Tommy Smith

[TheSage]

Tommy Smith has passed away.

 

A Liverpool legend in the sixties/seventies.

 

No-one remember him?

[Valiant62]

Hard as nails. RIP.

[RailwayRowdy]

The story of Smith shaking hands before a game with Leighton James and handing him a hospital menu is now legendary. After that incident, according to Smith’s biography, before following games he used to simply say to James “hello Leighton, I shall be marking you today” Legend had it that James did little in those matches !

 

In the 80’s, I would watch a lot of non league football. I saw Tommy at a game in Horwich (or maybe Oswestry) and he was a pitiful sight. For such a hard man as a player, he was reduced to walking with sticks due to the damage caused to his knee’s by playing through injury because of endless cortisone injections during his illustrious career. I will never forget that.

 

Tommy, opitomised everything I loved about football and footballers in those long distant days when fans could actually relate to players.

 

RIP my old son. Your like have disappeared into the ether.

 

Yet another hero of my boyhood sadly no longer with us.

[Heatwave]

Sadly another victim of the physical strain professional sport puts on the human body.

 

RIP Tommy. May you have earned your eternal reward.

[Paul6754]

Liverpool legend, great, tough defender.

 

Never forget his goal vs Borussia Mönchengladbach in the European Cup Final and the sheer joy on his face after he scored.

[old sage]

A defender from a by gone age. Tough as old boots. I remember a story that Steve Kindon told when he was a young player. He played against Tom and skipped past him with ease and hit in a good cross. As he trotted back feeling pleased with himself Tommy said '' Do that again and I will kill you!'' A few minutes later on yet another run crash Tommy got him and growled ''I told you one more time you go past me and you are a goner'' Young Kindon looked up and saw the ref Keith Hill and said 'did you hear that?' Hill replied ''Eye I did''. ''What are you going to do about it then?'' asked Kindon. Hill looked at it and replied ''Me nothing but if I were you I wouldn't go past him again because I think that he mean't it!!''

 

Those were the days rest in peace owd lad.

[ValeSLF]

Dead right Valiant62. TS kicked everything that moved. RIP TS.

[onestepatatime]

One of the very hard brigade. His facial looks scared many an opponent, let alone his fierce tackling. Probably would get booked in modern day football as he entered the pitch and then sent off in the 1st minute! RIP hard man.

[Howjy04]

I think,if he was playing today,it would be pointless him turning up for a match.Tommy,Hunter,Mackay and Harris,dear me.RIP Tommyla.

[ClntonBoulton]

I loved that story, can't remember who told it, about Smithy pulling his sock down at the end of a game and there was a gash that needing stitching really. What did TS do? get a hand full of iodine and rub it in without flinching! Hard as mails......Someone else said Tommy Smith had gone home with a badly bruised leg.....would the owner please contact LFC?

RIP Smithy, they don't make 'em like you anymore but as Howjy says he wouldn't spend much time on the pitch nowadays.

[geosname]

Tommy Smith has passed away.

 

A Liverpool legend in the sixties/seventies.

 

No-one remember him?

 

Tommy is hard to forget.... even if you never played against him.

[TheSage]

I think he could play a bit of football too mind and he wasn't just a hard tackler.

You don't win the medals he did (best part of 20 wasn't it?) without having some footballing ability.

 

It was puzzling me so I've had to look it up but he only got booked twice and sent off once in 638 games. Of course, back then you didn't often go in the referee's notebook unless it was particularly bad.

 

My favourite story was when he gave Jimmy Greaves a piece of paper in the tunnel before the game. Greaves asked him what it was and Smith said it was a hospital menu.

 

Joined Liverpool from school and played there for most of his career but won only one England cap.

The most he earned was £150 a week.

 

Great memories.

[ClntonBoulton]

I think he could play a bit of football too mind and he wasn't just a hard tackler.

You don't win the medals he did (best part of 20 wasn't it?) without having some footballing ability.

 

It was puzzling me so I've had to look it up but he only got booked twice and sent off once in 638 games. Of course, back then you didn't often go in the referee's notebook unless it was particularly bad.

 

My favourite story was when he gave Jimmy Greaves a piece of paper in the tunnel before the game. Greaves asked him what it was and Smith said it was a hospital menu.

 

Joined Liverpool from school and played there for most of his career but won only one England cap.

The most he earned was £150 a week.

 

Great memories.

 

I know I'm an Owd Git but Sage.....it was PROPER football......sigh!

[LancyTony]

I think TS and Dave Mackay were neck and neck for the hardest men I've ever seen play the game? And i think some are being a bit harsh on them...they could play a bit, too especially Tommy - but it wasn't their job to! A true legend.

[RailwayRowdy]

To divert off topic slightly, but I think that Smith could have adapted to today’s basically non contact game.

 

There is no doubt that Tommy liked to “put his foot in”, but he did that because the rules of the day allowed him to do so.

 

Stuart “psycho” Pearce adapted even at international level, as did Danny Mills. Like everyone in all walks of life, they pushed the boundaries as far as they could. When they couldn’t, they didn’t. Smith would have done the same.

 

But it does have to be noted that whilst he used to dish it out, he also took it without complaining. He simply kicked them higher into the air the next time they came into contact!

 

Certain aspects of football have improved over the years. Quality of pitches, players fitness etc. But as a spectator sport, does anything in the modern game replace a full bloodied, but fair, tackle from the likes of Tommy putting Leighton James into the front rows of the Kemlyn Rd Stand ?

 

I think not.