- Brian Hall
Infobox Football biography
playername = Brian Hall
fullname = Brian William Hall
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1946|11|22
cityofbirth =Glasgow
countryofbirth =Scotland
height =
position =Midfield
years = 1968-1976
1976-1977
1977-1980
clubs = Liverpool
Plymouth Argyle
Burnley
Total
caps(goals) = 153 (15)
051 (16)
043 0(3)
247 (34)Brian Hall (born
Glasgow ,22 November 1946 ) was a compact and hard-working midfield player in the hugely successful Liverpool team of the 1970sI.Life and playing career
A bright lad, Hall chose to go into higher
education to studymathematics rather than follow a professional career exploiting his obvious football skills but, upongraduation fromLiverpool University , he signed as a pro for Liverpool in 1969, having enjoyed playing for them as anamateur while studying.Hall and fellow graduate
Steve Heighway became known amongst their team-mates as "Little Bamber" (Hall, due to him being just 5ft 6) and "Big Bamber" (Heighway). These affectionate nicknames derived fromBamber Gascoigne , the host of television's "University Challenge ".The Bachelor of Science made his debut in a 0-0 league draw with Stoke City at the
Victoria Ground on7 April 1969 but his first goal took a further 2 years to arrive, coming in a bruising semi-final of theFA Cup againstMerseyside rivals Everton at Old Trafford on27 March 1971 . Hall scored the goal in the 73rd minute with an awkward shot over his shoulder. It also won the match sending Liverpool to Wembley, not bad for a first goal for the club.Hall played in the final and was one of Liverpool's brighter performers on the day but Arsenal won the game 2-1 after extra time. Two years later, he was part of the team which won both the League championship and
UEFA Cup . Brian was one of the main protagonists of an incident that will forever remain inAnfield folklore. The 1st leg of the UEFA Cup final took place on home soil but had to be abandoned due to very heavy rain. However, Shankly had spotted something in the wayBorussia Mönchengladbach had set out to play and changed his tactics for the game that would take place the following evening. Shankly dropped Hall, who had started the abandoned game, and brought in strikerJohn Toshack . It worked wonders as Liverpool gained a 3-goal advantage to take toGermany , which proved to be enough as the Germans could only muster a 2-0 victory, meaning Liverpool had won the cup 3-2 on aggregate.On
4 May 1974 he played an integral role in Liverpool's 3-0 demolition of Newcastle United to win the FA Cup. Hall's famous 'dummy' set up the first goal of the game for team-mateKevin Keegan - it wasn't the orthodox 'stepping over' of the ball which he carried out to let Tommy Smith's pass through to Keegan; instead he physically dived underneath the ball. It was a feinting tactic which had not been seen before and has rarely been imitated since. Newcastle's covering defenders were fooled and Keegan had time to control the ball and lash it into the net.A famous photograph of manager
Bill Shankly was taken in the immediate aftermath of the 1974 win. It shows Shankly being blessed by an overjoyed, besotted supporter who had sunk to his knees to kiss the turf at Shankly's feet. Hall was captured in the picture with an amused but bamboozled smile on his face as he walked past the incident.Hall's chances over the next two years diminished as younger midfielders such as
Jimmy Case , signed from South Liverpool, andRay Kennedy , signed from Arsenal, arrived on the scene. He left Liverpool in 1976 and joined Plymouth Argyle, moving again to Burnley a year later. He retired from the game 1980.Brian's link with Liverpool didn't end when left in 1976 as he returned to Anfield in 1991 to take on the role of the Reds head PR officer, one of his duties being to oversee the running of the International Supporters Club.
Hall's workmanlike displays are still fondly remembered amongst
Koppites everywhere and he was voted in at No.75 in the [http://www.liverpoolfc.tv Official Liverpool Football Club web site] poll100 Players Who Shook The Kop .Career details
"*" Liverpool F.C (1969 - 1976) - 224 appearances, 21 goals
* 1970/71FA Cup runners-up medal
* 1971/72Charity Shield runners-up medal
* 1972/73 First Division championship winners medal
* 1972/73UEFA Cup winners medal
* 1973/74FA Cup winners medal
* 1974/75Charity Shield winners medal
* 1975/76 First Division championship winners medal
* 1975/76UEFA Cup winners medalStatistics
External links
* [http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/past_players/players/hall/ Official past players at Liverpoolfc.tv]
* [http://www.lfchistory.net/player_profile.asp?player_id=309 Player profile at LFChistory]
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