Why Jones is king of the playground

It's the former Reds defender's humorous response after the subject of his less than prolific record in front of goal came to the fore in an exclusive interview with Liverpoolfc.tv.

Unfortunately for the likeable 37-year-old, the only eyes privy to such a 'momentous' occasion are those of an LFC scribe.

"I went close to scoring a lot of times," he says with a wistful grin, as we relive his eight years at Anfield amidst the backdrop of his children's back garden football pitch.

"I still get reminded about it now. I've had a few people come up to me and say they used to put a pound on me at 50-1 every game!

"I hit the bar and the post a few times. It never bothered me really, I think it was more about banter with the fans! If I was in a goalscoring opportunity and I could knock it back to Robbie Fowler, then I'd always look to do that.

"To be honest I don't know how I didn't score. It just wasn't meant to be, was it?"

It would seem not, and yet few players could have gone as close as he did without ever seeing the ball hit the back of the net.

"I suppose you're right," he muses. "I remember I had a shot at Leeds that was going in and hit John Barnes on the backside!

"There was another time at Man City when I was in the six yard box. I clipped it past the keeper but one of their defenders came from nowhere and fell on the ball. It was literally sat on the line.

"It just needed someone to blow on it to knock it over."

For the record, Jones played 243 times for the club without ever scoring.

That's not to say his time at the club wasn't successful. He was arguably the best attacking right-back in the Premier League back in the early 1990s, after Graeme Souness plucked the starlet from the relative obscurity of Crewe Alexandra's Gresty Road.

"My whole time at LFC was great," he recalls.

"We had a great bunch of lads. I enjoyed going to Melwood every day and just loved playing football - the only thing I didn't enjoy was being injured quite a lot.

"Looking back I still played a lot of games and I also represented England at senior level.

"My first season was just brilliant. I signed from Crewe towards the end of October, played for England in February and topped it off by playing in and winning the FA Cup final.

"Even then it could have been better. It was the European Championships in Sweden, but my shin splints became so bad that I had to get it sorted and ended up withdrawing from the squad."

Injuries would go on to cast a dark shadow over the rest of Jones' career.

He admits there was more than a slight sense of frustration at seeing his time in the limelight come to a premature end, but it is clear from his demeanour that he is now more than happy with his new life set within the lush Cheshire countryside.

"My knee injury finished my career earlier than I expected," he says.

"I had five operations on my patella tendon but it just kept swelling up. The likes of the Brazilian Ronaldo and Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer suffered with similar injuries and it's taken its toll on them too.

"I have to admit I moped around for a few months after I hung up my boots. I was only 28 at the time and it was a big blow for me. I didn't know what to do.

"In the end the wife decided to give me a kick up the backside and told me that I had to stop sitting at home every day.

"She's always been interested in children's nurseries, so she went to college to learn a bit more about it. At this point I started looking for property and we found one in Stockton Heath.

"We opened our first nursery soon after; it was very successful and it's gone on from there really. We've got four now. It used to be five but we sold the one in Stockton Heath."

From the millionaires' playground of the football world to the ones that lie within his nurseries - Jones' life has undergone a dramatic transformation.

He remains eager to partake in the plethora of former LFC player events that litter the calendar, but admits he is more businessman than footballer these days.

"Initially I was involved at the nurseries quite a lot, but we found it was better when I took a backseat in the end," he says.

"If there's a staff problem I'll go in and sort it, but as a day-to-day thing I don't get too involved and I end up looking after our three kids a lot of the time - that's a full-time job as it is!

"We've decided to stick with four nurseries for now and we have just bought a property in Northwich which we will use to set up a care home for children. Life is very busy, that's for sure!"

During the initial 12 month period following his enforced retirement, Jones found it difficult to take any sort of interest in the world of football.

Despite growing up as an avid red, he struggled to come to terms with watching his former teammates on a regular basis.

It was a period of life that he is pleased to have left behind and over the past few years he has started to recapture his passion for Liverpool FC and football in general.

"When I first finished playing I'd maybe go to Anfield three times a year," he says. "Every time I went I just felt like I should still be out there and it was difficult for me to watch them.

"But I've got used to it now and with my little boy wanting to go to games, I attend pretty much every home match we play.

"I guess you could say my passion is back."

Jones recaptured his love for LFC at the same time a certain Spaniard began to lay the first foundations for the 'Rafa-lution'.

Thr arrival of the likes of Luis Garcia and Xabi Alonso helped instil a new flair and invention in the Reds' play, culminating in an unlikely triumph in what many perceive to be the greatest European Cup final of all-time.

So would it be right to assume a certain clash with AC Milan, played in the capital of Turkey four years ago, had a big part in helping to restore his interest?

"Well it didn't do it any harm," he laughs.

"I didn't actually go to Istanbul, though. I sat here by myself with a bottle of wine. I'm quite a quiet, laid-back guy, but I got very excited that day.

"When the second goal went in, the kids were in bed and heard the wine glass smash against the wall. They came running down and saw me screaming at the TV. They'd never seen their dad like that before."

Inspired by the miracle of Istanbul, Jones has also made a return to the field as part of the Liverpool legends' tour.

He admits it's still a huge buzz to pull on his boots alongside some of the finest names to have ever graced Anfield, and is willing to put up with the inevitable pain in his knee to enjoy a run-out on the right flank.

"I do still play as part of the squad that is involved with the legends," he says.

"I've been to Guernsey, Norway and Sweden with them. We see each other a lot in the summer and the banter starts straight away.

"My knee's quite bad so I can't play in the Masters tournament because it's such a hard surface. But when it's on grass I can just about manage the half an hour each way.

"I just love playing and even though the knee swells up, it's worth it because I really enjoy it."

Talk of the legends' tour inevitably leads to a series of hilarious anecdotes, with the most notable being his recollection of the events that led to his famous nickname.

"The lads still call me Trigger to this day," he says with a laugh. "It doesn't bother me really. It's just a bit of fun.

"It all started when I used to travel into training with Dean Saunders. I was only 19 at the time and I was so star-struck.

"Everything he said I just believed and whatever he said in the car I would just agree with him 100 per cent.

"He found this highly amusing and after a while he likened me to Trigger from 'Only Fools and Horses' because I believed everything he said! It stuck from then on.

"I still think it's great playing alongside all these great names from Liverpool's history - but I can assure you, I don't believe everything they say now!"

While Jones fails to share any true connection with the character of Trigger, his time at Anfield did result in him repeating the first few words of a catchphrase made famous by the show's protagonist, Del Boy.

Back then Roy Evans' side were perennial underachievers in the league, and although the club have continued to come up short ever since, Jones is convinced - that just like the Trotters - the Reds will eventually land their equivalent of Del Boy and Rodney's millions - the Barclays Premier League title.

"I got into the habit of saying 'next year could be our year' back when I was playing," he says.

"For the past three years that hasn't been the case, but this year is different.

"We just need to maintain the consistency we have shown in the earlier parts of the season. That is what has been lacking over the years.

"Every year United will play badly for a number of games and scrape a 1-0 here and there. It's something we have started to do this year - winning ugly."

So, can we win it and ensure that this time next year we are....defending champions?

"I think we've got a good chance of winning it," he says, before pausing to envisage what that would mean.

"Yes, we can definitely do it," he continues with a nod. "And if we do, I'll be ready to celebrate it in true Istanbul-style!"

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