c'etait il ya presque 60 ans et jack stubbins fut un héros de LFC.
il a joué un birmingham-LFC mémorable.
dans sa période de gloire,il fut un joueur incroyable.
lorsqu'il arriva à LFC de newcastle en 1946,tous les clubs le voulaient.
jack stubbins est le seul footballer sur la pochette de sergeant pepper.
dans cet hiver de 1947,au cours de ce match à anfield ,il y avait de la neige et de la glace à anfield.
mais jack stubbins mrqua un hat trick qui fit gagner LFC par 4-1.
en dépit des conditions climatiques terribles,52000 personnes etaient à anfield ce jour là.
le 2eme but est rappelé par les plus vieux fans comme etant "le but enneigé".
il a repris un centre de la tête puis s'est scractché les genoux par terre sur la glace de la pelouse.le ballon a été ralenti et il est rentré lentement dans le but.ses genoux etaient en sang,après ça.
il n'avait peur de rien.
en 1947,LFC fut sorti au replay du match contre burnley en demi finale.
mais nous attendons un match dur contre birmingham mardi.
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STUBBINS AND THE MAGIC OF THE FA CUP
John Keith 20 March 2006
It's nearly 60 years since the Reds and Birmingham last clashed at this stage of the world's greatest knockout competition and it was an occasion that helped create the Anfield legend that is Albert Stubbins.
I was too young to watch this great centre-forward in his heyday but having spoken extensively to many of his contemporaries down the years there's no doubt that the ginger-haired Geordie was an unbelievable player.
Until his dying day he was also a lovely intelligent man. I first got to know him in the seventies when he was working as a journalist. I kept in contact with him for the rest of his life and he never changed.
When Liverpool signed him from Newcastle in 1946 he was, at the time, the club's record signing. He'd scored an amazing amount of goals in wartime and was one of the most wanted figures in the game.
Together with the likes of Billy Liddell, Bob Paisley, Phil Taylor and Willie Fagan he fired the Reds to the inaugural post-war championship and club's first Wembley Cup Final appearance three years later.
Unfortunately for him, there were a lot of terrific centre-forwards about during this era – men like Tommy Lawton and Nat Lofthouse being just two prime examples – and I think because of this Stubbins does not get the modern day nationwide recognition his rich talents deserve, even though he was the only footballer to appear on the cover of the Beatles widely acclaimed Sergeant Pepper album.
It's different on Merseyside however. Here his achievements in the Red shirt have more than stood the test of time. He remains one of the most popular players to ever don the famous Liverpool jersey and it was the aforementioned FA Cup tie against Birmingham that most readily springs to mind when his name his spoken.
Until the infamous 'big freeze' of 1963, the winter of 1947 had been the worst in living memory and when Liverpool and Birmingham clashed in that season's FA Cup quarter-final Anfield was still covered in ice and snow.
George Kay's team had defeated Walsall, Grimsby Town and Derby County before being drawn at home to Birmingham City in the last eight and excitement was at fever pitch as the big game come around. Despite the adverse weather conditions a massive crowd of almost 52,000 were in attendance and they witnessed one of the most memorable FA Cup ties in Liverpool history.
The Reds triumphed 4-1 to reach the semi-final but this impressive victory was achieved largely thanks to one man – Stubbins. The hat-trick he scored that day is still fondly remembered by those old enough, and lucky enough, to have seen it, while his second goal, a never-to-be-forgotten diving header has since passed into Anfield folklore.
Famously dubbed 'the goal in the snow', I know that it was a header he was really proud of. I last had the great privilege of talking to him just a few years before he sadly passed away in 2002 and inevitably this goal again cropped up in conversation.
Here was his take on it...
'The move that led to that goal actually came about because of something that had happened in a previous round. It was against Derby County, and during that particular match Billy Liddell made ground on the left win g and hit a terrific low ball across, which myself and Jack Balmer just failed to get to. I was annoyed because the ball needed just a touch and it would have been in the back of the net. The Birmingham match was pretty soon after and I thought to myself that next time Bill put the ball over I would anticipate him hitting it low and hard.
'Anyway we won a free-kick on the left and he hit this low ball across the goalmouth. The Birmingham defence was certainly not expecting such a cross but, remembering what had happened against Derby, I threw myself full length at the ball and just managed to get my head to it.
'With the force and velocity of the ball coming over and me heading it, the ball went past the goalkeeper like a rocket. But with the pitch being so icy I skidded along on top of the ice and as I picked myself up my knees were all bloodied. Although at the time I didn't mind in the least.'
Coming as it did, late in Albert's life, I found it amazing he could still recall the goal in such great deal. It's rightly regarded as one of the greatest Liverpool goals ever. It was a strike that encapsulated the fearlessness of him, the fact that he flew bravely through the air horizontally, just a foot off the ground and risking severe cuts to his knees, just to get that ball in the back of the net.
Of course, at that time, the club was yet to win the FA Cup so you can imagine what it meant to the fans who were so eager to see Liverpool bury the so-called 'Cup jinx' and ram the taunts of Evertonian friends back down their throats. Until Ron Yeats finally lifted the trophy in May 1965 there'd be great hope every season but frustratingly it would always flounder at some stage.
In 1947, despite the quarter-final heroics of Albert Stubbins and company, the dream died in a replayed semi-final against Burnley. But even that bitter disappointment fails to tarnish the memory of the incredible Stubbins goal.
Now Liverpool and Birmingham are preparing to meet again at the same stage of the FA Cup and hopefully another Reds' striker can make a name for themselves in a similar way to Albert all those years ago.
For Liverpool, Tuesday's game is crucial because if their objective is to put a trophy on the table every year then this is their last chance.
Also, I think Rafael Benitez miscalculated the importance of the competition last season. In a way this is understandable because domestic cup competitions don't mean as much in Europe but I'm sure he's determined to make up for the Burnley debacle this year.
He'll be desperate to go all the way and so too will the fans. I've no doubt that the supporters on the Kop still revere the FA Cup in the same way as they used to and to see their team lift the trophy in Cardiff on May 13 would be a fantastic way to end the season.
Of course, Birmingham must bebeaten first and one fact that won't have escaped Rafa is that they are the only team he's yet to have won against since coming to England.
I'm expecting another tough game for Liverpool at St Andrews. True, Steve Bruce's side are struggling in the Premiership and the Reds have suddenly rediscovered their pre-Christmas winning form, but it won’t be easy and it wouldn't surprise me to see this tie go to a replay, with Liverpool eventually coming out on top.
After that you're into the last four and the cup is anyone's. Chelsea are the obvious threat but have we just witnessed the first hairline cracks in their super structure? Only time will tell but if this is the case then there'll be renewed hope for all clubs still left in it.
For me the FA Cup remains a magical competition. From talking to my friends and colleagues over the weekend I can sense a buzz of excitement about the games that will be gracing our television screens over the next four days.
It's an old cliché but there is still a romance about the FA Cup. And like dear old Albert Stubbins discovered way back in 1947, it can create heroes and spawn memories that last a lifetime.
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