Case - Hard Case--The Autobiography of Jimmy Case

T hey talk a lot about role models these days, and any kid with dreams of becoming a footballer could do no better than follow the example of Jimmy Case.

He came to Liverpool from the non-league for about 10,000, which was nothing really, and I related to him straight away because I had been signed two years earlier for 33,000 another modest fee so we were both in the same situation; neither of us came in with a big bang.

I knew what everyone would be thinking about Jimmy because they had probably thought the same about me when I signed for Liverpool from Fourth Division Scunthorpe: Good luck son, but it wont be easy to get in the team here not if you only cost 10,000.

So expectation was zilch, but I had been in that position as well. I knew it could be done. And from day one he impressed everyone; not in an out-of-the-ordinary way but as someone who could do everything that was asked of him. He wasnt flash, he knew his place, he didnt upset the apple cart, and he just fitted in. But what would you expect? Everybody gets on well with Jimmy Case.

It was like that on the pitch just as much as off it because he was so easy to play with. The best way I can describe it is to say that Jimmy did exactly what it says on the tin. You knew what you were going to get and Jimmy knew what he could give you. He never tried to do things he knew he couldnt do, and everything he did do was eight or nine out of ten; good fitness, good ball retention, a footballing brain, an understanding of the team ethic. Thats why he got in the side and stayed in it.

Well, there was one exception: I would give him ten out of ten for shooting. I would put Jimmy in the same class as Peter Lorimer; in terms of pace and power, they were the two outstanding kickers of a ball that I have ever had the pleasure of seeing.

I think that perhaps, because he had this reputation as a hard man, he was underrated as a footballer but not by the Liverpool players and certainly not by the Liverpool fans, and they are the best judges.

I was with him at a match recently and you know what? The fans still love him. Jimmy is the kid who had gone to watch the games and then got signed to play the game himself. The fans see themselves in Jimmy. They see Jimmy as someone who was living his dream and they look at him and think that could be me.

Thats why he is so popular. Jimmy wont mind me saying this, because it is also said about me: we werent the most talented players but we got past many others who were better than us by doing the simple things well. Not looking for the world-beating ball, but looking for the right ball, and thats what Jimmy did. I have maximum respect for him.

I suppose the one thing in his career he may look back on with disappointment is that he never played for England. Why? Its a mystery to me. There was a certain period in his career when he could have played internationals, when he should have been in squads, but the only people who can answer that question would be the England managers at the time.

My own opinion is that he suffered because there were so many Liverpool players in the squad and the England managers just didnt want to pick another one. There were six at one time in a Ron Greenwood squad, plus me as an ex-Liverpool player; I think that worked against Jimmy. It wasnt right, but its the only reason I can give. Its not as if there were hundreds of better players around at the time, thats for sure!

But, credit to Jimmy, he just got on with it; it was something that was beyond his control and worrying about it wasnt going to help him. That was Jimmys strength. He kept going, week after week, playing for a top club, in a team that was winning things, never letting his standards drop.

Thats why I think this book will be of great interest, because its not just about the things he did, its also about things he should have achieved and didnt; it will open up a debate among Liverpool supporters because I know a lot of them have said that there were many worse players than Jimmy Case who won caps for England and they would be absolutely right.

Knowing Jimmy as I do, I doubt if it keeps him awake at night. He just loved playing football and he wanted to play for as long as he could for anyone who wanted him. I finished at thirty-three, Jimmy went on until he was forty-one.

That tells you everything you need to know.

Kevin Keegan