Daniel Agger must stay and fight for Liverpool FC place - Gary Gillespie

In his debut season Liverpool won the first treble in English football history but he made just one appearance.

However, rather than lose heart, Gillespie knuckled down and patience proved to be a virtue as he got his chance to shine.

Despite being hampered by injuries, he went on to play a key role in three title winning campaigns and clocked up 214 appearances during eight successful years at Anfield.

Fast forward two and a half decades and Daniel Agger finds himself in a similar situation.

The 24-year-old missed most of the last campaign with a metatarsal injury and this season he has had to play second fiddle to Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel. With Sami Hyypia also in great form, Agger has been restricted to just 10 league starts.

He has started just one league game since the 5-1 win at Newcastle just after Christmas and has been an unused substitute on 17 occasions.

Gillespie knows exactly what he is going through.

"You have to have belief in your own ability to go to a club like Liverpool and Agger will be feeling very frustrated with how this season has gone for him," he said.

"When the team is doing well it's difficult to break in regardless of how well you do and you feel like you are banging your head against a brick wall.

"In the modern game it's certainly harder to be patient but all you can do is knuckle down on the training ground.

"There's no doubt Daniel has the quality but he just has to realise that the people in front of him are doing a good job. His time will come, just as my time did."

Agger has yet to agree a new contract and has been linked with a move this summer. However, Gillespie believes walking away would be a big mistake.

He said: "If he left it would be a massive shame, not just for the club but also for Daniel himself.

"He's at a club here where he can grow and he will get opportunities.

"Hyypia is coming to the end of his career and Carragher can't go on forever. I can certainly see a future for Liverpool with Agger and Skrtel as the two centre-backs.

"It's difficult for Agger just now but he has to look at the bigger picture and there is no greater football club to be a player at."

Gillespie never lost heart during his battle to make the grade at Anfield and the 48-year-old has no regrets after deciding to stay and fight for his place.

"I was Joe Fagan's first signing in 1983 but due to the form of Hansen and Lawrenson I didn't really establish myself in the side until the double winning season of 85/86," he said.

"Before Liverpool I'd had five years at Coventry and played 200 odd games so I went to Anfield believing I was good enough to warrant a place in the side.

"You have to have that belief. It was hard at times, especially when I'd come into the side, play well but then get dropped when Hansen or Lawrenson were fit again.

"But fortunately for me it turned around. We actually played three at the back in some games or either Mark or myself played full-back as we were all pretty versatile and adaptable.

"Injuries denied me the chance to play more. I got a bad one at Luton on the plastic pitch in 1989 when I ruptured medial ligaments in a tackle with Steve Foster.

"It kept me out for nearly six months and looking back my right hand side was never the same again.

"But I had a fantastic eight years at Anfield - the best years of my football career."

Gillespie played 35 matches in the 1990/91 season but soon after Graeme Souness succeeded Dalglish as boss he was sold to boyhood idols Celtic for £925,000. He stayed there for three years before rejoining Coventry.

"It certainly wasn't obvious that the end for me at Liverpool was close," he revealed. "I had played the rest of the season under Souness and we had finished second. But the following pre-season we went to Scandinavia and I didn't get a game.

"When I got back Souness pulled me into his office to say the club had accepted an offer from Celtic.

"I was shocked and I didn't want to leave but Celtic were the team I supported as a lad. To be honest if it had been any other club I wouldn't have agreed to go.

"It was tough to take and after eight years that was a sad day for me."

Scotsman is loving media role

THESE days Gary Gillespie is enjoying life behind the mic.

The Southport-based Scotsman works for LFC TV and does the co-commentary on all of the Reds' matches.

"I worked for Radio Merseyside for six or seven years until the club's TV channel started about 18 months ago," he said.

"That's my main concern these days and it's been a great opportunity.

"When you stop playing everyone is looking for something to do. I did some coaching at Coventry under Phil Neal and I also did a year with Dave Jones at Stockport in 1997.

"But after that I drifted out of football and fell into the media side of things which has been very good to me."

Gillespie is also a keen golfer at Southport & Ainsdale and still dusts off his boots occasionally for the Liverpool Legends.

"I play quite a lot of golf but I'm not as committed as I used to be," he said.

"I've got to the stage of my life where it has to be decent weather to get out on that course.

"I'm hanging on to my handicap of two but it's a struggle and I think that will be climbing back up shortly.

"I still enjoy playing a match with the lads but that's getting harder the older I get.

"We've been blooding some of the 'youngsters' in the veterans side these days with the likes of Steve McManaman, Jason McAteer and Phil Babb getting a game. We need those lads to do our running for us!

"We're very fortunate as with the club's global fan base we get to go to some amazing places and it's always great to get away with the boys - it's just like the old days."

Factfile

Born: 05/07/60 - Bonnybridge, Scotland

Liverpool appearances: 214

Liverpool goals: 16

Other clubs: Falkirk, Coventry, Celtic, Aylesbury United

Started his career at Falkirk and was their skipper aged 17.

Coventry paid £75,000 to sign him before his 18th birthday in March 1978.

Became Joe Fagan's first transfer as Liverpool boss in the summer of 1983 as he was signed for £325,000.

Made his debut against Walsall in the League Cup in February 1984.

Played 24 times in the Reds' League and FA Cup double winning campaign of 1985/86.

Also figured prominently in the championship campaigns of 1987/88 and 1989/90.

Won 13 international caps for Scotland.

Sold by Graeme Souness to' Celtic for £925,000 in 1991.

Played 67 matches for the Hoops over three years before finishing his pro career at Coventry.