Ray Kennedy
Midfielder (1974 - 1982)
Date of Birth: 28th July 1951
Birthplace: Seaton Delaval
Debut : 31st August 1974 v Chelsea (A) Football League Division One: Won 3-0
1st team games: 392
1st team goals: 72
Other clubs: Arsenal, Swansea City, Hartlepool United, Sunderland
National team: England (1976-80) 17 caps/3 goals
In one of English football's greatest positional switches of all time, Kennedy became a driving force in the Liverpool teams who lifted a succession of trophies under Bob Paisley in the 1970's and 1980's.
He was signed for a then club record £180,000 from Arsenal on the day Bill Shankly resigned as manager in July 1974. Kennedy arrived as a bustling, burly centre forward who had won the League and FA Cup double at Highbury three years earlier.
He struggled to find a Liverpool place until new boss Paisley tracked down Kennedy's former teacher in the player's native Northumberland and discovered he had been a schoolboy midfielder. He promptly switched Kennedy to the left flank where he excelled, winning England recognition and acclaim throughout Europe for his vision and finishing ability.
Perhaps the most memorable of his 72 Liverpool goals came at Munich's Olympic Stadium in the 1981 European Cup semi final second leg. His late strike secured a 1-1 draw with Bayern and a place in the final. Kennedy joined Swansea in January 1982 and later played for Hartlepool but has been cruelly afflicted by Parkinson's Disease.
Honours with Liverpool: First Division Championship 1975/76, 1976/77, 1978/79, 1979/80 & 1981/82, League cup 1981, European Cup 1977, 1978 & 1981, UEFA Cup 1976, Charity Shield 1976, 1977 (shared), 1979 & 1980, European Super Cup 1977
Ray Kennedy