Emlyn Hughes RIP

[Uncle Travelling Matt]

Not being funny starting another thread but thought we should spell his name right.........

 

RIP

 

From BBC:

 

Emlyn Hughes will be remembered as somebody who did everything to the maximum.

Whether it was as a swashbuckling player whose style earned him the nickname Crazy Horse, or as a television quiz show captain who literally rubbed shoulders with royalty, Emlyn Hughes never did things by half.

 

Emlyn Hughes was born in Barrow in August 1947, into a sporting family.

 

His father Fred was a Great Britain rugby league international, as was an uncle, while one of his aunts was a hockey international.

 

He signed for Blackpool but his all-action style soon brought him to the attention of Liverpool boss Bill Shankly.

 

The astute Shankly saw enough in Hughes to splash out the then huge sum of £65,000 for a 19-year-old who had made just 31 appearances for the Tangerines.

 

Hughes was an archetypal Shankly player, who allied skill with boundless reserves of drive, enthusiasm and battling qualities.

 

EMLYN HUGHES' HONOURS

2 European Cups

2 Uefa Cups

5 League Championships

1 FA Cup

1 League Cup

1 European Super Cup

 

The versatile Hughes could slot in anywhere along the back line, or take his combative, all-action style into midfield.

 

Wherever he played, Hughes' performances were characterised by powerful, surging runs which earned him his nickname of Crazy Horse.

 

Having built his team around Hughes, Shankly handed the legacy on to successors Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan.

 

Hughes was the body and spirit of the all-conquering Liverpool side of the mid to late 1970s, and his reputation grew as his and Liverpool's trophy cabinets bulged.

 

He became the first Liverpool captain to get his hands on the European Cup when he lifted the trophy in Rome in 1977 after the 3-1 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach.

 

 

Hughes was known for his infectious grin

 

He took possession of the trophy again a year later following the 1-0 win over Bruges at Wembley, and he also led Liverpool to the European Super Cup.

 

Hughes was also able to boast five League Championship medal, two Uefa Cup winnners medals, and an FA Cup winner's gong.

 

Inevitably, the qualities that made him a success at Liverpool were coveted by a similarly driven man, England boss Sir Alf Ramsay.

 

Hughes won the first of his 62 England caps against Holland in 1969, and captained his country 23 times.

 

After making 665 first-team appearances for Liverpool, Hughes extended his career when he joined Wolves in 1979 for £79,000.

 

Hughes' leadership qualities were still intact, and he led Wolves to a League Cup triumph in 1980, filling the gap in his trophy cabinet with the only domestic honour he had never captured at Liverpool.

 

INTERNATIONAL HONOURS

63 England Caps

Captained England 23 times

1st cap v Holland 1969

 

He was awarded an OBE in 1980 for his services to football and after his playing days ended, tried his hand at management.

 

Like many great players, he was unable to transfer his success to management and lasted 20 months as manager of Rotherham.

 

After his dabble with management, he carved out a career for himself in the media, where his face became known to non-football fans as a long-serving captain in the BBC's Question of Sport.

 

Hughes' wide grin and infectious laugh became one of the show's trademarks and he propelled the show into national notoriety when he put his arm round the shoulder of team member Princess Anne when she appeared on the show.

 

It was typical of Hughes, who would not let protocol be a barrier to what he percieved to be a piece of bonding of team spirit.

 

After leaving Question of Sport, Hughes continued to be one of the most eagerly sought after-dinner speakers, and was also in demand as a motivational speaker.

[Cath]

Remember watching him from the Anny as a kid.

A hero and true Anfield legend.

RIP Crazy Horse

[Red Nick]

Great man, i saw a lot of him as he was at the beggining of my era

 

Always remember a semi final against manutd when he came to the touch line after 20 minutes to find out his horse had falllen at the first at Aintree, Cant see that happening in todays football.

 

Lots of great memories.

 

Emlyn RIP

YNWA

[Guest saturday shopper]

... the spelling is a side issue, he was known to my generation simply, and lovingly,... as "Yosser" or "Crazy Horse" ...... and they broke the mold with "Yosser" .there was no better place to be on the planet than the PARKEND, when Yosser scored on derby day against the assassins from the Valley,... god what shock, legends not enough.....

[Big Noel]

Truly terrible news. Responsible for much of the success in the 1970s and an inspiration for the greatness which followed.

 

A TRUE legend.

 

RIP

[GJM]

Watched him in my first ever live game. Emlyn was synonymous with that great 70s side that I fell in love with and who felt like they were members of my own family.

RIP.

[Red Nick]

just had a chance to take it in a bit more so many great memories, Emlyn kissing princess anne was priceless and on the football side he was a much better defender than he was given credit You didnt play that many games for the great Liverpool sides without being a pretty good player

[Dr.Filth]

Probably the greatest captain we've ever had.

RIP Emlyn. You'll Never Walk Alone

[Ronnie Whelan]

RIP Crazy Horse.

A true great on and off the field.

[Bamo]

Sir Bob always said - not the most popular player in the dressing room but always the first on the team sheet. Many great memories and you could never match his commitment to the cause.

 

RIP Yosser

[Kopite]

Absolutely gutted. Don't give a toss about his politics; a great player, a great Red and a great Captain.

 

RIP Emlyn - one of my first heroes (with Tosh and King Kevin).

 

YNWA.

[Red Nick]

Absolutely gutted. Don't give a toss about his politics; a great player, a great Red and a great Captain.

 

RIP Emlyn - one of my first heroes (with Tosh and King Kevin).

 

YNWA.

 

We never agree on anything but on this one we do agree

 

Emlyn

YNWA

[Uncle Travelling Matt]

Watched the Champions of Europe DVD last night.......hadn't previously seen much of the footage and so was great to see Emlyn's smiling face when lifting the first two.......

[Kopite]

We never agree on anything but on this one we do agree

 

Emlyn

YNWA

 

That's only because you'd find the downside of a rollover lottery win ;)

[A Red]

Saw he would have been 73 the other day. My uncle would have him in our greatest ever 11, reckons he was that good.

[dockers_strike]

3 minutes ago, A Red said:

Saw he would have been 73 the other day. My uncle would have him in our greatest ever 11, reckons he was that good.

You aint seen nothing like the Mighty Emlyn. Old crazy horse was like Hendo on steriods with a howitzer of a shot.

 

People often go on about that goal rooney scored for the mancs being the hardest hit ball. But Emlyn hit one at Ipswich which if the keeper had of stood in front of, would have left a ball sized hole in his midriff.

[A Red]

Just now, dockers_strike said:

You aint seen nothing like the Mighty Emlyn. Old crazy horse was like Hendo on steriods with a howitzer of a shot.

 

People often go on about that goal rooney scored for the mancs being the hardest hit ball. But Emlyn hit one at Ipswich which if the keeper had of stood in front of, would have left a ball sized hole in his midriff.

I like him but he could be a bit "raw boned"

[suzy]

I loved Emlyn, enjoyed the Question of Sport special the other night which had some good clips of him. 

[Harry's Lad]

I remember him scoring with a rocket of a shot and running up the pitch, arms waving wildly over his head with the biggest grin on his face.

Pure joy.

A great player.

Rest well Captain.

[Colt Seavers]

Its hard to compare from different era always had a soft spot for him.

Virg is amazing but Hansen is the greatest for me.

RIP Crazy Horse though one of the best without doubt

[Gnasher]

Loved Emlyn Hughes. It will always go down as one of football's greatest mysteries that one of Liverpool's finest ever  players who won leagues and european cups did not win one solitary international cap for his native Wales.

[Tony Moanero]

[Stickman]

6 hours ago, Harry's Lad said:

I remember him scoring with a rocket of a shot and running up the pitch, arms waving wildly over his head with the biggest grin on his face.

Pure joy.

A great player.

Rest well Captain.

Nobody ever looked happier than Emlyn with either scoring or picking a trophy nor had as much pain etched in his face when losing ..

Think this is the goal you’re talking about ......

 

 

 

[Gnasher]

5 hours ago, Tony Moanero said:

Great pics them.

[s(k)aturation]

5 hours ago, Gnasher said:

Loved Emlyn Hughes. It will always go down as one of football's greatest mysteries that one of Liverpool's finest ever  players who won leagues and european cups did not win one solitary international cap for his native Wales.

 

Just another Prince of Wales that ended up leading England.