Gordon MILNE | 1963-1966 | PES Stats Database (Golden Era Backup)

MILNE PES STATS | 1963-1966

electric_trigger Gordon MILNE | 1963-1966 Club: Liverpool Number: Position: *DM, CM Nationality: English Foot: R Side: R Length: 175 Weight: ? Attack: 68 Defence: 76 Balance: 77 Stamina: 85 Top Speed: 83 Acceleration: 84 Response: 83 Agility: 82 Dribble Accuracy: 83 Dribble Speed: 80 Short Pass Accuracy: 86 Short Pass Speed: 83 Long Pass Accuracy: 85 Long Pass Speed: 75 Shot Accuracy: 74 Shot Power: 78 Shot Technique: 74 Free Kick Accuracy: 80 Curling: 78 Header: 75 Jump: 75 Technique: 82 Aggression: 78 Mentality: 78 Keeper Skills: 50 Team Work: 84 Injury Tolerance: B Condition/Fitness: 6 Weak Foot Accuracy: 5 Weak Foot frequency: 5 *Marking *Sliding *Passing When Bill Shankly arrived at Anfield in December of 1959, he immediately set about the task of bringing Liverpool back to the First Division after several years down in the Second. Names such as Ian St. John and Ron Yeats are recognised as two of the most significant of Shanklys signings in those early years, both of whom arrived with great fanfare and were instrumental in transforming Liverpool from Second Division also-rans to First Division Champions. But, before either of those players arrived, Bill Shankly had quietly signed a young player from Preston North End by the name of Gordon Milne. The fee was a mere £16,000 (roughly half as much as the fees for the other two players) and was one of the most astute signings of the early sixties as Bill Shankly knew exactly what value he was getting for his money. Bill Shankly had known young Gordon literally from the cradle, and had watched him grow to be a promising footballer following in his father's footsteps as a wing half. The 1962 Second Division Champions Medal was to be the first of many honours that he would receive, as Liverpool returned to their rightful place in the top flight and Gordon proved himself equal to the challenge that the higher level of competition provided. He was never a flashy player, and was more inclined to anticipate moves and make interceptions rather than risk a h tackle in order to set up an attack. Shankly's credo of Keep it simple, but do it well seemed to be tailor- made for Gordon Milne as he was a reliable and precise passer of the ball, particularly when making one-two moves into the opposition penalty area. The one criticism that could be made was that he should have used that movement forward to score more than he did, but his role was more of a provider for other players to get the goals. In his first season in the First Division with Liverpool, he played in forty one League matches, and six in the FA Cup where they reached the semi-final. The following season he was an ever-present, playing in all forty two in the League, and all five in the FA Cup. The reward for all of that hard work was a League Champions medal at the end of the season, which was Liverpool’s first since 1947. The following season, a whole new challenge was presented to Gordon and his team-mates as the previous season’s success meant that Liverpool were now competing in Europe as well as in the League and the FA Cup. Unfortunately however, his steady run of appearances came to an end with a serious knee ligament injury suffered in the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea. The match was played on Good Friday of 1965, but the day was anything but good for Gordon. Liverpool won the match and were on their way to Wembley, but it would have to be without Gordon who was clearly out of the line-up for the rest of the season. The FA Cup win over Leeds was called the clubs finest hour as they succeeded in finally lifting the trophy that had eluded them for so many years. In the dressing room after the players celebrated with sips of champagne from the cup, Gordon simply said, I'm chuffed and happy the boys won. If any team deserved to win the cup they did. It meant a lot to me that I was able to go around the ground with them and show the cup to those fabulous supporters of ours.Team-mate Geoff Strong then went over to Gordon and offered him his shirt saying, You are just as entitled to it as I am.â€(cid:0) The reply was simply ,No Geoff, you keep it, you played in it and you've earned it. The 1964-65 season may have been over for all other clubs in England, but there was hardly any time for Reds players to rest, or to celebrate their victory, as Liverpool had to prepare for their next big match – the European Cup semi-final first leg was to be played at Anfield only five days later. This was of course another day of disappointment for Gordon who would obviously not be able to play, but that didn’t mean that he would have no part in the victory that night. As the teams were out on the pitch warming up for the match, Bill Shankly played one of his psychological tricks on Inter Milan as he sent Gordon Milne and Gerry Byrne (who had broken his collar bone at Wembley) to walk around the path beside the pitch. Between the two of them was the FA Cup, held high to show it off to the crowd, whose delirious roars of approval increased to deafening levels as they approached and then passed The Kop. The ploy worked to perfection as the Italian players were visibly shaken by the noise, and Liverpool went on to win the match 3-1. As we all know only too well, Inter won the second leg 3-0 and the first European adventure came to an end. Gordon Milne was fully recovered for the start of the 1965-66 season, and went on to play in 28 League matches, one in the FA Cup (losing to Chelsea), and six in the European Cup Winners Cup. That at least allowed for an appearance in a European final, but it was a disappointing night with a 2-1 extra-time loss. The League campaign finished successfully with another Champions medal, but sadly that was to be the beginning of the end of his career at the top level. It was becoming apparent that his form had dipped following his injury, and that his previous level of play would not be regained. One disappointment seemed to lead to another, which as he explains, I not only missed out on the two biggest fixtures of that [1964-65] season but also suffered a knockback to my international career. I had played 14 times for England [in the previous eighteen months] and was hoping to play in the 1966 World Cup finals but I didn't make it and I feel that absence through injury had something to do with that. In the summer of 1967, Gordon Milne left Liverpool and moved up the coast to Second Division Blackpool, and then two years later he joined Northern Premier League club Wigan Athletic as player-manager. That was to be the beginning of his lengthy managerial career, which continues to this day. The unheralded signing of Gordon Milne in 1960 set a pattern for the rest of his career. He was never the centre of attention as a player, and was always seen as completely unselfish on the pitch. He scored a total of 19 goals in 282 appearances for Liverpool, but created many, many more than that for his team-mates. Gordon Milne may not be considered as one of the superstars of the game, and is seldom mentioned in any surveys or polls of legends or of fan favourites. But, his contribution to Liverpool FC and their early successes under Bill Shankly cannot be underestimated. His joy of winning medals with Liverpool must be tempered with the agony of what might have been if not for his ill-timed injury. Gordon Milne is widely recognised as one of only a few genuine nice guys in the game, and in spite of this image he has managed to have great success in his career. Proof perhaps that nice guys dont always finish last. Gordon MILNE | 1963-1966 | PES Stats Database (Golden Era Backup)