77 today: A tribute to Ian St John

When St John joined in May 1961, the club found itself languishing in the Second Division, with Bill Shankly's side just missing out on promotion.

By the time he left a decade later, the Reds had won two First Division titles, a first-ever FA Cup and the Second Division.

During last month's Players' Awards, the former striker was honoured by the club with a Lifetime Achievement Award alongside fellow Scot and long-time friend Ron Yeats.

After the ceremony, St John revealed just how different things were upon his arrival at Anfield from the all-conquering side Liverpool would become in the 1970s and '80s.

He told Liverpoolfc.com: "Believe me, when Bill Shankly arrived at the club, I mean you've heard him talking about it - nothing at all like the club of today.

"But we didn't know that because I'd come from Motherwell and [Yeats] had come from Dundee United. So we thought it was a big step up in the world.

"But Liverpool were just starting, that was the start of it all."

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Shankly's transformation of Liverpool was not immediate and the club just missed out on promotion in his first two seasons at the helm.

But the addition of St John and Yeats, along with an impressive crop of young players making their way into the first team, meant that just three years on, the Reds had not only made their way into the First Division but won the championship.

'The Saint' recalled: "The team we came down and joined were then made out of kids from the reserves.

"Ian Callaghan, Gerry Byrne, Chris Lawler, Roger Hunt, who'd just got in the team but had played non-league football up the road. They all became international players. I mean, it was unbelievable."

The prolific forward played a huge part in what was a special era for the Reds, with arguably the most celebrated and emotional moment of Shankly's reign being provided by a St John goal - the winner in the 1965 FA Cup final.

That was Liverpool's first success in the competition, breaking what was believed to be a curse on the club and allowing the players to parade the famous old trophy around the city for the first time.

"It was the most important goal, and the significance of it, for that was the goal which clinched the cup for the first time. It's one that lives with you," St John said.

Liverpool's rise mirrored a new confidence in the city, as the Merseyside music scene became celebrated across the world and the Kop became one of the most famous places in football.

"The Kop was fantastic, because with everybody standing, swaying, packed every week, it was just incredible," he explained.

"They did this even before Ron and I had arrived so it just showed you the passion they had for the club. The club were in the Second Division doing nothing.

"The crowds were just massive and fantastic, shutting the gates. That's what we came down to.

"Then once we got into the big stuff, we made our mark there and won [the First Division] a couple of times, won the FA Cup, got into Europe. The '60s were a great time for Liverpool."

Under the inspirational guidance of Shankly, St John and his teammates were responsible for transforming the club's fortunes.

They turned the Reds from an underachieving outfit, unable to live up to the expectations of a tremendous fanbase, into one of the iconic clubs of world football.

A truly worthy recipient of that Lifetime Achievement Award, then.

St John said: "I think it's just wonderful because our careers have been and gone, so it's nice that people have looked at what we did way back then and have recognised us and said 'There's a nice award for you.'"