Steve McMahon

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Contents 1 Playing career 2 Post-playing career 3 Honours As Player 4 Honours As Manager

Stephen McMahon (born August 20, 1961 in Liverpool) was one of the toughest midfield football players of his generation who galvanised the outstanding Liverpool team of the late 1980s.

[edit] Playing career

Born and raised locally, McMahon was snapped up as a boy by Liverpool's fierce rivals Everton and played for them as a teenager. He quickly established a reputation as a no-nonsense midfield player with a good deal of skill to complement his bravery and attitude.

McMahon moved to Aston Villa in 1983 (rejecting a move to Liverpool in order to stay in the good books of Evertonians) and then finally joined Liverpool two years later - the first signing to be made by new manager Kenny Dalglish. He played a crucial role in Liverpool's "double" winning side of 1986, although his joy at winning a League championship medal was tempered slightly by his omission from the side for the FA Cup final against rivals and former club Everton. However, he was more fortunate than the other players left out by Dalglish as McMahon was given the substitute's role and ended up with a winners' medal when Liverpool won 3-1, though he didn't get on to the pitch.

The following year, McMahon this time started at Wembley when Liverpool contested the League Cup final against Arsenal. He set up the opening goal for Ian Rush but ultimately lost the match 2-1. He had earlier scored four goals in Liverpool's record 10-0 victory over Fulham in the same competition.

Dalglish reshaped the side the following season, incorporating new signings John Barnes, Peter Beardsley, John Aldridge and Ray Houghton but McMahon remained in the side. By now his reputation as one of the best hardmen in the game was established. Though his tackling was often subjected to scrutiny by the football authorities and criticism from opposing players and managers, there was no doubt that his skills as a footballer were of the highest order.

McMahon scored frequently for a man in his position as Liverpool played some of the best club football ever seen and coasted to the 1988 League title. Memorable strikes included a 30 yard shot against Manchester United and the opener in a crucial Merseyside, England derby against Everton, although Liverpool only won the latter of those two games. When Liverpool reached the FA Cup final again, McMahon was one of the team's two Scousers (along with Aldridge) obliged to perform a localised rap on the official FA Cup final song, written in a trend-encapsulating rap and house music style by team-mate Craig Johnston.

The song got to No.3 in the UK charts, but Liverpool surprisingly lost the final at Wembley to Wimbledon. McMahon was afforded the ultimate respect by fellow hardman Vinnie Jones, who said that if he could stop Steve McMahon, then Wimbledon could stop Liverpool. Jones indeed clattered McMahon in the opening minute of the game but McMahon said afterwards that his own individually sub-standard performance had nothing to do with the tackle.

Later in 1988, McMahon won his first of 17 caps for England. There had been widespread clamouring in the Press for manager Bobby Robson to select him, and indeed ITV commentator Brian Moore rapped a verse to that effect on the Cup final song ("Well Steve McMahon sure can rap, it's about time he had an England cap; so come on Bobby Robson, he's your man; 'cause if anyone can, Macca can!") with the last expression repeated in a scratch mix manner to emulate Melle Mel's rap which eulogised Chaka Khan on her 1984 hit I Feel For You.

In 1989 McMahon was again a regular fixture as Liverpool again chased a "double" of League and FA Cup. As one of the local lads in the team, he was deeply affected by the Hillsborough disaster during the FA Cup semi final and was certainly on his game with some of his tackling at the re-scheduled semi final against Nottingham Forest a month later. Forest manager Brian Clough was publicly critical of McMahon afterwards.

Liverpool won the Cup - McMahon set up the opening goal for Aldridge in the final against Everton - but lost the League title in a decider at Anfield against Arsenal. Television viewers saw McMahon telling his team-mates they were one minute from victory and another "double" and shouting "come on!" to himself as the game's last seconds ticked away, only for Arsenal midfield player Michael Thomas to score Arsenal's late, late winner and steal the championship.

McMahon again played frequently as Liverpool won back the title in 1990 but lost out on another "double" when they were beaten 4-3 by Crystal Palace in a thrilling FA Cup semi final, in which McMahon scored.

He was then selected by Robson for the England squad which would play in that summer's World Cup in Italy. McMahon came on as a substitute in the opening group game against the Republic of Ireland but was responsible for gifting the Irish side their equaliser in the 1-1 draw - he miscontrolled a ball midway inside his own half of the pitch and Kevin Sheedy, a former Everton team-mate of McMahon's stole the ball and crashed a shot past Peter Shilton. McMahon started the later group game against Egypt which England won, and then started the second round match against Belgium. He didn't do a lot wrong in this game, but fatigue and a tactical change saw him replaced by David Platt, who went on to score a spectacular winner and keep hold of his place right through until the semi-final defeat against West Germany, scoring twice more during the tournament. McMahon did not feature again. McMahon left Liverpool for Manchester City in 1991 after 276 games, during which he scored 50 goals.

[edit] Post-playing career

McMahon became player-manager of Swindon Town three years later, but his time there didn't work out and he moved on to become a successful boss (eventually) for Blackpool. After relegation to football's bottom rung, McMahon led them back to immediate promotion via the play-offs and also won two LDV Vans Trophies.

McMahon's time at Blackpool was marked by a mixture of sparkling football and mediocrity, often in back to back weeks. Few fans could deny that his sides were amongst the most skillful and entertaining seen at Bloomfield in recent decades on their day, but also questions were asked about the level of commitment Mcmahon gave to his job. 'Playing golf' seemed to be a regular pass-time of the often entertaining scouser and some fans believed Mcmahon's sides lacked fitness and discipline. Whatever the truth, Mcmahon is likely to be remembered more fondly than not by the Tangerine faithful.

He left Blackpool following an argument over funds just be the final game of the 2004 season, having bizzarely resigned midway through the season, only to burst in on the press conference announcing the decision and withdrawing the resignation following a short chat with chairman Karl Oyston. He spent his time after Blackpool away from management doing a spot of punditry for the BBC.

He was signed in early 2005 as the manager of Perth Glory FC in Australia. However, his tenure at the club proved short. A combination of media speculation, poor signings from the transfer market, indifferent form and an apparent dispute with the board saw him leave the club in December 2005.

In early February 2006, McMahon signed an eighteen-month contract to work as a television pundit for Asia-based ESPN Star Sports.

He has a son, Steve McMahon Jr, a defender who played for Perth Glory, Blackpool and was loaned out to Kidderminster Harriers in 2004.

[edit] Honours As Player

• 1985/86 Football League First Division (Level 1) with Liverpool FC
• 1985/86 FA Cup with Liverpool FC
• 1986/87 Charity Shield (shared) with Liverpool FC
• 1987/88 Football League First Division (Level 1) with Liverpool FC
• 1988/89 Charity Shield with Liverpool FC
• 1988/89 FA Cup with Liverpool FC
• 1989/90 Charity Shield with Liverpool FC
• 1989/90 Football League First Division (Level 1) with Liverpool FC
• 1990/91 Charity Shield (shared) with Liverpool FC

[edit] Honours As Manager

• 1995/96 Football League Second Division (Level 3) with Swindon Town
• 2000/01 Football League Third Division Play Off Winner (Level 4) with Blackpool
• 2001/02 LDV Vans Trophy with Blackpool
• 2003/04 LDV Vans Trophy with Blackpool

	England squad - 1990 World Cup
1 Shilton | 2 Stevens | 3 Pearce | 4 Webb | 5 Walker | 6 Butcher | 7 Bryan Robson | 8 Waddle | 9 Beardsley | 10 Lineker | 11 Barnes | 12 Parker | 13 Woods | 14 Wright | 15 Dorigo | 16 McMahon | 17 Platt | 18 Hodge | 19 Gascoigne | 20 Steven | 21 Bull | 22 Beasant | Coach: Bobby Robson