Luckily Bob Paisley got his way. The Department of Employment finally granted me a work permit in the UK, and I would start an unforgettable 13-year journey with a club and a city that hasn’t left my heart since.
On 15 March 1981, I came to Liverpool on a bet. Tom Saunders and Bob Paisley staked money against each other that I wouldn’t find my way to Anfield, or figure out what to do next. I didn’t know where I was going. I was a big signing of £250,000. That was quite a lot of money for a goalkeeper after only seeing a 20-minute warm-up, and one game that we lost in Vancouver against San Diego. So signing me was a big gamble.
I landed at Heathrow. They hadn’t given me a ticket to Liverpool; I had to find my own way from Heathrow to Anfield. I went via Manchester Airport by plane, hired a car, got into Liverpool city centre and did not have a clue where I was going.
I asked a black cab where Anfield was; he laughed ironically and replied, ‘Do I know where fucking Anfield is?!’ You don’t ask a cab driver that question in Liverpool without them laughing at you.
On arrival at Anfield. I realised the gates to the stadium were shut. It was 5:15pm, the working day was over, so I had to go and find a hotel. What did any person do when visiting Liverpool in the 1980s if they needed a room? They checked the Adelphi first. As I walked through the door towards the reception, I passed the lobby area, not taking any notice of the people sitting there. I asked the girl if they had any rooms and she apologised: fully booked.
As I turned around I saw Tom Saunders give Bob Paisley a £1 note, saying, ‘I never thought he would get here.’ One pound poorer, he gave me the keys and said, ‘Here’s your room for tonight, see you tomorrow at training.’
‘Life in a Jungle’ by Bruce Grobbelaar and Ragnhild Lund Ansnes is published by deCoubertin Books.
On 15 March 1981, I came to Liverpool on a bet. Tom Saunders and Bob Paisley staked money against each other that I wouldn’t find my way to Anfield, or figure out what to do next. I didn’t know where I was going. I was a big signing of £250,000. That was quite a lot of money for a goalkeeper after only seeing a 20-minute warm-up, and one game that we lost in Vancouver against San Diego. So signing me was a big gamble.
I landed at Heathrow. They hadn’t given me a ticket to Liverpool; I had to find my own way from Heathrow to Anfield. I went via Manchester Airport by plane, hired a car, got into Liverpool city centre and did not have a clue where I was going.
I asked a black cab where Anfield was; he laughed ironically and replied, ‘Do I know where fucking Anfield is?!’ You don’t ask a cab driver that question in Liverpool without them laughing at you.
On arrival at Anfield. I realised the gates to the stadium were shut. It was 5:15pm, the working day was over, so I had to go and find a hotel. What did any person do when visiting Liverpool in the 1980s if they needed a room? They checked the Adelphi first. As I walked through the door towards the reception, I passed the lobby area, not taking any notice of the people sitting there. I asked the girl if they had any rooms and she apologised: fully booked.
As I turned around I saw Tom Saunders give Bob Paisley a £1 note, saying, ‘I never thought he would get here.’ One pound poorer, he gave me the keys and said, ‘Here’s your room for tonight, see you tomorrow at training.’
‘Life in a Jungle’ by Bruce Grobbelaar and Ragnhild Lund Ansnes is published by deCoubertin Books.
