Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2008 4:26 pmBoth the Liverpool and Arsenal hierarchies should be ashamed for not doing more to help Ray Kennedy. Consider the vast wages we have wasted in recent years on players not fit to lace his boots. Ray Kennedy was an icon in an era when football was all about the game, when Stan Bowles would leave the bookies at 2.40pm on a Saturday to dash to the QPR dressing room in time for kick off, when Bill Shankley would go into the Kop before kick off for a chat with the supporters, when Saturday nights were all about having a few pints and watching match of the day and when footballers played with passion and pride for their respective clubs. Now there are managers and players making their fortunes in the premiership who can't even speak english. Maybe i'm just getting old and nostalgia has blurred my senses but how can this be progress.
My outstanding memory of Ray Kennedy was in 1981 in the european cup semi-final against Bayern Munich. After a 0-0 draw at Anfield Liverpool travelled to Munich for the second leg to discover that the Germans were so confident they had been busy giving their supporters advice on travel arrangements to Paris for the final. Skipper Phil Tompson missed the game with injury and star player Kenny Dalglish had to come off with an ankle injury. With 10 minutes left Ray Kennedy came to Liverpool's rescue when he scored a vital away goal to shock the home support. Bayern scored a late equaliser but it was too late. Liverpool were off to Paris. Also, remember that it was his quick throw in that picked out his name sake Alan Kennedy for the winner in the final against Real Madrid. Also, we always recall David Faircloughs winner against St. Etienne in '77 but it was Ray Kennedy's goal that revived the Liverpool cause to make it 2-1 and it was he who prodded the ball forward to set up Fairclough's goal that sealed the tie. Finally, Kennedy popped up with the third goal at Molineaux in 1976 to clinch the title from under the noses of QPR.
Ray Kennedy is a legend, a man apart. Living in Ireland I only get to Anfield once or twice a season but I'm surprised a mosaic has never been dedicated to Kennedy (just like the Houllier one from a few years ago) to remind the legend what he still means to us. Ray Kennedy's plight has shown us all that health is wealth but surely the money men at his former clubs could offer something to make his life easier.
My outstanding memory of Ray Kennedy was in 1981 in the european cup semi-final against Bayern Munich. After a 0-0 draw at Anfield Liverpool travelled to Munich for the second leg to discover that the Germans were so confident they had been busy giving their supporters advice on travel arrangements to Paris for the final. Skipper Phil Tompson missed the game with injury and star player Kenny Dalglish had to come off with an ankle injury. With 10 minutes left Ray Kennedy came to Liverpool's rescue when he scored a vital away goal to shock the home support. Bayern scored a late equaliser but it was too late. Liverpool were off to Paris. Also, remember that it was his quick throw in that picked out his name sake Alan Kennedy for the winner in the final against Real Madrid. Also, we always recall David Faircloughs winner against St. Etienne in '77 but it was Ray Kennedy's goal that revived the Liverpool cause to make it 2-1 and it was he who prodded the ball forward to set up Fairclough's goal that sealed the tie. Finally, Kennedy popped up with the third goal at Molineaux in 1976 to clinch the title from under the noses of QPR.
Ray Kennedy is a legend, a man apart. Living in Ireland I only get to Anfield once or twice a season but I'm surprised a mosaic has never been dedicated to Kennedy (just like the Houllier one from a few years ago) to remind the legend what he still means to us. Ray Kennedy's plight has shown us all that health is wealth but surely the money men at his former clubs could offer something to make his life easier.
disgrace that the man is not being looked after well by our club. some might say thats down to the P.F.A well not in my eyes its not. When a hero and thats what he is has to sell his medals to pay for his care there is seriously something wrong