Larry Lloyd | 1948 - 2024

All those who are related to Bristol Rovers FC have received sad news that Larry Lloyd, a previous defender, has passed away at the age of 75.

Larry, who was born in Bristol on October 6, 1948, began his career as a professional player with Rovers in July 1967. He became the 393rd player to play for the club in a league match when he made his debut in a 1-1 draw with Watford at Eastville on August 10, 1968.

As a defender, he played for Rovers in the Second Division for only a short period of time. Soon after, in April 1969, Bill Shankly recruited him to join Liverpool. This was despite the fact that he had only played in 43 league games for Rovers.

He earned his first England cap in a game where no goals were scored against Wales in May 1971. While playing for Liverpool, he was on the team that lost to Arsenal in the 1971 FA Cup Final and was also part of the squad that claimed victory in the First Division in 1972/73. On top of this, he was rewarded with a European medal after Liverpool defeated Borussia Monchengladbach in the 1973 UEFA Cup Final.

Following a measly four goals in 150 matches for Liverpool, the English footballer decided to switch clubs and joined Coventry City in August of 1974. Unfortunately, his days in Coventry were short-lived as he only managed to play 50 league games before he was on the lookout for a new team again. Fortunately for him, Nottingham Forest came calling and he was signed on loan by their manager, Brian Clough.

Larry's transfer was made permanent in November of 1976. He later succeeded in winning the First Division title with his team in the season of 1977/78. In addition, his team went on to win the League Cup twice, in 1978 and 1979. Finally, the ultimate victory was claimed when Larry's team claimed the European Cup in 19079, defeating Malmo in Munich.

Forest won another European Cup medal the next year by successfully defending their title and defeating Hamburg in the final held in Madrid.

He played in 148 league games during his time in Forest and remained active even after he became player and manager for Wigan Athletic in March of 1981. He then went on to manage Notts County and eventually became the head of Real Marbella in 2009. He came back to the UK in 2021 and now resides around Nottingham.

Throughout his journey, he managed a pub in Nottingham for a total of 11 years. Following that, he oversaw another pub on the Costa Del Sol while also engaging in property sales within Spain.

In 2008, he wrote about his life in an autobiography titled 'Hard Man, Hard Game'. During his book promotion tour that same year, he visited the Memorial Stadium to watch a match between Rovers and Huddersfield Town.

During this sorrowful period, we are sending our condolences to Larry's loved ones.

Authored by Keith Brookman * As we all know, the world of football has changed beyond all recognition in recent years. As most people are aware, the football industry has undergone significant transformations in the past few years. * Player salaries now dwarf those of the highest earning managers, and club owners seem more concerned with financial profits than success on the pitch. At present, the salaries of players surpass the earnings of the top-earning coaches, and the primary focus of club owners appears to be monetary gains in place of on-field triumph. * This has led to a situation where clubs are more often than not trading in loyalty, tradition, and a sense of community in favor of commercial pragmatism. The results of such changes have led clubs to frequently exchange loyalty, heritage, and a feeling of oneness with the fan base for sensible and practical monetary reasons. * In this brave new world, we have at least seen some interesting new soccer formats and rules. Despite the current predicament, we have witnessed some innovative soccer regulations and game styles. * From 5-a-side to VAR, the game is evolving all the time. Football is constantly adapting and transforming, from the 5-a-side variant to the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system. * It's up to the fans to decide what they think of these changes, but one thing's for sure - they are here to stay. It is the supporters who will have to determine their stance on these changes, but one thing is incontrovertible - the reforms are permanent.