HILLSBOROUGH: Houghton's Class of 88-89

First of all Ray, set the scene for us. It's the summer of '88 and you've just got back from the European Championships - how are you feeling?

I came back from the Euro's feeling very good. We'd qualified for our first major tournament as the Republic of Ireland, beaten England and I'd scored my first goal. I've got some great memories from that summer. Unfortunately it wasn't quite enough because we lost to Holland in our last match. We were eight minutes away from the semi-finals, but overall, it was a very satisfactory first tournament for Ireland.

How were you feeling about coming back to Liverpool? Craig Johnston had said he was leaving and you must have been looking forward to being a regular at the club...

We had a fantastic end to the previous season and won the league at a canter. But the big stumbling block was losing to Wimbledon in the FA Cup final so there was something for us to prove. It left a bad taste in the mouth so most of the lads wanted to come back and make sure it was going to be a fabulous season. Unfortunately we didn't get off to the best of starts. We went away to Spain in pre-season and Alan Hansen picked up a nasty injury. It looked like he was going to be out for some time. I roomed with him and ended up being his maid running around after him because he had to have his knee elevated! It was while I was running one of those errands that I found out about Ian Rush's return. I had gone down to a coffee shop and saw Roy Evans and Ronnie Moran sitting there. They had smiles on their faces, which wasn't normal for the two lads. We'd lost convincingly in our first match against Atletico Madrid so I was expecting to see them with their heads down. I sat next to them and asked what was going on. They wouldn't say exactly what it was but I knew it was big, and in the next couple of days we found out Ian was coming back. It was a huge incentive for everyone concerned. Losing Alan was massive but getting Ian Rush back into the squad was fantastic because we knew the qualities he would bring to the side. It was major boost for us.

Were you surprised that Kenny Dalglish brought in a striker? You'd just lost Alan Hansen and were about to lose Gary Gillespie - did you expect him to go for another defender?

Well he did eventually. He brought in David Burrows. Initially though, the chance to bring Ian back was huge for Kenny. The understanding they had had when they played up front together, meant he knew him inside out and knew he was a Liverpool player through and through. He hadn't had the greatest of times at Juventus and the opportunity was too good to miss. He only enhanced what we already had there. In my opinion you can never have enough great players, so adding Rushie - one of the best players in Liverpool history - was great.

How was it for John Aldridge though? Was he disappointed because he'd had a great season previously...

Well he had, but I think John is one of those lads who just gets his head down. He knows if he's on form and scoring goals he'll be in the team. If you remember the start of the season at Charlton, John got a hat-trick, so it didn't faze him at all. If there was competition for places he would be up for it and I think he proved himself over the course of the campaign.

Were you surprised at the stuttering start Liverpool made?

Yes, I was. It's only when you look back at the DVD that you see how poor we were in some of the games. I think it was around October-November... we barely won a game, which was very unlike Liverpool. Maybe it was some sort of reaction to the previous campaign when we'd gone so well at the start, something like 29 games or so unbeaten. We didn't finish the season like we would have wanted, particularly in the FA Cup. Maybe it had an effect on us. But after a while we started to get it together, started to click and there was a real variety of goalscorers. John Aldridge, Ian Rush, Peter Beardsley etc. That's testament to Kenny that in a lot of those matches he went with five attacking players, in John Barnes on the left, myself on the right and Peter Beardsley, John Aldridge and Ian Rush up top. The momentum we picked up after Christmas was unbelievable. That drive and sense of purpose and determination to succeed was there. I think at one stage the gap between ourselves and Arsenal was 15 points and even the bookmakers gave us no chance of catching them. But one thing you can't do with Liverpool is write them off because they've always had the quality to come back.

Were the players always confident you could turn it around?

Yes, just look at the quality of players we had up front. When push came to shove Kenny played us all together and it just goes to show the qualities he had as a manager and his belief in the players. We always felt it was only a matter of time until we clicked. Maybe it all started in the game away to Sheffield Wednesday when we were 2-0 down. We fought back and finally found the hunger and desire to get through it. We got it back to 2-2 and could have gone on to win. It showed us we had the quality and belief to go out and do it and it proved a point to us.

How early on in the season did you notice that Arsenal would be the main rivals?

We knew they had a quality side. But George Graham had changed them tactically. They played with three at the back with Steve Bould, Tony Adams and David O'Leary, and with wing backs. So they had five players virtually all behind the ball. So we knew they would be hard to beat. They got off to a fantastic start and anyone who does that gets the momentum and gets a confidence lift.

The season was also marked by the tragedy of Hillsborough. How did it affect the players?

Unbelievably. Even now, whenever you see the footage of the flowers on the pitch it brings a lump to your throat. The day began like any other when you are going to a semi-final . We were really looking forward to it. We'd been there the previous year and the Liverpool fans had been in the same end so you didn't think anything untoward was going to happen. It was a lovely day for football. The players were excited, everything looked normal to us and all we were concerned with was getting out there, putting a good performance and getting into another final. Six minutes in, Peter Beardsley had just hit the crossbar and I remember being on the pitch and a Liverpool fan came running up to me and said 'There are people dying in there.' At the time I couldn't comprehend what he meant by that. My first thought was that some of the opposition fans had gotten into the Liverpool end and there had been a fight. But I never could have imagined it would be anything like it turned out to be. We were taken off the pitch and the referee came in and said keep warm lads, you'll be going back out very quickly. Five-10 minutes later we were going through our warm up and chit-chatting about the game. The longer we were in there, the more we began to realise something was wrong. We saw Liverpool fans going past the changing rooms after 25 -30 minutes saying there were major problems out there. That's when Kenny Dalglish and Brian Clough went out to try and put a message across to the fans for some calm out there. But even then no-one had any idea of what was unfolding in front of them.

When did you realise the severity of what had happened. You went up to the players' lounge and watched events unravelling on the TV didn't you?

Yes we did. The families had tickets to the players' lounge for after the game and both teams were up there watching it. At first you wonder about the safety of your own family and when you get up there it's a relief to see they are okay. But then we started to see some of the things that had happened to the fans. It wasn't until I got home that night and watched Match of the Day that I truly understood what had happened first hand. My first thought was anger. Anger at the powers that be that had allowed the Liverpool fans into that end. And anger at the idiots that meant the fencing went up in the first place. If we didn't have hooligans we wouldn't have had to have that in the first place and maybe the fans wouldn't have lost their lives. After that, it turned to sorrow for the 95 that had lost their lives on that day. It should have been a happy occasion and for 95 people to lose their lives like that is quite incredible. It's something that will live with every player and every fan for the rest of their lives.

How did you pay your respects in the days that followed?

Well we came to the ground. There were a lot of fans who had something to do with the bereaved and they just wanted to be around Liverpool Football Club. That's where they felt happiest. They just wanted to go there and be part of it. We just listened to what the families had to say and looked for direction. It just snowballed from there, where the wives, girlfriends etc would come down too, listening to what they had to say. They just wanted to talk about football. It was a very difficult time.

You were asked to attend some of the funerals. How difficult was that?

Well John Aldridge, Kenny Dalglish and myself went to the first funeral. We wanted to make sure everyone went to a funeral. I think myself and John went to about five or six, but that was something we all wanted to do. These fans were part of our life too. They came and supported us. Liverpool is a real family club and we felt it was only right we paid our respects to them. We went to as many as we could.

Football must have been the furthest thing from any of your minds...

I think if the league had turned around and said we won't play another game we would have been more than happy with that. But it was taken out of our hands. The players didn't want to continue. John Aldridge was affected more than anyone else in particular because he was a local lad. He felt it more. He was one of them. He'd been on the Kop as a kid and probably knew one or two of them too. Because I lived close to him I began to see how much it affected him first and all the other players in due course. We knew at some stage the season had to go on. As professionals you get through it as best as you can. It was very difficult and none of us wanted to continue.

A lot of the players were called up for international duty following the tragedy but chose not to go. You did though. Why was that?

Well I sat back and thought about it. At some point you knew the season was going to go on. A few of us went and played. John Aldridge didn't. At that stage he couldn't face playing and I could fully understand that. But I decided that I had to continue. I thought I'm a professional, I may not enjoy it, but somehow I've got to get through it. In some ways it helped me get through the agony and pain I had seen. I knew life had to go on so I made that decision to play. It wasn't because I wanted to enjoy myself. I just thought that was the best way for me to do it.

The first game back for the club was a friendly against Celtic - what was that occasion like for you?

It was just relief for many of the players. We had to go out there and remember what it was like to play football again and there's no better place than at Celtic. The respect both clubs have for each other is immense. On the day all the scarves and flags were out and it was terrific. Kenny played and got involved as well which was great because we knew that as the manager he would have felt a lot of the responsibility. He was deeply affected by it, as were his family. So, I think he just wanted to get back to being a manager again, and show the Liverpool fans that we had to get on with it, and that's what we did as well as we could.

You returned to league action, rather fittingly, against Everton. That fixture saw the city unite didn't it?

Yes and I think football united too. If you looked around the grounds, a lot of them had flags up, whether it was Tottenham, Everton or Manchester United - they all came out in sympathy. They would have hated it to have happened to their own fans so I think football united and I think the city of Liverpool united on this particular occasion. I think the Everton fans felt the pain of the Liverpool players and the Liverpool public in general.

The semi-final was played which set up an all-Merseyside final. How did the players feel... Did you think we have to win this trophy for the fans?

I think so. I think it was the overriding feeling amongst the players. But it wasn't like a normal game between Everton and Liverpool, there wasn't that focus. It was a much happier occasion and more family-like. It was fitting that the city of Liverpool came together on that day. I don't think Everton were going to win it. It was always destined that we would do it.

It was an emotional day, but did you expect it to be so dramatic?

No I didn't. We were 1-0 up with only a few minutes to go. Everton hadn't really done enough to win it. But football's a funny game and out of nothing they scored a goal. They had pushed people forward but Bruce Grobbelaar didn't have much to do. We just took our eye off it for a moment and Stuart McCall grabbed the equaliser. Then we had to go through an extra 30 minutes on what was an extremely warm day. There were a few tired legs out there that's for sure.

How important it was it for John Aldridge to score?

It was massive. Everyone felt for John when he missed the penalty the year before against Wimbledon, so to get off the mark so early was great. The move was terrific and once he was through you knew he was going to score. It was a clinical piece of finishing and he gave Neville Southall no chance. It settled everyone down. John was delighted, not for himself, but for the fans that were there, and he wanted to share that with them.

Ultimately Ian Rush was the hero. After an injury-hit season he proved his worth that day...

Well Everton fans must be sick of the sight of Rushie! When you think about the number of goals he scored against them over the years! I've got to say the two goals he got that day were really clinical too. For the first one he turned Kevin Ratcliffe and got a great shot away before the Everton defenders could react. It put us 2-1 ahead, but give Everton credit though, they came back with another Stuart McCall effort to make it 2-2. We searched for another and got the third and final goal courtesy of a great header from Rushie. He got the merest of touches on it to put it in the corner. But the ball in from John Barnes was as good a cross as you will see. It was pinpoint accuracy right over the top of the defence and there was nothing they could do about it. I think that knocked the stuffing out of them and they weren't going to come back for a third time. We had plenty of opportunities after that. Peter had a couple and I had one myself. Kenny had said before the game that when you go through one-on-one with Neville Southall make sure you lift it because he always goes to ground. So what did I do? I hit it low. Always listen to the manager!

So what was it like at the final whistle when you finally got your hands on the cup?

I felt drained really. It was an emotional day and we wanted to share it with the Liverpool fans. But it wasn't just them. We celebrated with the Liverpool public because the Everton fans there had made it a special day. They wanted to come along and pay their respects to the people that died and I think that they did that and made it such a special occasion. This game was all about going out there and doing our best for the people that had died. I'm delighted that we did that.

How confident were you that you could take that on and finish it off in the league too?

Well there were only two games left after that. The first was against West Ham, who were fighting for their lives at the bottom of the table. The other game was the massive one against Arsenal. We laugh today when people talk about tired players. That week a lot of us played on the Saturday in the cup final, on the Tuesday against West Ham and then on Friday against Arsenal. Then on the Saturday the likes of John Aldridge, Steve Staunton and myself had to fly to Dublin - after losing to the Gunners- to play in a World Cup Qualifier for Ireland in Dublin on the Sunday. To play in four massive games like that in the space of eight days is remarkable. Going into the last two games we were buoyed by the cup victory over Everton. We felt strong and felt we had the players that were more than capable of doing well in the final matches of the season.

It was an incredible end to the season and it was very close in the end against Arsenal...

Yes, we couldn't have got much closer. I remember Steve McMahon holding his finger up telling us all we had one minute left. Unfortunately we couldn't see it through. When you look at Tony Adams lifting the trophy it's testament to the Liverpool fans that so many of them stayed behind to applaud it. A lot of fans would go but credit to them. A friend of mine that I've known for the best part of 30 years, Brian Wilkes, is an Arsenal season ticket, and he was up for the game. I had to go and meet him afterwards and obviously he was overjoyed and there was me totally devastated. My one regret in football was not bringing down Mickey Thomas when he went through in the final minute. I had the chance to foul him but I just hesitated which was the difference. Every time I see it now I think bring him down. He went through earlier and missed when he hit it straight at Bruce Grobbelaar, but the second time around we weren't so lucky. I don't know maybe it was a bit of tiredness. People say John Barnes should have kicked it into the stand when he broke down the flank in the dying seconds. But that wasn't his way. John was a flair player. He was the best player I played with at Liverpool at that particular time. He thought we could score and you would never take that out of his game. It wasn't a great match. I think if we'd gone into it in a different frame of mind, needing to win it may have been a different story. But we were protecting the one goal and that changed our mindset. We became more defensive knowing we could afford to lose 1-0. We didn't play the normal attacking football we usually did.

How difficult was it to see Arsenal lift the trophy at Anfield?

Well I'd never done the double. A lot of the lads in the team had. It was a dream of mine to do it and we'd just missed out the previous season against Wimbledon, so I thought that was going to be our year. We'd worked so hard from January to get ourselves into that position to put pressure in Arsenal and there we were going into that last game with a three point advantage. after every that had happened with Hillsborough, to parade the FA Cup and the league trophy to the fans that night would have been a special occasion. But it was taken away from us by that goal in the last few seconds.

Taking into account what had happened that season, was it achievement enough to have gone so close?

No not particularly. When you are Liverpool the expectation is there. We'd won the league the previous year at a canter. This year it was different but we had still shown the quality to come through and put ourselves into a position to win it. When you are at Liverpool you need to win trophies. The history has proved that, and all of the players that had been there before had seen it through. Unfortunately on the night, we weren't good enough to do that. People say it's not decided on one game, but over the whole season. But we lost out and it wasn't even on goal difference. I think it was goals scored. It's a regret for all of us but we learned a lot from that.

Do you think the team from that era was THE best attacking side that Liverpool have had?

Oh, I don't know about that. I think it's very hard to judge different generations. I don't think it's right to do that. All I'll say is that it was a privilege to have played five years at Liverpool. The only shame was that we weren't in Europe because I think we would have gone a long way in the European Cup. I think every Liverpool fan who came to games would go away thinking they had been entertained. We didn't always play beautiful football and we could win ugly. But we had such great attacking players, like Peter Beardsley and more importantly John Barnes. For those two years he was virtually unplayable. Whenever I'm asked who was the best player you played with I always say John. He was that good. I've got some fantastic memories and it was an honour to play for the club at that time because of the way we played. You went into games thinking you would win. For two straight seasons we nearly won the double. It was only the final game of each campaign that was the undoing of us.

You did go on to win the title the following year, so did that make up for it?

Yes it did. The expectation at Liverpool is to have success. And success means winning the league. If I listen to the likes of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher now, what's missing is the Premier league title. It's something they want to win badly. It was no different in our time. That was what we judged ourselves on. It was the bread and butter and what you are judged on.

For you personally, it's 20 years on from the Hillsborough tragedy - is there still a special bond between the players of that time and the friends and families of those involved?

Well we don't see enough of each other because we are spread across the country. But it will never be forgotten. It's etched in every person's mind. Even if you weren't there that afternoon, it's still very relevant to this day. Liverpool have a chance of doing something in the league this season and I think that would be brilliant for the people that lost their lives.