PAST PLAYER PROFILE - Mark Wright

Mark Wright : Centre Half (1991-1998)
Date of Birth: 01-08-1963
Birthplace: Dorchester
Debut : 17th August 1991 v Oldham Athletic (H) Football League Division One: won 2-1
1st team games: 210
1st team goals: 7
Other clubs: Oxford United, Southampton and Derby County, Southport (manager), Oxford United (manager)
International caps while with Liverpool: 5 (England)
International goals while with Liverpool:
Honours with Liverpool: FA Cup 1992

PROFILE

Stylish England international Mark Wright was signed by Graeme Souness from Derby County for �2.2 million in the summer of 1991, and was soon joined at Anfield by Rams team-mate Dean Saunders.
With Alan Hansen retired, Glenn Hysen soon to go and Gary Gillespie moving on to Celtic, Liverpool were desperate for a centre half of quality, and after his courageous display's for England in the 1990 World Cup Wright fitted the bill perfectly.

Having made his Reds debut in the 2-1 win over Oldham Athletic at Anfield in August 1991, disaster came in his second game when he limped off after an hour in the 2-1 defeat by Manchester City at Maine Road. This was to be the start of many niggling injuries in his first season at Anfield but he did bounce back in style.

With Ronnie Whelan injured, Souness made Wright captain and his proudest moment came when he lifted the FA Cup at Wembley in 1992 after Liverpool defeated Sunderland 2-0.

However, that high was followed by a series of despairing lows with loss of form and injury problems set in. Wright lost the captaincy the following season and lost his place to the Dane Torben Piechnik.

More problems arose when Souness left Anfield and Roy Evans took sole charge. In the summer of 1994 Wright, along with Julian Dicks were relegated to the reserves after a 4-1 pre-season defeat at Bolton with Evans criticising the pair for attitude problems.

When Evans then signed John Scales and Phil Babb the writing looked to be on the wall for Wright but you can't keep a good man down and, in true three lions bravery, the England star bounced back to the team.

An Achilles problem and a knot of scar tissue higher up his leg was restricting Wright's progress and in a move of desperation he turned to blind physiotherapist Norman Collins for treatment. Collins was well known in the business for quick recovery and sure enough sorted out Wright's problem and the player was back in training.

Free of injury Wright worked harder than ever and was rewarded with a first team recall as a replacement for the injured Scales in March 1995 against Manchester United at Anfield. His performance that day signalled that Wright was back in business and a man of the match display saw Liverpool beat their fierce rivals 2-0.

Although he wasn't included in the 13 for the Coca Cola Cup win at Wembley in 1995, Wright was back the following season and with Scales moving to Tottenham he was back in his favoured position in a back three, playing 41 matches in the campaign.

A good leader and talker at the back, Wright was comfortable at bringing the ball out of defence and setting up attacks. He also chipped in with some memorable goals including a blistering drive against Queens Park Rangers in February 1996, and a header that gave the Reds brief hope against Paris St Germain in the European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final defeat.

Wright left Anfield in 1998 after retiring due to injury and pursued a career in management. His first post arrived fairly locally as manager of Conference side Southport for the 2000-2001 season and he did a fine job, steering the Haig Avenue outfit to a finishing position in the top five.

However, following a disagreement with the Southport chairman of whether the club should go professional or not Wright left, but was quickly back in football being appointed manager of his old club Oxford United.

PAST PLAYER PROFILE - Paul Ince

Paul Ince : Midfield – 1997-99
Date of Birth: 21/10/1967
Birthplace: Ilford
Debut: v Wimbledon. 9th August 1997, drew 1-1
1st team games: 80
1st team goals: 17
Other clubs: West Ham, Manchester United, Inter Milan, Middlesbrough, Wolves.
Honours with Liverpool: None


PROFILE

The self confessed 'Guvnor' Paul Ince was signed by Roy Evans for £4.5 million from Inter Milan to add some steel to the midfield and was seen by many as the ideal partner for Jamie Redknapp.

However Redknapp was injured for the first 10 games of the 1997-98 season and Ince partnered Michael Thomas in midfield. Former Manchester United star Ince shocked Manchester and Liverpool when he decided to join the Anfield club and was seen as the replacement for John Barnes who moved on to Newcastle.

The early days were encouraging as Ince settled in well and scored on his home debut but it was to end in disappointment as Leicester beat Liverpool 2-1.

In his first season at Liverpool the Reds finished third in the Premiership and Ince's best moment of the campaign was scoring a derby goal in a 1-1 draw with Everton at Anfield.

The following season there was a clash of personalities at the club between Ince and the new management of Gerard Houllier and Phil Thompson. Ince struggled with consistency and found it hard to adapt to becoming the defensive midfielder Houllier wanted.

One pivotal moment in his final second season at the club was an FA Cup tie with Manchester United at Old Trafford. With 15 minutes left and Liverpool leading 1-0 Ince walked off the pitch to be replaced by Jason McAteer. Ince had played well and as soon as he left the field Liverpool threw the game away and lost 2-1. However he was roundly criticised by Liverpool fans who felt he could have stayed on the pitch and played through the pain barrier, rather than walk off demanding to be substituted.

He did end his Liverpool career on a high on the pitch, scoring a late equaliser against Manchester United at Anfield in front of the Kop as the Reds came back from 2-0 down to force a 2-2 draw. Ince also scored in his final game as Liverpool beat Wimbledon 3-0 at Anfield.

After leaving Liverpool he continued playing in the Premiership for Middlesbrough and later Wolves.

PAST PLAYER PROFILE - Stephane Henchoz

Stephane Henchoz : Defender (1999-2005)
Date of Birth: 07/09/1974
Birthplace: Billens, Switzerland
Debut : v Hull City, September 1999, won 4-2
1st team games: 205
1st team goals: 0
Other clubs: Stade Payerne, Bulle, Xamax Neuchatel, SV Hamburg, Blackburn Rovers, Celtic, Wigan Athletic
International caps : 69 (Switzerland)
International goals: 0
Honours with Liverpool: -

PROFILE

Stephane Henchoz left Liverpool in January 2005 to begin a new career with Celtic after joining the Glasgow side on a short term deal until the end of the 2005/06 season.

Henchoz returned to the Premiership in the 2005/06 season when he had a very successful campaign with newly promoted Wigan Athletic.


During his five-and-a-half year stay at Anfield Henchoz proved to be an inspirational signing and was popular with the Liverpool fans. Unfortunately the past two seasons were interrupted due to spells of injury but he still surpassed the 200 mark of games for Liverpool in 2003/04.

With Gerard Houllier preferring Igor Biscan at centre half Henchoz became something of a bit part player appearing as an occasional right back. However it was surely no surprise that results started to improve and Liverpool made the fourth place when Henchoz returned alongside Sami Hyypia in 2003/04.
Together with partner Hyypia, they make a formidable pair and are the rocks upon which the team is based.

Henchoz missed a large part of the 2002/03 season due to injury and it surely wasn't any coincidence that without him Liverpool's defence looked vulnerable and the Reds missed out on the Champions League. However the Swiss defender did return from injury to play in the 2003 Worthington Cup win over Manchester United in Cardiff.
Stephane was signed from Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 1999. When Blackburn were relegated, Gerard Houllier moved swiftly to bring the cultured Swiss international to Anfield for a bargain 3.5 million, beating off competition from other interested European clubs.

Unfortunately the Liverpool supporters had to wait to witness the appearance of Henchoz in a red shirt. A groin injury delayed his debut and he became the last of the club's seven signings that summer to make his debut in the 4-2 win over Hull City in the Worthington Cup in September 1999.
Strong in the air and an uncompromising man marker, Henchoz became a vital member of the much improved Liverpool rearguard and was an unsung hero of the Reds' treble success.

He never scored from Liverpool in a senior match apart from a penalty in the Carling Cup win at Tottenham in the 2004/05 season, and in pre-season 2004 he scored in a pre-season friendly against Celtic.

PAST PLAYER PROFILE - Michael Owen

Michael Owen : (Striker, 1997-2004)
Date of Birth: 14/12/1979
Birthplace: Chester
Debut : v Wimbledon, 1997
1st team games: 297
1st team goals: 158
Other clubs: Real Madrid, Newcastle United.
International caps while with Liverpool: 60
International goals while with Liverpool: 26



PROFILE

Michael Owen scored on his debut for the Reds at Wimbledon in 1997 and didn't look back.

Since 1998 Owen was Liverpool's top scorer every season until he joined Real Madrid in August 2004.

The star of Liverpool's 1996 FA Youth Cup triumph, Michael has been with the club since a schoolboy and scored prolifically as he rose rapidly through the Anfield ranks.

During the summer of 1998 he achieved worldwide fame following his stunning strike in the World Cup second round clash between England against Argentina. Off the pitch he collected the PFA Young Player of the Year for season 1997-98 and in 1998 was also voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

It was in the treble season that Owen continued and enhanced his reputation in the treble season. He hit two goals against AS Roma in the UEFA Cup and followed that up with two magnificent late goals to win the FA Cup Final for Liverpool in Cardiff against Arsenal - a match which has since been called 'The Michael Owen Cup Final'. That just confirmed his standing as one of the most exciting strikers in Europe.

He followed that up by scoring a sensational hat-trick in England's 5-1 win over Germany, becoming the first England player since Sir Geoff Hurst in 1966 to score a hat-trick against Germany.

Michael was named European Footballer of the Year in December 2001 when he received the prestigious ballon D'or and scored his 100th Liverpool goal against West Ham at Upton Park on 29th December 2001.

In the 2002/03 season Owen scored 28 goals for Liverpool including his 100th in the Premiership with a hat-trick at West Bromwich Albion. Owen also scored at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff again when Liverpool beat Manchester United 2-0 to win the Worthington Cup.

In an injury hit 2003/04 campaign he still managed to net 19 goals and also surpass the England scoring record of Anfield legend Roger Hunt.

But with just one year remaining on his contract Owen's long-term future was the subject of much debate during the summer of 2004 and, despite the arrival of new boss Rafael Benitez, he opted for a high profile move to Real Madrid on the eve of the new season.

Owen returned to England a year later opting to join Newcastle United for £16 million. It was no secret that Liverpool tried to bring him back home but once Madrid accepted the huge fee from the Geordies the Reds were priced out of the deal.

PAST PLAYER PROFILE - Danny Murphy

Danny Murphy (Midfielder, 1997-2004)

Born: Chester
Date of birth: 18-3-1977
Other Clubs : Charlton Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur.
1st team games: 249
1st team goals: 44
England caps with Liverpool: 9
International goals: 1


PROFILE

Danny Murphy ended a seven year association with Liverpool when he signed for Premiership side Charlton Athletic for 2.5 million in August 2004.

Boyhood Red Murphy scored some vital goals for Liverpool including three winning goals at Old Trafford against Manchester United and a superb derby winner against Everton. During the 2002/03 season Murphy was named the supporters player of the year and scored 12 goals from midfield.

Signed from Crewe Alexandra by Roy Evans for 2 million in 1997, after impressing alongside Michael Owen for England in the World Youth Championships, he arrived with a reputation as one of the most promising youngsters in the game.

However, with competition for first team places at Liverpool so tough he struggled to establish himself as nothing other than a fringe player and was loaned back to Gresty Road at the tail end of the 1998/99 season.
His Liverpool days were seemingly numbered but on his return the following season he finally made the break though into the first team, scored his first goals for the club and staked a claim for a regular place in Gerard Houllier's starting line-up.

A cruel injury blow forced him to miss out on the Worthington Cup final success against Birmingham in 2001 but he started in the memorable cup final triumph's over Arsenal and Alaves and was an integral part of Houllier's squad.

Murphy left Charlton to join Tottenham Hotspur in 2006.

PAST PLAYER PROFILE - Dietmar Hamann

Dietmar Hamann : Midfield (1999-2006)
Date of Birth: 27/8/1973
Birthplace: Waldasson, Bavaria
Debut : V Sheffield Wednesday, 7th August 1999. Won 2-1
1st team games: 283
1st team goals: 11
Other clubs: FC Wacker Munchen, Bayern Munchen, Newcastle United.
Honours won with Liverpool: Worthington Cup 2001, FA Cup 2001, UEFA Cup 2001, FA Charity Shield 2001. UEFA Super Cup 2001, Carling Cup 2003, UEFA Champions League 2005, FA Cup 2006


PROFILE

Mr dependable, popular German star Dietmar Hamann left Liverpool in July 2006 to sign for Manchester City bringing to an end seven glorious years at Anfield.

One of the best holding midfield players in Europe, Didi played a major part in the Champions League win over AC Milan when he entered the field as a second half substitute and inspired the team to come back from 3-0 down, when he marked Kaka and enabled Steven Gerrard and company to get the Reds back into the match.
He also came on as a substitute in the FA Cup win over West Ham in 2006 and more than played his part in another trophy win for the Reds.

Didi was signed by Gerard Houllier from Newcastle United for £8 million in 1999 and quickly became a fans favourite and a vital member of the Liverpool team.

Hamann was the holding player in midfield who breaks up attacks and is also a good passer of the ball.

After starting his career at the little known Wacker Munich, where his father was coach, Didi joined their more illustrious city rivals Bayern as a 16-year old in 1989. He made his first team debut two years later and in nine years with the Bavarian giants won two Bundesliga titles, the German Cup and UEFA Cup.

After playing for his country in the 1998 World Cup he joined Newcastle, managed at the time by Kenny Dalglish, for 5.5 million.

Following his spell at St James' Park, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal all declared an interest but in July 1999 he opted to join Gerard Houllier's Liverpool revolution.

The 2000/2001 season saw Hamann prove himself as a man for the big occasion, excelling as the club won a much-celebrated cup treble and a place in the Champions League.

Hamann since became the first Liverpool player since Roger Hunt in 1966 to play in a World Cup Final, but finished on the losing side as Brazil won the 2002 World Cup 2-0. Despite the defeat he was widely regarded as one of Germany's best players during the tournament.

Didi wrote himself into the record books when he became the last man to score at Wembley Stadium, his long range free-kick helping Germany to a 1-0 World Cup qualifying win over England in October 2000.

PAST PLAYER PROFILE - Djimi Traore

Djimi Traore: Defender. 1999-2006

Date of birth: 1/3/1980
1st team games: 141
1st team goals: 1
Birthplace: Laval
Honours with Liverpool: Worthington Cup 2003, Champions League 2005, FA Cup 2006.




PROFILE

Djimi Traore left Liverpool just before the start of the 2006/2007 season to begin a new career at Charlton Athletic.

The Mali international will be remembered as one of the heroes of Istanbul and he made a goal-line clearance in the Champions League final against AC Milan.
Traore was signed by Gerard Houllier from Laval in France in 1999. After establishing himself at centre half during the 2002/03 season when he deputised for the injured Stephane Henchoz, Traore then fell out of favour with Gerard Houllier in 2003/04 and spent most of the time in the reserve team.

He was set for a move to Everton just before the start of the 2004/2005 season but new manager Rafael Benitez blocked the transfer and he ended up with a Champions League winners medal. Traore had an excellent Champions League campaign for Liverpool and his sliding last ditch tackles won him admirers during that campaign.

The highly rated Traore was one of the most sought after youngsters in Europe when Houllier paid Laval £500,000 for him in February 1999 as the manager claimed AC Milan, Paris St Germain and Lazio were just a number of top clubs who courted Traore's signature. Houllier had described the player as having great potential and a big player for the future.