Liverpool FC Legends team named for Sydney tour: Steven Gerrard and Robbie Fowler back in red

STEVEN Gerrard and Robbie Fowler join jelly-legged goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar in LFC Legends side heading to Sydney. See the team in full here ...

Some of English football’s biggest-ever names will be joined by one of its most controversial and colourful characters when the Liverpool FC Legends side plays in Sydney on January 7.

The Legends touring squad, named overnight, will include former captain Steven Gerrard, who departed Anfield after over 500 appearances to join LA Galaxy at the end of last season, 1985 FA Cup Man of the Match Ian Rush, and the player the Reds’ fans christened “God”, 183-goal scorer Robbie Fowler.

But the player who earned more winners’ medals — and headlines — than all of them is goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar.

The Zimbabwean international was a fixture in goal for Liverpool over a 14-year period from 1981, during which he was in goal as the club won six League titles, three FA Cups, three Football League Cups and a European Cup.

Agile, acrobatic and extroverted, one of his best-remembered catches was when he apprehended a pitch-invader and held him until police arrived.

A true Reds’ legend, Grobbelaar’s reputation was sullied when, the year after he left Anfield to join Southampton, he was charged by police following allegations of match-fixing during his time with Liverpool.

After two trials failed to find a verdict, the charges were dropped and Grobbelaar sued the London newspaper that had made the original allegations, winning $170,000 in damages.

The newspaper appealed and the case went to the House of Lords, which slashed the original award to one pound, the lowest libel damages possible under English law and ordered Grobbelaar to pay the newspaper’s costs of around $1 million.

He could not pay and was declared bankrupt.

Grobbelaar is currently living and coaching in Canada, and occasionally gets between the posts in the local men’s league.

In Sydney he will be behind one of the best credentialed — if a little past their prime — club squads ever assembled to tour Australia.

Managed by Gerard Houllier, who took the Reds to the Football League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup in 2001, the full squad will be Grobbelaar, John Aldridge, Phil Babb, Patrik Berger, Jamie Carragher, Fowler, Luis Garcia, Gerrard, Stephane Henchoz, Vladimir Smicer, Rush, Jason McAteer, Gary McAllister, Didi Hamann and John Arne Riise.

Gerrard, who will no doubt have to do a lot of the leg work for his older team-mates, said he was looking forward to wearing the red shirt again.

“The squad looks like a great set of lads and it will be great to get on the pitch with them,” he said. “Our fans are the best and to play in front of them again will be emotional.”

Originally published as Liverpool FC Legends team named for Sydney tour: Steven Gerrard and Robbie Fowler back in red