Larry Lloyd
Encyclopedia
Laurence Valentine Lloyd (born 6 October 1948 in Bristol
, England
) was a footballer, a burly and tough central defender
who won honours for both Bill Shankly
's Liverpool
and Brian Clough
's all-conquering Nottingham Forest
side of the late 1970s.
, League Cup
and European Cup
with Forest, the first of which came when he was already at the near-veteran age of 29. Less than a decade earlier, he seemed set for major honours in the game when he joined Liverpool.
Hometown club Bristol Rovers
accepted a £50,000 bid for Lloyd in the April of 1969 with manager Bill Shankly looking for a long-term successor to ageing skipper and defender Ron Yeats
. Lloyd broke into the team in 1969 making his debut on the 27 September in a league game at The Hawthorns
, Liverpool took a share of the spoils drawing with West Bromwich Albion
2–2, by the following year Lloyd was a regular as Shankly underwent a major rebuilding of the side, finding more new players of Lloyd's age.
Lloyd partnered one of the players that survived Shankly cull captain Tommy Smith
with some success, the pair were at the heart of the defence that took Liverpool to the 1971 FA Cup
final, unfortunately, it wasn't the result that Lloyd and rest of the Reds wanted as they lost 2–1 after extra time to Arsenal
who had already won the league title. This was arguably the hardest central defensive partnership in English football at the time, and Lloyd's own strength and battle-hardened nature earned him recognition for England
.
Sir Alf Ramsey
gave Larry his international debut on 19 May 1971 in a British Home Championship
match against Wales
, the game was played at Wembley and finished 0–0, Lloyd should have felt at home as team-mates Chris Lawler
, Emlyn Hughes
and Smith all started the game.
1972 saw Lloyd score his first goal for the Reds, it came in the 3–0 league win over Manchester City
at Anfield
on 26 February, his goal was the first of the 3 and came in the 37th minute, Kevin Keegan
(53rd) and Bobby Graham
(65th) completed the scoring.
As Liverpool won the League and UEFA Cup
double in 1973, Lloyd astonished everyone by not missing a single minute of the 54 matches played in the whole season. He scored in the first leg of the UEFA Cup final helping Liverpool to a 3–2 aggregate victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach. The following year he suffered an injury, lost his place to the up-and-coming Phil Thompson
and missed out on victory in the FA Cup
final against Newcastle United
.
Shankly quit that summer and successor Bob Paisley
decided to keep with the youngster Thompson, and Liverpool fans were sad but understanding of the situation when Lloyd was sold to Coventry City
on 15 August 1974 who paid a club record transfer fee of £240,000 for Lloyd's services. The deal was to be funded by the sale to Tottenham of Mick McGuire and Jimmy Holmes for £200,000 but this fell through when Spurs manager Bill Nicholson lost his job. As a consequence Coventry went substantially into the red and were left with financial problems for some years.
In October 1976, the ever-astute Brian Clough, acting on Peter Taylor's advice and snapped up Lloyd for a bargain
£60,000, after an initial loan period, with Forest chasing promotion to the top flight in English football. He made his Forest bow on the 2 October in a league match against Hull City
, it wasn't a debut to remember as Forest lost 1–0 away at Boothferry Park
, however it did not prevent Lloyd going on to win promotion with Forest and then clinch another League title the next season, along with a League Cup final victory, ironically against Lloyd's former club Liverpool, who were the most successful side of the 1970s (and subsequently the 1980s) in English football.
In 1979, Lloyd and Forest won the European Cup and retained the League Cup, before amazingly retaining their European crown in 1980, the only disappointment in 1979–80
coming in the League Cup, where they reached the final for the third season running only to lose to Wolverhampton Wanderers
. Also in 1980, Lloyd earned a recall to the England squad and played in the 4–1 defeat to Wales in the Home Internationals. It was to be his fourth and final cap, coming eight years after his previous one.
Lloyd left Forest for Wigan Athletic
in March 1981, where he was player-manager taking over from Ian McNeill
. In 1981–82
, he guided them to promotion from the Fourth Division
in only their fourth season as a Football League team, and guided them to survival in the Third Division
a year later. This attracted the attention of Notts County
, who were looking for a new first team manager after Jimmy Sirrel
"moved upstairs". However, Lloyd's only season at Meadow Lane
was not a success, and he left the club after relegation ended their three-year stay in the First Division.
Up until 2000 Larry was a regular and outspoken pundit for Nottingham
-based local radio, firstly on GEM AM and latterly on Century 106
, covering Forest matches. He now lives in Spain
, where he is still involved in football as manager of amateur side Real Marbella.
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) was a footballer, a burly and tough central defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
who won honours for both 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...
's Liverpool
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...
and 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 all-conquering 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...
side of the late 1970s.
Life and playing career
Lloyd won the League championshipFootball League First Division
The 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....
, 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...
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...
with Forest, the first of which came when he was already at the near-veteran age of 29. Less than a decade earlier, he seemed set for major honours in the game when he joined Liverpool.
Hometown club Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
accepted a £50,000 bid for Lloyd in the April of 1969 with manager Bill Shankly looking for a long-term successor to ageing skipper and defender Ron Yeats
Ron Yeats
Ronald 'Ron' Yeats is a Scottish former footballer. He was the captain of the first great Liverpool team of the 1960s.-Life and playing career:...
. Lloyd broke into the team in 1969 making his debut on the 27 September in a league game at The Hawthorns
The Hawthorns
The Hawthorns is an all-seater football stadium in West Bromwich, Sandwell, England, with a capacity of 26,484. It has been the home of West Bromwich Albion F.C. since 1900, when it became the sixth ground to be used by the club. The ground was the last Football League ground to be built in the...
, Liverpool took a share of the spoils drawing with West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
2–2, by the following year Lloyd was a regular as Shankly underwent a major rebuilding of the side, finding more new players of Lloyd's age.
Lloyd partnered one of the players that survived Shankly cull captain 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:...
with some success, the pair were at the heart of the defence that took Liverpool to the 1971 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...
final, unfortunately, it wasn't the result that Lloyd and rest of the Reds wanted as they lost 2–1 after extra time to Arsenal
Arsenal 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 had already won the league title. This was arguably the hardest central defensive partnership in English football at the time, and Lloyd's own strength and battle-hardened nature earned him recognition for England
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...
.
Sir 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...
gave Larry his international debut on 19 May 1971 in a British Home Championship
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...
match 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 game was played at Wembley and finished 0–0, Lloyd should have felt at home as team-mates Chris Lawler
Chris Lawler
Chris Lawler is a former footballer who enjoyed much of Liverpool's success of the 1960s and 1970s.-Life and playing career:...
, Emlyn Hughes
Emlyn Hughes
Emlyn Walter Hughes, OBE was an English footballer who captained both the England national team and the much-decorated Liverpool F.C. team of the 1970s.- From Blackpool to Liverpool :...
and Smith all started the game.
1972 saw Lloyd score his first goal for the Reds, it came in the 3–0 league win over Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
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 26 February, his goal was the first of the 3 and came in the 37th minute, 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....
(53rd) and Bobby Graham
Bobby Graham (footballer)
Bobby Graham is a former professional footballer who played for Liverpool during the 1960s.-Life and playing career:...
(65th) completed the scoring.
As Liverpool won the League and 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...
double in 1973, Lloyd astonished everyone by not missing a single minute of the 54 matches played in the whole season. He scored in the first leg of the UEFA Cup final helping Liverpool to a 3–2 aggregate victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach. The following year he suffered an injury, lost his place to the up-and-coming Phil Thompson
Phil Thompson
Philip Bernard Thompson is a retired English footballer, who played as a defender for Liverpool team of the 1970s and 1980s. During this time, he also represented the England national football team on 42 occasions...
and missed out on victory in 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...
final against 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...
.
Shankly quit that summer and successor 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...
decided to keep with the youngster Thompson, and Liverpool fans were sad but understanding of the situation when Lloyd was sold to Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
on 15 August 1974 who paid a club record transfer fee of £240,000 for Lloyd's services. The deal was to be funded by the sale to Tottenham of Mick McGuire and Jimmy Holmes for £200,000 but this fell through when Spurs manager Bill Nicholson lost his job. As a consequence Coventry went substantially into the red and were left with financial problems for some years.
In October 1976, the ever-astute Brian Clough, acting on Peter Taylor's advice and snapped up Lloyd for a bargain
Bargain
Bargain could mean some of the following:* The process whereby buyer and seller agree the price of goods or services. See bargaining.* An agreement to exchange goods at a price.* Such an agreement where one of the parties thinks the price is very favourable....
£60,000, after an initial loan period, with Forest chasing promotion to the top flight in English football. He made his Forest bow on the 2 October in a league match against Hull City
Hull 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...
, it wasn't a debut to remember as Forest lost 1–0 away at Boothferry Park
Boothferry Park
Boothferry Park was a football stadium in Kingston upon Hull, and was home to the football club Hull City for over 50 years from 31 August 1946 until December 2002, when they moved to the Kingston Communications Stadium....
, however it did not prevent Lloyd going on to win promotion with Forest and then clinch another League title the next season, along with a League Cup final victory, ironically against Lloyd's former club Liverpool, who were the most successful side of the 1970s (and subsequently the 1980s) in English football.
In 1979, Lloyd and Forest won the European Cup and retained the League Cup, before amazingly retaining their European crown in 1980, the only disappointment in 1979–80
1979-80 in English football
The 1979–80 season was the 100th season of competitive football in England.- FA Cup :Second Division West Ham United, managed by John Lyall, won the FA Cup, beating Arsenal 1–0 with a Trevor Brooking goal...
coming in the League Cup, where they reached the final for the third season running only to lose 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...
. Also in 1980, Lloyd earned a recall to the England squad and played in the 4–1 defeat to Wales in the Home Internationals. It was to be his fourth and final cap, coming eight years after his previous one.
Lloyd left Forest for Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
in March 1981, where he was player-manager taking over from Ian McNeill
Ian McNeill
Ian McNeill is a former professional footballer and manager.Playing at inside forward, McNeill's career included stints at Aberdeen, Leicester City, Brighton & Hove Albion and Southend United. Upon retiring, McNeill moved into management, taking charge of Wigan Athletic between 1968 and 1970...
. In 1981–82
1981-82 in English football
The 1981–82 season was the 102nd season of competitive football in England.It was also the first season that the Three points for a win system was introduced.- First Division :Three points for a win was introduced for the first time in England...
, he guided them to promotion from the Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
in only their fourth season as a Football League team, and guided them to survival in the Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
a year later. This attracted the attention of Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
, who were looking for a new first team manager after Jimmy Sirrel
Jimmy Sirrel
James "Jimmy" Sirrel was a Scottish football player and manager best known for his management career....
"moved upstairs". However, Lloyd's only season at Meadow Lane
Meadow Lane
Not to be confused with The Meadow, home of Southern Football League Premier Division football team Chesham UnitedThe Meadow Lane Stadium is a football stadium in Nottingham, England...
was not a success, and he left the club after relegation ended their three-year stay in the First Division.
Up until 2000 Larry was a regular and outspoken pundit for Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
-based local radio, firstly on GEM AM and latterly on Century 106
Century 106
Century 106 was a regional independent radio station based in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire in England.-History:Based in Nottingham on the City link in the Sneinton area of the city centre, the station was launched on 23 September 1997 as Radio 106...
, covering Forest matches. He now lives in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, where he is still involved in football as manager of amateur side Real Marbella.
Honours
- 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): 1973, 1978 - 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...
: 1973 - 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...
: 1978, 1979; Runner-up: 1980 - Charity Shield: 1978; Runner-up: 1971
- 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...
: 1979, 1980 - 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...
: 1979; Runner-up: 1980 - 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...
: 1974 Runner-up 1971 - Intercontinental Cup: Runner-up 1979