NEW ANFIELD TALENT

"Liverpool have made three wartime discoveries, players young enough to make the grade once normal times are reached again. This was proved at Anfield yesterday in a Western Regional game packing many thrills and much good football.

The star performer was Liddell, a wing forward, not yet 18. Liddell was secured from Lochgelly Violet, a Dunfermilne junior club, and played at outside-left to give a most promising display, his ball control and sense of positioning being features."

Billy scored his debut goal after only two minutes, the pick of the bunch being Matt Busby's goal (later of Man Utd fame) where he beat four men, passed to Leadbetter, received the ball again, diving headlong to place the ball into the far corner.

Billy went on to play further 15 games, scoring a total of 9 goals in the 1939-40 season. Before he made his Football League debut after World War II on 7th September 1946 he had already made 152 appearances in wartime football for Liverpool where he scored 82 goals.

Certainly if the Second World War hadn't intervened Liddell wouldn't be "only" 11th on Liverpool's list of players who have made most appearances. He could have gone as far as 2nd place, above Ray Clemence and Emlyn Hughes with 665 appearances. But who really knows? He could have got seriously injured, even though it's difficult to imagine such a strong man being vulnerable to injuries. Anyway a food for thought.

(Click on the match report for a bigger image)

King Billy quote
"The match-winner who became king. Behind a paper-strewn desk high in Student's Union building, two famous feet twitched. Feet that belonged to the original, uncrowned king of football lore - Billy Liddell. Feet of power and romance that longed for the old days as their owner reflected on past affairs of plunder. Now he spends his days signing the accounts, checking figures and helping run the financial side of the Guild of Undergraduates. It is said that when Liddell called at the Anfield ground one day last year, five years after the close of his career - work stopped on the new stand that was being built. 'There's Billy Liddell', a navvy gasped. To a man they removed their industrial helmets, clutched them reverently to their waists and bowed their heads. The old master was passing through." From Sunday Express on 30th November 1966

King Billy quote

"The match-winner who became king. Behind a paper-strewn desk high in Student's Union building, two famous feet twitched. Feet that belonged to the original, uncrowned king of football lore - Billy Liddell. Feet of power and romance that longed for the old days as their owner reflected on past affairs of plunder. Now he spends his days signing the accounts, checking figures and helping run the financial side of the Guild of Undergraduates.

It is said that when Liddell called at the Anfield ground one day last year, five years after the close of his career - work stopped on the new stand that was being built. 'There's Billy Liddell', a navvy gasped. To a man they removed their industrial helmets, clutched them reverently to their waists and bowed their heads. The old master was passing through."

From Sunday Express on 30th November 1966

Site News (Archive)
A nice story about Billy - the gentleman 01.09.2010 During the season 1953/54 I was living in the tenements of Glasgow (The Gorbals) and my father who was a merchant seaman and ran the Atlantic Convoys during the war 1939/43 and would often sail into Liverpool before coming up to Glasgow for R&R during those war-time years where he met my mother, and my earliest recollections of meeting the great Billy Liddell was when my father met and struck up a friendship with Billy and he came to our house in that room and kitchen in Glasgow. At the time there was 7 of plus my mother and father and I can remember this very smartly dressed person and my curiosity over all those years and especially lately when I discovered that 1953/54 was a particularly difficult season for Liverpool Football Club. I was often full of wonderment that that man could be so humble as to come and visit what was very grim accommodation at the time. I can, therefore, understand that people could say so many good things about him both on and off the pitch. - Reg Isaacson
Billy in color 19.08.2010 JK Williams sent us a few classic pictures of Billy Liddell which he has colorized. Click here to view his efforts.

Site News (Archive)

A nice story about Billy - the gentleman
01.09.2010
During the season 1953/54 I was living in the tenements of Glasgow (The Gorbals) and my father who was a merchant seaman and ran the Atlantic Convoys during the war 1939/43 and would often sail into Liverpool before coming up to Glasgow for R&R during those war-time years where he met my mother, and my earliest recollections of meeting the great Billy Liddell was when my father met and struck up a friendship with Billy and he came to our house in that room and kitchen in Glasgow. At the time there was 7 of plus my mother and father and I can remember this very smartly dressed person and my curiosity over all those years and especially lately when I discovered that 1953/54 was a particularly difficult season for Liverpool Football Club. I was often full of wonderment that that man could be so humble as to come and visit what was very grim accommodation at the time. I can, therefore, understand that people could say so many good things about him both on and off the pitch. - Reg Isaacson

Billy in color
19.08.2010
JK Williams sent us a few classic pictures of Billy Liddell which he has colorized. Click here to view his efforts.