Football seasons are long and gruelling affairs, seeing players hit by all sorts of damage. As a result, it is less and less common for players to be able to take part in every single game of a season.
It happened in the past, largely because substitutes weren’t a thing and so players were depended upon, but isn’t something that we see much of any more. Here is a look at the players that were ever-presents in a campaign that featured at least 40 matches:
| Season | Players | Games Played |
|---|---|---|
| 1983-1984 | Alan Hansen, Alan Kennedy, Bruce Grobbelaar, Sammy Lee | 67 |
| 1972-1973 | Chris Lawler, Ian Callaghan, Larry Lloyd | 66 |
| 1984-1985 | Bruce Grobbelaar, Phil Neal | 64 |
| 1980-1981 | Phil Neal | 63 |
| 1985-1986 | Bruce Grobbelaar | 63 |
| 1976-1977 | Emlyn Hughes, Ray Clemence | 62 |
| 1977-1978 | Kenny Dalglish, Phil Neal | 62 |
| 1981-1982 | Bruce Grobbelaar, Kenny Dalglish, Phil Neal | 62 |
| 1973-1974 | Emlyn Hughes, Ian Callaghan, Kevin Keegan, Ray Clemence | 61 |
| 1979-1980 | Kenny Dalglish, Phil Neal, Phil Thompson | 60 |
| 1982-1983 | Alan Kennedy, Bruce Grobbelaar, Phil Neal | 60 |
| 1967-1968 | Chris Lawler, Tommy Lawrence | 59 |
| 1975-1976 | Phil Neal, Ray Clemence | 59 |
| 1986-1987 | Ian Rush | 57 |
| 1994-1995 | David James, Robbie Fowler | 57 |
| 1969-1970 | Bobby Graham, Chris Lawler | 54 |
| 1978-1979 | Kenny Dalglish, Phil Neal, Ray Kennedy | 54 |
| 1965-1966 | Gerry Byrne, Ian Callaghan, Ron Yeats, Tommy Lawrence, Tommy Smith | 53 |
| 1971-1972 | Chris Lawler, Emlyn Hughes, Ray Clemence | 53 |
| 1974-1975 | Emlyn Hughes, Ray Clemence | 53 |
| 1995-1996 | David James, Steve McManaman | 53 |
| 1966-1967 | Chris Lawler, Peter Thompson, Tommy Smith | 52 |
| 1996-1997 | David James, Stig Inge Bjørnebye | 52 |
| 1968-1969 | Chris Lawler, Ian Callaghan, Peter Thompson, Tommy Smith | 51 |
| 1987-1988 | Steve Nicol | 50 |
| 1989-1990 | Bruce Grobbelaar | 50 |
| 1962-1963 | Roger Hunt | 48 |
| 1923-1924 | Elisha Scott | 47 |
| 1955-1956 | Geoff Twentyman | 47 |
| 1960-1961 | Bert Slater, Dick White | 47 |
| 1961-1962 | Alan A’Court, Gerry Byrne, Gordon Milne, Jimmy Melia | 47 |
| 1963-1964 | Gordon Milne, Ian Callaghan, Peter Thompson | 47 |
| 1913-1914 | Tom Fairfoul | 46 |
| 1921-1922 | Dick Forshaw, Fred Hopkin | 46 |
| 1922-1923 | Dick Forshaw, Donald McKinlay, Elisha Scott | 46 |
| 1924-1925 | Danny Shone | 46 |
| 1926-1927 | Harry Chambers | 46 |
| 1931-1932 | Gordon Gunson, Tiny Bradshaw | 46 |
| 1948-1949 | Jack Balmer | 46 |
| 1920-1921 | Walter Wadsworth | 45 |
| 1925-1926 | Harry Chambers | 45 |
| 1928-1929 | James Jackson, Tom Morrison | 45 |
| 1938-1939 | Jack Balmer, Matt Busby | 45 |
| 1905-1906 | Arthur Goddard | 44 |
| 1927-1928 | Dick Edmed, Tom Bromilow | 44 |
| 1959-1960 | Alan A’Court, Ronnie Moran | 44 |
| 1930-1931 | Archie McPherson, Tommy Lucas | 43 |
| 1932-1933 | Willie Steel | 43 |
| 1936-1937 | Alf Hanson | 43 |
| 1950-1951 | Eddie Spicer | 43 |
| 1956-1957 | Ronnie Moran | 43 |
| 1958-1959 | Dick White | 43 |
| 1912-1913 | Bob Ferguson | 42 |
| 1910-1911 | Bobby Robinson | 40 |
| 1914-1915 | Jimmy Nicholl | 40 |
The 1983-1984 campaign is an obvious standout one, with Liverpool playing 67 matches in all competitions. It is perhaps not all that surprising that Bruce Grobbelaar played every game, given the fact that matches are a lot less taxing for goalkeepers, but that Alan Hansen, Alan Kennedy and Sammy Lee were ever-present is quietly remarkable.
It is something of a reflection of the modern game that the last season to have an ever-present players whatsoever in was the 1996-1997 campaign, with David James, another goalkeeper, and Stig Inge Bjørnebye being the players that appeared in all 52 games.
