The term 'cult-hero' in football is usually reserved for those who find favour amongst supporters despite a lack of obvious ability or achievement. At Liverpool, for example, the tag has been reserved for the likes of Igor Biscan, Djimi Traore and Pegguy Arphexad, who offered more comedy than quality.
Steve Nicol, however, is the exception to that rule. Adored by Reds fans as much for his antics off the pitch - shenanigans which form the staple of most ex-players' after-dinner speeches - his CV, nevertheless, speaks for itself. That he made more than 450 appearances and won nine major honours, is impressive enough. Throw in his 1989 PFA Player of the Year award - achieved from the unfashionable position of full-back - and you have a true Liverpool legend.
Nicol, 48, now coaches MLS side New England Revolution, having made the trek across the Atlantic 11 years ago, but keeps a close eye on events back in England, thanks to numerous cable TV channels. And the Scotsman told Goal.com UK that it still hurts to see his former club lose, even 15 years on from his departure.
"Oh it kills me to see Liverpool lose," he said. "Absolutely. Of course it does. As a Liverpool supporter, all you want is for them to be successful. It absolutely kills you to see them lose, and this season has been especially tough."
Rafael Benitez's men are currently struggling to achieve the top-four finish which will guarantee Champions League football at Anfield next season, sitting four points behind an upwardly-mobile Manchester City. And Nicol believes that Roberto Mancini's side have the capacity to deny Liverpool their place at the top table next season.
"I don't think Liverpool will get fourth now," he revealed. "Manchester City were looking a bit shaky, and I think if it wasn’t for [Carlos] Tevez they would have no chance. But if he stays healthy then they have a great chance, and they are in the best position right now.
"Tottenham? They have a tough run-in of course, but they are a side that will always score goals and create chances. With Liverpool, you just don’t know what you’re going to get. There is a real inconsistency there."
The Reds' latest set-back, a 1-1 draw with Birmingham City on Sunday, means that Benitez's side are relying on both City and Spurs slipping up if they are to sneak into the top four, and Nicol is in no doubt as to the reason for Liverpool's struggles this season.
"The bottom line is that, compared with the teams above them, their squad of players isn’t good enough," he said. "I mean, take Pepe Reina, Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres out of the equation, and how many players would be in Chelsea’s team? Or Manchester United’s? It’s not many.
"From halfway on last season, it seemed that the shackles came off and they were going after teams and playing their football with enjoyment. Then when this season started it seemed that all that had gone."
And it is not just on the field that the club is suffering. Liverpool's problems off-the-field are well-publicised - a reported club debt of £237 million has led to numerous cut-backs in terms of budget and further delays to the building of a new stadium - and Nicol believes that those within the club need to accept more responsibility for the problems, on and off the pitch.
“Of course we do not know what is going on within the club, we can only speculate," he said. "But the fact that Liverpool are not challenging for the title shows that something, somewhere, is not right. The league table alone can tell you that.
"Which part? Well hopefully someone within the club knows. They certainly should do, because that is what they there for. And hopefully they can fix it."
Of course, it is not all bad news for Liverpool supporters. The form of Fernando Torres has illuminated an otherwise gloomy campaign, with the former Atletico Madrid man netting 20 goals already this season. And Nicol believes the Spanish striker already deserves to be mentioned among the kind of Anfield greats with which he himself shared a pitch in the 1980s.
"I was lucky enough to see two really great sides, if you like," he said. "When I first joined we had people like Graeme Souness, Kenny Dalglish, Ray Kennedy, and Terry McDermott in the side, and then later under Kenny we had John Barnes, Peter Beardsley, Ian Rush. It would be impossible to pick just one player as being the best.
“As for Torres, I think he can already be safely mentioned amongst those players. His record is phenomenal and he still has time on his side, he is one of the best around already that’s for sure."
Steve Nicol, however, is the exception to that rule. Adored by Reds fans as much for his antics off the pitch - shenanigans which form the staple of most ex-players' after-dinner speeches - his CV, nevertheless, speaks for itself. That he made more than 450 appearances and won nine major honours, is impressive enough. Throw in his 1989 PFA Player of the Year award - achieved from the unfashionable position of full-back - and you have a true Liverpool legend.
Nicol, 48, now coaches MLS side New England Revolution, having made the trek across the Atlantic 11 years ago, but keeps a close eye on events back in England, thanks to numerous cable TV channels. And the Scotsman told Goal.com UK that it still hurts to see his former club lose, even 15 years on from his departure.
"Oh it kills me to see Liverpool lose," he said. "Absolutely. Of course it does. As a Liverpool supporter, all you want is for them to be successful. It absolutely kills you to see them lose, and this season has been especially tough."
Rafael Benitez's men are currently struggling to achieve the top-four finish which will guarantee Champions League football at Anfield next season, sitting four points behind an upwardly-mobile Manchester City. And Nicol believes that Roberto Mancini's side have the capacity to deny Liverpool their place at the top table next season.
"I don't think Liverpool will get fourth now," he revealed. "Manchester City were looking a bit shaky, and I think if it wasn’t for [Carlos] Tevez they would have no chance. But if he stays healthy then they have a great chance, and they are in the best position right now.
"Tottenham? They have a tough run-in of course, but they are a side that will always score goals and create chances. With Liverpool, you just don’t know what you’re going to get. There is a real inconsistency there."
The Reds' latest set-back, a 1-1 draw with Birmingham City on Sunday, means that Benitez's side are relying on both City and Spurs slipping up if they are to sneak into the top four, and Nicol is in no doubt as to the reason for Liverpool's struggles this season.
"The bottom line is that, compared with the teams above them, their squad of players isn’t good enough," he said. "I mean, take Pepe Reina, Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres out of the equation, and how many players would be in Chelsea’s team? Or Manchester United’s? It’s not many.
"From halfway on last season, it seemed that the shackles came off and they were going after teams and playing their football with enjoyment. Then when this season started it seemed that all that had gone."
And it is not just on the field that the club is suffering. Liverpool's problems off-the-field are well-publicised - a reported club debt of £237 million has led to numerous cut-backs in terms of budget and further delays to the building of a new stadium - and Nicol believes that those within the club need to accept more responsibility for the problems, on and off the pitch.
“Of course we do not know what is going on within the club, we can only speculate," he said. "But the fact that Liverpool are not challenging for the title shows that something, somewhere, is not right. The league table alone can tell you that.
"Which part? Well hopefully someone within the club knows. They certainly should do, because that is what they there for. And hopefully they can fix it."
Of course, it is not all bad news for Liverpool supporters. The form of Fernando Torres has illuminated an otherwise gloomy campaign, with the former Atletico Madrid man netting 20 goals already this season. And Nicol believes the Spanish striker already deserves to be mentioned among the kind of Anfield greats with which he himself shared a pitch in the 1980s.
"I was lucky enough to see two really great sides, if you like," he said. "When I first joined we had people like Graeme Souness, Kenny Dalglish, Ray Kennedy, and Terry McDermott in the side, and then later under Kenny we had John Barnes, Peter Beardsley, Ian Rush. It would be impossible to pick just one player as being the best.
“As for Torres, I think he can already be safely mentioned amongst those players. His record is phenomenal and he still has time on his side, he is one of the best around already that’s for sure."
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