Upwardly mobile and enjoying the lifestyle

A GAGGLE of pubescent girls are waiting for Jason McAteer outside the restaurant, a well known haunt of the Liverpool soccer squad down at the city's trendy Albert Dock.

They have recognised his car, not difficult as it is the only Porsche Boxster in the North East of England. Most would be buyers face a waiting list of six months to a year, butt by virtue of his position in one's of the country's most famous soccer squads, McAteer was able to get in first. Liverpool players can get away without paying for parking, too. "Don't worry about it," he says, ignoring the council request to pay and display. "We run this gaff."

As he pauses to sign mini posters of himself proferred by the doe eyed girls, his mobile phone starts ringing. Again. The Premiership is the new, monarchy and everyone wants to touch the hem of the prince's robe.

The restaurant where he is lunching seems to be full of his social circle - a girl he used to fancy, the guy who gets the Liverpool boys their motors and two of his partners in on and off pitch play, Phil Babb and Jamie Redknapp.

The ability to kick a football around has opened up a parallel universe of modelling contracts, showbiz parties, appearances in pop videos and, on chat shows.

The Scouser from a working class family of Irish descent, finds it all a little bewildering. He rubs his forehead. "It's frightening. Five years ago when I started it was nothing like this. Footballers are like pop stars now and everyone wants a piece of us.

"We went to the Brit Awards and all these pop stars like Simply Red and Cast and Kylie were coming up and wanting to talk to us whereas it should be the other way round. I was like, `Bloody hell!'"

However, such status does not come without demands. Still smarting after cup defeat by Chelsea, McAteer is conscious that the league championship has eluded Liverpool since 89/90. Their red rivals Manchester United, who they face on April 19th, have been stealing all the silverware and he wants the tables turned.

"It's our time to win the league. It's incredible to think Liverpool have gone seven years without winning the biggest prize in English football, when they took the honours all the time when I was a kid. The city is bred on soccer success and it's about time we had some more. With the position we are in and the squad we've got there's no reason why we can't. It's just down to us to do it."

McAteer, at right wing back, is crucial to Liverpool's plans. On the pitch he dashes up and down, back and forth like an excited hound. In appearance, too, he is puppyish with chocolate brown eyes, shaggy golden hair and an air of exuberant affability. A natural midfielder, his lust for life has occasionally got him into trouble when he forgets the defensive necessities to hare off upfield in instinctive pursuit of the ball. The Anfield regime has taught him to harness that boisterous energy but he's still managed three goals on the score sheet.

"I've learned discipline. I can't go off running where I want, like I used to. At Liverpool you do what you are told. Go up and attack, stay and defend, and know when to do which. A lot of things have been coached out of me since I've been here and I've learned so much.

"I'd still like to end up in the midfield, though. I've never made a secret of that. I'm at home there in the middle of things."

McAteer, nephew of boxers Pat and Les, may have had a meteoric rise from non league soccer to international level within three years - but at the beginning he struggled. His professional trials for Manchester United, Chester and Tranmere as a teenager were unsuccessful and his mum told him to get himself a proper career. McAteer's mum is his guiding light. When he first moved away from home he was so helpless his then boss, Bolton's Bruce Rioch asked her to take him back. He, was slowly weaned into living by himself a day at a time. She still does his washing and makes sure he's eating properly.

"I had me heart set on being a footballer and it just wasn't happening. Me mum sat me down and said what are you going to do with yourself because you ain't going to be a footballer? As I was quite good at drawing I went to art college to do graphic design but I was crap. Me and deadlines didn't go. So there I was, no footie, crap at graphic design, what was I going to do?"

At 20 he was playing football as a semi pro for the non League Marine Reserves and working in a pub near his home in Birkenhead for £2 an hour while giving up all hones of ever playing professional.

But his dream ticket was just in the post. Phil Neal spotted him and signed him for Bolton. He went in January 1992, for £500 and was a regular for them over the next two seasons, initially on the right wing and then into midfield. He helped them get promoted twice, scored IS goals and was nicknamed "The Engine" because of his relentless stamina.

In 1994 he got the call up from Jack Charlton and the offer of an international cap at wing back via his Irish grandparentage. On his mum's advice he turned down an England B opportunity to join Ireland and played in the World Cup finals in the States.

The following year he said goodbye to Bolton and left for the club he had followed as a boy. Liverpool, who had just beaten him and his Bolton colleagues in the English League Cup, offered £4.5m for him to fulfil all his dreams.

He's confident about his international future, too, as new boss Mick McCarthy has described him as the best wing back in the Premiership.

No, it's not at all bad being Jason McAteer. "I've been in an FA Cup final, a Coca Cola Cup final, I've been a PFA All Star player twice, I've won promotion, I've played for my country and I'm playing for the club I've always wanted to play for. Me mates say, `how can you ever sulk or be unhappy?' It's a dream come true isn't it? If it all ended tomorrow, for the last five years it's been perfect. Perfect."

Wise Mrs McAteer has already warned her son of the transience of his profession. "When people who ask me for autographs say, `Oh, you must hate all this Jason,' I say, `I'll hate it in 10 years time when you're not asking me.' Me mum says I'll have to learn to deal with that, with people not wanting me, `cos it'll happen'."

Not quite yet, though. People still want Jason McAteer. As he leaves the restaurant, his mobile phone is glued to his ear again.