Let’s cut to the chase. Ian Rush was the best centre-forward British football had seen in the (almost) 30 years since England won the World Cup. Better than Lineker was and better than Shearer became, he was simply the best. Better than Fowler even. End of story. I need say no more. The end.
What’s that I hear you cry? “Call that a profile you work-shy fop? We want, nay, we demand to know more!â€
Okay then. Let’s hear it for Ian Rush, Ian Rush, Iaaaaan Rush, he gets the ball, he scores a goal, Iaaaaan Rush.
Ian Rush was born on 20 October 1961 at St Asaph in Flint. Our hero first terrorized defences playing for Hawarden Rangers, in the shadow of Shotton Steelworks where his father worked, before going on to represent Deeside Schoolboys. His goal-scoring record for Deesside stood for years, until a young dwarf-like character called Michael Owen came along…
He began his professional career with Chester City. In May 1980 and just 39 appearances and 17 goals later, Bob Paisley had seen enough to splash out a British transfer record of £300,000 for a teenager. Now Paisley knew talent when he saw it, but this was surely a huge risk. Was the great man losing his knack of picking players?
Err, no, he most definitely was not.
Rushie won his first medal in the League Cup Final victory over West Ham in 1981 but his phenomenal talents really came to the fore in the 1981-82 season. The perfect man to finish off chances created by Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness and company, his razor sharp instincts were as potent a weapon as anyone's in Liverpool's history.
Certainly, few matched his ability at finishing off half chances while his work-rate and movement were phenomenal. Rush was, in fact, one of a new breed of strikers who joined in the game even when his team was defending and his off-the-ball running and harassment of opposition defenders made him Liverpool's first line of defence.
The goals flowed and the trophies followed. 17 goals in 32 league games in season ’81/82 as the Championship was clinched. 24 in 32 as the feat was repeated the following season. And then perhaps his greatest season. In 1983/84, Rushie grabbed 32 goals in 41 league games as the title, Milk Cup and European Cup were in Joe Fagan’s first season in charge.
Injuries held Ian back in 84/85, but he still netted 14 in 28 games. The following season – the double season – Rush scored 22 in 40, including two to break Everton hearts (not for the first or indeed the last time) in the FA Cup Final. The following season was the last in Part One of Ian Rush’s Anfield career. He signed off in typical fashion with 30 league goals in 42 games.
The giants of European football had been sniffing around for years and there was something inevitable about Rush’s departure for Turin in 1987. His spell at Juventus wasn’t a happy one, yielding just 7 goals in 29 games. Ian never settled in Italy. He allegedly used to request food parcels of baked beans to be sent over to remind him of home. He summed up his frustration by claiming he found Italy ‘Just like a foreign country’. How right you were Ian. Come home lad.
So he did. His opportunities were limited in the league as John Aldridge took over the mantle as the main striker. But in the FA Cup Final of 1989, Ian Rush yet again battered the Blues, firing two goals on that emotionally-charged occasion.
A final league title was clinched in 89/90 but the rot was about to set in for Liverpool and even Rushies’ goal returns started to look ‘normal’. Season 95/96 was his last with us. By then, he’d made 658 appearances and scored 346 goals. His 229 league goals left him just 16 behind Sir Roger Hunt’s all-time Liverpool record.
Ian Rush scored 44 FA Cup goals (39 for Liverpool) – a record and five in FA Cup Finals – a record. He scored 49 goals in the League Cup – a record he shares with Geoff Hurst and was the first player to win five finals in that competition.
In all, he won five league championships, one European Cup, five league cups, three FA Cups, four Charity Shields and one Screen Sport Super Cup! He was awarded the MBE and won Europe’s Golden Boot for his 32 league goals in 1984, when he was also double Footballer of the Year. He scored 28 goals in 73 appearances for Wales.
In 1996, Ian joined Leeds and later played for Newcastle, Wrexham, Sheffield United and Sydney Olympic.
After hanging up his boots, Ian did some media work before becoming manager of Chester City in 2004. His tenure was short lived and after a row with the chairman, he resigned in April the following year. After some coaching work at Anfield, Ian is again working as a pundit for Sky Sports.
Oh and one last stat for you. Ian Rush holds the record for the most goals in Merseyside derbies, smashing 25 against Everton!
What’s that I hear you cry? “Call that a profile you work-shy fop? We want, nay, we demand to know more!â€
Okay then. Let’s hear it for Ian Rush, Ian Rush, Iaaaaan Rush, he gets the ball, he scores a goal, Iaaaaan Rush.
Ian Rush was born on 20 October 1961 at St Asaph in Flint. Our hero first terrorized defences playing for Hawarden Rangers, in the shadow of Shotton Steelworks where his father worked, before going on to represent Deeside Schoolboys. His goal-scoring record for Deesside stood for years, until a young dwarf-like character called Michael Owen came along…
He began his professional career with Chester City. In May 1980 and just 39 appearances and 17 goals later, Bob Paisley had seen enough to splash out a British transfer record of £300,000 for a teenager. Now Paisley knew talent when he saw it, but this was surely a huge risk. Was the great man losing his knack of picking players?
Err, no, he most definitely was not.
Rushie won his first medal in the League Cup Final victory over West Ham in 1981 but his phenomenal talents really came to the fore in the 1981-82 season. The perfect man to finish off chances created by Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness and company, his razor sharp instincts were as potent a weapon as anyone's in Liverpool's history.
Certainly, few matched his ability at finishing off half chances while his work-rate and movement were phenomenal. Rush was, in fact, one of a new breed of strikers who joined in the game even when his team was defending and his off-the-ball running and harassment of opposition defenders made him Liverpool's first line of defence.
The goals flowed and the trophies followed. 17 goals in 32 league games in season ’81/82 as the Championship was clinched. 24 in 32 as the feat was repeated the following season. And then perhaps his greatest season. In 1983/84, Rushie grabbed 32 goals in 41 league games as the title, Milk Cup and European Cup were in Joe Fagan’s first season in charge.
Injuries held Ian back in 84/85, but he still netted 14 in 28 games. The following season – the double season – Rush scored 22 in 40, including two to break Everton hearts (not for the first or indeed the last time) in the FA Cup Final. The following season was the last in Part One of Ian Rush’s Anfield career. He signed off in typical fashion with 30 league goals in 42 games.
The giants of European football had been sniffing around for years and there was something inevitable about Rush’s departure for Turin in 1987. His spell at Juventus wasn’t a happy one, yielding just 7 goals in 29 games. Ian never settled in Italy. He allegedly used to request food parcels of baked beans to be sent over to remind him of home. He summed up his frustration by claiming he found Italy ‘Just like a foreign country’. How right you were Ian. Come home lad.
So he did. His opportunities were limited in the league as John Aldridge took over the mantle as the main striker. But in the FA Cup Final of 1989, Ian Rush yet again battered the Blues, firing two goals on that emotionally-charged occasion.
A final league title was clinched in 89/90 but the rot was about to set in for Liverpool and even Rushies’ goal returns started to look ‘normal’. Season 95/96 was his last with us. By then, he’d made 658 appearances and scored 346 goals. His 229 league goals left him just 16 behind Sir Roger Hunt’s all-time Liverpool record.
Ian Rush scored 44 FA Cup goals (39 for Liverpool) – a record and five in FA Cup Finals – a record. He scored 49 goals in the League Cup – a record he shares with Geoff Hurst and was the first player to win five finals in that competition.
In all, he won five league championships, one European Cup, five league cups, three FA Cups, four Charity Shields and one Screen Sport Super Cup! He was awarded the MBE and won Europe’s Golden Boot for his 32 league goals in 1984, when he was also double Footballer of the Year. He scored 28 goals in 73 appearances for Wales.
In 1996, Ian joined Leeds and later played for Newcastle, Wrexham, Sheffield United and Sydney Olympic.
After hanging up his boots, Ian did some media work before becoming manager of Chester City in 2004. His tenure was short lived and after a row with the chairman, he resigned in April the following year. After some coaching work at Anfield, Ian is again working as a pundit for Sky Sports.
Oh and one last stat for you. Ian Rush holds the record for the most goals in Merseyside derbies, smashing 25 against Everton!
