In the beginning of his first full season Rush did not get a chance in the first team and he had trouble adapting socially with the squad. Rush went to Bob Paisley and asked to be involved in more game or else he will be looking to move on from the club, Paisley said he would list him. Rush scored five goals in his first four appearances in the youth games meaning Paisley’s trick had worked as he had never intended to let Rushie go.
When David Johnson got injured Rush had an opportunity to impress and scored a brace against Exeter in the League Cup and also netted another two goals in the League cup against Leeds, he didn’t stop until he scored 30 goals that season. Few believed that Rush could sustain this goal scoring state the following season but he proved them all wrong and was voted the League’s most promising player in 1982/03 season. Rush and Dalglish formed a deadly partnership, Rush would always make the run as he was the quickest and Dalglish would find the pass for him. Ian Rush most memorable goal scoring fleet was against Everton at Goodison park where he scored four goals.
The 1983/84 season was probably the best of Rushies Liverpool career. He scored a brilliant hat-trick against Aston Villa, four against Coventry and five against Luton. Just before he went out on the field to score a quintet against Luton he soaked his boots in the bath and every game since he religiously wet his boots prior to kick-off. Fans could not believe it if Rush went 90 minutes without scoring, he finished Dinamo Bucharest off in the European Cup semi-finals with a couple of goals and it was a memorable final as Rush was one of four players who scored in the penalty shoot-out. Come the end of the season he had scored 47 goals and was awarded the Golden Boot for being Europe’s top scorer. It was also no surprise when his fellow teammates chose him as the best plyer of the season, he had also destroyed Roger Hunt’s record who had scored 41 goals in a single season twenty years earlier.
Rush was side-lined for 14 games the following season. His first game back was against Everton but he was unable to score. A few days later he scored a hat-trick against Benfica in the second round of the European cup. Rush repeated his feet from a year earlier when he scored two goals in the semi-final against Panathinkaikos at Anfield.
Liverpool won the double in 1985/86 season with Rush once again playing a key part, scoring twice in 3-1 victory over Everton in the first ever Merseyside final. The Heysel tragedy the season before resulted in a European ban for the Liverpool and the club suffered financially. They parted with their greatest asset for which they were going to receive a record fee for a British record fee for a British Footballer, £3.2 million. Rush was supposed to join Juventus in the summer of 1986 but to everyone’s surprise he was supposed to go out on loan to Lazio in Serie B for the 1986/87 season as Platini had decided to play one more season. Rush suggested a loan to Liverpool and some feared that he would not give his all in his final season but he scored 21 goals in 21 games. The Reds never lost a game in which Rushie scored, the tally reached 145 games when Liverpool faced Arsenal in the League cup final. Rush gave Liverpool the lead but Charlie Nicholas replied with two and Arsenal ran out winners. Rush equalled Dixie Dean’s record when he scored his 18th and 19th goal in twenty Merseyside derby matches. Rush said goodbye to Liverpool by scoring six goals in his final eight games.
The Welshman scored 14 goals for Juventus in the 1997/88 season. He showed Juventus fans what he was capable of when he scored four goals against Pescara in the cup. Rushie returned to Liverpool after only one season away. Come January fans started to see glimpses of the old Rush when he scored in three game on the bounce but he then got an injury which side-lined him for two months. He was a valuable asset in the FA Cup final against his old foes Everton.
Rush struggled in the Liverpool side come 1992 but still managed to finish the season with 41 goals. He scored his 287th goal for Liverpool in a 2-2 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford. He was given the captains armband by Graeme Souness in 1993, he also earned a new strike partner in the young Robbie Fowler. Rush played his 600th game against Blackburn and celebrated by scoring this 13th hat-trick.
In April 1996 Rushie played his farewell game at Anfield. He could not mark the occasion with a goal but he was applauded by both sets of fans. Rush said after the game ???It was an emotional day but also a fantastic one’. He joined Leeds a few days later but only recorded three goals for the Yorkshire club. His old teammate Dalglish lured him to Newcastle, he scored his 49th goal in the league cup which equalled Geoff Hurst’s scoring record and his second and last goal of his career at the top came against Everton in the FA Cup. He was loaned out to Sheffield United and was hired as player-coach of Wrexham in 1998/99. The striker played a few games for Sidney Olympic in Australia before retiring in 1999.
Article by Lauren Black -@LaurenBlack9
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