I always thought Smicer was a very frustrating player to watch. He had plenty of skill and ability but often not much product at the end. He would go on some terrific runs into the area and then nine times out of ten he would fluff his shot. I remember one game against Olympiakos during our UEFA Cup campaign in 200/01 when he missed a number of sitters and then we fell behind. Fortunately we went on to win the tie on aggregate but I remember watching it on TV and getting really angry. But the way he ended his Liverpool career in Istanbul has ensured that no matter how annoying he was at times, he will always be remembered fondly by Kopites everywhere.
Smicer first shot to prominence in 1996, helping Slavia Prague reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup. That same year he starred for the Czech Republic national side as they had a fantastic European Championships in England. They started the tournament as underdogs but surprised everyone by reaching the final before losing to Germany with a golden goal. After that tournament Smicer signed for RC Lens in France where he scored 16 goals in 91 appearances. Vladi built himself a decent reputation in France with some terrific performances and leadership in midfield. In the 1997/98 season he was a prominent part of the RC Lens team that won it’s first ever French First Division title.
When Steve McManaman announced he would be joining Real Madrid on a Bosman in the summer of 1999 it was met by complete outrage. Cries of “sell out” and “you screwed us” rang out around Merseyside. However at the end of the day nobody can blame him for wanting to try playing abroad and nobody could fault him for his efforts for Liverpool (despite being a Bluenose!) At the end of the day we should have been angry at the Liverpool board rather than the player. If he wanted to leave we shouldn’t have allowed his contract to run out when at the time he was worth anywhere from ten to fifteen million pounds. With that type of money we could have bought a cracking replacement.
In June 1999 Gerard Houllier brought in Patrick Berger’s mate Vladimir Smicer as Macca’s replacement. Vladi certainly had some big boots to fill and he struggled. He impressed on his debut in a 2-0 victory against Sheffield Wednesday but that was about the last time he was any good for the next couple of years. Unfortunately his first two seasons were terrible as he was hit by a succession of injuries keeping him on the sidelines for long periods.
The 2000/01 season was a big improvement for Smicer as he was injury free, played more games and showed flashes of what he was capable of. Unfortunately he continued to frustrate with he greediness on the ball at times but he did enough to be considered an important part of the treble winning team.
The next few seasons were pretty much the same as before with moments of brilliance followed by long periods of frustration. Every now and again during this period he would do something to blow your mind and make you instantly forget about the bad moments. He had a blinder against Roma in the Champions League. This was the classic game when Houllier returned from his heart problems and we won 2-0 to reach the quarter finals. I remember him scoring a belter against Borusia Dortmund too. However the moment he will be best remembered for (after Istanbul) will be the last minute winner he scored against Chelsea at Anfield. The game was approaching injury time with the score locked at nil-nil and nobody looked like scoring. All of a sudden we broke down the left flank and a superb cross came in from Emile Heskey. Smicer caught the ball perfectly on the volley and it flew like a rocket into the back of the net. It was an incredible goal and an incredible moment. I was watching the game at my mate Pat’s house with a small group of people and we all just took off into the air nearly knocking down wall ornaments and pictures with our celebrations.
Unfortunately just as he was starting to show the form he had displayed in France, Vladi was struck down with a serious knee injury in 2004 which required major surgery. He ended up missing the majority of the 2004/05 season and only returned to play in a few games as a substitute near the end of the season. During early 2005 he was told by Rafa Benitez that he didn’t figure in his future plans and would be released at the end of the season. Then in May 2005 came the night that Vladi made himself a hero and became a legend.
Smicer’s final game as a Liverpool player came as a substitute during the Champions League final against AC Milan. Mid-way through the first half Harry Kewell, who himself was returning from long term injury, injured his hamstring and had to come off to be replaced by Vladi. At this moment you could hear loud audible anger from the Liverpool fans at the substitution. They were probably booing Kewell but possibly also angry at the choice of bringing on Smicer instead of Didi Hamman who most people thought should have started the match.
At this stage nobody could have dreamed just how important Vladi would be to the outcome of the game. About ten minutes into the second half Steven Gerrard scored a terrific header to make the score 3-1 to Milan. At this stage it appeared to be nothing more than a consolation goal but just two minutes later came Vladi’s big moment. Hamman passed it to Smicer well outside the area and he decided to shoot. I remember thinking “oh no” and then a second later screaming “OH YES” as the ball crept past Dida into the corner of the net. Vladi had just repaid us for all the anger he’d caused us over the years with one kick of the ball. The scene as he runs away with his arms in the air is one of the defining moments of a night in which there were many. To paraphrase Phil Thompson in the documentary ‘One Night in May’, “that moment when he runs away with his arms in the air, that was belief, belief that we could do it”.
We all know the rest and then we get to the penalty shoot-out. Smicer was our fourth penalty taker and at this stage the score in the shoot-out was two-two but we had the advantage due to Milan missing their first two spot kicks. I couldn’t recall Smicer ever having taken a penalty before and this was genuinely the only Liverpool penalty in the shoot-out that I really felt nervous about. Memories of last second Smicer misses ran through my head as I willed him to just put it away and put the pressure back on Milan. Despite suffering with cramp Vladi’s penalty was probably the best of the night as he calmly sent Dida the wrong way before turning to the fans and kissing the Liverpool badge for the last time. Dudek saved from Shevchenko and we were the champions of Europe for the fifth time. Thanks in part to Smicer’s goal and fantastic penalty under extreme pressure. In one amazing game, Smicer went from Anfield flop to hero. It was to be his final game for Liverpool, but he left with his head held high, content that his contribution to the club would never be forgotten.
In the summer of 2005 he went back to France and joined Bordeux. When we drew them in this season’s Champions League group stage it looked like Vladi would get the chance for one more game at Anfield. Unfortunately he was denied the chance to say thank you to the fans as he was injured for both legs of the tie.
In 2007 Vladi rejoined Slavia Prague which caused extreme joy for their supporters. He isnspired them to their first league title for twelve years before announcing his retirement. He was awarded the 2008 Personality of the Year at the Czech football awards. Since retiring he has acted as Sports Manager for the Czech Republic national side.
He was inconsistent and frustrating but his heroics in Istanbul will ensure that Valdimir Smicer is one ‘Ex Red’ who will never be forgotten.
