Editing Ray Kennedy (section)

==Club career==
Ray Kennedy was born on 28 July 1951 in [[Seaton Delaval]], a former [[pit village]] in [[Northumberland]], to Martin and Veronica Kennedy, a coal miner and housewife, respectively.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=10}}</ref> He was the eldest of four children: Trevor, Michael, and Janet.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=26}}</ref> He was spotted playing schoolboy football by a [[Scout (association football)|scout]] at [[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]] and began training at [[Vale Park]] after [[Manager (association football)|manager]] [[Stanley Matthews]] came to the Kennedy home to persuade him to sign schoolboy forms at the club.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=33}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Kennedy File|url=http://www.lfchistory.net/images/newspapers/magazines/various/raykennedy-diary.jpg|website=lfchistory.net|access-date=30 May 2016}}</ref> However, at the age of sixteen Matthews felt Kennedy was "too slow to be a footballer".<ref>{{cite book|last=Sherwin|first=Phil|title=The Port Vale Miscellany|publisher=The History Press|location=Brimscombe Port|year=2010|pages=16|isbn=978-0-7524-5777-2}}</ref> Kennedy was considered to be too big and clumsy to be a professional, and groundskeeper Dennis Dawson said he was the only man at the club to see any potential in the youngster.<ref name="Tale">{{cite book|last=Kent|first=Jeff|title=Port Vale Tales: A Collection Of Stories, Anecdotes And Memories|publisher=Witan Books|date=December 1991|pages=98|isbn=978-0-9508981-6-2}}</ref> The club released him after being told that he would never make it as a professional.<ref name="Tale" />

Kennedy returned to his native north-east in March 1967 and started working in a sweet factory whilst playing as an amateur for New Hartley Juniors, where he built a successful attacking partnership with former England schoolboy international Ian Watts.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=44}}</ref> The pair scored 142 goals between them and helped the club to win the East Northumberland Junior League, the Northumberland FA Junior Cup, the East Northumberland Junior League Cup, the North East Youth Challenge Cup, the East Northumberland Junior League Charlton Trophy, the Tynemouth Junior League Challenge Cup and the Magpie Trophy.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=45}}</ref>

===Arsenal===

Kennedy was spotted by [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] playing for New Hartley Juniors. Though the scouts had initially gone to the game to watch his striker partner, Watts, Kennedy had impressed enough to win an apprentice [[Association football contracts|contract]] with Arsenal in May 1968.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=46}}</ref> He then signed professional forms with the club in November 1968.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=53}}</ref> He had a difficult task though to win a first-team place, as manager [[Bertie Mee]] used only 15 players throughout the entire [[1968–69 Arsenal F.C. season|1968–69]] season, during which time Kennedy made 20 appearances for the [[Arsenal F.C. Reserves|Reserve]] team as they claimed [[the Football Combination]] Division One title.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=59}}</ref>

He made his first-team debut on 29 September 1969, against [[Glentoran F.C.|Glentoran]] in the [[UEFA Europa League|Inter-Cities Fairs Cup]]<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=61}}</ref> and his [[Football League First Division|First Division]] debut as a [[Substitute (association football)|substitute]] on 18 October, a 1–1 draw with [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]] at [[Roker Park]].<ref name="page 64">{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=64}}</ref> He scored his first goal for the Gunners in the reverse fixture against Sunderland at [[Arsenal Stadium|Highbury]], which ended in a 3–1 win.<ref name="page 64"/><ref>{{cite web|last1=Beardsley|first1=Ian|title=Topic of the Day|url=http://www.lfchistory.net/images/newspapers/ian.beardsley/raykennedy344-arsenal.jpg|website=lfchistory.net|access-date=30 May 2016}}</ref> He went on to appear as a 77th-minute substitute in the first leg of the [[1970 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final|Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final]] against Belgian club [[R.S.C. Anderlecht|Anderlecht]] at [[Constant Vanden Stock Stadium]], and scored a late goal in a 3–1 defeat.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=65}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Ray Kennedy – A Gentle Giant Remembered|url=http://goonerholic.com/2015/03/ray-kennedy-a-gentle-giant-remembered/|website=goonerholic.com|access-date=30 May 2016}}</ref> Though he did not appear in the second leg, his goal proved to be decisive as Arsenal claimed a 4–3 [[aggregate score|aggregate]] victory to win the first European trophy in the [[Arsenal F.C. in European football|club's history]].<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=67}}</ref>

[[Charlie George]] [[Ankle fracture|broke his ankle]] on the opening game of the [[1970–71 Arsenal F.C. season|1970–71]] season, and Kennedy replaced him as [[John Radford (footballer)|John Radford]]'s strike partner for the following game and went on to feature in the remaining league fixtures of the campaign as Arsenal went on to be crowned champions.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=68}}</ref> They exited the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup with a defeat to the German side [[1. FC Köln]] at the quarter-final stage, though after their draw with [[S.S. Lazio|Lazio]] in the First Round Kennedy was attacked by some of the Lazio players in an Italian restaurant, and in the ensuing brawl, police pulled a gun on teammate [[Eddie Kelly (footballer)|Eddie Kelly]]; Kennedy later said the Lazio players targeted him due to his "cheeky face".<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=73}}</ref> Back in the league, he scored his first [[hat-trick]] in victory over [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]]. However, he admitted after the match that he was "still expecting to be dropped any minute".<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=74}}</ref> Arsenal overtook [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]] to win the league title on the final day of the season, Kennedy scoring the only goal of the game with a late [[Header (association football)|header]] in a 1–0 victory over [[North London derby]] rivals [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]] at [[White Hart Lane]].<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=86}}</ref> In the [[FA Cup]], Arsenal progressed past [[Yeovil Town F.C.|Yeovil Town]], [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]] (following a [[Replay (sports)|replay]]), [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]], [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]] (following a replay), and [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]] (following a replay), before meeting [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] in [[1971 FA Cup final|the final]] at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]]. Liverpool led early in [[Overtime (sports)|extra time]], but goals from George Graham and Charlie George won the game for Arsenal. They secured only the fourth [[Double (association football)|Double]] in English football.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=91}}</ref> Kennedy had missed some good chances throughout the match, though he later pointed out that "nobody really remembers anything bad if you win".<ref>{{cite web|last1=McCluskey|first1=Robert|title=Interview with Ray Kennedy from Retro Reds|url=http://www.lfchistory.net/Articles/Article/2443-2|website=lfchistory.net|publisher=Retro Reds|access-date=30 May 2016|date=2008}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Arsenal endured a poor start to the [[1971–72 Arsenal F.C. season|1971–72]] season, and as a result, Mee purchased [[Alan Ball Jr.|Alan Ball]] from [[Everton F.C.|Everton]] for [[Pound sterling|£]]220,000.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=103}}</ref> They went on to go 14 games unbeaten over the winter, closing the gap on leaders Manchester City to four points.<ref name="page 104">{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=104}}</ref> They were knocked out of the [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]] at the quarter-final stage by eventual winners [[AFC Ajax|Ajax]].<ref name="page 104"/> They ended the season in fifth place, and gifted [[Derby County F.C.|Derby County]] the league title by denying Liverpool what would have proved to be a decisive victory on the penultimate day of the season.<ref name="page 105">{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=105}}</ref> Arsenal returned to Wembley to defend the FA Cup, but [[1972 FA Cup final|lost 1–0]] to Leeds United; Kennedy had lost his first-team place late in the season after fatigue began to affect his form, and was only named as a substitute for the final before he came on for Radford after 73 minutes.<ref name="page 105"/> He scored 19 goals in 55 appearances to finish as the [[List of Arsenal F.C. seasons|club's top goalscorer]] for the second successive season.<ref name="page 105"/>

He struggled at the start of the [[1972–73 Arsenal F.C. season|1972–73]] season, his confidence and form suffered as defenders marked him more closely and poor diet saw his weight rise to over {{convert|14|st}}.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=106}}</ref> [[Captain (association football)|Captain]] [[Frank McLintock]] remarked to the management that Kennedy was only operating at 60% capacity. Kennedy was fined £200 before he began to shed weight and rediscover his form.<ref name="page 110">{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=110}}</ref> Arsenal finished the season in second place, and he scored just nine league goals throughout the campaign.<ref name="page 110"/> Arsenal reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, where Sunderland beat them.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=111}}</ref>

Arsenal dropped into mid-table throughout the [[1973–74 Arsenal F.C. season|1973–74]] season, with McLintock's departure signalling the demise of the Double-winning team.<ref name="page 112">{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=112}}</ref> Kennedy failed to score from 6 October to mid-January, and speculation rose of possible moves to Sunderland, [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]], or [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]].<ref name="page 112"/> In February, he released a statement saying that "my game has gone downhill since I got married but has started to pick up again now I am in bachelordom... I feel that I am better off without her".<ref name="page 112"/> He ended the season in good form, though Mee had already decided to move him on and replace him with [[Brian Kidd]].<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=113}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|I couldn't believe it when he left and felt it was a great shame to have broken up our partnership which had wobbled slightly but which I was sure would come together again with a little time.|Strike partner John Radford was particularly disappointed to see that Kennedy was sold on, and himself would leave the club in December 1976 after 12 seasons in the Arsenal first team.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=117}}</ref>}}

===Liverpool===
[[File:Jan Peters in aktie, Bestanddeelnr 931-7562.jpg|thumb|right|Kennedy (right) defending against [[AZ (football club)|AZ]]'s [[Jan Peters (footballer, born 1954)|Jan Peters]] in October 1981. This would be his final season playing for [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]], as he was sold to [[Swansea City A.F.C.|Swansea City]] in January 1982.]]

In July 1974, Kennedy was sold to Liverpool for a [[List of Liverpool F.C. records and statistics|club record]] £200,000.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=114}}</ref> Manager [[Bill Shankly]] resigned on the same day as the [[Transfer (association football)|transfer]] was made, though had admired Kennedy for years and stated that "maybe it will be said that one of the last things I did at this club was to sign a great new player".<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=115}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Ray Kennedy switch was Bob Paisley masterstroke|url=http://www.lfchistory.net/Articles/Article/2059|website=lfchistory.net|publisher=Liverpool Echo|access-date=30 May 2016}}</ref> Shortly after the move Kennedy got back in touch with his estranged wife. The pair began living together in [[Ainsdale]].<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=130}}</ref> New manager [[Bob Paisley]] handed Kennedy his debut in place of [[John Toshack]] against [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] at [[Stamford Bridge (stadium)|Stamford Bridge]] on 31 August 1974. It took Kennedy 22 minutes to open his goalscoring account as the Reds recorded a comfortable 3–0 win.<ref name="page 131">{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=131}}</ref> Liverpool ended the [[1974–75 Liverpool F.C. season|1974–75]] season as runners-up to Derby County in the league.<ref name="page 131"/> Kennedy featured just 25 times in the league as Toshack formed an effective combination with [[Kevin Keegan]] up front and started to become frustrated and disillusioned in the club.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=132}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Cummings|first1=Ann|title=Ray's unique double bid|url=http://www.lfchistory.net/images/newspapers/echo/1979-03-01-month-rkennedy.jpg|website=lfchistory.net|access-date=30 May 2016}}</ref>

Bob Paisley felt Kennedy could perform as a midfielder. After Kennedy replaced an injured [[Peter Cormack]] against [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]] on 1 November, he went on to make the number five shirt his own for the rest of the decade.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=136}}</ref> His new position allowed him to use his vision and distribution to create chances for his teammates whilst still allowing him to make runs into scoring positions to add goals himself.<ref name="lfchistory.net">{{cite web|title=Profile|url=http://www.lfchistory.net/Players/Player/Profile/344|website=lfchistory.net|access-date=30 May 2016}}</ref> Liverpool won the league title in [[1975–76 Liverpool F.C. season|1975–76]] with a final day victory over [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]] to beat [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.|Queens Park Rangers]] into second place.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=137}}</ref> They also secured the [[UEFA Europa League|UEFA Cup]], knocking out [[Hibernian F.C.|Hibernian]] (Scotland), [[Real Sociedad]] (Spain), [[Śląsk Wrocław]] ([[Poland]]), [[Dynamo Dresden]] (Germany), and [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]] (Spain), before facing Belgian side [[Club Brugge KV|Club Brugge]] in [[1976 UEFA Cup final|the final]].<ref name="page 138">{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=138}}</ref> Liverpool were losing 2–0 in the first leg of the final at [[Anfield]] before Kennedy scored the first of Liverpool's three goals to overturn the deficit; in the return leg at the [[Jan Breydel Stadium|Olympiastadion]], Liverpool drew 1–1 to win the tie 4–3 on aggregate.<ref name="page 138"/>

Liverpool opened the new season by claiming the [[1976 FA Charity Shield]] with a 1–0 win over [[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]] and went on to win the league largely on their home form, Kennedy's goal in a 2–1 win over title contenders [[Ipswich Town F.C.|Ipswich Town]] on 30 April proving to be decisive.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=145}}</ref> Though Liverpool failed to win any of their last four league matches, they finished one point clear of Manchester City in second. Liverpool won the [[UEFA Super Cup|European Super Cup]] with a comprehensive [[1977 European Super Cup|7–1 victory]] over German club [[Hamburger SV|Hamburg]]. Liverpool also reached the [[1977 FA Cup final]] but lost the chance to follow Arsenal's feat at achieving the Double as they were beaten 2–1 by [[Liverpool F.C.–Manchester United F.C. rivalry|bitter rivals]] Manchester United.<ref name="page 150">{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=150}}</ref> In the [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]], Liverpool beat [[Crusaders F.C.|Crusaders]] (Northern Ireland), [[Trabzonspor]] ([[Turkey]]), [[AS Saint-Étienne]] (France), and [[FC Zürich]] (Switzerland) to reach [[1977 European Cup final|the final]] against German side [[Borussia Mönchengladbach]].<ref name="page 150"/> In the final at [[Rome]]'s [[Stadio Olimpico]], Keegan was [[Fouls and misconduct (association football)|fouled]] by Vogts and won a late [[Penalty kick (association football)|penalty]] which [[Phil Neal]] converted to give Liverpool a 3–1 victory.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=157}}</ref>

Following a 0–0 draw with Manchester United in the [[1977 FA Charity Shield]], a disappointing start to the [[1977–78 Liverpool F.C. season|1977–78]] season saw Liverpool out of the title race early on whilst they exited the FA Cup at the Third Round. They did, though, recover to post a second-place finish in the league after winning nine of their last 12 matches to end the campaign seven points behind [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]].<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=168}}</ref> They progressed to the [[1978 Football League Cup final|League Cup final]] after Kennedy scored the winning goal past former club Arsenal in the semi-final.<ref>{{cite news|title=Dithery Ray is the Last Hero|url=http://www.lfchistory.net/images/newspapers/ian.beardsley/1978-02-07arsenalhome.jpg|access-date=30 May 2016|date=7 February 1978}}</ref> However, Liverpool lost out 1–0 to Nottingham Forest in the replay of the final at [[Old Trafford]].<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=169}}</ref> Despite these domestic disappointments, Liverpool went on to reach the final of the European Cup after defeating Dynamo Dresden, [[S.L. Benfica|Benfica]] (Portugal), and Borussia Mönchengladbach; Mönchengladbach manager [[Udo Lattek]] singled out Kennedy as the best player of the semi-final, as Kennedy scored a goal and provided assists for both [[Kenny Dalglish]] and Jimmy Case in the second leg.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=170}}</ref> In the final, Liverpool faced Club Brugge at Wembley and successfully defended the trophy after seeing out a 1–0 win.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=171}}</ref>

Liverpool's chances of winning a third successive European Cup were ended with a defeat to Nottingham Forest in the First Round.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=172}}</ref> However, they opened the league campaign with six straight wins and dominated the league by finishing eight points clear of second-placed Forest, scoring 85 goals and conceding just 16 in the process.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=174}}</ref> His goal against Derby County on 24 February won him ''[[Match of the Day]]'''s [[BBC Goal of the Season|Goal of the Season]] award.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ray Kennedy|url=http://www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamPlyrsBios/PlayersK/BioKennedyR.html|website=englandfootballonline.com|access-date=30 May 2016}}</ref> Writing in his autobiography, Paisley named the [[1978–79 Liverpool F.C. season|1978–79]] team as the best championship team he had been associated with during his 40 years with the club.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=180}}</ref> Manchester United again denied them the chance to win the Double, however, as United knocked Liverpool out of the semi-finals of the FA Cup following a replay at [[Goodison Park]].<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=175}}</ref> Liverpool also lost the [[1978 European Super Cup]], following a 4–3 aggregate defeat to Anderlecht.<ref>{{cite web |title=1978 Super Cup: Anderlecht back on top |url=https://www.uefa.com/uefasupercup/history/1978/ |website=[[UEFA]] |access-date=30 November 2021 |language=en |date=20 December 1978}}</ref>

Liverpool won the [[1979 FA Charity Shield]] with a 3–1 victory over Kennedy's former club Arsenal, but a [[knee]] [[ligament]] injury caused Kennedy to miss a small number of games early in the season.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=184}}</ref> Kennedy also felt that left-back [[Alan Kennedy]] was not up to the required standard, saying, "he took five years off my career... Alan had no nerves and not much brain... we didn't gel on the pitch".<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=185}}</ref> Alan blamed nerves for his difficulty in finding Kennedy with accurate passes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Alan and Ray Kennedy were an odd couple|url=http://www.lfchistory.net/Articles/Article/1067|website=lfchistory.net|access-date=30 May 2016}}</ref> Kennedy also began to face problems off the pitch, resulting in both he and Jimmy Case being arrested after they attacked a hotelier who had confused Kennedy with his namesake Alan.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=186}}</ref> The pair pleaded guilty to [[affray]] and were fined £150 each; despite this and other similar incidents, Kennedy did manage to avoid his off-field antics affecting his form or discipline on the pitch.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=187}}</ref> Kennedy later said "it was a good friendship" but "we were bad for each other".<ref name="lfchistory.net"/> Liverpool finished two points clear of second-place Manchester United in the league, with Kennedy claiming nine goals in 56 appearances.<ref name="page 188">{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=188}}</ref> They also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, where they were beaten by Arsenal in a replay following three draws in two replays and the original tie.<ref name="page 188"/> In the summer, Kennedy signed a new four-year contract with the club.<ref name="page 194">{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=194}}</ref>

Liverpool retained the Charity Shield by beating [[West Ham United F.C.|West Ham United]] [[1980 FA Charity Shield|1–0]]; however, despite only losing eight league games all season they won 17 and drew 17 of their remaining fixtures and ended the [[1980–81 Liverpool F.C. season|1980–81]] season in fifth place, nine points behind champions [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]].<ref name="page 194"/> In the League Cup, they knocked out [[Bradford City A.F.C.|Bradford City]], [[Swindon Town F.C.|Swindon Town]], [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]], [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]], and Manchester City to reach [[1981 Football League Cup final|the final]] against West Ham United. They then beat West Ham 2–1 in a replay of the final to claim the first League Cup in [[History of Liverpool F.C. (1959–1985)|the club's history]].<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=196}}</ref> They also reached the European Cup final after getting past [[Oulun Palloseura]] (Finland), [[Aberdeen F.C.|Aberdeen]] (Scotland), [[PFC CSKA Sofia|CSKA Sofia]] ([[Bulgaria]]), and [[FC Bayern Munich|Bayern Munich]] (Germany).<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=195}}</ref> In the semi-final against Bayern, Kennedy was named as captain as both [[Graeme Souness]] and [[Phil Thompson]] were injured and went on to score what proved to be the winning away goal at the [[Olympiastadion (Munich)|Olympiastadion]], cementing his reputation as a semi-final specialist.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=197}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Whitcher|first1=Kevin|title=Ray Kennedy|url=http://www.onlinegooner.com/article.php?section=exclusive&id=454#.V0wGK762HIE|website=onlinegooner.com|access-date=30 May 2016|archive-date=21 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821090502/http://www.onlinegooner.com/article.php?section=exclusive&id=454#.V0wGK762HIE|url-status=dead}}</ref> Liverpool then beat Spanish club [[Real Madrid C.F.|Real Madrid]] 1–0 in [[1981 European Cup final|a dour final]] to win a third European Cup.<ref name="page 199">{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=199}}</ref>

Following the sale of Jimmy Case, Kennedy began to become disillusioned with Liverpool and was [[Ejection (sports)|sent off]] twice in the space of a few weeks early in the [[1981–82 Liverpool F.C. season|1981–82]] season – the first red cards of his career.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=212}}</ref> He made his final league appearance for the club on 5 December, when he scored in a 2–0 win over Nottingham Forest at the [[City Ground]].<ref name="page 213">{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=213}}</ref> His final cup game for the club came eight days later, in a 3–0 defeat to Brazilian side [[Clube de Regatas do Flamengo|Flamengo]] in the [[1981 Intercontinental Cup]] at [[Tokyo]]'s [[National Stadium (Tokyo)|National Stadium]].<ref name="page 213"/> He was replaced in the team by [[Ronnie Whelan]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Forgotten Heroes: Ray Kennedy|url=http://www.thisisanfield.com/2005/04/forgotten-heroes-ray-kennedy/|website=thisisanfield.com|access-date=30 May 2016|date=18 April 2005}}</ref> Liverpool went on to win the league title after finishing four points ahead of second-place Ipswich Town, and Kennedy's 15 league appearances in the first half of the campaign were enough to earn him another league championship medal.<ref name="page 213"/> Sunderland attempted to sign him on [[Loan (sports)|loan]] in January 1982 but were denied by Liverpool, and Kennedy could not agree on personal terms with manager [[Alan Durban]] so was not signed by Sunderland on a permanent transfer.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=214}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|"Ray's contribution to Liverpool's achievements was enormous and his consistency remarkable. So much so, in fact, that on the rare occasions he missed a match his absence was felt deeply simply because he was a midfield power house with tremendous vision and knowledge of the game... In my view he was one of Liverpool's greatest players and probably the most underrated."|Paisley paid tribute to Kennedy in his 1983 autobiography.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=216}}</ref>}}

===Later career===
In January 1982, Kennedy was signed by [[Swansea City A.F.C.|Swansea City]] on a four-year contract for a £160,000 fee to play under former teammate John Toshack.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=215}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=. . . spotlight on former Swans midfielder |url=http://www.swanseacity.com/news/article/swansea-city-top-flight-jacks-ray-kennedy-2697633.aspx|website=swanseacity.com|access-date=30 May 2016}}</ref> The Swans had an unsuccessful attempt to win the league title, and five defeats in their final six games saw them end up in [[1981–82 Swansea City A.F.C. season|sixth place]], 17 points behind champions Liverpool.<ref name="page 224">{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=224}}</ref> They did though win the [[Welsh Cup]] after beating [[South Wales derby]] rivals [[Cardiff City F.C.|Cardiff City]] 2–1 in the final at [[Vetch Field]].<ref name="page 224"/> Despite voicing his concerns over the team and his own future at the club to Toshack, Kennedy was appointed club captain for the [[1982–83 Swansea City A.F.C. season|1982–83]] season.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=225}}</ref> He became injured with niggling hamstring problems in mid-season, and after one increasingly rare performance the local press described him as seemingly "unwilling to work and his usual composure on the ball was lacking".<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=226}}</ref> Kennedy's declining physical abilities were due to [[Parkinson's disease]]. However, he would not be diagnosed with the condition until after his retirement.<ref name="page 6">{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=6}}</ref> Toshack stripped Kennedy of the captaincy and suspended him from Vetch Field for two weeks.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=228}}</ref> He was placed on the transfer list in March 1983, and Swansea went on to be [[promotion and relegation|relegated]] into the [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]].<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=230}}</ref> The club's financial problems worsened, and players were asked to take a cut in wages to help ease the crisis, but Kennedy refused.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=231}}</ref> Toshack was sacked in October 1983, and Kennedy agreed to have his contract terminated.<ref name="Lees 1993 232">{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=232}}</ref>

Kennedy signed with [[Mick Docherty]]'s [[Hartlepool United F.C.|Hartlepool United]] of the [[Football League Fourth Division|Fourth Division]] in November 1983.<ref name="Lees 1993 232"/> Docherty was sacked the following month, and unsuccessfully attempted to report the club for negotiating an illegal contract with Kennedy.<ref name="page 236">{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=236}}</ref> His assistant, [[Billy Horner]], stepped up to manage the club for a second time in the face of a mounting financial crisis.<ref name="page 236"/> Hartlepool were forced to apply for re-election at the end of the season, and Kennedy was promoted to player-[[Coach (sport)|coach]] for his help in boosting support for the club's re-election campaign.<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=237}}</ref> However, he left [[Victoria Park (Hartlepool)|Victoria Park]] in summer 1984 to take up the position as [[Player-coach|player-manager]] of [[Cyprus|Cypriot]] side [[Pezoporikos Larnaca FC|Pezoporikos]].<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=238}}</ref> He became increasingly unable to play the game though due to his body's physical decline, and after a poor start to the [[1984–85 Cypriot First Division|1984–85]] season he returned to England in December against the board's wishes and handed in his resignation the following month, to allow him to run the Melton Constable [[public house]] in [[Seaton Sluice]], [[Whitley Bay]].<ref>{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=241}}</ref> In January 1985, he joined [[Northern Football League|Northern League]] side [[Ashington A.F.C.|Ashington]], managed by former teammate [[Colin Todd]], but could only manage six appearances after suffering from increasingly alarming stiffness in his right leg due to his worsening Parkinson's disease.<ref name="page 245">{{harvnb|Lees|1993|p=245}}</ref> Unable to turn out for his own Melton Constable [[Sunday league football|Sunday League]] team, he soon found daily life difficult to cope with.<ref name="page 245"/>