Football fans can devote hours of discussion on how much players from yesteryear would be worth in today’s transfer market. With Emlyn Hughes, the discussion need only be a very short one. If Rio Ferdinand can fetch £30m (ha, ha, sorry, I still find that hilarious), you’d better start the bidding at £31m. A highly accomplished full-back, centre-half and midfielder, Hughes was strong in the tackle, comfortable on the ball and capable of spectacular shooting. He was also an inspirational captain, quite possibly Liverpool’s finest ever. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s time to pay tribute to the late, great Emlyn Hughes.
Emlyn Walter Hughes was born at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, on August 28 1947. He came from a family steeped in rugby league and his father had played as a forward for both Barrow and Great Britain.
Recognising that balls are supposed to be round, the young Emlyn focused his attention on football. He soon showed his own potential and represented North Lancashire Schools before signing for Blackpool, then struggling in Division One, in 1964.
In 1967, and after just 28 first-team appearances for Blackpool, Hughes was spotted and signed by Bill Shankly. It is said Shankly saw much of himself in the young Hughes and the great man was impressed by his new acquisition’s stamina, drive and commitment.
In later years Hughes, who was never known for his modesty, liked to tell the story of how Shankly had pranged his car in his haste to drive the player over from Blackpool to Lytham St Anne's to register him with the FA. As a policeman began to take down Shankly's details, the increasingly irate Shanks asked the officer if he did not know who was in the vehicle. "Son, don’t you know who I’ve got in this car? The future captain of England!"
Although Shankly's prediction was to be fulfilled, in his first few outings for the reds Hughes demonstrated that as yet his energy far outweighed his skill. His wild charges upfield, coupled with several tackles that were considered ‘strong’ even in those days, brought him the nickname "Crazy Horse".
Yet he quickly settled down, and once more proved that Shankly had a genius for spotting talent in the lower leagues.
Hughes started as a left-sided defender, but soon moved to the centre, where he would forge successive partnerships with Larry Lloyd, Tommy Smith and then Phil Thompson.
This brought him into his own in the early 1970s, when Shankly decided that if Liverpool were to prosper in Europe they must dispense with the traditional type of English centre-half and build their attacks from the back with more cultured defenders at the helm. It was the team's subsequent ability to blend British aggression and workrate with a Continental style of movement that brought a period of success in Europe that remains unmatched by any English or Scottish team before or since.
Having missed the 1971 FA Cup Final defeat by Arsenal, Hughes's first trophies with Liverpool came two seasons later, when we took both the league title and the UEFA Cup, beating Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-2 on aggregate. The next year, following a row with Tommy Smith, Shankly made Hughes club captain.
The change led to a long-running feud between Smith and Hughes that sadly continued through the media for decades after both had retired from the game, and led to tension in the dressing room, where the older players remained loyal to Smith and voiced their dislike of Hughes' almost childlike enthusiasm.
Following Liverpool's 3-0 victory over Newcastle in the 1974 FA Cup Final, several players pushed Smith to the front of the celebrations, ahead of Hughes, but after Shankly's unexpected retirement in the close season Hughes was confirmed as captain his successor, Bob Paisley.
Hughes never had the same personal bond with Paisley as he had had with Shankly, but on the pitch he became the driving force for the side, his passion for the club and enjoyment of football evident in every game - a characteristic that made him a great favourite with the fans.
With Hughes now frequently playing in central midfield, Liverpool embarked on our great run of triumphs by winning another double of the league and UEFA Cup in 1976, and then in 1977 coming close to a treble triumph. With the league title already in the bag, we narrowly lost the FA Cup Final 2-1 to Manchester United, then four days later comprehensively outplayed Borussia again in Rome to claim our first European Cup. Hughes, the Football Writers' Footballer of the Year, lifted the trophy with what the commentator Barry Davies called "the smile of the season".
That match was the last for Liverpool for both Smith and Kevin Keegan, and signalled the arrival of the player who was to take the team to still greater heights, Kenny Dalglish. Our triumph in Rome was repeated at Wembley 12 months later when Dalglish scored the winner in the Final against Bruges, subsequently requiring Hughes to lift old big ears once again.
Hughes's achievements at Anfield had not gone unnoticed by England managers. He won his first international cap against Holland at left back in 1969, and was a squad member during the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. The 70s were not a good decade for the English national side and Hughes would never again have the opportunity to play in a World Cup. He did however go on to win 62 caps, 23 as captain.
After his fourth championship win with Liverpool, in July 1979 the ageing Hughes moved to Wolves. He had played 665 matches for Liverpool and, having a fine shot from distance, had scored 48 goals for us. Many of his goals were memorable, not least for the wild celebrations that usually followed, often involving running the full length of the pitch with freewheeling arms outstretched.
In his first season with Wolves, as captain, he won the League Cup when his side defeated Nottingham Forest 1-0 with a goal from Andy Gray. In claiming his medal, Hughes thereby completed his remarkable and well-merited sweep of all the game's principal domestic and European club honours.
Hughes moved on from Wolves to Rotherham as player-manager in 1981. Management, however, was not to be for him, and after he left the club in 1983 he had brief spells as a player at Hull, Mansfield and John Toshack's Swansea before retiring in 1984.
By then he had become a television personality, notably through his appearances on the BBC quiz A Question of Sport. For most of the 1980s, Hughes was known for bantering with Bill Beaumont, hugging Princess Anne and wearing dodgy jumpers.
His television work petered out in the late 1980s, and he subsequently worked as an after-dinner speaker, occasional television pundit, and as the director of a firm producing novelty gifts. He lived near Sheffield and was a keen follower of horse racing and was deeply committed to numerous charitable endeavours.
In 2003 he was found to have a brain tumour, and underwent emergency surgery. Emlyn Hughes OBE passed away on 9 November, 2004, aged just 57. Football and Liverpool Football Club had lost one of the great characters of the game. He is survived by his wife Barbara, their son Emlyn and daughter Emma.
Emlyn Hughes. Crazy Horse. RIP. YNWA.
Emlyn Walter Hughes was born at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, on August 28 1947. He came from a family steeped in rugby league and his father had played as a forward for both Barrow and Great Britain.
Recognising that balls are supposed to be round, the young Emlyn focused his attention on football. He soon showed his own potential and represented North Lancashire Schools before signing for Blackpool, then struggling in Division One, in 1964.
In 1967, and after just 28 first-team appearances for Blackpool, Hughes was spotted and signed by Bill Shankly. It is said Shankly saw much of himself in the young Hughes and the great man was impressed by his new acquisition’s stamina, drive and commitment.
In later years Hughes, who was never known for his modesty, liked to tell the story of how Shankly had pranged his car in his haste to drive the player over from Blackpool to Lytham St Anne's to register him with the FA. As a policeman began to take down Shankly's details, the increasingly irate Shanks asked the officer if he did not know who was in the vehicle. "Son, don’t you know who I’ve got in this car? The future captain of England!"
Although Shankly's prediction was to be fulfilled, in his first few outings for the reds Hughes demonstrated that as yet his energy far outweighed his skill. His wild charges upfield, coupled with several tackles that were considered ‘strong’ even in those days, brought him the nickname "Crazy Horse".
Yet he quickly settled down, and once more proved that Shankly had a genius for spotting talent in the lower leagues.
Hughes started as a left-sided defender, but soon moved to the centre, where he would forge successive partnerships with Larry Lloyd, Tommy Smith and then Phil Thompson.
This brought him into his own in the early 1970s, when Shankly decided that if Liverpool were to prosper in Europe they must dispense with the traditional type of English centre-half and build their attacks from the back with more cultured defenders at the helm. It was the team's subsequent ability to blend British aggression and workrate with a Continental style of movement that brought a period of success in Europe that remains unmatched by any English or Scottish team before or since.
Having missed the 1971 FA Cup Final defeat by Arsenal, Hughes's first trophies with Liverpool came two seasons later, when we took both the league title and the UEFA Cup, beating Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-2 on aggregate. The next year, following a row with Tommy Smith, Shankly made Hughes club captain.
The change led to a long-running feud between Smith and Hughes that sadly continued through the media for decades after both had retired from the game, and led to tension in the dressing room, where the older players remained loyal to Smith and voiced their dislike of Hughes' almost childlike enthusiasm.
Following Liverpool's 3-0 victory over Newcastle in the 1974 FA Cup Final, several players pushed Smith to the front of the celebrations, ahead of Hughes, but after Shankly's unexpected retirement in the close season Hughes was confirmed as captain his successor, Bob Paisley.
Hughes never had the same personal bond with Paisley as he had had with Shankly, but on the pitch he became the driving force for the side, his passion for the club and enjoyment of football evident in every game - a characteristic that made him a great favourite with the fans.
With Hughes now frequently playing in central midfield, Liverpool embarked on our great run of triumphs by winning another double of the league and UEFA Cup in 1976, and then in 1977 coming close to a treble triumph. With the league title already in the bag, we narrowly lost the FA Cup Final 2-1 to Manchester United, then four days later comprehensively outplayed Borussia again in Rome to claim our first European Cup. Hughes, the Football Writers' Footballer of the Year, lifted the trophy with what the commentator Barry Davies called "the smile of the season".
That match was the last for Liverpool for both Smith and Kevin Keegan, and signalled the arrival of the player who was to take the team to still greater heights, Kenny Dalglish. Our triumph in Rome was repeated at Wembley 12 months later when Dalglish scored the winner in the Final against Bruges, subsequently requiring Hughes to lift old big ears once again.
Hughes's achievements at Anfield had not gone unnoticed by England managers. He won his first international cap against Holland at left back in 1969, and was a squad member during the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. The 70s were not a good decade for the English national side and Hughes would never again have the opportunity to play in a World Cup. He did however go on to win 62 caps, 23 as captain.
After his fourth championship win with Liverpool, in July 1979 the ageing Hughes moved to Wolves. He had played 665 matches for Liverpool and, having a fine shot from distance, had scored 48 goals for us. Many of his goals were memorable, not least for the wild celebrations that usually followed, often involving running the full length of the pitch with freewheeling arms outstretched.
In his first season with Wolves, as captain, he won the League Cup when his side defeated Nottingham Forest 1-0 with a goal from Andy Gray. In claiming his medal, Hughes thereby completed his remarkable and well-merited sweep of all the game's principal domestic and European club honours.
Hughes moved on from Wolves to Rotherham as player-manager in 1981. Management, however, was not to be for him, and after he left the club in 1983 he had brief spells as a player at Hull, Mansfield and John Toshack's Swansea before retiring in 1984.
By then he had become a television personality, notably through his appearances on the BBC quiz A Question of Sport. For most of the 1980s, Hughes was known for bantering with Bill Beaumont, hugging Princess Anne and wearing dodgy jumpers.
His television work petered out in the late 1980s, and he subsequently worked as an after-dinner speaker, occasional television pundit, and as the director of a firm producing novelty gifts. He lived near Sheffield and was a keen follower of horse racing and was deeply committed to numerous charitable endeavours.
In 2003 he was found to have a brain tumour, and underwent emergency surgery. Emlyn Hughes OBE passed away on 9 November, 2004, aged just 57. Football and Liverpool Football Club had lost one of the great characters of the game. He is survived by his wife Barbara, their son Emlyn and daughter Emma.
Emlyn Hughes. Crazy Horse. RIP. YNWA.
