Book description
Many years have now passed since the greatest period of European
dominance by any English football club came to an end. Between 1977
and 1984, Liverpool won the European Cup an unprecedented four times
and established themselves as the number-one team in Europe. It was
during the successful European Cup campaigns of 1981 and 1984 that the
unlikely figure of Alan Kennedy came to dominate the headlines.
Folk-hero left-back Alan Kennedy - nicknamed 'Barney Rubble' by fans
after The Flintstones character due to his straightforward, no-frills
approach to the game - scored the winning goal in the 1981 European
Cup final against Real Madrid, as well as the nerve-twanging winning
shoot-out penalty against AS Roma in 1984, a feat which secured his
position in European football history.
Kennedy's Way examines Kennedy's footballing career under
manager Bob Paisley (and, later, under Joe Fagan) and provides a
retrospective account of Liverpool's dominance during those years.
Drawing on Kennedy's memories of the period, as well as those of other
players and backroom staff involved with the Reds at that time, it is
an irreverent, revealing account of the dressing-room culture at the
club while it was at the height of its powers.
The book concludes with reflections on Kennedy's post-playing life
and on the trajectory of Liverpool since the Heysel and Hillsborough
tragedies, in 1985 and 1989 respectively, right up to recent events at
the club, including the exit of Gérard Houllier and the team's
dramatic return to the pinnacle of European club football under new
manager Rafael BenÃtez.
'The writing is sharp and infectiously passionate' - When Saturday
Comes 'With the help of other players and backroom staff he examines the
club in the Paisley glory years'. The Daily Express 20050923
Alan
Kennedy's career in football began in 1972. He played for a number of
teams, including Newcastle United, Sunderland and, most famously,
Liverpool. He retired from the game in 1991 whilst at Wrexham, where
he played his 500th game. He now comments on football for local and
national radio, and is an after-dinner speaker.
John Williams has written a number of books on football culture and
is also the author of several other books on Liverpool Football Club.
He lives in Leicester.
