For all the training to do, money to spend and skill to have, it’s amazing that so much of what happens in football can be chalked up to luck.
It is on the pitch where players and fans pray most for such intervention, but even off it, Jamie Carragher for one, certainly laments the lack of luck Liverpool have had recently in finding young players who would go on to become household names, as they did during the club's golden era.
Gone are the days of Liverpool’s legendary chief scout, from 1967 to 1985, Geoff Twentyman.
A former Liverpool player, Twentyman was recruited by Bill Shankly and went on to unearth a host of world-famous stars that helped the Reds’ claim 18 league championships.
Twentyman worked tirelessly, travelling up and down the country in his trademark Cortina to write reports on young up-and-coming professionals such as Alan Hansen, Terry McDermott, Steve Nicol, Ian Rush, Phil Neal and Kevin Keegan, to name but a few.
Having passed away over five years ago at the age of 74, Twentyman left an incredible legend at Anfield. Here in his own restaurant celebrating the launch of the book Secret Diary of a Liverpool Scout – stories behind the signings that shaped the course of history,
Jamie Carragher believes the world will never see the likes of Twentyman again. “Where would Liverpool have been with out players like Hansen and Rush?” he says, in his first ever Goal.com exclusive.
“The game is a lot more global now, so I think scouts have to look all over the world. So modern scouting has to be different now because the game has got a lot more global and you see clubs sending scouts all over the world. But it’s so different now - look at the prices clubs want for young players.
“The amount of great players that Geoff Twentyman unearthed was just something else. He made sure all the players he bought over were down to earth and had there feet on the ground. He could tell straight away if they were right for Liverpool.
“People say I can’t shut up about football, but Geoff Twentyman was just unbelievable. Like Rafa Benitez, who just talks about just football, Geoff just lived for the game and obviously loved the game and the club he also played for.
“The role of a scout is just as important as that of a manager. Although Geoff Twentyman is not a big a name as Bob Paisley and Shanks, I hope he gets some recognition outside of Liverpool for what he did, because he put peoples' minds at ease and you don’t want uncertainty at a football club. You want clear heads knowing that people are doing their jobs, although as players we always try our best to get on with it."
With the Reds' talent pool drying up, Carra can still point to an English club continuing a similar legacy to that of old Liverpool's - but it's not one many at Anfield want to spend too much time thinking about. “I've always respected Manchester United for bringing young kids in, and they should have respect for what Geoff did," insists the defender. "Some clubs are too big-headed but we are just working-class clubs.”
Carragher likes Liverpool's chances of contending for their first ever Premier League title just as they did last season, and again, he sees little to separate the top four clubs - with no mention of Manchester City.
“The top four are very evenly balanced and it’s rare that you’ll see one team easily beating the others," he says. "We know each other so well, we know who the danger men are, we try to stop them.
“You have the likes of Chelsea who have a new manager but the personnel hasn’t changed too much. The spine of their team’s as good as anyone else’s, and the likes of Man United and Arsenal are always going to test you to the limit.
“Big games are settled by small details but we are capable of beating anyone and we don’t fear anyone. We can go anywhere and win."
But then, there's that crucial element - from the 2005 Champions League final, to the 2007 edition, then to just five months ago in the quarter-finals. “You also need luck on your side and at times," insists Carra. "Like in Istanbul, luck was on our side, but at times we have not been so lucky: we didn’t have any luck in Athens and last year against Chelsea.”
The former England international confirms he will be fit for the start of the season to ease the pressure on Rafa's injury-hit back-line, but knowing that, at 31, he can't go on forever, he will be hopeful of a new Geoff Twentyman emerging, so that he may find a new Carragher, a new Gerrard, and if they're lucky, maybe a few more for good measure.
It is on the pitch where players and fans pray most for such intervention, but even off it, Jamie Carragher for one, certainly laments the lack of luck Liverpool have had recently in finding young players who would go on to become household names, as they did during the club's golden era.
Gone are the days of Liverpool’s legendary chief scout, from 1967 to 1985, Geoff Twentyman.
A former Liverpool player, Twentyman was recruited by Bill Shankly and went on to unearth a host of world-famous stars that helped the Reds’ claim 18 league championships.
Twentyman worked tirelessly, travelling up and down the country in his trademark Cortina to write reports on young up-and-coming professionals such as Alan Hansen, Terry McDermott, Steve Nicol, Ian Rush, Phil Neal and Kevin Keegan, to name but a few.
Having passed away over five years ago at the age of 74, Twentyman left an incredible legend at Anfield. Here in his own restaurant celebrating the launch of the book Secret Diary of a Liverpool Scout – stories behind the signings that shaped the course of history,
Jamie Carragher believes the world will never see the likes of Twentyman again. “Where would Liverpool have been with out players like Hansen and Rush?” he says, in his first ever Goal.com exclusive.
“The game is a lot more global now, so I think scouts have to look all over the world. So modern scouting has to be different now because the game has got a lot more global and you see clubs sending scouts all over the world. But it’s so different now - look at the prices clubs want for young players.
“The amount of great players that Geoff Twentyman unearthed was just something else. He made sure all the players he bought over were down to earth and had there feet on the ground. He could tell straight away if they were right for Liverpool.
“People say I can’t shut up about football, but Geoff Twentyman was just unbelievable. Like Rafa Benitez, who just talks about just football, Geoff just lived for the game and obviously loved the game and the club he also played for.
“The role of a scout is just as important as that of a manager. Although Geoff Twentyman is not a big a name as Bob Paisley and Shanks, I hope he gets some recognition outside of Liverpool for what he did, because he put peoples' minds at ease and you don’t want uncertainty at a football club. You want clear heads knowing that people are doing their jobs, although as players we always try our best to get on with it."
With the Reds' talent pool drying up, Carra can still point to an English club continuing a similar legacy to that of old Liverpool's - but it's not one many at Anfield want to spend too much time thinking about. “I've always respected Manchester United for bringing young kids in, and they should have respect for what Geoff did," insists the defender. "Some clubs are too big-headed but we are just working-class clubs.”
Carragher likes Liverpool's chances of contending for their first ever Premier League title just as they did last season, and again, he sees little to separate the top four clubs - with no mention of Manchester City.
“The top four are very evenly balanced and it’s rare that you’ll see one team easily beating the others," he says. "We know each other so well, we know who the danger men are, we try to stop them.
“You have the likes of Chelsea who have a new manager but the personnel hasn’t changed too much. The spine of their team’s as good as anyone else’s, and the likes of Man United and Arsenal are always going to test you to the limit.
“Big games are settled by small details but we are capable of beating anyone and we don’t fear anyone. We can go anywhere and win."
But then, there's that crucial element - from the 2005 Champions League final, to the 2007 edition, then to just five months ago in the quarter-finals. “You also need luck on your side and at times," insists Carra. "Like in Istanbul, luck was on our side, but at times we have not been so lucky: we didn’t have any luck in Athens and last year against Chelsea.”
The former England international confirms he will be fit for the start of the season to ease the pressure on Rafa's injury-hit back-line, but knowing that, at 31, he can't go on forever, he will be hopeful of a new Geoff Twentyman emerging, so that he may find a new Carragher, a new Gerrard, and if they're lucky, maybe a few more for good measure.
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