Liverpool hero Joey Jones dies aged 70

Liverpool hero Joey Jones dies aged 70

Former Liverpool and Wrexham hero Joey Jones has passed away at the age of 70

Joey Jones of Liverpool celebrates with the League Championship trophy as young fans congratulate him after the Football League Division One match between Liverpool and West Ham United at Anfield on May 14, 1977 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Harry Ormesher/Popperfoto via Getty Images)

Former Liverpool hero Joey Jones has died aged 70 after a period of illness. The Welsh full-back joined the Reds from his hometown club Wrexham in 1975 and became a cult hero among fans in the three years he was at Anfield.

‌

The left-back, who was a boyhood Liverpool fan, won the League title, two European Cups, the European Super Cup and the UEFA Cup during his time with the Reds. He was also memorably the feature of the iconic banner 'Joey ate the frogs legs' as Liverpool conquered Europe. It read in full: "Joey ate the frogs legs, made the Swiss roll, now he's munching Gladbach."

‌

His passing was confirmed by Liverpool legend John Aldridge on Tuesday morning. The former Reds striker, who is also chairman of the the club's official former players association, Forever Reds, wrote on social media: "More sad news folks Joey Jones passed away last night.

‌

"What a lovely man and an inspirational full back who gave his heart and soul in a red shirt and for all the clubs he played for !

"Our thoughts are with joeys family ! I'm a lucky man to have met him many times YNWA RIP topman".

Article continues below

Fellow Reds legend Jamie Carragher would also react to Jones' passing on social media as tributes to the former Liverpool star flooded in.

Sharing a picture of the iconic 'Joey ate the frogs legs' banner, he wrote: "RIP Joey Jones"

Ian Byrne, MP for Liverpool West Derby, would also post a picture of Jones' banner as he paid tribute to the former Reds defender.

‌

He wrote: "Rest in power the legend that was Joey Jones".

Meanwhile, Ged Rea, Liverpool FC's statistician, wrote: "Saddened to hear of the passing of another Reds legend. The fan on the pitch who lived and played out all our dreams.

"His clenched fist as he ran towards the Kop before every game will never be forgotten. RIP Joey Jones."

‌

Jones, who joined the Reds as a 20-year-old, made 100 appearances for the Reds, registering three goals and three assists, before returning to Wrexham in January 1978.

Jones would return to Wrexham in 1978 and later went on to play for Chelsea and Huddersfield Town.

He finished his career with a third stint with Wrexham after returning to the club in 1987, before hanging up his boots in 1992.

‌

Capped 72 times by Wales, the Reds paid £110,000 for his services in 1975 with Jones going on to become the first ever Welshman to win the European Cup when helping Liverpool beat Borussia Monchengladbach in 1977.

His famous banner was unfurled before the final in Rome against the German outfit, after the defender had helped Liverpool beat Saint-Etienne in the quarter-finals and Zurich in the semi-finals. It has gone down in Liverpool folklore and is widely considered to be the greatest banner in the Reds' history, while he would often be serenaded with chants of 'Oh Joey, Joey' chant.

Meanwhile, only a narrow FA Cup final defeat to Manchester United denied the club a famous treble that season.

‌

Returning to Wrexham in 1978, his £210,000 transfer fee was a club-record which remarkably stood until 2022, when Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds bought Ollie Palmer.

After retiring from playing in 1992, Jones went into coaching, taking charge of the Wrexham under-18s and reserves, and even spending time as the caretaker boss of the first team in the gap between managers Brian Flynn and Denis Smith in 2001.

Undergoing cardiac surgery in 2002, he scaled back his commitments to Wrexham until his retirement in 2017. However, he returned to the club in the position of youth team ambassador in 2021.

‌

Jones' status as a Liverpool cult hero was secured when he finished in 63rd place in the 2006 poll of all-time favourite Reds players, '100 players who shook the Kop'.

Of his move to Liverpool, he was later quoted as saying when looking back on his career: "I've always been a Liverpool fan and cheered them on from the Kop for years. I thought that was the closest I'd get to playing at Anfield - until one year Wrexham played Liverpool in the Youth Cup.

"We drew at our place and I thought 'fantastic, the replay will be at Anfield'. Instead, the game was switched back to Wrexham because Liverpool had a league game... and we ended up getting beaten! "To be honest, I couldn't believe it when Liverpool came in for me in 1975. Talk about a dream come true!

Article continues below

"I had three great years and while I was never one of the household names like Keegan, Clemence, Hughes or Smith, I always had a good rapport with the fans. I think they knew that deep down, I was just one of them."

Click here to read article