Tommy Smith (footballer, born 1945) facts for kids
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Smith pictured in October 1966.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas Smith | ||
| Date of birth | 5 April 1945 | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Date of death | 12 April 2019 (aged 74) | ||
| Place of death | Crosby, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1960–1962 | Liverpool | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1962–1978 | Liverpool | 467 | (36) |
| 1976 | → Tampa Bay Rowdies (loan) | 17 | (0) |
| 1978 | Los Angeles Aztecs | 12 | (0) |
| 1978–1979 | Swansea City | 36 | (2) |
| Total | 532 | (38) | |
| National team | |||
| 1965–1968 | England U23 | 10 | (2) |
| 1971 | England | 1 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1978 | Los Angeles Aztecs | ||
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Thomas Smith MBE (born 5 April 1945 – died 12 April 2019) was an English footballer. He played as a tough defender for Liverpool for 16 years. This was from 1962 to 1978.
People knew him for his strong and fearless playing style. Manager Bill Shankly once joked, "Tommy Smith wasn't born, he was quarried." One of his most famous moments was scoring Liverpool's second goal in the 1977 European Cup Final. This was against Borussia Mönchengladbach. Smith also played one game for the England in 1971. He played for other clubs too, like Tampa Bay Rowdies, Los Angeles Aztecs, and Swansea City.
Contents
Playing for Liverpool
Tommy Smith was born in Liverpool on 5 April 1945. He was an only child. In 1960, he joined Anfield, the home of Liverpool. He had supported the club his whole life.
He started as a centre-forward. Manager Bill Shankly was very impressed with him. Tommy quickly moved up to play for the 'A' team. He became a professional player in the summer of 1962.
First Games and Goals
Tommy made his first team debut on 8 May 1963. Liverpool won 5–1 against Birmingham City. He scored his first goal for Liverpool on 29 August 1964. This was in a game against Blackburn Rovers.
Later, he moved to play as a defender. After a game against Anderlecht, Shankly said, "The boy has arrived." In the 1964–65 season, he scored four goals in 25 league games. He also played in every game of Liverpool's FA Cup run. They won the 1965 FA Cup Final 2–1 against Leeds United. This was the first time Liverpool won the FA Cup.
Winning the League Title
In the 1965–66 season, Liverpool had a great run. They went 18 games without losing. They won the league title by six points. They only let in 34 goals, which was the lowest in the league. Liverpool also reached the 1966 European Cup Winners' Cup Final. But they lost 2–1 to Borussia Dortmund in extra-time.
Becoming Captain
Tommy Smith became the club captain. He led the team to the 1971 FA Cup final. However, Liverpool lost 2–1 to Arsenal after extra time.
In the 1972–73 season, Smith captained the team to win two big trophies. They won the League and the UEFA Cup. They beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 3–2 in the UEFA Cup final.
Changes and Challenges
In November 1973, Tommy lost the captaincy to Emlyn Hughes. This made him very upset. He even thought about leaving Liverpool. He was also moved from his usual central defender role to full-back.
Tommy and Emlyn Hughes had a long-running disagreement. This caused some tension in the team's changing room. The older players supported Smith.
Even without the captaincy, Smith helped Liverpool win the FA Cup in 1974. They beat Newcastle United 3–0. He helped set up the third goal for Kevin Keegan.
Later Successes
As Tommy got older, he played fewer games. But he was still important for the team. Liverpool won another League and UEFA Cup double in 1976. He played as a left-back in the UEFA final.
In the summer of 1976, Tommy played for the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the United States. He was on loan and played 17 games. His tough style earned him the nickname "The Tank."
Back at Liverpool, he was recalled to the team in March 1977. He helped them win the League title again. He then played in the 1977 FA Cup Final, which Liverpool lost to Manchester United.
A few days later, Liverpool played in their first European Cup final in Rome. They beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 3–1. Smith scored Liverpool's second goal with a powerful header. The BBC commentator Barry Davies famously said, "It's Tommy Smith! Oh what an end to a career." This was his last goal for the club.
Tommy decided to play one more season for Liverpool. But he missed the European Cup final because he broke his toe. He also got a runners-up medal in the League Cup final.
After Liverpool
In the summer of 1978, Tommy played for the Los Angeles Aztecs in the NASL. He started as a player and then became a player-coach.
He then joined Swansea City in 1978. He had played 638 games for Liverpool. He was also given the MBE award for his services to football. His former Liverpool teammate John Toshack was the manager at Swansea. Tommy helped Swansea get promoted from the Third Division. He stopped playing football in 1979.
Playing for England
Tommy Smith played ten games for the England under-23 team. He scored two goals, both from penalties. He played one full game for the England team on 19 May 1971. This was a 0–0 draw with Wales at Wembley.
His Playing Style
Tommy Smith was known for being a very tough player. He would try to make opposing players feel nervous. Other players respected him a lot. Jack Charlton once said, "Tommy Smith was easily the hardest player I faced."
Manager Bill Shankly famously called him "The Anfield Iron." People used to joke that "Merseyside mothers kept his picture on the mantelpiece to keep their kids away from the fire."
Later Life
After retiring, Tommy worked briefly as a youth coach at Liverpool. He wrote a weekly column for the Liverpool Echo newspaper for 35 years. In 2008, he wrote his autobiography called Anfield Iron.
Liverpool fans still loved Tommy Smith. He was voted 25th in the club's "100 Players Who Shook The Kop" poll.
Health and Passing
In his later years, Tommy Smith had some health issues. He had a heart attack in 2007. He also suffered from arthritis and needed a hip replacement.
Tommy Smith was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in October 2014. He passed away on 12 April 2019, at the age of 74. He had been getting weaker and had several health problems.
Honours
- Liverpool
- Football League First Division: 1965–66, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1976–77
- FA Cup: 1964–65, 1973–74
- FA Charity Shield: 1965 (shared), 1966, 1974, 1977 (shared)
- European Cup: 1976–77, 1977–78
- UEFA Cup: 1972–73, 1975–76
- UEFA Super Cup: 1977
