100 Players
Who Shook The Kop – the groundbreaking series that had every Liverpool fan
talking back in 2006 – is set to return this summer, here's my top ten
countdown.
#4 -
Billy Liddell
For
Liverpudlians of a certain generation, Billy Liddell remains the greatest
player ever to pull on a red jersey.
Such was
his impact, supporters even renamed the club in his honour by coining the
nickname Liddellpool.
The winger
came to prominence amid the gloom of the 1950s when relegation from the top
flight and humiliating cup exits meant the Kop had little to smile about.
The one
shining light was William Beveridge Liddell, a player whose name to this day
evokes dewy-eyed reminisces of a bygone football age.
During a
barren era which commands little coverage in Liverpool history books, the Scot
ensured crowds continued to flock to Anfield in their thousands and was largely
responsible for keeping the club's head above the abyss of Football League
oblivion.
Although
his modesty would never have allowed him to admit it, without Liddell the Reds
could well have sunk into the murky depths of the old Third Division. And if
they had, who's to say they'd ever have escaped?
Who, when
the 17-year-old arrived on Merseyside back in 1938, imagined the club would one
day owe him such a debt?
It is
Manchester United legend Matt Busby, at the time Liverpool captain, who the
Reds have to thank for tipping off scout Johnny Dougary about a precocious
youngster plying his trade for Lochgelly Violet.
Here was a
thrilling, skilful, two-footed winger - fast, direct and capable of bursting
the back of any opposition net with one of his trademark thunderbolts.
Liddell's
fame soon spread far beyond the boundaries of Merseyside, even if a quick
glance at his medal collection does not make for impressive reading. A solitary
League Championship, won in 1946-47, was scant reward to the talent he
possessed.
But the
fact he was twice selected to represent Great Britain during the course of his
career – a feat matched only by the legendary Stanley Mathews – is ample proof,
if needed, of his immense stature in the game.
Like all
players of his generation, the outbreak of war proved restrictive but, having
scored on his Liverpool debut in a wartime fixture, he was ready to take a
place in the first team when league football resumed.
The flying
Scotsman's league debut was a memorable affair, a 7-4 thriller at home to
Chelsea in which he scored two, one direct from a corner. It was the start of a
campaign that was to see Liverpool crowned the first post-war champions.
Unfortunately,
George Kay's team failed to build on that success but Liddell's performances
continued to be of the highest standard. In 1950 he inspired the Reds to their
first Wembley FA Cup final, but on a grey day in the capital the Kop's star man
was infamously kicked off the park as Arsenal ran out 2-0 winners.
The
following year, King Billy of Anfield almost became one of the British game's
first exports when he was offered £2,000 to go and ply his trade in Colombia.
It was a tempting proposition and one he seriously considered but, given the
tender age of his twin sons, the Scottish international politely declined, much
to the relief of his adoring fans around Stanley Park.
On the
pitch, Liverpool was a club in decline, and in 1954 the unthinkable occurred
when the Reds suffered the indignity of relegation to the Second Division. Many
players of his ability would have jumped ship but Liddell's unswerving loyalty
ensured he stayed to help rebuild.
A player of
great versatility, Liddell filled every outfield position at one time or
another but excelled most in an attacking role.
A move from inside to centre
forward resulted in him notching a career best 33 goals in 1955-56 – a tally
which would have been 34 had referee Mervyn Jones not controversially
disallowed his late, late equaliser in an infamous FA Cup replay defeat against
Manchester City.
Ever the
gentleman, Liddell – an accountant by trade - didn't complain. During the
course of his illustrious career he was never booked and captained the club
with distinction. One of the finest role models ever to play the game, he was
the perfect club ambassador: a devout Christian who never drank, smoked or
swore, he did a lot of work for charity, helped out at local boys' clubs and
was a qualified Justice of the Peace.
But while
he kept on banging in goals, promotion continued to agonisingly elude
Liverpool. In November 1957 Liddell achieved a major milestone when he
surpassed Elisha Scott's all-time appearance record for the Reds. However, the
following season he missed his first FA Cup tie for the club when he was
dropped for the humiliating third round defeat at non-league Worcester City -
and it signalled the beginning of the end for the ageing Liddell.
His
popularity remained as strong as ever with the fans, who campaigned for his
recall, but on August 31, 1960, Billy Liddell represented the Reds' first team
for the final time. It was his 537th appearance for the club – a record that
remained until Ian Callaghan's 18-year stint in the 1960s and 70s.
When the
forward's loyalty to the club was rewarded with a well-deserved testimonial, a
crowd of almost 40,000 turned up to pay homage to a player who is still held in
the highest regard over half a century since his heyday.
It was an
unfortunate fact of life that Liddell's prime did not coincide with the Shankly
revolution that followed. Had it done, who knows what he'd have gone on to
achieve?
The great
man is sadly no longer with us having passed away with Alzheimer's, but visit
Anfield on a quiet day and old-timers will swear they can still hear the once
famous roar of 'give it to Billy' ringing around the Kop. Gone but never
forgotten.
Other
clubs:
Kingseat
Juvenlies, Lochgelly Violet; Chelsea, Linfield, Cambridge Town, Toronto Scottish
and Dunfermline (wartime guest)
Follow @Glady_Libs_LFC
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