Past playersPhil Babb

Babb began his career with Millwall and then made the move north to sign for Bradford City, where he played as a midfielder and scored 14 goals in 80 league appearances.

His move to Coventry gave him the chance to prove his worth in the top flight and his progress was such that both Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur were keen to lure him away from Highfield Road.

It was largely due to his performances at the 1994 World Cup in the USA for the Republic of Ireland that persuaded then Reds manager Roy Evans to splash out a record transfer fee for a defender to secure his services – and days later Evans beat his own record by signing John Scales from Wimbledon.

Babb went on to play frequently for Liverpool over the next five seasons, before facing a fight for a place in the team in the 1999-2000 campaign with several players competing for two central defensive slots.

Good in the air and quick on the ground, Babb had been a regular in the Reds side during the Evans days, but the 1998-99 season was a disappointing one as he missed large chunks of it through either injury or loss of form.

In the summer of 1999, Gerard Houllier declared Babb free to leave Anfield if he so desired, though suggesting that while he remained at the club he could still have a large part to play in the future.

In January 2000, Babb was loaned out to Tranmere Rovers for a month and in the summer of that year he was released.