Graeme James Souness


1953 -

Football player and manager. Born in Edinburgh, Souness began as an apprentice with the London team Tottenham Hotspur (1968). He went on to gain his reputation as a mid-fielder with another English team Liverpool, which he joined in 1978, helping them to win three European Cups and five league titles.

Souness became player-manager of Rangers (1984), winning a succession of Scottish League titles for the club. He brought in several English players but even more controversially Souness signed Maurice (Mo) Johnston (b.1963), the first Roman Catholic to play for Rangers in their 116-year history.

He took the manager's position at Liverpool in 1991, replacing fellow Scot Kenny Dalglish (b.1951), where he led the team to an F.A. Cup victory in 1992. However, poor results meant that rivals Manchester United eclipsed Liverpool and Souness was sacked in 1994. He went on to spend time managing Galatasaray (Turkey), Torino (Italy), Southampton and Benfica (Portugal). In 2000, Souness joined the Lancashire team Blackburn Rovers and has taken them back into the English Premier League and on to a Cup Final win (2002).

In 1992, he underwent triple heart bypass surgery, which many thought would end his career. After this, and his sacking by Liverpool, Souness lost his reputation as hot-headed, arrogant and abrasive and became known as a thoughtful and intelligent manager.

Souness wrote an autobiography entitled No Half Measures (1985).


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