16 December 1991: Michael Thomas to Liverpool. Surely the oddest transfer of all time.

By Tony Attwood

Whatever happened to Micky Thomas?

When I heard that Thomas had signed for Liverpool on this day in 1991 I thought it was a joke – a stupid wind-up.   Thomas, the man who had really hurt Liverpool in more ways than can be imagined had moved to the team we beat to the title in 1989 and 1991.

WTF is going on? is about all I could think.

Thomas signed for us in 1982, became a pro aged 17 in 1984 and went on loan to Portsmouth.  He made his first team début in February 1987 in a minor game: the league cup semi-final against Tottenham H.  We lost 1-0 but won the second leg 2-1.  Thus was born the fanzine 1-0 down 2-1 up.  (The second leg was the one where the Tottenham PA announcer gave out details of tickets for the final at half time.  I wonder what he’s doing now).

That same month he started playing in the league games and was initially seen as a full back who scored.  When Dixon came in as the preferred right back, it was obvious to move him forward into midfield.  In his first season in midfield we won the league, thanks to a goal a couple of minutes from the end of a game at Liverpool.  You may have heard tell of it.

26 May 1989.  Liverpool had already won the FA Cup, and were going for their second double – which up to that point no one had done. You know what happened.

Thomas was still with us two years on for the 1990/1 title – the one where the FA docked us two points, and we spent the whole of the last game (having already won the title) singing over and over again, “You can stick your fucking two points up your arse”.   I was there.  I remember the tears – for the first time since the Double we had won the league.

Thomas played 206 games, and scored 30.  But it is said that he and George Graham had a row in 1991 and so he was sold to that team from up north.  Souness paid £1.5m for him.

In 1992 he won the FA Cup, and scored the opening goal Thomas scored his first goal for Liverpool, but thereafter was little more than a squad player, chosen behind Redknapp and Barnes.

By February 1998 he was offered out on loan and went to Middlesbrough followed by Benfica (who now had Souness in charge).  when Souness suffered his inevitable sacking (thus qualifying him to be a commentator on Sky etc) Thomas joined Wimbledon on 29 July 2000 playing nine times before giving up.

He then set up a security service with Nigel Spackman and has played for the Liverpool legends side.  He (inexplicably) lives in Liverpool.

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3 Replies to “16 December 1991: Michael Thomas to Liverpool. Surely the oddest transfer of all time.”

  1. Thomas and rocastle like george and kennedy like brady and stapleton like nasri and cesc like rvp and song and most likely like sagna and walcott. just typical exames of players sold by the club in their prime or just entering their prime.

  2. When G.Graham arrived as manager I thought ‘may be we are a winner’. For a few years we were. so ignored the ‘little oddities’ that didn’t seem right. However the selling of Micky Thomas could not be ignored. Very strange.
    So there was a falling out but surely you put it behind you and work on not walk away or in Micky’s case be thrown on the scrap heap of loserpool. Eveidently there something wrong in the State of Denmark.

  3. Need a bit of editing here Tony. Were you at Liverpool or should the last sentence be “for the second time…”

    26 May 1989. Liverpool had already won the FA Cup, and were going for their second double – which up to that point no one had done. You know what happened.

    Thomas was still with us two years on for the 1990/1 title – the one where the FA docked us two points, and we spent the whole of the last game (having already won the title) singing over and over again, “You can stick your fucking two points up your arse”. I was there. I remember the tears – for the first time since the Double we had won the league.

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