Ian St John

Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox football biography John "Ian" St John (Template:IPAc-en;<ref>Template:Cite web 0:26</ref> 7 June 1938 – 1 March 2021) was a Scottish professional football player, coach and broadcaster. St John played as a forward for Liverpool throughout most of the 1960s. Signed by Bill Shankly in 1961, St John was a key member of the Liverpool team that emerged from the second tier of English football to win two league titles and one FA Cup—in which he scored the winner in the 1965 final—to cement a position as one of the country's top sides. He played for Scotland 21 times, scoring nine goals.

He later became a manager – including at his hometown team Motherwell where he had begun his playing career – and a media pundit. He co-presented the topical football show Saint and Greavsie with Jimmy Greaves from 1985 to 1992. In 2008, he was inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame.

Career

Motherwell

St John was one of six children. Their father, Alex, a steelworker, died when Ian was six years old. Ian also showed talent for boxing as a boy, but his mother discouraged it.<ref name=autobio/> Having played football for youth sides and works teams as a teenager while working in local industry, including at the Colville steelworks, St John began his career at boyhood favourites Motherwell, signing as a professional in 1957<ref name = "motherwell">Template:Cite web</ref> after a spell with affiliated junior team Douglas Water Thistle as a provisional signing; he continued a part-time engineering apprenticeship (work which he admitted he disliked and actively avoided as much as possible) for a further two years.<ref name=autobio>Template:Cite book</ref>

He was managed by Bobby Ancell, and was part of a group of talented young players (also including Andy Weir, Willie Hunter, Pat Quinn and Sammy Reid) that were nicknamed the "Ancell Babes".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Ancell's Babes: Steelmen, Sinners and the Saint Template:Webarchive, The Football Pink, 12 February 2019</ref> His debut was against Dumfries side Queen of the South in an away fixture at Palmerston Park. St John scored a hat-trick for Motherwell in two minutes and 30 seconds against Hibernian in 1959, one of the fastest recorded in Scottish football history.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He left Motherwell in 1961, having scored 105 goals in 144 appearances for the club in the three major Scottish domestic competitions.<ref name = "motherwell"/>

Liverpool

On 2 May 1961 he was transferred to Liverpool for a transfer fee of £37,500, (Template:Inflation)<ref name = "lfc history"/> setting a new club record. He was brought to the club by manager Bill Shankly, who was preparing for the 1961–62 season with the club still in the Second Division.<ref name = "lfc history"/> Many years later, after Shankly's retirement as manager, he described St John's arrival at the club – along with that of Ron Yeats during the same summer – as the "turning point" for the club as they began their transformation into one of Europe's top footballing sides.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Black and white photo of a football team in kit, with a black sky in the background. Five players are crouched down, and six are standing.

Liverpool team, including Ian St John, before their 1966–67 European Cup first-round, second-leg match.

St John made his debut for Liverpool in the Merseyside derby against Everton in the Liverpool Senior Cup.<ref name = "lfc history">Template:Cite web</ref> Although Liverpool lost 4–3, he announced his arrival in spectacular style by scoring all three of his side's goals.<ref name = "lfc history"/><ref name=Telegraph21>Template:Cite news</ref> He scored a total of 18 goals in his first season for Liverpool, and played in all but two matches.<ref name = "lfc history"/> His official debut came in a 2–0 league victory against Bristol Rovers at the Eastville Stadium on 19 August 1961,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and his first official goals came 11 days later when he scored twice in a 4–1 win over Sunderland at Roker Park. His strike partner Roger Hunt got the other two goals.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Along with Ron Yeats, St John was brought in to turn around Liverpool's luck as they had been stuck in the Second Division for seven years, narrowly missing out on promotion in six of those seasons. The purchases paid dividends as Liverpool comfortably won the Second Division title by eight points over nearest challengers Leyton Orient.<ref name = "lfc history"/> St John played 40 times that season and scored 18 goals.<ref name = "lfc history"/> They finished in a respectable 8th place in their first season back in the top flight, 1962–63, and also reached the FA Cup semi-finals.<ref name = "lfc history"/>

Liverpool then produced a surprise by winning the league championship in 1963–64, overturning a 17-point deficit to win the title by four points over Manchester United and five over reigning champions Everton, St John played a major role in the title success by scoring 21 goals, which was his highest total in a season for the club.<ref name = "lfc history"/> His most important goal for Liverpool came a year later, a diving header past Leeds goalkeeper Gary Sprake in extra time of the 1965 FA Cup Final.<ref name = "lfc history"/> This goal won the FA Cup for Liverpool, the first time in the club's history that it had won the trophy.<ref name = "lfc history"/>

Another league championship followed in the 1965–66 season,<ref name = "lfc history"/> as Liverpool finished six points clear of Leeds. St John chipped in with 10 goals from 41 outings. Liverpool also reached their first European final, as Borussia Dortmund beat them 2–1 in the 1966 European Cup Winners' Cup Final at Hampden Park.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Like the vast majority of Bill Shankly's first great team, St John was at his peak during the mid-1960s. He continued to play regularly during the later 1960s, mainly playing in a deeper position.<ref name = "lfc history"/> As he entered his thirties his form and fitness began to dip, and he was eventually dropped from the team by Shankly.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> St John was a reserve team player in 1970–71,<ref name = "lfc history"/> and he left Liverpool on 25 August 1971, after playing 425 games and scoring 118 goals for the club.<ref name=BBC21/>

Coventry City and Tranmere Rovers

St John played for South African club Hellenic during the middle of 1971. After his return to England in August 1971, he was transferred to Coventry City.<ref name = "lfc history"/> After a short spell with Tranmere Rovers, then managed by Ron Yeats, he retired from playing football in 1973.<ref name = "lfc history"/>

International career

St John was selected to play for Scotland 21 times,<ref>The Scottish FA Template:Webarchive page for St John only records 20 appearances because it omits his substitute appearance against the Republic of Ireland on 9 June 1963 (RSSSF Template:Webarchive.</ref> making his debut in a 3–2 friendly victory against West Germany at Hampden Park on 6 May 1959.<ref name = "SFA"/><ref name = "scotland 1960"/> The first of his 9 international goals came a year later, again at Hampden, but this time in a 3–2 friendly defeat at the hands of Poland on 4 May 1960.<ref name = "SFA"/><ref name = "scotland 1960"/> He scored twice in a 1962 FIFA World Cup qualification playoff match against Czechoslovakia in November 1961, but Scotland lost 4–2 after extra time and did not qualify for the World Cup finals.<ref name = "scotland 1965"/>

After playing

After retiring from playing, St John managed both his former club Motherwell (1973–1974) and Portsmouth (1974–1977, assisted by former Motherwell teammate Willie Hunter).<ref name = "lfc history"/> He also served as assistant manager at Sheffield Wednesday and Coventry City.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As Motherwell manager, St John sold goalkeeper Keith MacRae and gave a debut to young forward Willie Pettigrew.<ref name = "well manager"/> Motherwell finished ninth in the 1973–74 season, his only term in charge.<ref name="well manager">Template:Cite web</ref>

After leaving Sheffield Wednesday in 1979, St John became a football pundit. He struck up a successful TV partnership with fellow ex-footballer Jimmy Greaves,<ref name = "lfc history"/> with their Saint and Greavsie programme running from 1985 until 1992.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He also set up several football academies for the coaching of younger players called the Ian St John Soccer Camps. Liverpool twice ran a fan poll of their favourite Liverpool players, "100 Players Who Shook The Kop"; St John finished 21st in 2006<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and 33rd in 2013.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Illness and death

In June 2014, St John announced that he had undergone surgery for bladder cancer in April of that year, removing his bladder and prostate gland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He died on 1 March 2021 at Arrowe Park Hospital after a long illness, aged 82.<ref name=Guardian21>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=BBC21>Template:Cite news</ref>

International career statistics

Appearances and goals by national team and year<ref name = "SFA">Template:SFA Profile</ref><ref name = "scotland 1960">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name = "scotland 1965">Template:Cite web</ref>

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Scotland	1959	3	0
	1960	3	1
	1961	5	5
	1962	4	0
	1963	5	2
	1964	—
	1965	1	1
Total		21	9

Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each St John goal.<ref name = "SFA"/><ref name = "scotland 1960"/><ref name = "scotland 1965"/>

List of international goals scored by Ian St John

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	Template:Dts	Hampden Park, Glasgow	5	Template:Fb	2–2	2–3	Friendly match
2	Template:Dts	Hampden Park, Glasgow	8	Template:Fb	1–1	3–2	1962 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	Template:Dts	Hampden Park, Glasgow	10	Template:Fb	1–0	2–0	1961–62 British Home Championship
4					2–0
5	Template:Dts	Stade Heysel, Brussels	11	Template:Fb	1–0	2–4	1962 FIFA World Cup qualification
6					2–1
7	Template:Dts	Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid	19	Template:Fb	6–2	6–2	Friendly match
8	Template:Dts	Windsor Park, Belfast	20	Template:Fb	1–1	1–2	1963–64 British Home Championship
9	Template:Dts	Wembley Stadium, London	21	Template:Fb	2–2	2–2	1964–65 British Home Championship

Honours

Liverpool

• Football League First Division: 1963–64, 1965–66<ref name = "lfc history"/>
• Football League Second Division: 1961–62<ref name = "lfc history"/>
• FA Cup: 1964–65<ref name = "lfc history"/>
• FA Charity Shield: 1964, 1965, 1966
• European Cup Winners' Cup: runner-up 1965–66<ref name="uefa">Template:Cite web</ref>

Individual

• Scottish Football Hall of Fame inductee: 2008<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

External links

• Profile at the Liverpool F.C. website
• Template:UEFA player