JOHN WARK won adoration in a golden era for Liverpool that was driven by Scots – now he hopes the Kop’s latest tartan hero finally gets his hands on the silverware he richly deserves.
Wark is thrilled to see his country again represented in style at Anfield following Andy Robertson’s sensational rise from Queen’s Park hopeful to Liverpool favourite.
Recently voted the world’s best left-back in one poll, against Spurs in Madrid Robertson will become the first Scot to play in back-to-back European Cup finals since Kenny Dalglish, Alan Hansen and Steve Nicol 34 years ago.
Wark joined Liverpool in the spring of 1984, too late to be eligible for the triumph over Roma weeks later, but played in the ill-fated defeat to Juventus amidst the horrors of the Heysel Stadium disaster 12 months later.
On the pitch, the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s were halcyon days for the club, with a procession of Scots building on the legacy of the iconic Bill Shankly.
Kenny Dalglish, Alan Hansen, Graeme Souness, Steve Nicol and Gary Gillespie were all team-mates of Wark as Liverpool dominated at home and abroad to ensure they were worshipped by the Reds on the terraces.
And, after being pipped to the Premier League title by Manchester City and losing last year’s Champions League final to Real Madrid, Wark is desperate to see Robertson taste success after revelling in the way the left-back has been flying the flag for Scotland at his old club.
Now 61, the former Scotland internationalist said: “I remember to start with when Andy wasn’t in the team and Alberto Moreno was playing, and I spoke to him and his mum and dad.
“I said ‘you should be in that team and as soon as you get in make sure you stay in because you’ll be a hero here’.
“He has been fantastic and all the fans love him. In all the games I’ve seen him he’s been outstanding.
“He’s part of a great team and I just hope they can get the right result. After what happened, just missing out on the league, I just think it’s right that Liverpool win it and he’s a big part of it.
“You rate Virgil van Dijk and all the others, but Andy Robertson has been right up there.
“It’s brilliant to see a Scotsman doing so well and being such a big hero; it’s been a long, long time coming.
“When you go back to our days, you had Kenny, Hansen, Souness, myself, Steve Nicol and Gary Gillespie.
“But it’s been a long time since the fans had a Scotsman to get behind and they love him.
“It would be just great if he could win the Champions League for them, it would be such a shame if they don’t.
“You’ve got to go and win it, it doesn’t matter if you deserve to win it. But if they go and play the way they have in loads of games this season then hopefully they will.
“I was at the Barcelona game at home and I’ve never seen an atmosphere like it, and if they play anything like the way they played in that game I do fancy them to win it.”
