decades of unprecedented footballing success were plotted by some of the sharpest football minds of the time.
Little larger than a cupboard tucked away under the Main Stand, the Boot Room was the talking shop and occasional drinking hole where the coaching staff who worked under Bill Shankly would gather when the day's work was done or a match was over.
The Boot Room tradition was kept by subsequent managers, notably Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan, Moran himself (in a caretaker capacity) and Kenny Dalglish.
Moran was always there, the permanent fixture amongst the backroom boys who helped to oil the wheels of a winning machine the like of which the English game had never seen before.
Moran served Liverpool as a player, captain, trainer, coach and caretaker manager. He was the club's longest-serving employee when he retired in 1999.
But he did not cut his contact with Liverpool after that. He was familiar to the more recent generation of players, making his daily runs around the perimeter of the Melwood training ground. The Liverpool managers of more recent years were always happy to maintain the tradition of inviting Moran in each day.
In later years those runs became walks.
Moran's playing career at Anfield began in 1949, when he joined as a part-timer while serving an apprenticeship as an electrician. The decision to turn professional was made in 1952.
He recalled: "I was on terms known as 14 and 11: you got £14 a week during the season and £11 during the summer weeks.
"No-one in my era made a fortune out of the game in wages. I retired as a player on £30 a week. These days a decent first team professional in the Premiership can earn enough to keep him for life on a two-year contract. Not that I'm complaining. The rewards are just very different now."
By the 1954/55 season, Moran was a regular in the Liverpool side in Division Two. His life changed when Shankly arrived at Anfield in 1959.
Moran recalled: "Bill moved a lot of players on. Some went because they were not good enough. Some went because they were good players but did not have the right attitude when things were difficult."
Shankly recognised Moran's qualities as a full back well enough to retain him as captain.
In 1961-62, after a lengthy spell on the sidelines through injury, Moran played 16 games to help Liverpool finally regain top-flight status. Two seasons later he was a regular member of the Division One Championship winning side.
Moran lost out to Gerry Byrne for the left back slot in the 1965 FA Cup final win over Leeds United. Byrne dislocated his shoulder at Wembley, and Moran played left back in the famous Anfield victory over Inter Milan three days later.
Moran then played his final competitive game in a Liverpool shirt in the return at the San Siro stadium when Liverpool were controversially beaten in the second leg of the European Cup semi-final.
The following season Moran was invited onto the coaching staff by Shankly, although he continued playing for the reserves for a further two years.
He formally retired from playing during the 1968-69 season and joined the coaching staff full-time.
In 1971 he took charge of the reserve team and in 1972-73 guided the Reds' second string to the Central League Championship.
He was a constant ingredient in the Liverpool success story, working under Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan, Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness and Roy Evans.
Moran gained a reputation as the sergeant major of Melwood and was well known for his insistence on keeping strict discipline. Tommy Smith reckoned Moran "could moan for England."
In later years striker Robbie Fowler put a more positive spin on Moran's determination to keep the players' egos under control
Fowler said: "At Liverpool we are all taught to keep our feet on the ground and I, for one, have reason to remember that no-one subscribed to that theory more than Ronnie.
"After playing against Fulham and scoring five goals I was feeling well pleased with myself when Ronnie came in the dressing room and said: 'I don't know what you`re looking so smug about. You should have scored seven.' Those words will live with me forever and I think they sum up the greatness of the man."
Moran had a brief, 10-game spell as caretaker manager after Dalglish announced his resignation as manager in 1991. He made it clear he had no wish to take the job on permanently and was happy to hand the responsibility on to Souness.
The following year In Moran again took job as caretaker again after Graeme Souness underwent heart surgery.
His understanding of how Shankly changed the philosophy of the club, and of the values that kept Liverpool at the top of the game, were appreciated by each manager in succession
Moran said: "It was only after I began coaching myself that I began to realise why we had not been a winning team before Shanks arrived. I hadn't really seen it as a player.
"Shanks looked on every game the same, whether it was against a league club or a team from the third division. It didn't matter whether it was Everton, or Scunthorpe. He wanted to win every game, no matter what it was. Even five-a-sides in training."
The Boot Room was first used by the Anfield coaching staff as a small private space to enjoy a drink with their opposite numbers following a game at Anfield.
Moran recalled: "I think Liverpool were among the first clubs to start that after match tradition with the boot room at Anfield. Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan instigated it. Bill never used to come in. He did not drink. He would just pop his head around the door.
"The visitors only stayed for around 20 minutes or so after a game. If it was Everton for instance, we would have a drink and a natter about old times. But we would not talk about the game that had just happened in the afternoon. It was the same with other clubs.
"It was a kind of etiquette. You did not speak about any incidents.
"Maybe when the opposition staff had gone, you might grumble to each other about a controversial moment, or a refereeing decision. ''
Ronnie Moran factfile
Born: Crosby, February 28, 1934
Birthplace: Crosby, Liverpool, England
Other clubs: None
Bought from: Local. Signed for Liverpool 1949, turned professional 1952
Liverpool debut: November 1952
Last Liverpool appearance: May, 1965.
League appearances: 342 games, 15 goals.
Overall appearances: 379 games, 17 goals.
source:http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/liverpool-legend-ronnie-moran-dead-10072502
No comments:
Post a Comment