RIP Gary Ablett

Gary passed away from cancer last night age only 46

RIP

Rip

Shocking news, RIP Gary.

R.I.P. GARY.
RED & BLUE
MERSEYSIDE LEGEND.

R.I.P. Gary. YNWA.

Liverpool Football Club have confirmed they will pay tribute to Gary Ablett ahead of Friday's FA Cup tie with Oldham Athletic at Anfield.

A minute's applause will be held prior to kick-off in memory of the former Reds defender, who sadly lost his 16-month battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma on Sunday evening.

Liverpool's players will also wear black armbands in tribute to Ablett.

During his Anfield playing career, Ablett made 147 appearances for the Reds, winning two league titles and an FA Cup.

He returned to the club in the summer of 2006 as reserve team coach and again enjoyed great success, leading them to an unprecedented treble of trophies in 2008.

Farewell to true gent Ablett

Gary Ablett quite simply was the nicest man in football.

As we pay our respects to him at his funeral today (Tuesday, January 17, 2012), everyone will remember Gary as a friend.

I always liked him as a player as he was one of us, coming through the ranks to play for the first team, and he never gave anything less than 100 per cent.

I then got the opportunity to work closely with him when he came back to the club as reserve-team manager and he was absolutely brilliant with a great sense of humour.

Everyone who worked with him at the website and LFC TV loved his company, had tremendous respect for him and we will all miss him greatly.

After progressing through the ranks in the youth team at Anfield, it was Kenny Dalglish who handed Ablett his Liverpool debut when he filled in admirably for the injured Alan Hansen away at Charlton Athletic.

I was in the Kop when Gary scored his first goal at Anfield on his home debut in a 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest – a fantastic goal and Kenny was in the team that day and one of the first people to congratulate him as he held his arms aloft celebrating.

He wore Kenny’s famous No.7 jersey in our next home game against Everton when Ian Rush netted twice in a 3-1 victory, and I’ll always remember Martin Tyler’s commentary when he said Ablett’s display was ‘To the manor born’.

The following season Ablett came into that wonderful team featuring Barnes, Beardsley, Aldridge and Houghton for the second part of the campaign. His first game was against Aston Villa when we beat them 2-0 at Villa Park in the FA Cup 4th round tie, and he never looked beck ending the season an ever present.

He had a great left foot and with Barnes in front of him, it was a combination that worked a treat. It should also be noted Ablett was part of the side that thrashed Nottingham Forest 5-0 at Anfield on that wonderful April night.

After winning a title medal he then had a fantastic 1988-89 season when he played the majority of the season at centre-back. Alan Hansen had injured his knee in pre-season and Kenny turned to Ablett who once again didn’t let anybody down.

The fact he played 49 games in that traumatic season for the club says it all, and he had a brilliant campaign.

Everyone remembers his celebrations at Wembley after we beat Everton 3-2 in the post-Hillsborough final with his LFC hat on and little did we know at the time that he would go on to repeat that in a blue shirt in 1995.

Another title medal came the following season and he looked set to be an important member of the first-team squad.

However, when a new manager comes in inevitably he will have different ideas, and he was sold by Graeme Souness to Everton.

Ironically his second to last appearance for the club was a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park.

He went on to enjoy a brilliant career with Everton, later returning to the club for a coaching role at the Academy.

It was Rafa Benitez who brought Ablett back to Anfield to take charge of the reserve team and he was to make a great impression.

In his second season back at the club Ablett guided the promising youngsters to a treble – winning the Barclays Premier Reserve League Northern title, the Dallas Cup on a trip to the USA, and culminating in the National Reserve team league title won against a strong Aston Villa XI on a fantastic night at Anfield.

Jay Spearing and Martin Kelly are now first-team squad regulars under Dalglish and Ablett was always a great believer in these two players.

Ablett always maintained the two Academy graduates were good enough to play for the Liverpool first team and he has been proved spot on in that assessment.

In my 10 years working for this club Gary was the nicest and most approachable guy ever, and nothing was too much trouble for him.

RIP Gary Ablett, the nicest man in football – YNWA.
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^^ who wrote that .

RIP

was on the lfc site