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Rob Jones' transfer to Liverpool could have been lifted straight off a
Roy of the Rovers storyline. In October 1991, Graeme Souness went to see
Crewe play in order to get a look at Steve Walters, a player he was
interested in signing. Yet, rather than Walters, it was Crewe's young
right back Rob Jones who caught his attention. So much so that he set up
a £300,000 transfer on the spot. Twenty four hours after signing,
Jones was making his Liverpool debut against Manchester United at Old
Traffod where he marked Ryan Giggs out of the game. The fairytale got
even better. Deservedly, he stayed in the first team and continued to
progress to such an extent that four months later he made his England
debut in a 2-0 win over France, where his excellent showing was only
overshadowed by Alan Shearer's entry on to the international scene.
By
the end of his first season, Jones even picked up his first major
honour, an F.A. Cup won after Liverpool defeated Sunderland 2-0 in front
of a full house of 79, 544 at Wembley, a far cry indeed from Rob's
final appearance for the 'Alex which came in front of 3, 126 spectators
at Gresty Road against Gillingham! His enviable mixture of composure
with the ball at his feet, ability to press forward and defensive skills
marked him out as one of the finds of the season as well as one of
Graeme Souness' best buys during his time at Liverpool.
The season was
to finish on a sour note, however, as Jones was forced to sit out the
1992 European Championships with the first attack of the shin splints
injury which would ultimately damage the rest of his playing career. The
1992-93 season saw Rob feature in 30 of the 42 league games, albeit
with many of those playing on the left of the defence, but it was a
disappointing season for the Reds who could only muster a 6th place
finish in the league. They also departed both domestic cups in the early
rounds whilst in Europe they were spanked 6-2 on aggregate by Spartak
Moscow in the 2nd round of the Cup Winners Cup. (Paul Grech)
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