Emlyn Hughes
Encyclopedia
Emlyn Walter Hughes, OBE
(28 August 1947 – 9 November 2004) was an English footballer
who captained both the England national team
and the much-decorated Liverpool F.C.
team of the 1970s.
, a Great Britain
, Wales
, Barrow
, and Workington Town
rugby league
footballer. After being refused a trial by local side Barrow
, Hughes joined Blackpool
, who were then a top-flight side. He made his début for Blackpool in 1964 and played alongside the likes of Jimmy Armfield
and Alan Ball. Hughes was then an inside forward, but Blackpool turned him into a left-half, and as such he made his début for them in the 1965–66 season.
In February 1967, after just 28 appearances for Blackpool, he signed for Liverpool in the February for £65,000, (based on average increases in earnings, this would be approximately £1,770,000 in 2009). Manager Bill Shankly
was stopped in his car by the police as he drove Hughes to Liverpool for the first time and said: "Don't you know who I've got in this car? The captain of England!" The policeman peered through the window and said that he didn't recognise the man, to which Shankly replied: "No, but you will!" In the future Hughes did indeed go on to captain his country.
Hughes made his Reds début in the 2–1 league win over Stoke City
at Anfield
on 4 March 1967, he scored his first goal in the 6–0 thrashing of Newcastle United
, again, at Anfield on the 26 August the same year.
Hughes settled into the midfield at Liverpool during a transitional period for the club, earning the nickname
Crazy Horse after an illegal rugby
tackle on Newcastle United
winger Albert Bennett. Liverpool did not win any honours in his first four seasons there but Hughes was seen as a demonstration of the future which Shankly had in mind. His versatility was noticed too – he filled in at left back and central defence
, a trait which was spotted by England coach Alf Ramsey
in 1969.
Ramsey gave Hughes his début on the 5 November of that year, playing him at left back in a friendly against Holland in the Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam
. England won 1–0. He played in the next game in the same position. Hughes scored his only international goal against Wales
; the opening goal of a 3–0 Home International
victory at Ninian Park
in 1972.
in the quarter finals of the FA Cup
, Shankly made a decision to clear out much of the ageing playing staff which had won two League Championship
titles, an FA Cup and reached a European Cup Winners Cup final and recruit new, younger blood to take Liverpool back to the helm of the English game. Hughes, still not 23, survived the cull – as did the likes of Ian Callaghan
and Tommy Smith
– and a batch of fresh faces which would shape Liverpool's success in the 1970s began to arrive.
Meanwhile, England were about to fly to Mexico and defend the World Cup
won four years earlier. Hughes had six caps by the time Ramsey included him in his provisional squad of 27 which flew to South America for altitude
-acclimatising friendly games against Colombia
and Ecuador
. Hughes featured in neither game, but was selected in the final squad of 22. He was the youngest selected by Ramsey, and the only Liverpool player in the squad.
Hughes was one of only two outfield players (along with Nobby Stiles
) who did not feature in any game as England progressed to the quarter finals where they were defeated by West Germany
. Question marks were raised about Ramsey's substitution decisions during the game, with much attention paid to the decisions to withdraw Bobby Charlton
and Martin Peters
in the second half, but then to let first choice left back Terry Cooper remain on the pitch for the whole 120 minutes when he was clearly exhausted, rather than allow his natural replacement Hughes to take over. Hughes would ultimately never feature at a World Cup.
which decided the title. Liverpool failed to win and the title went to Derby County
. Smith wrote that he was disgusted with what Hughes said and never spoke to him again after this. Smith maintained that the only witness was Ian Callaghan
. However, Smith also stated that he wasn't sure if Hughes was suggesting that they should bribe the Arsenal players, was wanting him to bribe the Arsenal players, or told him this so he would be incriminated. Smith said he never told Shankly because it would have "Broken his heart".
, who completed the then-rare 'double' of League title and F.A. Cup. Hughes was seen being barely able to control his devastation as he collected his losers' medal, upon which BBC
commentator
Kenneth Wolstenholme
remarked: "Emlyn Hughes there, really absolutely sick."
Hughes soon established a reputation for charging upfield from his defensive midfield position on long, complicated runs, and constantly berating referee
s. As a footballer, he had his share of both admirers and critics – some said he was a great player, others said he was a good player in a great team.
Hughes was still a full back for England, featuring regularly in Ramsey's team. Hughes played as England's interest in the 1972 European Championships ended at the two-legged quarter final stage, with West Germany again victorious.
In 1973, Hughes won his first League Championship title with Liverpool FC and his first European honour with the UEFA Cup
. He scored both goals in a memorable win over Merseyside
rivals Everton
at Goodison Park
, and also became captain after Tommy Smith had a publicised falling-out with Shankly, who nonetheless kept him in the team. Smith and Hughes' relationship soured as a consequence, although it never affected their football.
At this stage of Hughes' career, there was a low with England to go with a high with Liverpool. In October 1973, Ramsey selected Hughes to be left back as England entertained Poland
at Wembley. Victory would guarantee a place at the 1974 World Cup finals. Anything else would take Poland through.
England dominated the match but were denied constantly by the charmed antics of Polish goalkeeper Jan Tomaszewski
. Then Poland had a breakaway after a misplaced tackle by Norman Hunter in the second half, and only Hughes and goalkeeper Peter Shilton
were back to defend. The ball was spread across to Jan Domarski
who shaped to shoot from the edge of the area. Hughes flew into a last-ditch tackle but Domarski's shot evaded his block and slipped under the body of Shilton and into the net.
England equalised through an Allan Clarke
penalty but couldn't find the winning goal. Although some questioned whether Hughes' attempts at a tackle had unsighted Shilton, Hughes emerged rightly blameless for the Poland goal, with the emphasis placed on Hunter's initial mistimed tackle and Shilton's desire to hold rather than merely stop the ball, which in the end meant he did neither. Ramsey was sacked six months later.
At the end of that season, a now-famous smile was back on Hughes' face when Liverpool reached the FA Cup final and destroyed Newcastle United 3–0. Hughes, as skipper, received the trophy from The Princess Anne
, whom he would encounter again later in his professional life. It was a good month for Hughes, as he was also appointed England captain – as successor to Bobby Moore
– by caretaker boss Joe Mercer
. Hughes led out England for the first time on the 11 May 1974 in a Home International against Wales in Cardiff
, which England won 2–0.
Hughes captained England for every one of Mercer's seven games in charge, and initially maintained the role when Don Revie
was appointed as Ramsey's permanent successor. However, after the first two qualifiers for the 1976 European Championships, Revie decided to drop Hughes from the team. He gave the captaincy to his former Blackpool team-mate Alan Ball, and Hughes appeared only twice for England in 1975.
With his international career seemingly in tatters, Hughes nevertheless remained a solid and successful leader with Liverpool, now under the guidance of Bob Paisley
following Shankly's retirement. Liverpool won nothing in 1975, but achieved another League Championship and UEFA Cup double in 1976. The following season was the most eventful in Hughes' career.
It began with a shock recall by Revie, who played Hughes in the second qualifier for the 1978 World Cup, although he did not return the captaincy to him – this was now held by Hughes' clubmate Kevin Keegan
, leading to a peculiar situation of a club captain being instructed and led by one of his charges. Hughes was now predominantly a central defender, and played in a tactically-disastrous team against Italy
in Rome which marked the lowest point of Revie's tenure as England manager. England lost 2–0.
Revie selected Hughes for further games through the early part of 1977, during which time Liverpool were heading towards an unprecedented 'treble' of League Championship, FA Cup and European Cup
. Ultimately, they would win the title but then lose the FA Cup final to bitter rivals Manchester United
, with Hughes again cutting a sickened figure as he climbed the Wembley steps to receive his losers' medal, although he did manage to lead Liverpool on a lap of honour afterwards. However, the smile was restored 4 days later when he captained Liverpool to a historic 3–1 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach
in Rome to win the European Cup. His season ended with some individual glory, when he was voted the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year
.
Revie gave Hughes the England captaincy back for a Home International match against Scotland
when Keegan was unavailable, before selecting him for the squad which would tour South America in the summer. During this tour, Revie secretly engineered his departure from the England job, and when Ron Greenwood took over, he returned the captaincy to Hughes. England left too much to do after the defeat to Italy to qualify for the World Cup, but Hughes nonetheless celebrated a 50th cap when England beat the Italians 2–0 in the final qualifier at Wembley at the end of 1977.
In 1978, Hughes was in the Liverpool team which lost its first ever League Cup
final to Brian Clough
's Nottingham Forest
after a replay. The league title went to Forest too, but Liverpool managed to retain the European Cup with a 1–0 win over FC Bruges at Wembley, with Hughes lifting the trophy for a second year running. Hughes' place was now under regular threat from a talented young Scottish defender named Alan Hansen
who had arrived the previous season for a mere £100,000 from Partick Thistle
. The following season, Hughes made just 16 appearances, enough to earn his final title medal. Paisley decided to let him go and sold him to Wolverhampton Wanderers
for £90,000 in August 1979. Hughes left Liverpool after 665 appearances and scoring 49 goals for the club. His 59 appearances for England while at Liverpool made him the club's most capped player until Welsh striker
Ian Rush
broke the record more than ten years later.
on Wednesday, 22 August 1979 in a 1–0 win over Derby County
.
Hughes went on to win the League Cup in his first season with Wolves – the only trophy he did not win with Liverpool – and duly lifted it as captain after a surprise 1–0 win over Nottingham Forest at Wembley. He was also decorated with the OBE
for services to football and featured on the television tribute show This Is Your Life
.
He continued to be selected for England squads even after leaving Liverpool. He featured sporadically in England's successful qualifying campaign for the 1980 European Championships, he captained the team for the final time in the 1–1 1980 Home International game with Northern Ireland
draw at Wembley, and won his 62nd and final cap against Scotland in the next game as a substitute.
Greenwood still put him in the squad for the European Championship finals in Italy as experienced back-up, but Hughes ultimately did not play as England were eliminated in the group stages. Hughes was England's only connection with their previous foray into the finals of a tournament – the 1970 World Cup – but his non-participation in either earned him the dubious honour of being England's most capped player never to feature in a major finals. A more acceptable honour was that of becoming only the fifth player to represent England in three separate decade
s, joining Jesse Pennington
, Stanley Matthews
, Bobby Charlton
and Peter Shilton
.
in 1981, joining Rotherham United
as player-manager. Inheriting a side that had won the Third Division championship under Ian Porterfield including such players as John Breckin
, Tony Towner
and Ronnie Moore
, Rotherham made a patchy start to the season and were in the relegation zone in January. However, a run of 9 wins in a row followed and Rotherham climbed from third last to third place in the league. Promotion would be missed by four points, but the finish of 7th place was the Millers' highest since the 1960s.
The following season, Rotherham appeared to be holding their ground in the Second Division and were 9th at the start of 1983. However, the side plummeted down the table. On the morning of 20 March Hughes was asked to resign at manager. He refused and therefore was sacked, and replaced by George Kerr
the following day. Rotherham would only go down on the final day of the season, as they won only one more game afterwards.
, later becoming a director. He joined Mansfield Town
briefly in 1983, but did not make any appearances for the Stags. Later that year he also turned out for Swansea City, with whom he brought his playing career to a close.
Hughes developed a successful television career after leaving football. In 1984, he became a team captain on the long-running BBC quiz
A Question of Sport
, opposite England
's former rugby union
captain Bill Beaumont
. Hughes became much-mimicked for his competitive nature and high-pitched protestations when not being able to recall an answer. In the show's picture board section, in which panel members were shown a board with a choice of 12 photographs of well known sports personalities to be identified, Hughes would usually reference his old shirt number at Liverpool in informing the show's host David Coleman
"Number Six please, Dave".
He infamously identified a picture of a heavily-muddied jockey
as John Reid
, only to be mortified when told it was the Princess Anne. Later in the same series, she came on the programme, made it clear she was not remotely offended by the misidentification, and was put on his team. Hughes caused a minor national debate when he defied protocol
and put his arm around her in what his apologists described as a normal piece of team bonding. He called her "ma'am" throughout.
Hughes later joined her team for the much-criticised It's a Royal Knockout
project, the brainchild of her brother the Prince Edward
.
Hughes' involvement with the BBC also included work as an analyst on radio. Alongside Peter Jones
he was present at the Heysel Stadium disaster
in 1985 and uttered the words: "Football has died and the hooligans have won." He also was a member of the punditry panel for BBC television's coverage of the 1986 World Cup. However, he left A Question Of Sport – and the corporation as a whole – in 1987 to go to ITV
and skipper a team on the unsuccessful Sporting Triangles
. Through this, he also occasionally appeared as a pundit on ITV's own football coverage. He was also immortalised in comic strip form as he was signed by Melchester Rovers
in the Roy of the Rovers
strip; he also wrote a column for the teenage football magazine Match
. Alongside Peter Jones
again, he was present at the Hillsborough disaster
in April 1989. Later he paid visits to the parents of Andrew Devine, who was left comatose after the tragedy, in hospital and offered the support and help.
On 24 July 2008 it was announced that Hughes will be inducted into the National Football Museum's Hall of Fame. The National Football Museum in Preston started its Hall of Fame in 2002 with the inductees chosen by a selection panel that includes Gordon Banks
, Sir Trevor Brooking, Sir Alex Ferguson
, Sir Bobby Charlton, Jack Charlton
, Mark Lawrenson
and Gary Lineker
. The awards will be presented at the annual ceremony, this year being held at the Millennium Mayfair Hotel in London on 18 September.
* Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C (1979–1981) – 58 appearances, 2 goals
* England (1969–1980) – 62 caps, 1 goal
* Personal Honours
In 1992 he appeared on an episode of Gamesmaster
(a TV based computer games magazine) promoting the football video game which carried his name Emlyn Hughes International Soccer
.
He became chief patron to the Sheffield
based charity F.A.B.L.E. (For A Better Life with Epilepsy) in 1995.
From March 2002, he became a presenter and pundit on the nightly football phone-in on Real Radio Yorkshire. He remained in this role even when he became ill.
In 2003, it was announced that he was suffering from a brain tumour, for which he underwent surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Hughes continued to battle against the disease until his death at his home in Dore
, Sheffield
, at the age of 57.
A minute's silence was held the following evening at Anfield before Liverpool's game against Middlesbrough
in the Carling Cup and was impeccably observed. His funeral service took place at Sheffield Cathedral
.
Hughes was married to Barbara and had a son and daughter, both named after him (Emlyn Jr. and Emma Lynn http://football.guardian.co.uk/theknowledge/story/0,13854,1346901,00.html). His last public appearance had been at his daughter's wedding
, nine months before his death.
Emlyn is a much loved character amongst the Anfield Faithful and was voted in the top 10 at No.10 on the Official Liverpool Football Club web site poll 100 Players Who Shook The Kop.
A statue of Hughes was unveiled in his birthplace of Barrow-in-Furness in 2008, it is placed in front of a new office building
on Abbey Road which was also named after Hughes.
A Cancer support charity in Hughes' name is run by the Freemasons of Tapton Masonic Hall in Sheffield, of which Hughes was a devoted member.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(28 August 1947 – 9 November 2004) was an English footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
who captained both the England national team
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
and the much-decorated Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
team of the 1970s.
From Blackpool to Liverpool
Emlyn Hughes, was the son of Fred HughesFrederick Hughes (rugby league)
Frederick "Fred" Hughes was a Welsh professional rugby league footballer of the 1940s who at representative level played for Great Britain , Wales, and at club level for Barrow, and Workington Town.-International honours:...
, a Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
, Wales
Wales national rugby league team
The Wales national rugby league team represent Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is seventh in the RLIF World Rankings. The team were run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from...
, Barrow
Barrow Raiders
Barrow Raiders are an English professional rugby league team from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, who are coached by Dave Clark. Formed in 1875 as Barrow Football Club, the club is the oldest of the current professional sports teams in Cumbria....
, and Workington Town
Workington Town
Workington Town is a professional rugby league club playing in Workington in West Cumbria. They play in the Championship 1. Their stadium is called Derwent Park, which they share with Workington Comets, a speedway team....
rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer. After being refused a trial by local side Barrow
Barrow A.F.C.
Barrow A.F.C. are an English football club founded in 1901 based in the town of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria. Following promotion at the end of the 2007–08 season, they currently play in the Conference National. The club spent over fifty years in the Football League between 1921 and 1972, and have...
, Hughes joined Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
, who were then a top-flight side. He made his début for Blackpool in 1964 and played alongside the likes of Jimmy Armfield
Jimmy Armfield
James Christopher "Jimmy" Armfield, CBE, DL is an English former professional football player and manager who currently works as a football pundit for BBC Radio Five Live. He played the whole of his Football League career at Blackpool, usually at right back...
and Alan Ball. Hughes was then an inside forward, but Blackpool turned him into a left-half, and as such he made his début for them in the 1965–66 season.
In February 1967, after just 28 appearances for Blackpool, he signed for Liverpool in the February for £65,000, (based on average increases in earnings, this would be approximately £1,770,000 in 2009). Manager Bill Shankly
Bill Shankly
William "Bill" Shankly, OBE was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Liverpool between 1959 and 1974. One of Britain's most successful and respected football managers, Shankly was also a fine player whose career was interrupted by the Second World War...
was stopped in his car by the police as he drove Hughes to Liverpool for the first time and said: "Don't you know who I've got in this car? The captain of England!" The policeman peered through the window and said that he didn't recognise the man, to which Shankly replied: "No, but you will!" In the future Hughes did indeed go on to captain his country.
Hughes made his Reds début in the 2–1 league win over Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
on 4 March 1967, he scored his first goal in the 6–0 thrashing of Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, again, at Anfield on the 26 August the same year.
Hughes settled into the midfield at Liverpool during a transitional period for the club, earning the nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
Crazy Horse after an illegal rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
tackle on Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
winger Albert Bennett. Liverpool did not win any honours in his first four seasons there but Hughes was seen as a demonstration of the future which Shankly had in mind. His versatility was noticed too – he filled in at left back and central defence
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
, a trait which was spotted by England coach Alf Ramsey
Alf Ramsey
Sir Alfred Ernest "Alf" Ramsey was an English footballer and manager of the English national football team from 1963 to 1974. His greatest achievement was winning the 1966 World Cup with England on 30 July 1966...
in 1969.
Ramsey gave Hughes his début on the 5 November of that year, playing him at left back in a friendly against Holland in the Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. England won 1–0. He played in the next game in the same position. Hughes scored his only international goal against Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
; the opening goal of a 3–0 Home International
British Home Championship
The British Home Championship was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the 1883–84 season until the 1983–84...
victory at Ninian Park
Ninian Park
Ninian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship...
in 1972.
A watershed year
For Hughes, 1970 was an important year in his career. After Liverpool were humiliated by Second division side WatfordWatford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
in the quarter finals of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
, Shankly made a decision to clear out much of the ageing playing staff which had won two League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
titles, an FA Cup and reached a European Cup Winners Cup final and recruit new, younger blood to take Liverpool back to the helm of the English game. Hughes, still not 23, survived the cull – as did the likes of Ian Callaghan
Ian Callaghan
Ian Robert Callaghan MBE is a former Liverpool footballer who holds the record for most appearances for the club.-Life and playing career:...
and Tommy Smith
Tommy Smith (footballer born 1945)
Thomas "Tommy" Smith MBE was a long-serving footballer with Liverpool, known for his uncompromising defensive style. Manager Bill Shankly once said of him: "Tommy Smith wasn't born, he was quarried."-Life and playing career:...
– and a batch of fresh faces which would shape Liverpool's success in the 1970s began to arrive.
Meanwhile, England were about to fly to Mexico and defend the World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
won four years earlier. Hughes had six caps by the time Ramsey included him in his provisional squad of 27 which flew to South America for altitude
Altitude
Altitude or height is defined based on the context in which it is used . As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The reference datum also often varies according to the context...
-acclimatising friendly games against Colombia
Colombia national football team
The Colombian national football team represents Colombia in international football competitions and is controlled by the Colombian Football Federation. It is a member of the CONMEBOL...
and Ecuador
Ecuador national football team
The Ecuadorian national football team represents Ecuador in international football competitions and is controlled by the Ecuadorian Football Federation. They generally play official home matches at Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito, but often play friendlies in other stadiums around the country...
. Hughes featured in neither game, but was selected in the final squad of 22. He was the youngest selected by Ramsey, and the only Liverpool player in the squad.
Hughes was one of only two outfield players (along with Nobby Stiles
Nobby Stiles
Norbert "Nobby" Peter Stiles MBE is a retired English footballer. He was born in Collyhurst, Manchester.Stiles played for England for five years, winning 28 caps and scoring 1 goal. He played every minute of England's victorious 1966 FIFA World Cup campaign...
) who did not feature in any game as England progressed to the quarter finals where they were defeated by West Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
. Question marks were raised about Ramsey's substitution decisions during the game, with much attention paid to the decisions to withdraw Bobby Charlton
Bobby Charlton
Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE is an English former professional football player, a member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966...
and Martin Peters
Martin Peters
Martin Stanford Peters, MBE is a former football player and member of the victorious England team which won the 1966 World Cup as well as playing in the 1970 FIFA World Cup....
in the second half, but then to let first choice left back Terry Cooper remain on the pitch for the whole 120 minutes when he was clearly exhausted, rather than allow his natural replacement Hughes to take over. Hughes would ultimately never feature at a World Cup.
Bribery Allegation
In 2008, Tommy Smith claimed in his autobiography, that on 8 May 1972, Hughes told him that he had been speaking to a number of Arsenal players, and they had said that they were "willing to throw a match for £50 a man" in a vital match at HighburyHighbury
- Early Highbury :The area now known as Islington was part of the larger manor of Tolentone, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Tolentone was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Road. The manor house was situated by what is now...
which decided the title. Liverpool failed to win and the title went to Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
. Smith wrote that he was disgusted with what Hughes said and never spoke to him again after this. Smith maintained that the only witness was Ian Callaghan
Ian Callaghan
Ian Robert Callaghan MBE is a former Liverpool footballer who holds the record for most appearances for the club.-Life and playing career:...
. However, Smith also stated that he wasn't sure if Hughes was suggesting that they should bribe the Arsenal players, was wanting him to bribe the Arsenal players, or told him this so he would be incriminated. Smith said he never told Shankly because it would have "Broken his heart".
The 70s
If Hughes' long international career would prove to be unfulfilled, his club career was about to hit every height there was. In 1971, Liverpool reached the FA Cup final, losing 2–1 after extra-time to ArsenalArsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, who completed the then-rare 'double' of League title and F.A. Cup. Hughes was seen being barely able to control his devastation as he collected his losers' medal, upon which BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
commentator
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
Kenneth Wolstenholme
Kenneth Wolstenholme
Kenneth Wolstenholme DFC & Bar was the football commentator for BBC television in the 1950s and 1960s, most notable for his commentary during the 1966 FIFA World Cup which included the famous phrase "some people are on the pitch...they think it's all over....it is now!", as Geoff Hurst scored...
remarked: "Emlyn Hughes there, really absolutely sick."
Hughes soon established a reputation for charging upfield from his defensive midfield position on long, complicated runs, and constantly berating referee
Referee
A referee is the person of authority, in a variety of sports, who is responsible for presiding over the game from a neutral point of view and making on the fly decisions that enforce the rules of the sport...
s. As a footballer, he had his share of both admirers and critics – some said he was a great player, others said he was a good player in a great team.
Hughes was still a full back for England, featuring regularly in Ramsey's team. Hughes played as England's interest in the 1972 European Championships ended at the two-legged quarter final stage, with West Germany again victorious.
In 1973, Hughes won his first League Championship title with Liverpool FC and his first European honour with the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. He scored both goals in a memorable win over Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
rivals Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
, and also became captain after Tommy Smith had a publicised falling-out with Shankly, who nonetheless kept him in the team. Smith and Hughes' relationship soured as a consequence, although it never affected their football.
At this stage of Hughes' career, there was a low with England to go with a high with Liverpool. In October 1973, Ramsey selected Hughes to be left back as England entertained Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
at Wembley. Victory would guarantee a place at the 1974 World Cup finals. Anything else would take Poland through.
England dominated the match but were denied constantly by the charmed antics of Polish goalkeeper Jan Tomaszewski
Jan Tomaszewski
Jan Tomaszewski is a retired Polish footballer , who was nicknamed "Tomek" and "The Man That Stopped England", named Best Goalkeeper in the 1974 World Cup in West Germany....
. Then Poland had a breakaway after a misplaced tackle by Norman Hunter in the second half, and only Hughes and goalkeeper Peter Shilton
Peter Shilton
Peter Leslie Shilton OBE is a former English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He currently holds the record for playing more games for England than anyone else, earning 125 caps....
were back to defend. The ball was spread across to Jan Domarski
Jan Domarski
Jan Andrzej Domarski was a Polish football player and bronze-medal winner in the 1974 World Cup tournament in Germany. He played in seventeen matches for the Polish national football team and was a double-champion with the club Stal Mielec...
who shaped to shoot from the edge of the area. Hughes flew into a last-ditch tackle but Domarski's shot evaded his block and slipped under the body of Shilton and into the net.
England equalised through an Allan Clarke
Allan Clarke (footballer)
Allan John Clarke , nicknamed "Sniffer", is a former footballer who played in the Football League for Walsall, Fulham, Leicester City, Leeds United and Barnsley, and won 19 international caps for England.-Early career:Clarke started his career at Walsall and made his debut aged 17, in 1963...
penalty but couldn't find the winning goal. Although some questioned whether Hughes' attempts at a tackle had unsighted Shilton, Hughes emerged rightly blameless for the Poland goal, with the emphasis placed on Hunter's initial mistimed tackle and Shilton's desire to hold rather than merely stop the ball, which in the end meant he did neither. Ramsey was sacked six months later.
At the end of that season, a now-famous smile was back on Hughes' face when Liverpool reached the FA Cup final and destroyed Newcastle United 3–0. Hughes, as skipper, received the trophy from The Princess Anne
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
, whom he would encounter again later in his professional life. It was a good month for Hughes, as he was also appointed England captain – as successor to Bobby Moore
Bobby Moore
Robert Frederick Chelsea "Bobby" Moore, OBE was an English footballer. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years and was captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup...
– by caretaker boss Joe Mercer
Joe Mercer
Joseph 'Joe' Mercer, OBE was an English football player and manager.-Playing career:Mercer was born in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, the son of a former Nottingham Forest and Tranmere Rovers footballer, also named Joe. Joe Mercer senior died, following health problems resulting from a gas attack...
. Hughes led out England for the first time on the 11 May 1974 in a Home International against Wales in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, which England won 2–0.
Hughes captained England for every one of Mercer's seven games in charge, and initially maintained the role when Don Revie
Don Revie
Donald George 'Don' Revie, OBE, , was an English footballer who played for Leicester City, Hull City, Sunderland, Manchester City and Leeds United as a deep-lying centre forward. After managing Leeds United he managed England from 1974 until 1977...
was appointed as Ramsey's permanent successor. However, after the first two qualifiers for the 1976 European Championships, Revie decided to drop Hughes from the team. He gave the captaincy to his former Blackpool team-mate Alan Ball, and Hughes appeared only twice for England in 1975.
With his international career seemingly in tatters, Hughes nevertheless remained a solid and successful leader with Liverpool, now under the guidance of Bob Paisley
Bob Paisley
Robert "Bob" Paisley OBE was an English football half back turned manager. His association with Liverpool was to span nearly half a century including his contribution to the club, first as a player, then as a physiotherapist and coach, and finally as manager.In nine years as manager between 1974...
following Shankly's retirement. Liverpool won nothing in 1975, but achieved another League Championship and UEFA Cup double in 1976. The following season was the most eventful in Hughes' career.
It began with a shock recall by Revie, who played Hughes in the second qualifier for the 1978 World Cup, although he did not return the captaincy to him – this was now held by Hughes' clubmate Kevin Keegan
Kevin Keegan
Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....
, leading to a peculiar situation of a club captain being instructed and led by one of his charges. Hughes was now predominantly a central defender, and played in a tactically-disastrous team against Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
in Rome which marked the lowest point of Revie's tenure as England manager. England lost 2–0.
Revie selected Hughes for further games through the early part of 1977, during which time Liverpool were heading towards an unprecedented 'treble' of League Championship, FA Cup and European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
. Ultimately, they would win the title but then lose the FA Cup final to bitter rivals Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, with Hughes again cutting a sickened figure as he climbed the Wembley steps to receive his losers' medal, although he did manage to lead Liverpool on a lap of honour afterwards. However, the smile was restored 4 days later when he captained Liverpool to a historic 3–1 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
in Rome to win the European Cup. His season ended with some individual glory, when he was voted the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year
Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year
The Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football...
.
Revie gave Hughes the England captaincy back for a Home International match against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
when Keegan was unavailable, before selecting him for the squad which would tour South America in the summer. During this tour, Revie secretly engineered his departure from the England job, and when Ron Greenwood took over, he returned the captaincy to Hughes. England left too much to do after the defeat to Italy to qualify for the World Cup, but Hughes nonetheless celebrated a 50th cap when England beat the Italians 2–0 in the final qualifier at Wembley at the end of 1977.
In 1978, Hughes was in the Liverpool team which lost its first ever League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
final to Brian Clough
Brian Clough
Brian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be...
's Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
after a replay. The league title went to Forest too, but Liverpool managed to retain the European Cup with a 1–0 win over FC Bruges at Wembley, with Hughes lifting the trophy for a second year running. Hughes' place was now under regular threat from a talented young Scottish defender named Alan Hansen
Alan Hansen
Alan David Hansen is a Scottish former football player and BBC television football pundit. He played as a central defender for Partick Thistle, Liverpool and Scotland...
who had arrived the previous season for a mere £100,000 from Partick Thistle
Partick Thistle F.C.
Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football club from Glasgow. Despite their name, the club are based in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908...
. The following season, Hughes made just 16 appearances, enough to earn his final title medal. Paisley decided to let him go and sold him to Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
for £90,000 in August 1979. Hughes left Liverpool after 665 appearances and scoring 49 goals for the club. His 59 appearances for England while at Liverpool made him the club's most capped player until Welsh striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
Ian Rush
Ian Rush
Ian James Rush, MBE, is a retired football player from Flint, Wales. He is best remembered as a player for Liverpool, where he was among the top strikers in the English game in the 1980s and 1990s. He also had spells playing at Chester City, Juventus, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield...
broke the record more than ten years later.
The last hurrahs
Hughes made his Wolves début at the Baseball GroundBaseball Ground
The Baseball Ground was a stadium in Derby, England. It was first used for baseball as the home of Derby County Baseball Club from 1890 until 1898 and then for football as the home of Derby County from 1895 until 1997. It was commonly referred to as the "BBG".As the name suggests, the stadium was...
on Wednesday, 22 August 1979 in a 1–0 win over Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
.
Hughes went on to win the League Cup in his first season with Wolves – the only trophy he did not win with Liverpool – and duly lifted it as captain after a surprise 1–0 win over Nottingham Forest at Wembley. He was also decorated with the OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for services to football and featured on the television tribute show This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience including friends and family.Edwards...
.
He continued to be selected for England squads even after leaving Liverpool. He featured sporadically in England's successful qualifying campaign for the 1980 European Championships, he captained the team for the final time in the 1–1 1980 Home International game with Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
draw at Wembley, and won his 62nd and final cap against Scotland in the next game as a substitute.
Greenwood still put him in the squad for the European Championship finals in Italy as experienced back-up, but Hughes ultimately did not play as England were eliminated in the group stages. Hughes was England's only connection with their previous foray into the finals of a tournament – the 1970 World Cup – but his non-participation in either earned him the dubious honour of being England's most capped player never to feature in a major finals. A more acceptable honour was that of becoming only the fifth player to represent England in three separate decade
Decade
A decade is a period of 10 years. The word is derived from the Ancient Greek dekas which means ten. This etymology is sometime confused with the Latin decas and dies , which is not correct....
s, joining Jesse Pennington
Jesse Pennington
Jesse Pennington was an English football player in the early part of the 20th century. He was nicknamed "Peerless Pennington"....
, Stanley Matthews
Stanley Matthews
Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE was an English footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the English game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers'...
, Bobby Charlton
Bobby Charlton
Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE is an English former professional football player, a member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966...
and Peter Shilton
Peter Shilton
Peter Leslie Shilton OBE is a former English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He currently holds the record for playing more games for England than anyone else, earning 125 caps....
.
Managing Rotherham
Hughes left MolineuxMolineux stadium
Molineux Stadium is a Premier League football stadium situated in Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, England. It has been the home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club since 1889, and has a long and illustrious history as the first 'new build' stadium in Football League history, one of the...
in 1981, joining Rotherham United
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
as player-manager. Inheriting a side that had won the Third Division championship under Ian Porterfield including such players as John Breckin
John Breckin
John Breckin is an English footballer who played as a left-back. He is the uncle of Nottingham Forest defender Ian Breckin....
, Tony Towner
Tony Towner
Antony J. "Tony" Towner is an English former footballer who made more than 400 appearances in the Football League playing as a winger....
and Ronnie Moore
Ronnie Moore
Ronald David "Ronnie" Moore is an English football manager and former player. He is considered one of the greatest Rotherham United players of all time, and is also considered the best manager Rotherham United have ever had, becoming a club legend. and went on to manage the Millers for seven years...
, Rotherham made a patchy start to the season and were in the relegation zone in January. However, a run of 9 wins in a row followed and Rotherham climbed from third last to third place in the league. Promotion would be missed by four points, but the finish of 7th place was the Millers' highest since the 1960s.
The following season, Rotherham appeared to be holding their ground in the Second Division and were 9th at the start of 1983. However, the side plummeted down the table. On the morning of 20 March Hughes was asked to resign at manager. He refused and therefore was sacked, and replaced by George Kerr
George Kerr (footballer)
George Adams McDonald Kerr is a Scottish former footballer and manager. As a player, he played for Barnsley, Bury, Oxford United and Scunthorpe United. As a manager, he managed Lincoln City twice, Grimsby Town, Rotherham United and Boston United.-Managerial career:Kerr briefly managed Lincoln City...
the following day. Rotherham would only go down on the final day of the season, as they won only one more game afterwards.
Later life
He also played for Hull CityHull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
, later becoming a director. He joined Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
briefly in 1983, but did not make any appearances for the Stags. Later that year he also turned out for Swansea City, with whom he brought his playing career to a close.
Hughes developed a successful television career after leaving football. In 1984, he became a team captain on the long-running BBC quiz
Quiz
A quiz is a form of game or mind sport in which the players attempt to answer questions correctly. In some countries, a quiz is also a brief assessment used in education and similar fields to measure growth in knowledge, abilities, and/or skills.Quizzes are usually scored in points and many...
A Question of Sport
A Question of Sport
A Question of Sport is a long-running BBC quiz show which started on 2 December 1968 and continues to this day. It is currently recorded at The Studios, MediaCityUK...
, opposite England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
's former rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
captain Bill Beaumont
Bill Beaumont
William "Bill" Blackledge Beaumont CBE was captain of the England rugby union team at a time when they struggled to win games. His greatest moment as captain was the unexpected 1980 Grand Slam. He played as a lock...
. Hughes became much-mimicked for his competitive nature and high-pitched protestations when not being able to recall an answer. In the show's picture board section, in which panel members were shown a board with a choice of 12 photographs of well known sports personalities to be identified, Hughes would usually reference his old shirt number at Liverpool in informing the show's host David Coleman
David Coleman
David Coleman, OBE is an English former sports commentator and TV presenter who worked for the BBC for almost fifty years. In 2000, he was awarded the Olympic Order, the highest honour of the Olympic movement....
"Number Six please, Dave".
He infamously identified a picture of a heavily-muddied jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
as John Reid
John A. Reid
John Andrew Reid John Andrew Reid John Andrew Reid (born August 6, 1955 in Banbridge County Down, Northern Ireland is a retired flat race jockey.Reid served as an apprentice in his native Ireland to Leslie Crawford, before moving to England and joining Verley Bewicke. His first Classic victory came...
, only to be mortified when told it was the Princess Anne. Later in the same series, she came on the programme, made it clear she was not remotely offended by the misidentification, and was put on his team. Hughes caused a minor national debate when he defied protocol
Etiquette
Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group...
and put his arm around her in what his apologists described as a normal piece of team bonding. He called her "ma'am" throughout.
Hughes later joined her team for the much-criticised It's a Royal Knockout
It's a Royal Knockout
The Grand Knockout Tournament was a one-off charity event which was shown on British television on 19 June 1987...
project, the brainchild of her brother the Prince Edward
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex KG GCVO is the third son and fourth child of Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh...
.
Hughes' involvement with the BBC also included work as an analyst on radio. Alongside Peter Jones
Peter Jones (broadcaster)
Peter Jones was a Welsh-born broadcaster, best known as a sports commentator on BBC radio in the United Kingdom, although many of his commentaries were also broadcast internationally on the BBC World Service...
he was present at the Heysel Stadium disaster
Heysel Stadium disaster
The Heysel Stadium disaster occurred on 29 May 1985 when escaping fans were pressed against a wall in the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, as a result of rioting before the start of the 1985 European Cup Final between Liverpool of England and Juventus of Italy...
in 1985 and uttered the words: "Football has died and the hooligans have won." He also was a member of the punditry panel for BBC television's coverage of the 1986 World Cup. However, he left A Question Of Sport – and the corporation as a whole – in 1987 to go to ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
and skipper a team on the unsuccessful Sporting Triangles
Sporting Triangles
Sporting Triangles was a quiz programme, devised by Matthew Davies and Robert Lawrence, which tested the sporting superstars knowledge of sport. The programme was produced by Central Television and aired on the ITV network for four series from 1987 until 1990...
. Through this, he also occasionally appeared as a pundit on ITV's own football coverage. He was also immortalised in comic strip form as he was signed by Melchester Rovers
Melchester Rovers
Melchester Rovers are a fictional football team with whom Roy Race spent most of his illustrious career in the British comic strip Roy of the Rovers, which first appeared in Tiger at its inception in 1954.- Early years :...
in the Roy of the Rovers
Roy of the Rovers
Roy of the Rovers is a British comic strip about the life and times of a fictional footballer named Roy Race, who played for Melchester Rovers...
strip; he also wrote a column for the teenage football magazine Match
Match magazine
Match! is a weekly British football magazine aimed at the teenage and pre-teenage market. First published in 1979, the magazine has a circulation of 57,108 as of December 2010. The magazine includes interviews, a skills school, quizzes and a weekly round-up of results, tables and player ratings...
. Alongside Peter Jones
Peter Jones (broadcaster)
Peter Jones was a Welsh-born broadcaster, best known as a sports commentator on BBC radio in the United Kingdom, although many of his commentaries were also broadcast internationally on the BBC World Service...
again, he was present at the Hillsborough disaster
Hillsborough disaster
The Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
in April 1989. Later he paid visits to the parents of Andrew Devine, who was left comatose after the tragedy, in hospital and offered the support and help.
On 24 July 2008 it was announced that Hughes will be inducted into the National Football Museum's Hall of Fame. The National Football Museum in Preston started its Hall of Fame in 2002 with the inductees chosen by a selection panel that includes Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks, OBE is a retired English football goalkeeper. The IFFHS named Banks the second best goalkeeper of the 20th century – after Lev Yashin and ahead of Dino Zoff ....
, Sir Trevor Brooking, Sir Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
, Sir Bobby Charlton, Jack Charlton
Jack Charlton
John "Jack" Charlton, OBE, DL is a former footballer and manager who played for Leeds United in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and was part of the England team who won the 1966 World Cup...
, Mark Lawrenson
Mark Lawrenson
Mark Thomas Lawrenson is a former professional football player, a defender in the Liverpool and Irish football teams of the 1980s; he since became a radio, television and internet pundit for the BBC and Today FM. He was born in England, but played for the Republic of Ireland because his...
and Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
. The awards will be presented at the annual ceremony, this year being held at the Millennium Mayfair Hotel in London on 18 September.
Career details
* Liverpool F.C (1967–1979) 665 appearances, 49 goals- 4 Division 1Football League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
(Level 1) championship winners medals (1973, 1976, 1977 and 1979) - FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
winners medal (1974) - 2 European CupUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
winners medals (1977 and 1978) - 2 UEFA CupUEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
winners medals (1973 and 1976) - European Super CupEuropean Super CupThe UEFA Super Cup is an annual football game between the reigning champions of the two cup competitions organized by UEFA: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League...
winners medal (1977) - 3 Charity Shield winners medals (1974, 1976 and 1977)
- 3 First Division (Level 1) runners-up medals (1969, 1974 and 1978)
- 2 FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
runners-up medals (1971 and 1977) - Football League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
runners-up medal (1978) - European Super CupEuropean Super CupThe UEFA Super Cup is an annual football game between the reigning champions of the two cup competitions organized by UEFA: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League...
runners-up medal (1978) - Charity Shield runners-up medal (1971)
* Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C (1979–1981) – 58 appearances, 2 goals
- Football League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
winners medal (1980)
* England (1969–1980) – 62 caps, 1 goal
- Hughes captained England 23 times and was part of the 1970 World Cup squad in Mexico
* Personal Honours
- Awarded the OBE in (1980)
- Football Writers Footballer of the Year (1977)
Final years
In later years, Hughes lived a quiet retirement, occasionally carrying out duties as an after-dinner or motivational speaker.In 1992 he appeared on an episode of Gamesmaster
GamesMaster
GamesMaster was a British television show, screened on Channel 4 from 1992 to 1998, and was the first ever UK television show dedicated to computer and video games.-Origins:...
(a TV based computer games magazine) promoting the football video game which carried his name Emlyn Hughes International Soccer
Emlyn Hughes International Soccer
Emlyn Hughes International Soccer is a soccer computer game first released in 1988 by Audiogenic Software Ltd.. The game is named after the popular English footballer Emlyn Hughes...
.
He became chief patron to the Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
based charity F.A.B.L.E. (For A Better Life with Epilepsy) in 1995.
From March 2002, he became a presenter and pundit on the nightly football phone-in on Real Radio Yorkshire. He remained in this role even when he became ill.
In 2003, it was announced that he was suffering from a brain tumour, for which he underwent surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Hughes continued to battle against the disease until his death at his home in Dore
Dore
Dore is a village in South Yorkshire, England. The village lies on a hill above the River Sheaf, and until 1934 was part of Derbyshire, but it is now a suburb of Sheffield. It is served by Dore and Totley railway station on the Hope Valley Line...
, Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, at the age of 57.
A minute's silence was held the following evening at Anfield before Liverpool's game against Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
in the Carling Cup and was impeccably observed. His funeral service took place at Sheffield Cathedral
Sheffield Cathedral
Sheffield Cathedral is the cathedral church for the Church of England diocese of Sheffield, England. Originally a parish church, it was elevated to cathedral status when the diocese was created in 1914...
.
Hughes was married to Barbara and had a son and daughter, both named after him (Emlyn Jr. and Emma Lynn http://football.guardian.co.uk/theknowledge/story/0,13854,1346901,00.html). His last public appearance had been at his daughter's wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
, nine months before his death.
Emlyn is a much loved character amongst the Anfield Faithful and was voted in the top 10 at No.10 on the Official Liverpool Football Club web site poll 100 Players Who Shook The Kop.
A statue of Hughes was unveiled in his birthplace of Barrow-in-Furness in 2008, it is placed in front of a new office building
Emlyn Hughes House
Emlyn Hughes House is a landmark four storey office building located on the intersection of Abbey Road and Holker Street in Barrow-in-Furness, England. It is named after local footballer Emlyn Hughes who captained both Liverpool F.C. and the England national team, a statue of Hughes is also located...
on Abbey Road which was also named after Hughes.
A Cancer support charity in Hughes' name is run by the Freemasons of Tapton Masonic Hall in Sheffield, of which Hughes was a devoted member.