Home > Tommy Smith

Smith joined the club as a schoolboy in 1960 and made his debut in 1963 on the last day of the season in a comprehensive victory over Birmingham City. However, he made no appearances through the following season, as Liverpool won the League title.

In 1965, Smith featured in the Liverpool side which won the FA Cup for the first time in the club's history, beating Leeds United after extra-time in the final at Wembley. Although a defender, Smith wore the No.10 shirt; a cunning ploy by manager Bill Shankly to confuse opponents in the days when specific numbers always represented specific positions on the pitch. The No.10 shirt usually was worn by an inside forward.

The following year he was a fixture in the team which regained the League title, earning Smith his first of four championship medals, but also lost the 1966 European Cup-Winners CupThe Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition between the winners of the European domestic league cups. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been run by the UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960/61 season final to Borussia DortmundBorussia Dortmund (full name Ballspiel-Verein Borussia 1909 e. Dortmund often short BVB is a German soccer team based in Dortmund. They play in the Bundesliga and has successed internationally. The football department is the most famous of the club, but i. Had they won, then with future successes in other continental competitions to come, Smith would have attained a rare haul of three winners' medals from the three different European contests.

There then followed a barren period in the late 1960sCenturies: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s Years: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around, so Shankly began to dismantle the team and build a new, younger one, with just Smith and team-mates Ian CallaghanIan Callaghan (born Toxteth, Liverpool, 10th April 1942) was a footballer who holds the record for the most appearances for Liverpool. Callaghan, a Liverpool fan as a youngster, joined the club as an apprentice in 1960, making his debut that April, and sa, Chris LawlerChris Lawler (born Liverpool, 25th October 1943) was a footballer who enjoyed much of Liverpool's success of the 1960s and 1970s. A right-sided defender, Lawler joined his local club when he was 17 and made his debut at 19. For two seasons his progression and Emlyn HughesEmlyn Hughes OBE ( August 28 1947, Barrow-in-Furness- November 9 2004, Sheffield) was an English footballer who captained the all-conquering Liverpool F. side of the 1970s, having joined them from Blackpool in 1967. He was the son of a rugby league player surviving the cull. Smith was made club captain and led the team to the 19711971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). Events January January 1 British divorce Reform Act comes into force January 2 66 die in stairway crush at Rangers v Celtic football match, Glasgow, Scotland. See Ibrox disaster. Janua FA Cup final, which Liverpool lost to ArsenalThere are two football clubs widely known as Arsenal. For the most widely known club by that name, see Arsenal F. For the Argentine club of this name, see Arsenal de Sarandi. Arsenal an establishment for the construction, repair, receipt, storage and issu.

In 1973 Smith skippered the team to a double success in the League and UEFA Cup but then lost the captaincy after Shankly left him out of the team for one game and he complained. When he returned, he was also moved from his favoured central defensive role to full back. Smith ultimately settled his differences with his manager satisfactorily, though less so with Hughes, his successor as captain, who lifted the FA Cup in 1974 after Liverpool beat Newcastle United in the final. Smith did have the joy of setting up the third and final goal for young striker Kevin Keegan.

As Smith's twilight years approached, he made fewer appearances with the emergence of youngsters Phil Thompson and Phil Neal as central defender and full back respectively, though he still played an important role as Liverpool managed another League and UEFA Cup dual success in 1976. The following year, which Smith had announced as his final season with the club, started with him out of the side for several months, but ended with his finest moment.

Smith was recalled after an injury to Thompson and was part of the side which retained the League title. He then played in the 1977 FA Cup final which Liverpool tragically lost to Manchester United, thereby ruining the chance of a fabled treble, with the club's first European Cup final in Rome due a few days later. Despite the disappointment of the defeat at Wembley, Liverpool played magnificently to beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-1, with Smith scoring a towering header to make the score 2-1. It was his 48th and final goal for the club. Two days later came his testimonial game at Anfield.

Smith delayed his retirement and played a further season for Liverpool (missing the successful retention of the European Cup after a DIY accident at home injured his foot) before leaving for Swansea City after 637 games. Managed by his former Liverpool team-mate John Toshack, Smith helped Swansea to promotion from the old Fourth Division. He retired from playing in 1979. It's notable that despite his long association with a winning team, level of respect within the game and amount of medals, he only was ever selected once to play for England, in a match against Wales in 1971. He did make junior and under-23 appearances for his country early in his career.

Apart from a brief spell as youth coach at Liverpool, Smith has not stayed in the game to any great extent, preferring business and journalistic careers after his playing days ended, but his legend lives on whenever people refer to the vernacular of the "hard men of football" and Smith has made a reasonable living from talking about his career as the Anfield Iron - a nickname afforded to him by Liverpool supporters.

Many, including Smith, claim that he was unlike most of the other footballers who are lumped into the "hard men" category, in that he was always absolutely fair. Smith himself always points to his disciplinary record whenever people question his intentions when tackling opponents - he was often cautioned, but more for things he said than did, and was never sent from the field of play. Certainly he was known for his sharp tongue during games, often seen berating and even trying to instruct the referee in command.

In his later years, Smith had a hip replacement operation (both knees and an elbow are made of plastic as well) and also began to suffer from arthritis to the extent that he couldn't work, often needed a wheelchair or walking stick and had to claim incapacity benefit. He then had to go to a social security tribunal to explain himself after he managed to take a penalty on the Wembley pitch (he missed) in a light-hearted contest for charity which featured former footballers and took place at half-time during the FA Cup final in 1996. The informer was not only an employee for the DSS, but also a supporter of Liverpool's fierce rivals Everton who was watching proceedings on the television. Smith's allowance was stopped. He now earns a wage from the after-dinner circuit and a column for a local newspaper.

Smith has also been a critic of modern players' dietary habits, bemoaning the extra-healthy options preferred prior to a game compared to the three course meal he always consumed, which invariably included soup, steak and a pudding.

He lives quietly in the Crosby area of Liverpool with his wife Susan.