Tommy Lawrence - LFC legend - godfather of the sweeper keeper - never forgotten
Tommy Lawrence made 390 appearances for Liverpool and only missed four matches in six seasons.
Nicknamed 'The Flying Pig' he kept a clean sheet in the FA cup final against Leeds and became one of The Shankly Greats.
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"Tommy was a guy who was so humble and he didn't think of himself as better than anybody else. He never thought about himself, only the team and he was just a really happy-go-lucky lad. I just hope people realise just what a great servant he was to Liverpool for many years and what a great guy he was." :Ray Clemence
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"Shankly said: 'Right Tommy, you're not playing on the six yard line. When the ball's on the halfway line, you've got to be on the 18-yard line. If the ball shoots through, you've got to be out to kick it - a sort of stopper!'
At first I was frightened to death. We did it at Melwood a few times, then we tried at Anfield.
Well, I'm standing there and the Kop is giving me some stick. 'Get back on your line!', they're all yelling. No goalkeeper did that in those days. I thought 'Oh my God'. But it worked.": Tommy Lawrence recalling the good old days in the Matchday magazine
Used to go and watch Tommy when I was a little lad in the sixties we loved Tommy. Rip
The Flying Pig.......good old Tommy!!!
I remember one match against Man Utd at Anfield with George Best playing. Three times Best broke through the Liverpool defence so it was one on one with Tommy Lawrence, and three times Tommy dashed out of his goal to smother the ball at Best's feet before he could shoot. Great memories.
Saw Tommy play a few times and he was a formidable presence. Very composed and athletic, he a was big star when I was a kid in the 60s
Gentleman first great keeper second a true Anfield legend.
When WE were young.
The great Tommy Lawrence. Wonderful keeper. Thanks for posting these. YNWA.
Watched Liverpool at Stamford Bridge when I was a kid. I was so disappointed Tommy didn't play. Shanks had picked a bloke by the name of Clemence. (I had no idea he was another great in the making)
I am now 80 I watch tommy play at Liverpool what a keeper when foot ball was a English game rest in peace tommy good memories 🌟
Tommy Lawrence was, in my opinion, one of the very best 'keepers ever to play the game.
What a lovely gentleman
tommy never wore gloves always played sleeves rolled clem learned a lot off him yes good old tommy
My later dad said he was referenced as the flying pig if im correct? He told me hes the best he'd seen, sleeves rolled up no gloves rolling around in mud, hard as nails back then.
Yur dad was correct no offence to Tommy, I stud on kop back in the day , great memories ynwa
When Keepers could catch balls, without the gloves on.
I saw him play for Scotland. V Wales at Wrexham 1969 . 5 -3 to Scotland . Wales had giant forward line , all over 6 foot tall.
He was Scottish! Didn't know that. Nah, that old guy is havin' him on.
Once a Liverpool player....NEVER WILL BE FORGOTTEN...EVER....RIP ⚽️⚽️⚽️
The reporter did not seem to know. Nothing happened before I was born syndrome.
So underated great keeper great video ❤
Thank you and I completely agree.
Should have had more caps for Scotland . His last game for us he was taken off at half time having collided with the post ( vWales at Wrexham I think )
I like the fox pop what they made and I watched it several times. This is the first time I saw him playing, he was a good goalkeeper and at that time the shirt from the goalkeepers were great
Even us Geordies know the great "Tommy"
As someone who watched a few games in that era and Match of the Day in monochrome, the moment he said he was Liverpool's keeper I would have said, "What! Tommy Lawrence?" And I'm a southerner. Those clips from matches were nostalgic. One I can't find is when Jimmy Greaves lobbed him from the edge of the area and the ball bounced into the net. It was on Match of thec Day but it seems some of those clips may not have survived.
Far far better keeper that people gave him credit for. Strong and hard as nails. Only keeper who played with his sleeves rolled up to his elbow. Read the game as well as Yeats, Smith and Lawler played high, so he had sweep up through balls. Great Liverpool legend.
And people also forget that the balls were made of real leather that when it was raining the ball got both heavier and very slippy. I was a young Evertonian and when I asked Tommy for his autograph it was no trouble at all.
He plays for Liverpool, what credit do you need.
Absolute - gentleman's testicles - bumps into Tommy what a coincident
This man was BRAVEHEART
Lovely posting
When men were men 😢
He was a big lad our Tommy - didn't they call him the " flying pig " ?
Chance out of a few million Liverpudlians. Quite staggering really. Nearly all Scousers wouldn't have recognised him either, just a old guy shopping.
I'd guess that he liked his food.
Combien de temps a t-il joué à Liverpool ? A t-il été sélectionné avec l'Ecosse ?
No gloves
Most keepers didn't wear gloves then, even in the winter. You'd see them blowing on their hands. Keepers liked to feel the ball, but a certain Pat Jennings I think started the wearing gloves to get an extra half inch.
Notice how he didn’t scream and shout at his defenders using vile expletives that children can easily lipread. Different days when football wasn’t played by prima donnas. You would never see Tommy Smith wearing gloves and an Alice band in his hair.
back when britain was still great
Britain? I thought I was living in Africa..