Liverbirds Aalesund

David Fairclough

Player Notes: 
Forever remembered as the 'Supersub' of the last part of the 70's. It's a tag he detests, but which has probably brought him a good living as an after-dinner speaker since he retired from the game! Local boy David exploded onto the football scene as a 19 year old to add some fresh impetus to Liverpool's neck-and-neck challenge with QPR for the First Division championship. In much the same way as Ronnie Rosenthal's arrival gave a new and unpredictable boost to the crucial final leg of the 1989-90 season, David's 7 goals from 5 starts with 9 substitute appearances were a big factor in Liverpool finally overhauling the Londoners in the final match of the season. Although it is his 'famous' goal against St. Etienne the following season which is most remembered, a mazy run from the half-way line with two minutes to go in the Anfield derby turned a goal-less draw into a priceless victory. That extra point was vital in the final analysis in 1976. As one of his colleagues said at the time "He didn't know himself what he was going to do, so how could WE know?!".

It was hard for Fairclough to break the Keegan/Toshack partnership which was well-established but the Welshman's injury problems did give him a number of opportunities the following season, when Liverpool were competing for honours at home and abroad right to the end of an amazing season. However, there were only a further 3 league goals from 20 appearances (8 as a sub) to add to the 7 from the end of the season before. But on the 16th of March 1977 came the moment that would change his life. Liverpool was trailing by the away goal to the French champions with time running out in a frenzied atmosphere at Anfield in the European Cup quarter final. David latched on to Ray Kennedy's lob and headed for goal. The 'legend' will tell you that he beat several defenders on his way into Merseyside folklore but the reality is that he kept his eye on the ball, brushed aside any challenge from a defender and then calmly tucked his right-foot shot under Curkovic into the Kop goal to bring about scenes which those who were there still talk about with a lump in their throat and a shiver down their spine!

It was always going to be a hard act to follow but the following season never saw David Fairclough really establish himself as a permanent member of the first team, although he did start 26 league matches and was also in the starting line-up when the Reds successfully defended their European crown at Wembley in the Spring. But he only made a further 21 league starts for Liverpool after that before finally leaving Anfield for the last time in 1983 (there had been a brief spell in America in the early 80's).

David's final figures for Liverpool still make impressive reading though. 37 goals from 92 starts is a fine achievement but he never quite got rid of the 'Supersub' nickname and that is borne out by the fact that he scored 18 goals in 62 substitute appearances! But his contribution towards the club's success of the late 70's and early 80's should not be underestimated. Maybe he did have a tendency to drift in and out of some matches but his pace and unpredictability caused havoc to many a defence and his 'golden' moment against St. Etienne is one which will never be forgotten.

Noen linker:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfSExsXVLg0  100 players who shook The Kop'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppavK4P7RhY   David vs. St.Etienne 1977

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEHM_-fx_pA Liverpool vs. B.M Gladbach 1977

David jobber i dag som ekspertkommentator på radio/tv, han har sine egne innlegg på Liverpool's hjemmeside, han driver det godt innen byggebransjen og liker godt å spille poker. I tillegg er han med legendene så ofte han kan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8XNZbvyU4Q We won it 5 times!

Alan Kennedy

Player Notes: 
A great attacking full-back who had the knack of scoring vital goals for Liverpool that brought further glory to the club. He's Liverpool's history in the early 80's embodied. Who can forget when he scored the winning goal in Paris vs Real Madrid in the 1981 European Cup final and noone can ever forget the look on his face when he celebrated the deciding spot-kick in Rome 1984.

Alan had been a 19 year old full-back for Newcastle United on the day that Liverpool destroyed his FA Cup final hopes in 1974 by outplaying the Geordies 3-0 at Wembley. He didn't know it at the time but although he never would collect a winners' medal in the FA Cup, he would win more trophies than he could ever have dreamed possible after his transfer from the North-East to Merseyside just before the start of the 1978-79 season.

The left-back had been a bit of a 'problem-area' for Liverpool in 1977-78 with Joey Jones, Tommy Smith & Alan Hansen all wearing the No. 3 shirt at some stage of that season. But Alan stepped confidently into their shoes and played 37 league games in each of his first two seasons at Anfield, winning League championship medals on both occasions. Alan missed much of the 1980-81 season through injury but still contributed two priceless goals from full-back to keep the club's run of success going on into the 80's. His extra-time goal narrowly failed to beat West Ham in the League cup final at Wembley but he was a member of the team that beat the Hammers in the Aston Villa replay 18 days later. Then on an unforgettable night in Paris eight weeks after that his blistering cross-shot fizzed past the Real Madrid keeper in a blur to bring the European cup to Anfield for the 3rd time in 5 seasons.

His astonishing record of scoring in big games continued as he struck a second-half equaliser against Manchester United in the 1983 League Cup final and then a year later came the most dramatic moment of all, the decisive penalty-kick in the shoot-out that followed the 1-1 draw with the Italian champions from Rome, who had been given the extremely unfair advantage of playing the European Cup final at their own stadium. Kennedy still played in most of the following season's First Division fixtures but by the end of the season his place had been taken by Jim Beglin.

Alan did play in the opening 8 league matches of the 1985-86 season but a comical own-goal in the last of those games at Oxford may have been the final straw for the new player-manager, Kenny Dalglish. Alan never played for the club again and Phil Neal, his full-back partner for so long and with whom he had enjoyed so much success, would only last a few more games before he too was replaced by Steve Nicol. Alan had a brief spell in Belgium, Denmark and Sweden and also with Hartlepool and Wrexham in the lower divisions of the Football League before continuing to play non-league football until he had passed his 40th birthday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBIxLl3IXeY 100 players who shook The Kop'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgv3D32ANmE Liverpool vs. Real Madrid 1981

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uyiymg2g6P4 Liverpool vs. Roma 1984

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8XNZbvyU4Q We won it 5 times

We found this about Alan on the internett, and there is a lot more...

Started his career at Newcastle United, playing in the 1974 FA Cup Final and 1976 League Cup Final, before moving to Liverpool where he became a major player in one of the games great sides and also earned his nick-name of 'Barney Rubble'. He was part of the European Cup winning sides of 1981 and 1984 and remains the only British player to score two winning goals in the Final of that competition. His domestic honours include five First Division Championship medals and four for successes in the League Cup, all during his time at Anfield which finally finished after 359 appearances. He also won two England caps during that time, against Northern Ireland and Wales in the 1983/84 Home Internationals Championship. Transfers then followed to Sunderland, Ashington, Huskvana of Sweden, Beerschot in Belgium, Denmark's Club 1903, before returning to England with Hartlepool. He was brought to Grantham by Martin O'Neill for three games during December 1987, against Dudley Town, Rushden Town and Banbury United. Alan then spent a brief time at Northwich Victoria, before returning to The Football League with Wigan Athletic, followed by moves to Colne Dynamoes and Wrexham. This would be Alan's final spell in the League and at the end, he had scored 26 goals in 506 appearances, plus netted five more strikes in 185 various cup games. But this wasn't the end of his playing career and periods then followed with Morecambe, Netherfield, where he was the club's Player/Manager, Radcliffe Borough and Barrow. Alan currently runs a corporate entertainment company, is an accomplished after-dinner speaker and conducts his own radio programme. D.O.B 31/08/54