What’ll happen if the pope comes to Liverpool?’

There was a minute of respect for Liverpool legend Ian stJohn before tonight’s game against Chelsea. But the mourning at the club is not confined to the death of the former great. Losing at home five times in a row is a milestone unprecedented at Anfield and would have some fans pining for the likes of a st John up front. If memory serves it was st John who scored the goal in the 65 cup final against Leeds – a game which left me in tears for the simple reason I never saw it despite my efforts to gain entry to the numerous drinking emporiums in Thomastown where it was undoubtedly on TV. It would be the last cup final I was to miss for forty years though there was a close run thing in 1980 when rte workers downed tools ten minutes before kick off. I remember jumping in the car and rushing to Waterford but by then Brooking had stooped to conquer and west ham beat the gunners by his goal alone. In the mid sixties a new Liverpool cathedral was nearing completion and there was much talk that the pope himself would be doing the honours. So the joke was ‘what’ll happen if the pope comes to Liverpool?’ Answer: ‘we’ll move st John to outside right’. Later on ‘saint’ as he was now called landed the presenting job at itv Sunday soccer where he was paired with ‘greavesie’. The schtick was that saint played the straightman setting himself up and greaves would supply the punchline at saints expense. Those were the days. Anyway Liverpool would go on to reach the final of the cup winners cup in 66 and lose to Dortmund – a game of which I saw the highlights though we still hadn’t a tele. As far as Leeds were concerned it’s fair to say they were by far the most dominant and best team in England if not in Europe between the years 65 and 75. The fact that their ten year supremacy is bookended by a loss in a final in both these years is testament to their great failure to turn their brilliance into successes.⚽