Ian Rush is Liverpools second highest league scorer of all time behind Roger Hunt and Liverpools all time record scorer. He has had two stints at the club with a break in between to sample life abroad with Juventus. Ian Rush was a predator of the highest order from childhood in St Asaph yet he struggled in his early days at the club. Ian signed for Liverpool in April 1980 from Chester City. He had been watched a number of times by Bob Paisley and also by scouts from Manchester City who were also very keen on Rushie. Ian was placed in the reserves like all young recruits of the day to improve his play. He struggled to score in the Central league and struggled in the first team as well. His luck however, changed in the league cup final replay of 1981 which was the first of a four in a row winning streak in the cup. He played well and was given another chance in the next league campaign and things never looked back. In fact he had had clear the air talks with Paisley earlier who told the young boy to be more selfish and the goals would flow. The advice was taken and used to demolish the opposition on numerous occasions. In fact, up until just before Rushie left for Juventus in 1987 he held a record of Liverpool never losing in games when he scored. The record was eventually broken in the league cup final by Arsenal when he scored early on but Arsenal cam back to win the game.
Ian Rush was particularly predatory against his boyhood team Everton, much to the delight of the Anfield faithful. The best occasion of this was in 1982 in a league game at Goodison when he scored four of Liverpools five goals. This demolition also led to a slight change of the words in Scouser Tommy the famous reds song to mark his feat. Ian won the European golden boot in 1983/4 in the year that Liverpool won the first ever treble in English History. He then helped Liverpool overcome Everton in the 1986 FA Cup final by scoring the second and third of Liverpools goals to secure the Double for the reds. The first of his two stints at the club was announced a full year before he left to the disgust of supporters. Ian signed for Juventus in June 1987 and returned a year later after a difficult year when he scored 7 goals in 29 games. He returned to the club for £400,000 less than we received for him and after a year of struggling through illness and getting his place back from John Aldridge he signalled his intentions of moving forward by scoring the winning goals in the 1989 FA Cup final against Everton after coming from the bench.
The second of Rushie's stints at the club saw a more balanced game from him to hold play up, assist goals as well as scoring them and showing the team the way forward by defending from the front. His work-rate never once dipped even as his career moved on. He was always ready for a battle and after being dropped by Graeme Souness he returned to fire goal after gal and earn the club captaincy. Eventually Robbie Fowler and Stan Collymore gave him a tougher battle through age but he still more than held his own by scoring plenty but just as importantly teaching young Fowler a few things about the game. Injury finally cost him his place to the two younger players. Rushie was eventually allowed to leave in 1986 on a free transfer after a successful testimonial game against Celtic. Ian never quite made the headlines anywhere else struggling to score in any other colours than Liverpool red except when he scored for Newcastle against Everton once again in the FA Cup.
Ian rush is rightly seen as one of the greatest strikers in the modern game who rarely scored outside of a Liverpool or Wales shirt.
Date of Birth - 20 Oct 1961
Birthplace - St. Asaph
Nationality - Welsh
Signed for LFC - 1980
LFC Debut - 13 Dec 1980
LFC Appearances - 660
LFC Goals - 346
International Caps - 73
International Goals -28
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