Kevin is pictured above (and below) playing for Liverpool against Barnsley in the
FA Cup. The Reds won 4-0 at Oakwell.
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When Graeme Souness announced that he was going to fulfill his ambition
of playing in the Italian Serie A, Joe Fagan was faced with the task of
filling the huge void that the departure of the influential Scot created
in Liverpool's midfield. So big was the problem that he had to sign two
players to try and solve it. The first of those two players was John
Wark, the other one being Leicester captain Kevin Macdonald who arrived
at Anfield for the then significant fee of £400,000.
In many ways,
MacDonald was a typically Liverpool player. He had been discovered by
Leicester whilst playing for Highland league outfit Inverness Caldeonian
- other than a brief loan spell at Rangers the Scot never played for a
Scottish league side - and eventually established himself at Filbert
Street as a hard working yet skillful midfielder. Once at Anfield, he
was immediately installed in the first team as the club unsuccessfully
tried to retain the league title whilst the European campaign ended
tragically at Heysel.
The following season, with Kenny Dalglish in
charge, Macdonald initially struggled to make an impact but after the
turn of the year he began figuring in the first team on a more regular
basis. He started the final five games of the season which booked him a
place in the starting eleven for the FA Cup final against Everton that
Liverpool won 3-1 to record a historic League and FA Cup double. Sadly,
there wasn't a happy ending to Macdonald's career at Liverpool. At the
start of the 1986-87 season he broke his leg against Southampton and
needed two operations to get back, meaning that he was out for almost a
year. By the time he returned, Dalglish had signed Steve McMahon and
there was no way back for Macdonald who was eventually moved on to
Coventry City in July 1989 on a free transfer. (Paul Grech)
1976–1984 Leicester City 138 (8)
1984–1989 Liverpool 40 (1)
1987 Leicester City (loan) 3 (0)
1988 Rangers (loan) 3 (0)
1989–1991 Coventry City 31 (0)
1990–1991 Cardiff City (loan) 8 (0)
1991–1993 Walsall 53 (7)
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