Paul Rice - A Tribute

THERE are many images that spring to mind when I think of the late, great – and I don’t use those words loosely – Paul Rice. Hobbling out of away ends all around the country on a stick because of a leg injury is the most vivid. Stood on the steps of St George’s Hall delivering a speech of such passion and conviction is the most memorable.

But the one that sums him up best is the one that fewest people were fortunate to see – Paul sat around a table with people with wildly differing views and conflicting objectives and slowly but surely using the people skills that marked him out as such a special person to bring them together for the greater good.

Paul Rice did that so many times throughout his life that he could easily have been a diplomat or a top level negotiator. Thankfully for Liverpool and their fans he used his skills for the cause that was most dear to his heart – the club that he had loved all his life and which he would stop at nothing to help and support.

There is no hierarchy in support and no one fan is any greater than any other but there are unique times in which an individual can emerge and become, in effect, first among equals and the period when Liverpool’s very existence was at stake was the one when Paul came to the fore. For that alone, anyone and everyone who regards him or herself as a son or daughter of Shankly – as a member of the union he helped create or a fan of the club he fought for – should forever be grateful to him.

The number of Liverpool supporters who did whatever they could to rid the club of Tom Hicks and George Gillett is mind bogglingly huge. From those who marched before home games and protested after them to those who became internet terrorists in a bid to undermine owners who clearly did not have the good of Liverpool at heart, it was a Herculean effort on a number of different but ultimately complimentary levels.

But even the greatest and most powerful army needs its generals and Paul was the best that anyone could ever have wished for. A wonderful ball of energy with ideas to burn and possessing the kind of nous that politicians dream of, he was a leader in the truest sense in that he led for the good of everyone, not just for himself or those around him. When friction occurred, more often than not he was the one who poured oil on troubled waters. Disparate factions always require someone to pull them together and he did that on countless occasions.

His selflessness and his ability to make friends ensured that Paul's positive influence was also felt on both sides of Stanley Park. The Football Quarter initiative which he was one of the driving forces behind brought together like minded supporters of Everton and Liverpool, a significant and notable achievement and one which was appreciated by all involved regardless of their club affiliations.  

To those who knew him best, Paul was a cut above and the tributes that have poured in following his premature death on Saturday are a reflection of the esteem in which he was held. As one of the founders and vice-President of the Spirit Of Shankly fans union it would have been easy for him to fall foul of club officials so it was a measure of the man – and also of the club itself – that a tribute was paid to him on the official Liverpool website on the day of his passing.

"I was fortunate to have known Paul personally and he was a true fan, and also an excellent businessman,” Ian Ayre said in the statement. “Paul was a leading figure in the representations between the club and the fans in our ownership issues some time back and I had huge respect for the way he conducted himself in my dealings with him. He will be sadly missed."

That ability to conduct himself with class and dignity even during the most difficult of times marked Paul out as someone with unique qualities and it is impossible to overstate the positive difference he made to Liverpool. Whenever a player leaves the club the question that is always asked is how they will be replaced but somehow, they almost always are. In one sense Paul is irreplaceable because he was an absolute one off but the greatest testament to him and the life that he led is that he helped create an atmosphere in which an infinite number of supporters has the potential to follow in his footsteps. Because of that the image of Paul Rice will live on in others and there could be no greater legacy than that.