The handover of the Liverpool captaincy from Phil Thompson to Graeme Souness was far from smooth. Thompson, a lifelong Liverpool fan, had been awarded the captaincy in 1979 and reached his pinnacle as skipper in 1981 when he lifted the European Cup after defeating Real Madrid. However, just six months later, Bob Paisley decided to pass the armband to Souness, who would go on to win the European Cup three years later.
In an interview on the podcast Football’s Greatest With Jeff Stelling, Thompson recounted the moment he found out about losing the captaincy. After a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City at Anfield on Boxing Day in 1981, Joe Fagan approached Thompson on the bus ride back from training and informed him that Paisley wanted to see him after training. Thompson was left wondering what this meeting could be about, but teammate Ray Kennedy revealed that he knew the reason, though initially refused to share it. When pressed, Kennedy finally admitted that Thompson was having the captaincy taken away from him.
Shocked and furious, Thompson immediately left the bath he was in and rushed to Paisley’s office. He confronted Paisley, who struggled to articulate his reasoning for the decision. Paisley suggested that the captaincy seemed like a burden and responsibility to Thompson, implying that he was taking on too much. Thompson sarcastically asked if Souness would be the one receiving the captaincy, to which Paisley responded ambiguously, saying they would give it to him for a few weeks and see what happens.
Thompson stormed out of Paisley’s office, slamming the door behind him. He refused to speak to Souness for several weeks following the incident. However, with the benefit of hindsight, Thompson now recognizes that Paisley made the right call. At the time, he was emotional and angry, but he admits that he had taken on too much responsibility, which was affecting his game and performance.
Looking back, Thompson acknowledges Paisley’s astuteness in observing his situation. Despite being 12th in the league, 12 points behind the leaders at the time of the captaincy change, Liverpool went on to win the league by four points with several games to spare. Paisley’s decision turned out to be a stroke of genius, although his lack of personal skills in handling the situation is evident.
In conclusion, the handover of the Liverpool captaincy from Thompson to Souness was a contentious and emotional moment. Thompson’s initial anger and disbelief gave way to an understanding that Paisley had made the right call. The decision ultimately led to Liverpool’s success in the league, although Paisley’s poor communication skills were evident in his handling of the situation.