Liverpool have moved a step closer to completing their first signing of the summer after Alexis Mac Allister was granted permission to undergo a medical with the Reds.
The World Cup winner is expected to complete his move from Brighton ahead of linking up for international duty with Argentina next week. And the 24-year-old, who boasts Irish and Scottish heritage, will be looking to follow in the footsteps of another famous 'Mac Allister' at Anfield. Or rather, 'McAllister'.
Gary McAllister was 35 when he joined the Reds on a free transfer from Coventry City in the summer of 2000, with eyebrows understandably raised as a result. Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard certainly wasn't initially impressed by his arrival.
But the veteran quickly became an Anfield cult-hero, and played a vital role in the Reds' treble-winning season that year. So as Liverpool close in on signing Alexis Mac Allister, here's the story of the last time they signed a McAllister...
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“‘Why are they signing that big, skinny, bald, Scottish fella?!’”
It might be over 20 years since Gary McAllister played for Liverpool but he remains a firm fan-favourite, having cemented his iconic cult hero status courtesy of his efforts in helping the Reds win the treble back in 2000/01. But that doesn’t mean his signing was particularly welcomed at the time. And he knows that himself, with the above quote straight from the man's mouth himself.
The former Scotland international was 35 years old when Gerard Houllier brought him to Anfield on a free transfer from Coventry City. Eyebrows were understandably raised, with even the Frenchman’s assistant manager, Phil Thompson, questioning his wisdom at the time.
“Working with Gerard Houllier, he came to me one day and said, ‘I think we’re going to sign Gary McAllister,” Thompson recalled at the Forever Reds Christmas lunch at Anfield. “I said, ‘Gary McAllister?! He’s 35, isn’t he?’ He said, ‘Yeah,’ and I went, ‘Do you think that’s sending out the wrong message?’
“We were trying to build up a very young team and get rid of a few of the older players, so I feared it was sending out the wrong message to the fans.
“He said, ‘Look, Phil. I’ve spoken to Gary and I’ve spoken to his agent, Struan. First thing he’s told me is he’s not just coming here to make up numbers. Gary wants to come and play and wants to make sure that he’s in the team.’
“I said to Gerard, ‘Okay, I’ll bow down to your better knowledge.’ How f*****g wrong was I?!”
McAllister was well aware of the public disdain for his arrival at the time, and was determined to make his critics eat their words.
“To be fair, one of the main inspirations was one of the fanzines,” McAllister revealed at the Forever Reds Christmas lunch. “The editor of one of the fanzines said, ‘If this guy plays more than five games for Liverpool, I’ll show my backside in Marks & Spencer Liverpool.’ So I used that as a wee bit of inspiration.”
The midfielder could be forgiven if he had feared that Liverpool would get cold feet and pull out of the deal, such was the scrutiny around signing a 35-year-old at a time when the Reds had the likes of a young Steven Gerrard, Didi Hamann, Danny Murphy, and injured captain Jamie Redknapp already rivalling each other for starting berths in the engine room, with Patrick Berger, Vladimir Smicer, and even Jamie Carragher also capable of playing there.
Yet the only concern McAllister had ahead of contract talks being held was the possibility of his agent pricing him out of the move! Willing to sign whatever deal was put in front of him, he ended up pocketing a pay-rise.
“The biggest fear I had prior to signing was my agent Struan (Marshall), who fortunately looked after Steven (Gerrard), Carra (Jamie Carragher), and Emile Heskey,” he said.
“He had a few players at Liverpool and my fear was Struan, bearing in mind I went to Coventry purely for money, 100%. But I was coming to Liverpool and I made it clear to Struan, ‘Listen, don’t go in there and ask for too much so Liverpool walk away from this deal.’
“To get to Liverpool at 35, it’s like I’m going there for nothing. But I ended up getting paid better than I did at Coventry so he did pretty good!
“But then it just became pretty clear after five or six training sessions and three or four games that there were a lot of good players here. I think the younger ones over the years have said that I inspired and helped them. But I’ve got to say, I was inspired by them as well.”
Steven Gerrard is one such player who has repeatedly heralded McAllister’s impact over the years, with their relationship at Anfield forging the way for the Scot to serve as the Reds legend’s assistant manager at both Rangers and Aston Villa in recent years.
Yet Gerrard initially had his doubts about the Scotland international, and even called their shared agent in an attempt to find out what it meant for his place in the team. Not liking the answer he was given, an X-rated response followed only to be blown away after meeting McAllister in person at Melwood.
“When another wise head, Gary McAllister, joined Liverpool, I was not alone in the dressing room in wondering what the hell Gerard was doing,” Gerrard admitted in his 2007 autobiography. “He seemed an odd buy. Okay, he was once a terrific midfielder for Leeds United and Scotland, but McAllister was now 35, his best days were surely behind him.
“His arrival was of particular concern to me. Would he limit my appearances? 'It's a bit of a strange signing,' I remarked to the lads when Gerard wasn't around. 'Isn't McAllister over the hill? I've seen him play for Coventry recently and, yeah, he's he's good, but why've we signed him?' No-one came up with an answer.
“The word from above was that McAllister had been brought in as cover. I rang my agent, Struan Marshall, who knew McAllister well.
“'Stru, what's all this about?' I asked. 'Don't worry, Stevie,' replied Struan. 'Gary Mac will be brilliant for Liverpool, and for you as well. Listen to him. Learn from him.' F**k off, Stru,' I said. 'McAllister can f*****g well learn off me!'
“How wrong I was. Meeting this intelligent Scot was an important moment in my career. As a midfielder and a man, Gary Mac was special. He strolled into the dressing room at Melwood and immediately went around all the players introducing himself. That was class.
“We knew who Gary bloody McAllister was, but that gesture showed his modesty. We liked that. He also had the medals, the caps and poise that trigger instant respect. It felt like football royalty breezing into Melwood. Should I bow?
“Gary was never destined for the ressies. No chance. Almost immediately, he was a fixture in the first team, directing operations like a general at a battle, turning the game Liverpool's way with his vision and touch. What a player.
“And what a teacher. On away trips, I timed my run to the bus so I could sit next to McAllister, absorbing advice. It felt like being on the school bus with the best master next to me. Every journey was like a lesson, with me as the awestruck pupil...
“His opinion was valued by everyone. Macca was one of those players who could stop a training session and suggest something and everyone listened, even the coaches. Just watching Gary in training improved me. He was a masterclass on legs.”
Speaking at the Forever Reds Christmas lunch, Gerrard would echo such statements. Now looking back over his career as a whole, he is even better-placed to consider McAllister’s arrival as a decisive ‘masterstroke’ for his own progress.
“I think the decision to sign Gary, where I was at in my career, was a masterstroke,” Gerrard said. “To follow someone like him on a daily basis, copy him, emulate him, how he used to dress, how he used to train, what he used to say in training sessions, what he used to eat.
“It was the perfect time for me and it certainly helped me to become a better player and a better human being at that time.”
McAllister would end up making 49 appearances for Liverpool in the 2000/01 season, returning an impressive seven goals and nine assists as the Reds won the treble. This included a man of the match performance against Alaves in the UEFA Cup final, where he scored one and set up two, including the winning golden goal, in the 5-4 win to lift the trophy.
Meanwhile, he'd also net vital strikes against the likes of Everton, Barcelona, and Tottenham Hotspur during the final weeks of the season, scoring in five spring matches in a row, as the Reds completed the treble and also qualified for the Champions League for the first time.
Looking back, McAllister revealed he felt confident pretty early on in his Liverpool career that Houllier had built a side that would soon deliver trophies.
“The coaching team and the manager, I just felt there was an environment growing where we could win something,” he said. “In such a short spell of time, I’ve got so many memories.
“To play in a European night at Anfield was special. Beating Barcelona and Roma here, playing in the Merseyside derby, winning the trophies we did in such a short period of time. It was what dreams were made of and it just kept getting better and better.
“And the coaches and manager, they were just concerned about the next game. Just win the next game, just keep winning.
“All of a sudden we get the first one under our belt, we beat Birmingham at the Millenium Stadium and built momentum. When this club gathers momentum, the crowd and the people at the club are all together, crazy things can happen and it becomes unstoppable.
“We got a good run going in Europe in the UEFA Cup. In the FA Cup, we were fortunate with the teams we were playing. We got Tranmere and Wycombe in the quarters and semis.
“Things were falling into place and before you know it, you’re into the last game of the season and that was the biggest target - to qualify for the Champions League. I’ve got so many memories in such a short period of time.
“Sometimes I just go, ‘Wow! That was something.’ When you win at this club, it creates an affinity with the club. It’s something special and you get something special back from the fans. So many great memories and I played with some great guys as well.”
And Thompson believes that without McAllister, Liverpool might not have even won the treble in 2001 as he heralded the Scot as one of the Reds’ greatest ever signings.
“The guy became a two-year legend!” he said. “Without his influence and his guidance (the treble doesn’t happen). Yes, we could do things off the pitch but without that on the pitch…
“Gary’s a very humble lad but those younger ones, your Steven Gerrards, Jamie Carraghers, Danny Murphys, and Michael Owens, the guidance he gave them at a very tough time was absolutely massive for them.
“He was one of the greatest signings that this club ever made.”
Gary McAllister, Steven Gerrard, and Phil Thompson were speaking in a Q&A at the Forever Reds Christmas lunch at Anfield. To find out more about the work LFC does in the community via Forever Reds and the LFC Foundation visit https://foundation.liverpoolfc.com/
A version of this story was first published on January 1, 2023
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