.jpg) Smith pictured in October 1966. | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas Smith | ||
| Date of birth | (1945-04-05)5 April 1945 | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Date of death | 12 April 2019(2019-04-12) (aged 74) | ||
| Place of death | Crosby, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1960–1962 | Liverpool | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1962–1978 | Liverpool | 467 | (36) |
| 1976 | →Tampa Bay Rowdies (loan) | 17 | (0) |
| 1978 | Los Angeles Aztecs | 12 | (0) |
| 1978–1979 | Swansea City | 36 | (2) |
| Total | 532 | (38) | |
| International career | |||
| 1965–1968 | England U23 | 10 | (2) |
| 1971 | England | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1978 | Los Angeles Aztecs | ||
| 1987 | Caernarfon Town F.C. | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Thomas SmithMBE (5 April 1945 – 12 April 2019) was an Englishfootballer, who played as adefender atLiverpool for 16 years from 1962 to 1978. Known for his uncompromising defensive style, managerBill Shankly once said of him: "Tommy Smith wasn't born, he was quarried". A central defender for most of his career, Smith's most memorable moment for the club probably came when he scored Liverpool's second goal in the1977 European Cup Final againstBorussia Mönchengladbach. Smith played once forEngland in 1971, and also played at club level forTampa Bay Rowdies,Los Angeles Aztecs andSwansea City.
Smith was born inLiverpool on Thursday, 5 April 1945; he was an only child.[2] His father died ofpneumonia in 1959.[3] Brought up aCatholic, he stopped attending church after witnessing the localpriest stagger out of the house drunk after he came to the family home to offer his condolences.[4] Smith joined the groundstaff atAnfield the following year, becoming a schoolboy associate ofLiverpool, the club he had supported all his life.[5] Initially acentre-forward, he impressed managerBill Shankly enough to bypass two ofthe club's four reserve teams to immediately play for the 'A' team.[6] He further made an impression in the1961–62 pre-season when he beat imposing centre-halfRon Yeats to a header to score in training.[7] He turned professional in the summer of 1962, on wages of £18-a-week.[8]
He made his debut for the "Reds" on 8 May 1963, replacing the injuredJimmy Melia in a 5–1 home victory overBirmingham City.[9] However he made no further appearances throughout the rest of the1962–63 season, and did not feature in the1963–64First Division title winning season. He married Susanne in July 1964, following a four-year courtship.[10]
He scored his first goal for Liverpool in his second match, playing at inside-left in a 3–2 defeat toBlackburn Rovers atEwood Park on 29 August 1964.[11] He kept his place for the following game, and again scored as Liverpool beatLeeds United 2–1.[12] He was returned to the reserves after two more appearances, before returning to the first team as a defender in a 3–0 win over Belgian sideAnderlecht in theEuropean Cup; after the match Shankly said that "The game marked out Tommy Smith as a fine player. The boy has arrived".[13] He ended the1964–65 season with four goals in 25 league games, spent mostly at right-half.[14] He also played in every game of Liverpool'sFA Cup run as they beatWest Bromwich Albion,Stockport County (after a replay),Bolton Wanderers,Leicester City (after a replay), andChelsea to reach the1965 FA Cup Final against Leeds United atWembley Stadium; Liverpool won the game 2–1 to lift the trophy for the first time in the club'shistory.[15]
He played in the1965 FA Charity Shield againstManchester United atOld Trafford, where a 2–2 draw meant that two clubs shared the trophy.[16] Liverpool then recovered from a loss and a defeat toSheffield United in the opening two games of the1965–66 season to go on a strong run of form that included convincing victories overWest Ham United (5–1),Merseyside derby rivalsEverton (5–0),Nottingham Forest (4–0),Northampton Town (5–0), and Blackburn Rovers (5–2); Smith managed to score against both Everton and Blackburn.[17] They went unbeaten for a total of 18 games from October to late February, and then lost just one of their final ten games to secure the league title with a six-point lead over runners-up Leeds United.[18] They had conceded just 34 goals, the lowest total of any team inthe Football League.[19] Liverpool also reached the1966 European Cup Winners' Cup Final to face German sideBorussia Dortmund atHampden Park, but Smith admitted that his side "lacked our usual edge and appeared disjointed" as they lost the game 2–1 in extra-time.[20]
Smith played in the1966 FA Charity Shield against Everton atGoodison Park, helping his side to a clean sheet and a 1–0 victory.[21] This would prove to be the last trophy for five years however, despite a good start to the1966–67 season that included a 5–0 win over Leeds United.[22] Their form slipped in the second half of the campaign, as they fell to fifth place.[23] Liverpool were more consistent across the1967–68 campaign, but ended up in third place, three points behind championsManchester City.[24] They came even closer in the1968–69 season, where a 0–0 draw with Leeds at Anfield was enough to win Leeds the title, whilst Liverpool went on to finish as runners-up.[25]
Smith was given the honour of clubcaptaincy and led the team to the1971 FA Cup final, which Liverpool lost toArsenal 2–1 after extra time. In1972–73, Smith skippered the team to their first double success of the League andUEFA Cup, when they topped the league by three points over Arsenal and beatBorussia Mönchengladbach in the UEFA Cup final 3–2 on aggregate.[26][27][28]
In November 1973,[29] after Smith complained to Shankly at being left out of the team for a game, he had the big disappointment of losing the captaincy toEmlyn Hughes. This resulted in Smith almost leaving Liverpool. Earlier, Hughes had told Shankly to remove the captaincy from Smith and give it to a younger man. When he returned, he was also moved from his favoured central defensive role to full back. Although Smith eventually settled his differences with Shankly satisfactorily, a long-running feud developed between Smith and Hughes which led to some tension in the Liverpool dressing room, where the older players remained loyal to Smith and voiced their dislike of Hughes's chattiness (and parsimony in the pub).[30] In 2008, Smith alleged his feud with Hughes started eighteen months prior, when he said in his autobiography that on 8 May 1972, Hughes told him that he had been speaking to a number of Arsenal players who were "willing to throw a match for £50 a man." Liverpool subsequently failed to win the vital match atHighbury, which allowedDerby County to win the title instead. Smith wrote that he was disgusted with what Hughes said and never spoke to him off the field again. Smith maintained that the only witness wasIan Callaghan.[31] Smith said he never told Shankly because it would have "broken his heart".[32]
Hughes went on to lift the FA Cup as captain in 1974 after Liverpool comprehensively beatNewcastle United 3–0 in one of the most one-sided of Wembley finals. Having lost the captaincy Smith missed out on receiving the trophy fromPrincess Anne, he did have the pleasure of setting up the third and final goal for the young strikerKevin Keegan, a stunning team goal.[33]
As Smith's twilight years approached, he made fewer appearances and with the emergence of youngstersPhil Thompson andPhil Neal as central defender and full back respectively, though he still played an important role as Liverpool managed another League and UEFA Cup double in 1976, when he appeared 24 times in the league and played a left-back role in both legs of the UEFA final. Smith spent the close season in the summer of 1976 in the United States, playing 17 games on loan as a defender for theTampa Bay Rowdies,[34] where he continued his trademark toughness and earned the nickname, "The Tank".[35]
Back in Liverpool, Smith was left out of the side that started the1976–77 season but, when Thompson picked up an injury in Liverpool's 1–0 win over Newcastle in the March of that season, he was recalled and kept his place as the side went on to retain the League title. Smith then played in the1977 FA Cup Final which Liverpool lost to bitter rivalsManchester United, thereby losing the chance of a treble, with the club's firstEuropean Cupfinal in Rome due a few days later. Despite the disappointment of the defeat at Wembley, Liverpool played magnificently to beat oldUEFA Cup foesBorussia Mönchengladbach 3–1, with Smith scoring a towering second-half header from a corner taken bySteve Heighway to make the score 2–1. It was his first goal of the season, and the 48th and final for the club. The BBC commentatorBarry Davies described the goal with the words "It's Tommy Smith! Oh what an end to a career."[36]
Smith decided to delay his retirement and played a furtherseason for Liverpool but missed the successfulretention of the European Cup after he dropped a pickaxe on his foot, breaking his toe.[37] He picked up a runners-up medal in Liverpool's first everLeague Cupfinal after they lost a replay toNottingham Forest.[38]
He spent the summer of 1978 in theNASL with theLos Angeles Aztecs. He started as a player but became player/head coach halfway through the season. At the end of the season he was replaced by Dutch legendRinus Michels.[39]
Smith left forSwansea City in 1978 after 638 games for Liverpool, receiving the MBE for services to football that same year. The Swans were being managed by his former Liverpool teammateJohn Toshack at the time and Smith helped Swansea to promotion from theThird Division. He retired from playing in 1979.[40]
Smith won ten caps for theEngland under-23 team, his first coming in a 0–0 draw withCzechoslovakia atElland Road.[41] He scored two goals, both penalties, againstScotland andAustria.[41] He won just one full cap forEngland on 19 May 1971, in a 0–0 draw withWales in aBritish Home Championship game at Wembley.[42]
Smith used psychological ploys to threaten and intimidate opposition players.[43] That said, he certainly had the respect of his peers, with fellow professionalJack Charlton once saying "Tommy Smith was easily the hardest player I faced. I ran into him once and he knocked every ounce of breath out of me. I tried to get up and look like he hadn't hurt me, but he had."[44]
ManagerBill Shankly once said of him: "Tommy Smith wasn't born, he was quarried".[45]
Smith was nicknamed "The Anfield Iron" and it was said that "Merseyside mothers kept his picture on the mantelpiece to keep their kids away from the fire". A common story stated that he "missed the 1978 European Cup Final after tripping on a pickaxe and injuring his foot. The pickaxe was a write-off".[46]
Smith had a brief spell as a youth coach at Liverpool. He wrote a weekly column for theLiverpool Echo for 35 years from 1979 until August 2014.[47] In March 2008, he published his autobiography,Anfield Iron. He bought thelease toThe Cavern Club in 1980, but sold it on after a few years of minimal profits.[48]
Smith was still held in high regard amongst Liverpool fans long after his retirement, as he was voted into 25th place in the official club website poll "100 Players Who Shook The Kop".[49]
In 1988, Smith caused controversy after stating in an interview with the author Dave Hill thatHoward Gayle "Suffered from a black man's attitude towards the white man. See, everybody thinks whites have an attitude towards blacks. In reality it's blacks who have a problem with the whites... I used to call Howard the 'White Nigger'. Now that is a compliment. It was the only way I could find to describe that I thought he was OK." Smith then went on to comment to Hill that "I'm not prejudiced but if a coon moved in next door, I'd move, like most white people would. If my daughter came home with a nigger, I'd go mad. But I'm only being truthful and normal."[50] Smith intended to sue Hill, but found he had no grounds to take legal action as Hill had recorded all of Smith's comments on tape during the interview.[51]
On 6 June 2007 Smith suffered a heart attack in his garden which required an hospital stay and a six-wayHeart bypass.[52]
In his later years, Smith had ahip replacement operation (both knees and an elbow were also made of plastic) and also began to suffer fromarthritis to the extent that he could not work and often needed awheelchair or walking stick and had to claimincapacity benefit. Smith had his benefit payments stopped for a short time after he managed to take a penalty on the Wembley pitch at half-time during the1996 FA Cup Final between Liverpool and Manchester United; he stated that "I couldn't believe they would do that, I was getting money for charity. I only kicked the ball once."[53]
Smith was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in October 2014.[54]
Tommy Smith died, at the age of 74, in his sleep at 4.30pm on 12 April 2019 at Green Heyes nursing home inCrosby after "growing increasingly frail and suffering from a variety of ailments over the last three months", according to his daughter.[55][56][57][58]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Liverpool | 1962–63 | First Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1963–64 | First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1964–65 | First Division | 25 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 40 | 4 | |
| 1965–66 | First Division | 42 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 53 | 4 | |
| 1966–67 | First Division | 42 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 51 | 1 | |
| 1967–68 | First Division | 36 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 51 | 6 | |
| 1968–69 | First Division | 42 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 51 | 7 | |
| 1969–70 | First Division | 36 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 45 | 7 | |
| 1970–71 | First Division | 41 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 61 | 3 | |
| 1971–72 | First Division | 37 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 45 | 6 | |
| 1972–73 | First Division | 33 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 49 | 3 | |
| 1973–74 | First Division | 34 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 49 | 1 | |
| 1974–75 | First Division | 36 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 45 | 3 | |
| 1975–76 | First Division | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 35 | 0 | |
| 1976–77 | First Division | 16 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 28 | 1 | |
| 1977–78 | First Division | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 34 | 2 | |
| Total | 467 | 36 | 52 | 2 | 120 | 10 | 639 | 48 | ||
| Tampa Bay Rowdies (loan) | 1976[60] | NASL | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Los Angeles Aztecs | 1978[60] | NASL | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Swansea City | 1978–79 | Third Division | 36 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 43 | 2 |
| Career total | 532 | 38 | 56 | 2 | 123 | 10 | 711 | 50 | ||
Liverpool[61]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |