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Few players are as synonymous with Liverpool’s golden era as Ian Callaghan.
The midfielder’s Anfield career began with the club in the second division, but by the time of his departure, 18 years and 857 appearances later, they had won five league titles, two FA Cups and had twice been crowned champions of Europe.
While Callaghan could draw on a fantastic set of players around him, this success was made possible by the men in charge, with Bill Shankly leading the Reds out of the second tier and to the upper echelons of the continent, before his replacement Bob Paisley continued this success.
Callaghan on playing under two managerial greats
For Callaghan, playing under both Shankly and Paisley was an honour.
“The ingredients were good players who played as a team, and great managers too,” Callaghan tells FourFourTwo when asked about what it took to establish his great Liverpool side.
“It was the great Bill Shankly who signed me as a professional and then, when he retired, the equally incredible Bob Paisley took over. To play for those two managers was absolutely fantastic.
“They had an unbelievable influence on individual players and the team. They were different in many ways. Bob was a quiet man, while Bill Shankly had a lot of personality and no problem with talking to the media, but they did things in their own way.”
Callaghan remains Liverpool’s record appearance holder, but does not feel credit this longevity to anything more than his love of playing in that side.
“I didn’t really think about that, I just always wanted to play and be in the team,” he continues. “I loved the game to pieces and did everything to train hard and make myself available. I was very fortunate that I didn’t get injured an awful lot over my career and, because we were bringing home trophies, you stay in the team all the time.
“That’s why I ended up playing so many games. It had a lot to do with my brilliant team-mates winning trophies, so I thank them.”
The 84-year-old’s Anfield exit eventually came in 1978 when he left for Swansea City, but even this did not cut his ties to Liverpool.
“No, I moved on to Swansea with Tosh [Callaghan’s Liverpool team-mate John Toshack, who was appointed Swansea player-manager in 1978], but I was still training every day with Liverpool, in my Liverpool kit, while I was a Swansea player,” he adds.
“I used to only travel down to Swansea on a Thursday when we were playing at home. When Tosh asked me to sign, I said I was happy to, but didn’t want to move house and move my wife and daughters down to Swansea, and he agreed I could do it.”
