The 1989 Liverpool FA Cup winning team: Where are they now?

It was one of those unseasonably hot summer days in the West of Ireland. The sun was beaming through a cloudless sky, the birds were singing in the trees and the Liverpool and Everton teams were about to take the field for the 1989 FA Cup Final. My Candy emblazoned replica Liverpool jersey was pressed and clean as I sat down, or maybe lay down, or possibly just ran around (you do strange things during football games as a child) in anticipation of the game.

Maybe it was just the ignorance of youth or the lack of tabloid exposes and billionaire owners but football seemed a lot more palatable back then. Don’t get me wrong, I still keep up to date with results and watch as many Liverpool games as I can but nothing will match the excitement levels of a big cup match as a young boy.

It’s always nice to reminisce about the supposed halcyon days of football and hot summers (almost certainly not as exciting a game as I remember and definitely not as hot) but what’s even more fun is to find out what became of those 11 Liverpool heroes that took the pitch that day.

Goalkeeper

Bruce Grobbelaar

Come for the 80’s porn star tache’, stay for the famous wobbly leg penalty routine. Grobbelaar was Liverpool’s keeper from 1980 – 1994 and won six league titles, three FA cups (including this one) a European Cup and many more less important titles that don’t warrant inclusion here. He played for six more seasons after leaving Liverpool in 1994 and eventually moved into coaching. Unfortunately for Bruce, his coaching prowess is not the most noteworthy thing to happen to him since he left Liverpool. In November 1994 The Sun newspaper accused him and two other footballers of match fixing. Grobbelaar was eventually cleared but only after the jury in two successive trials could not agree on a verdict. In a severe case of not quitting while you’re ahead he then decided to sue The Sun for libel. He won the case but the paper appealed, and although the decision was not overturned the judge found there was adequate evidence of dishonesty on Grobbelaar’s part. The match fixing scandal was one of the first of its kind and tarnished Grobbelaar’s legacy as a Liverpool legend.

Defenders

Gary Ablett

When I decided to write this piece there were quite a few players I knew I wouldn’t need to do much research on. They were well known footballers in their day and have either gone into coaching or punditry. Ablett was on the other end of the spectrum. I was intrigued to find out what happened to one of the cornerstones of Liverpool’s defence through the late 80’s. It was shocking to learn then that Ablett had died in 2012 fromNon-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He was one of the more unknown players on the 1989 team and is probably remembered more for the fact that he played for both Liverpool and Everton during his career. Ablett finished his playing career in the US for the Long Island Rough Riders before he moved into coaching. He was one of the coaches for Ipswich Town before he fell ill in July 2010.

Steve Staunton

For fans of the Irish football team, Steve Staunton’s public persona changed radically when he was appointed the Republic’s manager in January 2006. His infamous ‘I’m the gaffer’ line was instantly lampooned and his reign as manager went downhill from there. It was an unfortunate turn of events for a player who was capped over 100 times for his country and had a stellar career at Liverpool. If Staunton hadn’t been appointed the Irish manager my memories of him would still revolve around him being the only professional footballer to wear a baseball cap during the lineup before a game. Since being fired as the national team manager Staunton has held various scouting positions, the latest being with Sunderland in 2011. 

Steve Nicol

I loved Steve Nicol when he played for Liverpool. He accumulated 343 appearances for the club and was part of the hugely successful team during the 1980’s. Then he left the club in 1995 and I can safely say he hasn't crossed my mind since, until today that is. Reading up on him is like being reacquainted with an old friend. Nicol eventually wound up playing in the US for the New England Revolution and the Boston Bulldogs. He then managed the Revolution from 2002 until 2011. These days he does some punditry work for ESPN and posts weighing scales pictures on his twitter account. One of these activities is befitting of a former professional footballer and Liverpool legend, the other less so.

Alan Hansen 

Hansen currently sits tenth on the all time appearance list for Liverpool with 620. Of the 1989 team he trails only Grobbelaar. After he retired in March 1991, Hansen was seen by many as a perfect candidate to transition into management. He always maintained however that he had no interest in the management side of the game and quickly built himself a successful career as a pundit on the BBC's flagship football show Match of the Day. He retired from show the after the World Cup in 2014 and is perhaps best known for his 'you can't win anything with kids' remark about the Manchester United team who would then go on to win the league.  

Midfielders

Ronnie Whelan

Whelan was Liverpool’s playmaking central midfielder and captain for the 1989 season. He played for the club from 1979 to 1994 which seems completely absurd when put in to comparison with someone like Craig Bellamy who has played for eight different premier league clubs. Whelan briefly became player manager of Southend United after leaving Liverpool before moving to Greece to become manager of Panionios. He left Greece in 2002 and is now one of the panellists and commentators for RTE Sport.

Ray Houghton

I can’t remember many commentaries from the 1980’s or early 1990’s but I feel confident in saying that Houghton was probably referred to as Liverpool’s ‘hard working, diminutive midfielder’. Commentators love the word ‘diminutive’. Houghton left the club in 1992 to join Aston Villa and he finished up his career by, oddly, making three appearances for Stevenage Borough of all clubs. Houghton is one of the more visible players from this team as he has carved out a prominent career for himself as pundit working for RTE, talkSPORT and Newstalk.

John Barnes

Barnes signed for Liverpool in 1987 and along with being heralded as one of the most skilful players to ever play for the club, he was also the first to suffer consistent racist abuse. These were the dark days of the 1980’s of course and although this list outlines the lack of club loyalty in the modern game, it also highlights how well the game has moved on from what Barnes and other black players had to deal with on a regular basis. Barnes left Liverpool in 1997 after making 407 appearances for the club. He finished his playing career at Celtic and was then appointed head coach at the club working alongside Kenny Dalglish. His stint at Celtic was not a success however and he was fired at the end of the 1999-2000 season. In June 2009 Barnes took up a position of manager of Tranmere Rovers until he was sacked in October of the same year.

Steve McMahon

Steve McMahon scared me when I was a kid. It might be due to his uncanny resemblance to a certain hard nosed Eastenders villain or just his rough and tumble playing style. Although a successful player for the club McMahon was never as well known as the majority of his teammates on the 1989 team and that has continued post retirement. He left Liverpool in 1991 and went on to play for seven more season including stints with Manchester City and Swindon Town. After his playing career finished, McMahon managed Swindon for four years until 1998 and in 2005 he took over the reigns of Australian club Perth Glory. His stint in Perth didn't last long however as he left the club mid way through his first season. More recently in 2011 McMahon was hired by Liverpool to become the head coach of their facility in India with a view to expanding and strengthening their brand overseas. 

Forwards

Peter Beardsley

Bucking the trend of one club careers, Beardsley’s journey to and from Liverpool was a bit more circuitous than his teammates on the day. He achieved great success with Liverpool but is probably more widely known as a Newcastle player. He has also played in Canada, Australia and most surprisingly of all, he signed for Manchester United in 1982 making just the one appearance for the club. Beardsley eventually retired at age 38 and took up a coaching position with Newcastle. He had a brief stint as assistant manager to Howard Wilkinson when Wilkinson became caretaker manager of the national team but the majority of Beardsley’s post playing days have been spent in various caching positions at Newcastle where he remains today.

John Aldridge

If you had offered me an under over of three on the amount of seasons Aldridge had played for Liverpool I would have bet every cent I have on the over. And I would have lost that minuscule amount of money. Although seen as a ‘true red’ Aldridge only played two and a half season for Liverpool. In that time however he became one of the club’s most popular players. He left Liverpool in 1989 for Real Sociedad before finishing his career at Tranmere Rovers in 1998. Since retirement, Aldridge spends his time doing punditry work for various media outlets and taking part in the odd reality TV show.