 |
|||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
Ian Rush
| Category: | Male Player |
| Year Inducted: | 2006 |
Profile by Robert Galvin, the author of Football's Greatest Heroes, the official book of the National Football Museum Hall of Fame:
Ian Rush, the greatest goalscorer in the history of both Liverpool and the FA Cup in the modern era, was once described by Kenny Dalglish as the ‘best striker I've ever seen'.
As first his striking partner at Anfield and later manager, Dalglish was ideally placed to witness the development of the aptly named Rush. ‘A deadly finisher,' the Scot said.
Shy, introverted and insecure as a teenager, the Welshman would emerge as an instinctive predator in front of goal, notably in 1983-84 when he lifted the Golden Boot as the leading goalscorer in European football.
‘They used to say it was my vision that opened up the chances for Ian to put away. But really, it was his vision, his knowing when to run and where to run,' Dalglish said. ‘That was the vital ingredient. I would just hit the ball into space, knowing that he would have the pace and the instinct to be moving there. A player of his qualities could turn a hopeful pass into a great one.'
The statistics say it all: in 658 first-team appearances, Rush scored 346 goals; in the FA Cup, he netted a record 44 times, including five in four Wembley finals, another record.
His tally is all the more impressive because so many of those goals came in important matches with trophies at stake, a tribute to his temperament as well as skill; the end result was a personal haul of one European Cup, five League championship medals, five League Cup and three FA Cups gongs.
Yet in his early days at Anfield, an overawed Rush could barely find the net in the reserves. At heart, he simply didn't think he was good enough for Liverpool following his transfer from Chester in 1980 for a fee of £300,000. Alan Hansen wasn't impressed, either. ‘I watched him in training and thought: No pace, can't head it, can't score. They'll get rid of him at the end of the season.'
Frustrated by his lack of progress and upset at being the target of much dressing-room banter and ribbing, Rush was prepared to leave Anfield. Yet when word leaked out of Anfield, there was no interest from top-flight clubs. His career was clearly at a crossroads.
Around this time, during a dispute over pay, a fateful meeting with Bob Paisley took place. ‘We bought you to score goals, and you're not doing it,' the manager said bluntly. ‘You've got to be more selfish in front of goal.'
It would prove to be the turning point. Rush determined to play more for himself, and, suddenly, his strike rate increased, as did his confidence. ‘I always had faith in him,' Paisley said later. His consistency was remarkable.
Between 1981-82 and 1986-87 Rush averaged about two strikes every three games – a ratio unmatched by any rival forward. Nothing like this had been seen the heyday of Jimmy Greaves two decades earlier.
The high point came in 1983-84, the ‘greatest season of my life'; Rush scored 47 goals in all competitions, breaking the club record held by Roger Hunt. It all made him the obvious choice as footballer of the year for both his peers and the football writers.
Wiry, tall and whippet-quick, Rush worked tirelessly on behalf of his team, relentlessly foraging for possession when the opposition had the ball. ‘The number of times he forces defenders into mistakes is remarkable,' Howard Kendall said.
Sure of touch, though surprisingly weak in the air for a six-footer, Rush was particularly ruthless and pitiless towards Everton, the team he supported as a boy, most notably in the derby at Goodison Park in 1982, when he scored four goals.
Following the ban on English teams playing in European competition, Rush was signed by Juventus in 1987 for a fee of £3.2 million. A year on, when a homesick Rush signalled his interest in returning, Dalglish didn't hesitate, splashing out £2.8 million to bring the Welshman home.
‘Ian had blossomed into almost the complete player in Italy,' Dalglish said. It took the best part of a season for him to regain full fitness and confidence, and his role had also changed: instead of a spearhead and darting target for through-balls, Rush was more of a pivot, often playing with his back to goal. ‘He was making countless chances for others with his unselfish running off the ball, and the quality and penetration of his passing,' Dalglish said later.
In May 1996, Rush, now no longer an automatic choice at Anfield, accepted a free transfer to Leeds. As he took the field before his last home game, Liverpool's opponents formed a guard of honour. ‘It was no more than he deserves,' said Middlesbrough manager Bryan Robson.
Summing up his Liverpool career, and his partnership with Dalglish, a typically modest Rush said: ‘I just made the runs knowing the ball would come to me. Once we were on the same wavelength, it all clicked.'