The following is an abridged excerpt from Paul Tomkins’ latest book on Liverpool FC; “Dynasty: 50 Years of Shankly’s Liverpool”. For more on Paul and to purchase the book and read his new blog, visit his website here.

Introduction
Situation Inherited
Players Inherited
Management Style
Unique Methods
Strengths
Historical Context — Strength of Rivals and League
Defining Moment
Transfers In
Expensive Folly / One Who Got Away
Budget - Historical Context
Conclusion

Graeme Souness 1991-1994

Introduction

On paper it was the perfect appointment. A canny ex-Liverpool player (and a Scot, to boot) with exacting standards, and whose football education after leaving Anfield had continued in the rarified tactical arena of Italy, before enjoying success north of the border with Rangers — an experience through which, unlike the man he replaced in the Anfield hot seat, he gained several years of management know-how before taking the job. Four titles in five years at Rangers, where he ended an almost-unthinkable nine-year wait for the championship at Scotland’s most successful club at the time, suggested that Souness had everything needed to pump life back into a side that had started to show the first signs of deterioration. How could it go wrong?

Unfortunately, it did just that. Rather than end a long wait for the title, as he had at Rangers, Souness’ failure on a number of levels led to the start of an even longer period without a league title.

The Liverpool Graeme Souness returned to was clearly different from the one he had left seven years earlier. He inherited an ageing side heading for decline, but rather than arrest it, he hastened the fall from the summit like a mountain climber discarding his guide ropes in favour of overcooked spaghetti. He also clearly suffered some bad luck –– a serious Achilles tendon injury sustained while representing England rid John Barnes, the best player at the club, of his pace, and he was a shadow of his former self in between 1991 and 1994, while the massively influential Alan Hansen had just retired. But Souness’ failure in the transfer market, and his decision to insensitively sell a story to The Sun newspaper on the anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, meant that he contributed to his own inevitable downfall.

The timing of Liverpool’s partial demise could not have been worse. The new financial landscape of the Premiership opened up in 1992, when the First Division changed its name. Meanwhile, the Champions League — in which Liverpool would not compete for almost a decade — was another cash-cow that began in 1992, when the European Cup was rebranded and the structure slightly altered, introducing a group stage and allowing more than one team from each country to participate. While Manchester United won league titles and cashed in on their success with heavy merchandising, Liverpool were left standing.

Also, Souness himself was going through changes. In 1992 he underwent a triple heart by-pass, something that would lead to him questioning his own inner strength, as well as indirectly leading to an alienation of many of the fans in its aftermath.

Written by Paul Tomkins
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Related Articles 'Dynasty: Fifty Years of Shankly's Liverpool' (29 September 2008) Ex-Red Remembered: Jamie Redknapp (8 September 2008) Ex-Reds Remembered: John Barnes (7 July 2008)

Tags: 1990s, graeme souness, paul tomkins