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English Football Legends Series

A prolific striker, Ian Rush was Liverpool's main goal threat during the 1980s and 90s, when they dominated English and European football.

Ian Rush

Clubs: Chester, Liverpool, Leeds Utd, Newcastle Utd, Wrexham

Position: Forward

Appearances*: 602

Goals*: 265

Honours: League Championship, 5
FA Cup, 3
League Cup, 5
European Cup, 1

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* League appearances and goals only

Chester City

Rush began his career at Chester City, enjoying a successful spell in their youth teams before being promoted to the senior side.

He scored his first league goal in September 1979, and enhanced his reputation by scoring one of the goals as Chester shocked Newcastle 2-0 in the FA Cup.

A boyhood Everton fan, the 18-year-old Ian Rush signed for Liverpool in April 1980.

Liverpool

He made his Liverpool debut against Ipswich Town, on 13 December 1980 in a First Division fixture.

Rush was used sporadically that first season, as Liverpool finished a disappointing fifth in the title race.

There was however, the significant consolation of the European Cup, while the Reds also lifted the League Cup.

Rush initially struggled for goals at Liverpool, waiting until 30 September 1981 to open his account.

Once he'd got the first, the goals started to flow, and he finished the season as the club's top scorer, netting 30 times in just 49 appearances.

17 of those goals were in the League, helping the Reds to regain the championship.

He also scored a goal to help Liverpool overcome Tottenham 3-1 in the 1982 League Cup Final.

In 1983, Ian was voted PFA Young Player of the Year, and Liverpool won a second successive First Division/League Cup double.

He contributed 24 League goals as the Reds cruised to the title. Four of those came against his boyhood idols, Everton, in the Merseyside derby.

Liverpool also added a third successive League Cup, beating bitter rivals Manchester United after extra time at Wembley.

The following season he was PFA Player of the Year and Liverpool completed a unique treble of League, League Cup and European Cup.

That season he scored 47 times in 65 games and was also the Football Writer's Player of the Year.

1984/85 was Liverpool's first trophy-less season in ten years, although they did reach a fifth European Cup final against Juventus at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels.

The final was to end in tragedy, as fighting between rival fans led to the deaths of 39 Juventus supporters.

Liverpool lost the match, and their fans were blamed for the disaster, resulting in all English clubs being banned from European competition indefinitely.

Liverpool were also beaten to the title by neighbours Everton.

The 1985/86 season was a better one for the Reds, they pipped Everton to the title then overcame the same opponents in the FA Cup final to complete the club's first ever Double.

Ian Rush, so often the nemesis of Everton, scored two in the final.

Juventus

Ian Rush signed for Italian giants Juventus on July 1986. However, as part of the deal he would play one more season "on loan" at Liverpool. It was a disappointing season.

Liverpool lost out to Everton in the title race, and were beaten by Arsenal in the League Cup final. They also suffered an embarrassing FA Cup exit at the hands of Luton Town.

The next season he moved to Juventus, but his time in Italy was not a success. He scored just 8 times in 29 games, and had a hard time settling in Turin, famously remarking that, "It's like living in a foreign country."

Second Liverpool Spell

After just one season at the Stadio Comunale, Ian Rush rejoined Liverpool in a record 2.7 million pound transfer.

His return was greeted with jubilation by the Liverpool fans, but initially, Rush struggled to make the side, kept out by new signing John Aldridge.

There was another tragedy in 1989, when 94 Liverpool fans were crushed to death at Hillsbrough, during the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest.

The game was abandoned after six minutes and there were calls to cancel the FA Cup for that season, but in the end it was decided to play the final as a tribute to those who had lost their lives.

Liverpool faced their Merseyside rivals Everton, and won 3-2, with a brace from Rush.

However, they lost the league title, and the chance of a second double, with virtually the last kick of the season.

Arsenal came to Anfield needing a 2-0 win to snatch the title, and got it, thanks to a Michael Thomas goal right on full time. With an identical points tally and goal difference, the Gunners won the title on goals scored.

At the end of that season, UEFA lifted the ban on English clubs in European, but kept Liverpool's ban in place for an additional season.

The 1989/90 season saw Rush win another League title, as Liverpool withstood a late charge by Aston Villa.

However, they suffered a shock FA Cup semi-final defeat, losing 4-3 to Crystal Palace. The result was all the more remarkable as Liverpool had crushed Palace 9-0 in a league game earlier in the season.

1990/91 saw the resignation of Kenny Dalglish as manager. He was replaced by fellow Anfield legend Graeme Souness but the season finished trophy-less although Liverpool's second place finish gained them entry to the UEFA Cup.

In 1992, Ian Rush won a third FA Cup winners' medal, scoring Liverpool's second goal, as they beat Second Division Sunderland 2-0 at Wembley.

His league campaign though was disrupted by injuries, and Liverpool managed only sixth place in the league, the first time since 1981 that they had finished outside the top two.

The newly-formed Premier League kicked off in 1992/93, but Liverpool struggled, by late March falling to 15th in the table, before a late run of form saw them finish 6th.

1993/94, was another dismal season, but the following year Rush picked up his fifth League Cup winners medal, when two Steve McManaman goals helped beat Bolton Wanderers 2-1.

In March 1996, it was announced that Ian Rush would be leaving Anfield on a free transfer when his contract expired on 1 June.

His final Liverpool appearance came as a substitute in the 1996 FA Cup Final against Manchester United.

United won 1-0, with Cantona's goal inadvertently set up by a ricochet off Rush's shoulder.

Later Career

On 20 May 1996, Rush signed for Leeds United, spending one season and scoring just three times in 36 Premier League games.

He was released at the end of the season and joined Kenny Dalglish at Newcastle United on a one year contract.

He scored just 2 goals for the Magpies, and was loaned out to Sheffield United before moving to Wrexham in the summer of 1998.

Rush failed to score in 18 starts for the Division Two club.

He retired in 2000, aged 39.

After retiring he worked part-time as a coach for Liverpool under Gerard Houllier.

In August 2004, he was appointed Chester City manager but, following a dreadful run of form, he resigned after less than a year in charge.

Since then he has been involved in media work, as a football pundit for, among others, ESPN and Sky.

Ian Rush was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

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