For Sammy Lee, leaving Liverpool was the best decision he ever made. The legendary former England assistant and Reds stalwart had won everything with his boyhood club, but a loss of direction followed when Michael Robinson suggested joining Osasuna in 1986.
It was a move that changed everything for Lee. "You can tell with people, good people," he says, reflecting on the decision. "It smelled right, felt right. Everything about it." The journey took him from Pamplona to Bilbao and eventually led to a successful career as a coach, with stints at Bolton Wanderers, Crystal Palace, and Everton among others.
Lee credits Robinson for opening his eyes to coaching and making the move to Spain. "It was wonderful. It enhanced me as a person," he recalls. But Lee also acknowledges the difficult times, including his struggles adapting to life outside of Liverpool. "I didn't really appreciate it all... I understood everything a lot more, the process, when I became a coach."
As Lee looks back on his career, he is proud of his work with Sam Allardyce at Bolton and Ronnie Koeman at Southampton, where he was the first Englishman to win the Premier League. He also reflects fondly on working with Sven-Göran Eriksson as England's assistant manager.
Lee says that appreciation for Eriksson came too late and wishes more people had praised his coaching abilities during his time at the FA. However, he is quick to dismiss any notion that playing for England was a chore, instead emphasizing the camaraderie and shared passion for the game.
Lee still finds himself drawn to Pamplona's way of life, which instilled in him a love for the beautiful game. "It started here," he says, with a smile, reflecting on the journey that has brought him back to where it all began – Liverpool.
It was a move that changed everything for Lee. "You can tell with people, good people," he says, reflecting on the decision. "It smelled right, felt right. Everything about it." The journey took him from Pamplona to Bilbao and eventually led to a successful career as a coach, with stints at Bolton Wanderers, Crystal Palace, and Everton among others.
Lee credits Robinson for opening his eyes to coaching and making the move to Spain. "It was wonderful. It enhanced me as a person," he recalls. But Lee also acknowledges the difficult times, including his struggles adapting to life outside of Liverpool. "I didn't really appreciate it all... I understood everything a lot more, the process, when I became a coach."
As Lee looks back on his career, he is proud of his work with Sam Allardyce at Bolton and Ronnie Koeman at Southampton, where he was the first Englishman to win the Premier League. He also reflects fondly on working with Sven-Göran Eriksson as England's assistant manager.
Lee says that appreciation for Eriksson came too late and wishes more people had praised his coaching abilities during his time at the FA. However, he is quick to dismiss any notion that playing for England was a chore, instead emphasizing the camaraderie and shared passion for the game.
Lee still finds himself drawn to Pamplona's way of life, which instilled in him a love for the beautiful game. "It started here," he says, with a smile, reflecting on the journey that has brought him back to where it all began – Liverpool.
. Leaving Liverpool in 1986 was actually a huge mistake for Sammy Lee 
. Joining Osasuna was a bold move, but I think he was just trying to escape the pressure of being a legend at Anfield. The fact that he said it "smelled right" and felt right is kinda vague to me 
. I mean, you can't just leave one of the biggest clubs in England because something doesn't feel right? It's not like he was unhappy with his life in Liverpool or anything... 
. I'm guessing Lee just wanted someone to take credit for discovering him as a coach 
. Anyway, glad to see Lee back at Liverpool, maybe he can show them how it's done this time! 
I think what resonates with me most about Sammy Lee's story is how he's found his way back home to Liverpool after exploring different parts of Spain and building an incredible coaching career abroad. There's something special about being true to yourself and finding that balance between pursuing your passions and staying connected to where you started. For someone like Sammy, who's had the opportunity to experience so much, it's beautiful that he's found a way to integrate those experiences into his life at Liverpool 
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. But let's get real, his move from Liverpool in 1986 sounds like it was super impulsive 
. I mean, going from a winning team to joining Osasuna? That's some big life changes 
. I'd love to see more about what happened during that transition period - how did he cope with leaving the familiarity of Liverpool and adapting to a new culture? 
And let's give it up for Michael Robinson, the coach who helped Lee find his coaching mojo! 
I'm loving how Lee takes credit for his mistakes too - "I didn't really appreciate it all" - yikes, I can relate to that feeling! 
he left Liverpool and it was literally 2 best decisions eva 
! He credits Michael Robinson 4 opening his eyes 2 coaching and it's so cool how that changed his life 
! Lee's all about the process now as a coach and he's super proud of his work @ Bolton and Southampton 
... like who wouldn't?
1986 is like ancient history lol! i can imagine how tough it must've been for him adapting to life outside of the club he loved so much 
but then he ended up having an amazing career as a coach and working with some top managers 
anyway, it's cool that he's still got love for pamplona's way of life 
i mean who wouldn't want to be surrounded by football all day?