Billy Liddell

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Billy Liddell
Billy Liddell.jpg
Personal information
Full name William Beveridge Liddell
Date of birth January 10, 1922
Place of birth    Townhill, Scotland
Date of death    July 3, 2001 (age 79)
Playing position Winger
Youth clubs
193x–1937
1937–1938		 Kingseat Juvenlies
Lochgelly Violet F.C.
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1938–1961

1942–1943
1942–1943
1943
1944
1944
1945
1957		 Liverpool
→ (wartime)
→ Chelsea (guest)
→ Cambridge Town (guest)
→ Hearts (guest)
→ Toronto Scottish (guest)
→ Dunfermline (guest)
→ Linfield (guest)
→ Ellemeres Town United (guest)		 492 (215)
152 (82)
5 (2)

1

4
2 (2)
1 (1)[1]   
National team
19xx–19xx
1942–1955

1941–1942
1942
1943
1945
1947–1955		 Scotland Schoolboys
Scotland
→ (wartime)
English League XI
Football Association XI
Royal Air Force XI
Scottish Services XI
Great Britain XI
28 (6)
8 (5)
2 (1)
1 (1)
2 (5)
2 (0)
2 (0)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only.
* Appearances (Goals)

William Beveridge "Billy" Liddell (January 10, 1922–July 3, 2001) was a Scottish footballer who played his entire professional career with Liverpool FC. He signed with the club as a teenager in 1938 and retired in 1961, having made 534 appearances in all competitions and scored 228 goals. He became Liverpool's leading goalscorer in eight out of nine seasons from 1949 to 1958,[2] surpassed Elisha Scott's club appearance record in 1957, and inspired the chant "Give it to Billy!".[3]

With Liverpool, Liddell won a league championship in 1947 and featured in the club's 1950 FA Cup Final defeat to Arsenal. He represented Scotland at international level on 28 occasions. During the Second World War, he continued his career by appearing in unofficial games for Liverpool, guesting for various sides in the United Kingdom and Canada, and playing in representative matches between select teams. For much of the war, Liddell served as a navigator in the Royal Air Force. After retirement, Liddell occupied himself as a Justice of the Peace (from 1958), bursar of Liverpool University, voluntary worker and season ticket holder. He died in 2001.

Primarily a left-winger, Liddell's versatility enabled him to play comfortably on the opposite flank, as a centre-forward and inside-forward. Liddell became noted for his strong physique, acceleration, powerful shot,[4] professionalism, and good conduct on the pitch.[5][6] Such was his influence and popularity that the club acquired the contemporary nickname "Liddellpool".[7] Posthumous recognition has included a plaque unveiled in 2004 at Anfield Stadium and sixth place in a poll of Liverpool fans conducted in 2006 under the title 100 Players Who Shook The Kop.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Born in Townhill, near Dunfermline, Liddell was the eldest of six children born to coal miner James and wife Montgomery.[8] His childhood experience was one of austerity and poverty, the family often subsisting on bread, kail, and salt porridge.[9] His parents, resolutely determined that he would not become a miner, were closely involved in deciding his future.[3][10] Liddell considered three careers, of which accountancy was the ultimate choice in preference to the civil service and church.[10]

As a pupil at Dunfermline High School, Liddell became a reluctant rugby player under the guidance of retired Welsh international Ronnie Boon while continuing to play football for local teams and Scotland Schoolboys.[11] When discovered at the age of 16, Liddell played for Lochgelly Violet. Liverpool defender Matt Busby recommended him to manager George Kay after reputedly learning of the teenager on a golf trip with Alex Herd, when the latter explained to Busby that he had forwent one of their rounds to take Willie McAndrew, manager of Hamilton Academical, to watch Liddell play for Lochgelly. Busby recalled being told by Herd that a contract had not been agreed because limited resources prevented Hamilton from offering Liddell the assurances his parents insisted upon.[12] Instead, he signed for Liverpool and became a professional in 1939 on a weekly wage of £3.[6] Negotiations between his parents and the club guaranteed, as a pre-requisite to acceptance, that Liverpool would permit Liddell to continue his studies and be employed part-time as an accountant for a local company.[4][5]

Liddell entered the youth team on his arrival in 1938 and became concerned at the frequent rotation of players before he firmly established himself in the squad. An injury incurred in a match against Blackburn Rovers threatened to end his career prematurely when he struck his knee against concrete near the corner flag after being challenged by an opponent while racing with the ball. Doctors informed him of the extent of tissue damage, causing Liddell anxiety about his future, and he remained in Blackburn for two weeks, living in the family home of a colleague, before he could return to Liverpool to continue his recovery.[13] The Second World War precluded a debut for Liddell, as the Football Association suspended competitive football from the abandoned 1939–1940 season and instituted a regional system in its place.[14] Until the cessation of hostilities in 1945, Liddell guested for various domestic sides when unavailable for Liverpool and represented select teams, including a Football Association XI and Scottish Services XI. Liddell was capped eight times for Scotland during the war and on his debut scored in a 5–4 win over England in 1942.

With Liverpool, Liddell competed in the various regional leagues that the FA assigned the club to and scored 82 goals in 152 matches. He had debuted on 1 January 1940 against Crewe Alexandra, scoring after two minutes in a 7–3 win.[15] In his formative years, Liddell credited Matt Busby and Berry Nieuwenhuys as significant influences.[16] He volunteered for the Royal Air Force and, despite wanting to qualify as a pilot, was trained as a navigator because of his proficiency at mathematics. After being mobilised in December 1942, Liddell guested with Chelsea and Cambridge Town.[17] He broke his leg in a friendly kickabout while stationed in Bridgnorth, which required admission to the RAF Remedial Centre at Blackpool. After recovering, he travelled to Canada to complete a course at the Central Navigation School and became a pilot officer navigator.[18] While on leave, Liddell was used as a substitute for Toronto Scottish under an assumed name and scored twice in a semi-final play-off before being recalled to Moncton prior to the final.[19] After some seven months in Canada, Liddell returned to Britain and, when based in Perth in 1944, accepted an offer to guest for his boyhood favourites Dunfermline Athletic. He subsequently moved to Northern Ireland for further training and declined an offer from former Liverpool goalkeeper Elisha Scott to guest for Belfast Celtic because he had effectively agreed to play for Linfield.[20] By the end of World War II, Liddell was assigned to 617 Squadron and assisted in the transportation of Allied soldiers to Britain returning from Italy for leave.[21]

[edit] Career

[edit] Domestic

[edit] 1946-1954

George Kay, manager of Liverpool from 1936 to 1951
George Kay, manager of Liverpool from 1936 to 1951

Liddell's official debut came in the third round of the FA Cup, the first competitive tournament to be organised in England post-war. He started in the first leg against Chester City on 5 January 1946 and scored his first goal in the 30th minute. The match ended in a 2–0 win and featured several additional debutants,[22] including Bob Paisley who would forge a chemistry with Liddell as a left half.[23] League football completed its first full season under the provisional North and South divisional system, which facilitated the restoration of national football for the 1946–47 season.[24] Although he had become a regular in the North League, scoring 17 goals in 42 matches, Liddell had yet to be discharged from the RAF and did not accompany Liverpool during their post-season tour of North America in May 1946.[24] His unavailability extended to pre-season training and the first two matches of the 1946–47 season. On 7 September, Liddell registered his first official league appearance for Liverpool and scored twice in a 7–4 defeat of Chelsea.[25]

In his inaugural season of competitive football, Liddell established himself in the senior team and contributed to Liverpool's first championship since 1923. Positioned on the left wing, he appeared in 34 matches, scored seven goals,[4] and supplied strikers Albert Stubbins and Jack Balmer with numerous assists.[26] Severe conditions in the winter disrupted the league's schedule and the title was not secured until 14 June 1947 when a fixture between Sheffield United and Stoke City decided the championship, contested between Liverpool and Stoke. The Senior Cup Final between Liverpool and Everton coincided with the league game and tannoys announced before the final's conclusion, to the delight of supporters at Anfield, that Sheffield United had won 2–1 and Liverpool were thus champions.[27] As a strict teetotaler, Liddell refrained from accepting glasses of champagne to celebrate the success.[5]

Liverpool were unable to replicate their league success in the 1947–48 season and occupied 11th place on its conclusion in May 1948.[28] The club subsequently embarked on a second tour of North America, playing against domestic sides and Sweden's Djurgården in exhibition matches. Guaranteed $30,000 for the tour, Liverpool became the first side to play another foreign club in the United States.[29] Liddell's displays against Djurgården, played at the Brooklyn Dodgers' Ebbets Field, and the North American teams earned him praise from journalists and gained him 13 goals in 11 matches.[30] In the 1948–49 season, Liddell occupied left back and four forward positions.[31] During his career, he would fill all ten outfield roles, mostly because of injuries to other players.[32] His brother, Tom, arrived at Liverpool in 1949 after signing a contract from Lochore Welfare but never represented the club as a senior. Club performance improved in the 1949–50 season as the team established a new record for longest undefeated sequence at 19 matches;[33] however, Liverpool finished their league campaign in eighth, five points behind champions Portsmouth.[34] Liverpool ended their season at Wembley, having reached the FA Cup Final.

Liddell had been at the forefront of the club's progression through each round to ensure their first ever appearance at Wembley, playing in all seven games and scoring twice. Demand for tickets far exceeded supply. More than 100,000 applications were made for the club's allocation of only 8,000 tickets.[35] When played on 29 April, 100,000 spectators were in attendance to witness Arsenal defeat Liverpool 2–0.[36] Constant marking by Alex Forbes had contained the Liverpool winger for much of the 90 minutes,[6][37] and a tackle executed early in the game caused Liddell pain. Journalist Brian Glanville recalled being told by Liddell that he had been unable to put his jacket on the next day.[38] Subsequent match reports by the media accused Forbes of acting with malice in his marking of the winger, which Liddell and Wally Barnes refuted.[38] Liddell, who had scored 20 goals in all competitions, returned to Liverpool with his club after a trip to Brighton to be greeted by thousands of supporters.[39]

In 1950, Liddell became one of many players to be offered a transfer to Colombia by agents representing Independiente Santa Fe and Club Deportivo Los Millonarios. The clubs belonged to the DIMAYOR, unrecognised by FIFA because of a dispute between the league and the domestic governing body. Restrictions in England limiting the weekly wage to £12 in the season and £10 during the summer and impeding of a player's ability to transfer to another club caused much discontent in British football until the system was reformed in the 1960s.[40] Liddell chose to reject the contract offer, reportedly estimated at £12,000; his wife Phyllis later attributed the decision to club loyalty and the recent birth of twins. He later acknowledged that the contract had been tempting and that had it not been for the recent births, he would have found the decision more challenging to make.[41] Among those who did accept the overtures were Alfredo Di Stefano, Bobby Flavell, Neil Franklin, Jack Hedley, Billy Higgins, Charlie Mitten, George Mountford, Roy Paul and Hector Rial.[42]

Liverpool manager George Kay resigned in January 1951 because of declining health and was replaced by former guest player Don Welsh.[43] Before Kay's resignation, Liverpool had been unable to record a win in ten matches between September and November until Liddell scored the deciding goal in a 1–0 defeat of Chelsea in December. The inconsistency continued for the rest of the season and Liverpool lost 3–1 to Third Division South Norwich City in the FA Cup Third Round.[44] Liverpool arranged to tour Sweden at the end of the season and Eddie Spicer broke his leg in a 4–1 win against Malmö.[45] The club again underperformed in the 1951–52 season, in which Liddell scored a goal against Huddersfield Town described by contemporary media as the "shot of a lifetime" and reported in detail by the Liverpool Echo. When awarded a free kick outside the penalty box, Liverpool opted to have Kevin Baron take it instead of Liddell as was usual. Baron passed it to Liddell who struck the ball with force after a momentary pause that surprised the Huddersfield defence and goalkeeper Harry Mills, and silenced spectators.[46] Still played as a winger, Liddell finished the season with 19 goals in 40 league appearances. Liverpool only avoided relegation in the 1952–53 season by defeating Chelsea in the club's final fixture in April 1953.[47]

[edit] 1954-1961

Elisha Scott, whose appearances record Liddell surpassed in 1957
Elisha Scott, whose appearances record Liddell surpassed in 1957

Relegation to the Second Division eventually happened in the 1953–54 season; Liverpool finished bottom of the table with 28 points. They had conceded 97 goals and for a period of 14 months failed to record an away win in 24 consecutive matches – a sequence broken in April 1954 against Manchester City.[48] Despite the club's descent, Liddell elected to stay rather than accept a lucrative transfer.[4] The prospect of a second relegation dominated Liverpool's thoughts at one stage in the 1954–55 season after the initial object of an immediate return to the First Division proved unrealistic. Moved into the centre forward position, Liddell scored 30 goals in 40 league appearances,[49] in a season in which teammate John Evans scored 29.[50] Liverpool's heaviest defeat came on 11 December 1954 in a 9–1 loss to Birmingham City. To confound the sporting media, Liverpool went on to defeat Everton 4–0 in January in an FA Cup fourth round fixture at Goodison Park in the presence of 72,000 fans.[51] Goals from Liddell, A'Court, and Evans secured the win over the match favourites, with Liddell being characterised by the Liverpool Echo as "inspirational".[52] While the team's away performances improved, Liverpool were eliminated from the competition in the next round by Huddersfield Town and ended the season in 11th, the lowest league placement in the club's history.[53]

Liddell assumed the captaincy in the 1955–56 season.[4] Although the club challenged for promotion and finished in 3rd place, the directors decided to dismiss Don Welsh and appoint former player Phil Taylor.[54] Liddell scored 32 goals in the league and cup and could have had one more against Manchester City in a fifth round replay at Anfield that Liverpol lost 2–1. Seconds before full time, Manchester City were dispossessed and Liddell advanced from the halfway line to Bert Trautmann's goal and struck in the penalty box, reportedly just as the referee signalled to end the match. Liddell had been unaware and Liverpool's supporters stayed in expectation of extra time until an announcement informed them of the scoreline.[55] The following season, Liverpool again contested the two promotion berths but finished a single point behind second-placed Nottingham Forest. While injuries to Bimpson and Brian Jackson meant Liddell played much of the season as a right winger and inside right, he retained his place as the club's leading scorer with 21 goals.[56] Promotion eluded the club in the 1957–58 season by two places and a margin of three points.[57] Liddell surpassed Elisha Scott's record of 430 league appearances (then erroneously believed to be 429) in November 1957 to acclaim by the media. In recalling the match against Notts County, which it transpired only equalled the record, Liddell confessed to having felt self-conscious because of the attention that he received while appreciative of the respect shown to his achievement, especially from his opponents, managed by friend Tommy Lawton.[58]

As he approached the twilight of his career, Liddell slowed as a player and his appearances from the 1958-59 season became infrequent.[4][6] His omission from the lineup for the match against Fulham, in which Louis Bimpson replaced him, provoked criticism from the club's supporters with some opposition being expressed via letters to the city's newspapers.[59] Bimpson scored and Liddell's exclusion and relegation to the reserves attracted the interest of Mersey neighbours New Brighton, who approached him with an offer to become player-manager, which both he and the club rejected.[60] After one start in November, Liddell returned to the senior squad in March 1959 with the footballing community believing he would surpass Ted Sagar's record of 465 league appearances on playing Barnsley. Liddell scored two goals in the 3-2 win at Anfield but later learnt that Sagar's total was the result of a statistical error with the correct figure being 463.[61] During his absence, Liverpool unexpectedly succumbed to part-time Worcester City in the third round of the FA Cup. Liddell had played in 40 consecutive cup fixtures but his involvement in the 2–1 defeat to Worcester had been limited to the studding of his colleagues' boots.[62]

Liddell was some player...He had everything. He was fast, powerful, shot with either foot and his headers were like blasts from a gun. On top of all that he was as hard as granite. What a player! He was so strong – and he took a nineteen-inch collar shirt!
–Attributed to Bill Shankly, manager of Liverpool from 1959 to 1974 [63]

When the club began to struggle in the 1959–60 season, Phil Taylor resigned to be replaced by Bill Shankly in December 1959.[64] Having missed the season opener in August, Liddell replaced Bimpson for the match against Bristol City and scored a brace in a 4–2 win in which he had numerous chances to complete a hat-trick, among them two disallowed goals and a penalty taken by Jimmy Melia which the crowd had urged Liddell to take.[65] He continued to be selected until an injury sustained in September granted Roger Hunt the opportunity to score on his debut against Scunthorpe United in the league.[66] Recurring injury further disrupted Liddell's season after his return against Middlesbrough and damage to knee ligaments in October rendered him unavailable for four months.[67] After his recovery, Shankly selected Liddell for a game against Derby County in February which the referee abandoned because of fog. He completed the next match, against Plymouth Argyle, and played in ten successive games, scoring his final goal for the club in a 5–1 defeat of Stoke in March.[68]

For the match against Bristol Rovers in April, Liddell was replaced by an 18-year-old Ian Callaghan, considered by the former to be his successor.[69] Callaghan received a standing ovation at the end of the match and would ultimately break Liddell's appearances record as a participant in 640 league matches on his departure in 1978.[70] Liddell's last appearance in the league came in the 1960-–61 season in a 1–0 defeat to Southampton, which gave him the distinction of being the oldest footballer to play for the club in a senior match (at 38 years and 224 days) until Kenny Dalglish in 1990.[71] To recognise his 22-year service, Liverpool organised a testimonial in September between the club and an International XI at Anfield which attracted an attendance of 38,789. The match generated £6,340 in revenue, enabling Liddell to purchase a home.[72] He ended his career in the reserves and played his final game on 29 April 1961, scoring one of his side's five goals against Blackburn.[73] As of 2008, Liddell remains the oldest player to score for Liverpool (at 38 years and 55 days), [74] and is ranked as the club's fourth highest goalscorer, bettered only by Ian Rush, Roger Hunt, and Gordon Hodgson.[75]

[edit] International

Liddell debuted for Scotland in a 5–4 wartime win over England at Hampden Park in which he nullified Tommy Lawton's opening goal. He gained several more wartime caps and four goals, two of which were registered against Switzerland in a 3–1 win.[76] On 19 October 1946, Liddell officially represented Scotland in a British Home Championship match against Wales at the Racecourse Ground. At international level, Liddell was predominantly played as an outside left, in competition with Lawrie Reilly and Willie Ormond who were contracted to clubs in Scotland.[77] The Scottish Football Association (SFA) denied Liddell and his teammates the opportunity to participate in the 1950 World Cup, hosted by Brazil, because of an earlier decision not to sanction involvement as British Home Championship runners-up. Football's governing organisation FIFA had offered to include the championship's first and second placed sides in the World Cup. The country's qualification therefore depended on its final match against England. Before a crowd of more than 130,000 at Hampden Park, Scotland conceded the game's solitary goal to Ray Bentley in the 63rd minute, when only a draw had been required to secure joint first-place. Despite pressure from players, the SFA maintained their position and the country did not enter the tournament.[78]

Qualification for the 1954 World Cup remained identical; however, the SFA decided to authorise World Cup participation regardless of whether Scotland were winners or runners-up in the British Home Championship.[78] Liddell had been omitted from Scotland's starting lineup after a 3–3 draw with Wales and did not accompany the team to Switzerland. The team struggled in the World Cup and lost their two matches 1–0 and 7–0 to Austria and Uruguay respectively.[79] Scotland's first manager, Andy Beattie, resigned in protest because of the SFA's continued interference in team selection.[80] After being overlooked for four matches that followed the competition, Liddell was re-called by the SFA following a humiliating 7–2 loss to England at Wembley.[79] Liddell returned as an outside left and scored one of Scotland's three goals against Portugal on 4 May 1955.[81] Liddell's involvement in the tour of Yugoslavia, Austria and Hungary later in the month proved eventful. In a 2–2 draw with Yugoslavia, Liddell received a black eye when accidentally punched by goalkeeper Vladimir Beara while attempting a header.[82] He scored his last goal for Scotland in an ill-tempered 4–1 win over Austria at Praterstadion, where a brief pitch invasion involving a large number of supporters reportedly resulted in altercations between players and fans.[83] Late in the match against Hungary, Liddell missed his second penalty for Scotland while the side were losing 3–1 to the "Golden Team". During his career with Liverpool, Liddell converted 36 of his 44 penalties.[84]

Liddell became one of only two players (the other being Stanley Matthews) to twice be selected for a Great Britain XI when he played against the Rest of Europe in 1947 and 1955.[6] The exhibition had been arranged to celebrate FIFA's readmission of the four Home Nations. Promoted as the "Match of the Century", the game ended in an emphatic victory for Britain with the final score being 6–1. Liddell sustained a pulled muscle which severely impaired his movement on the pitch and forced him out of two domestic matches.[85] In the second match, organised to observe the 75th anniversary of the Irish FA's creation, the Rest of Europe won decisively by four goals to one.[86]

[edit] Later life and legacy

Liddell settled in Liverpool with Phyllis and their twin sons, and resided in Merseyside until his death. When his father died in January 1951, Liddell arranged for his mother, sister and younger brothers to relocate to the city, concentrating his family in the region.[87] While still a player, Liddell was appointed a Justice of the Peace for Liverpool in 1958 and contributed a column to the Echo's football edition. He became occupied with voluntary work which entailed him being an occasional disc jockey for the Women's Voluntary Service at Alder Hey Children's Hospital, working for local youth clubs, and teaching at a sunday school.[88] Although religious, Liddell had not been a lay preacher as some believed. His wife dismissed it as a misapprehension and recalled that, while Liddell had abstained from drinking and smoking, he did not object to others doing so in his presence and never "rammed any of his views down people's throats."[89] After leaving the club, Liddell served as assistant permanent secretary and bursar to the University of Liverpool until 1984.[90]

He continued to play football for a magistrates' team until he decided to focus on tennis after breaking his cheek bone. In 1967, Liddell appeared in a charity match opposite Ferenc Puskás to raise funds for Bankfield House Community Centre, which attracted an array of footballing personalities.[91] He became chairman of Littlewoods Spot the Ball panel and president of the Liverpool FC Supporters Club.[92] After being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the early 1990s, Liddell resigned from the panel on the insistence of Phyllis. His wife first noticed untypical behaviour on a visit to Anfield following the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 when he did not appear able to register what had happened in Sheffield.[93] When his condition began to worsen, Liddell moved to a nursing home in Mossley Hill.[94] He died on 3 July 2001, within a week of the deaths of former Liverpool manager Joe Fagan and director Tom Saunders.[95]

On 4 November 2004, his widow Phyllis and Ian Callaghan unveiled a commemorative plaque adjacent to the club's museum at Anfield.[96] Further recognition came in a poll of more than 110,000 people conducted in 2006 by Liverpool's official website to determine a list of 100 Players Who Shook The Kop, in which Liddell attained sixth place.[97] When Liverpool approached former players to identify their personal favourites as a complement to the list, Ian Callaghan, Tommy Smith, David Johnson, and Roy Evans included Liddell in their "top five".[98] A campaign, supported by an online petition to the Scottish Parliament, has since been launched to have Liddell inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame and honoured with a memorial in Townhill.[99][100]

[edit] Honours

Liverpool

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] Domestic


Club Performance League Cup Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
England League FA Cup Total
1945–46 Liverpool[2] Division One 0 0 2 1 2 1
1946–47 34 7 6 1 40 8
1947–48 37 10 2 1 39 11
1948–49 38 8 4 1 42 9
1949–50 41 17 7 2 48 19
1950–51 35 15 1 0 36 15
1951–52 40 19 3 0 43 19
1952–53 39 13 1 0 40 13
1953–54 36 7 1 0 37 7
1954–55 Division Two 40 30 4 1 44 31
1955–56 39 27 5 5 44 32
1956–57 41 21 1 0 42 21
1957–58 35 22 5 1 40 23
1958–59 19 14 0 0 19 14
1959–61 17 5 0 0 17 5
1960–61 1 0 0 0 1 0
Total England 492 215 42 13 534 228

[edit] International goals

Date Venue Opponent Result Competition Scored
18 April 1942 Hampden Park, Glasgow Flag of England England 5–4 Wartime friendly 1
2 February 1946 Windsor Park, Belfast Flag of Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 3–2 Wartime friendly 2
15 May 1946 Hampden Park, Glasgow Flag of Switzerland Switzerland 3–1 Wartime friendly 2
21 October 1950 Ninian Park, Cardiff Flag of Wales Wales 3–1 1951 British Home Championship 1
14 April 1951 Wembley Stadium, London Flag of England England 3–2 1951 British Home Championship 1
30 May 1952 Råsunda Stadium, Stockholm Flag of Sweden Sweden 1–3 Friendly 1
18 October 1952 Hampden Park, Glasgow Flag of Wales Wales 2–1 1953 British Home Championship 1
4 May 1955 Hampden Park, Glasgow Flag of Portugal Portugal 3–0 Friendly 1
19 May 1955 Praterstadion, Vienna Flag of Austria Austria 4–1 Friendly 1

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Keith, John (2005), pp302-3, p305
  2. ^ a b Keith, John (2005), pp302–3
  3. ^ a b Glanville, Brian (2001), Billy Liddell, The Guardian, 5 July 2001, football.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 28 April 2008.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Profile: Billy Liddell, lfchistory.net. Retrieved 29 April 2008.
  5. ^ a b c Matthews, Tony (2006), p153
  6. ^ a b c d e Ponting, Ivan (2001), Obituary: Billy Liddell, The Independent, 5 July 2001, findarticles.com. Retrieved 15 May 2008.
  7. ^ Anderson, Jeff (2004), The Official Liverpool FC Illustrated History, p51
  8. ^ Keith, John (2005), p2
  9. ^ Keith, John (2005), p3
  10. ^ a b Keith, John (2005), p7
  11. ^ Keith, John (2005), pp4–5
  12. ^ Keith, John (2005), pp8–9
  13. ^ Keith, John (2005), pp16–7
  14. ^ Anderson, Jeff (2004), The Official Liverpool FC Illustrated History, p48
  15. ^ Keith, John (2005), p21
  16. ^ Keith, John (2005), p22
  17. ^ Keith, John (2005), p29
  18. ^ Keith, (2005), p30–1
  19. ^ Keith, John (2005), p32
  20. ^ Keith, John (2005), pp34–5
  21. ^ Keith, John (2005), p37–8
  22. ^ Chester 0 - 2 Liverpool, lfchistory.net. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
  23. ^ Keith, John (2001), Bob Paisley: Manager of the Millennium, p35
  24. ^ a b Keith, John (2005), p46
  25. ^ Keith, John (2005), p48
  26. ^ Albert Stubbins, Daily Telegraph, 6 January 2003, telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2008.
  27. ^ Keith, John (2005), p64
  28. ^ Keith, John (2005), p106
  29. ^ Keith, John (2005), p109
  30. ^ Keith, John (2005), pp108–9
  31. ^ Keith, John (2005), p114
  32. ^ Past Player Profile: Billy Liddell, liverpoolfc.tv. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
  33. ^ Keith, John (2005), p116
  34. ^ 1st Division League table for the 1949-1950 season, fchistory.net. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
  35. ^ Keith, John (2005), p130
  36. ^ BBC News (2001), Cup Final Head to head: Arsenal v Liverpool, 10 May 2001, news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2008.
  37. ^ Billy Liddell, Daily Telegraph, 5 July 2001, telegraph.co.uk. Retrived 15 May 2008.
  38. ^ a b Keith, John (2005), pp137–8
  39. ^ Keith, John (2005), p140
  40. ^ Bale, John & Maguire, Joseph (1994), The Global Sports Arena: Athletic Talent Migration in an Interdependent World, pp40–1
  41. ^ Keith, John (2005), p147
  42. ^ Keith (2005), pp144–6
  43. ^ Past Manager: Don Welsh: Manager (1951-56), liverpoolfc.tv. Retrieved 19 May 2008.
  44. ^ Keith, John (2005), pp150–1
  45. ^ Keith, John (2005), p155
  46. ^ Keith, John (2005), pp157–8
  47. ^ Keith, John (2005), p163
  48. ^ Keith, John (2001), Bob Paisley: Manager of the Millennium, p53
  49. ^ Keith, John (2005), pp172–3
  50. ^ John Evans, lfchistory.net. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
  51. ^ Keith, John (2005), p175
  52. ^ Keith, John, pp176–7
  53. ^ Keith, John (2005), pp179–80
  54. ^ Manager Profile: Don Welsh, lfchistory.net. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
  55. ^ Keith, John (2005), pp189–91
  56. ^ Keith, John (2005), p193
  57. ^ Keith, John (2005), p195
  58. ^ Keith, John (2005), p199
  59. ^ Keith, John (2005), p204
  60. ^ Keith, John (2005), pp204-5
  61. ^ Keith, John (2005), pp205-6
  62. ^ Keith, John (2005), p207
  63. ^ Keith, John (2005), p232
  64. ^ Past Manager Profile: Phil Taylor Player (1935-53) and Manager (1956-60), liverpoolfc.tv. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
  65. ^ Liddell's two goal comeback, Liverpool Daily Post, August 1959. Retrieved 26 May 2008.
  66. ^ Keith (2005), pp233–4
  67. ^ Keith (2005), pp233–4
  68. ^ Keith, John (2005), pp236–7
  69. ^ Keith, John (2005), p238
  70. ^ Player Profile: Ian Callaghan, lfchistory.net. Retrieved 26 May 2008.
  71. ^ Keith, John (2005), p240
  72. ^ Keith, John (2005), p241–3
  73. ^ Keith, John (2005), p245
  74. ^ LFC Records, liverpoolfc.tv. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  75. ^ Stats: Most goalscorers, lfchistory.net. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  76. ^ Keith, John (2005), pp322–5
  77. ^ Crampsey, Bob (2001), Billy Liddell - a footballing gent, BBC, 4 July 2001. Retrieved 2 June 2008.
  78. ^ a b Scotland and the 1950 World Cup, bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 June 2008.
  79. ^ a b Keith, John (2005), p79
  80. ^ Cox, Richard William, Russell, David, & Vamplew, Wray (2002), Encyclopedia of British Football, p281
  81. ^ Keith, John (2005), p319
  82. ^ Keith, John (2005), p81
  83. ^ Keith, John (2005), p85
  84. ^ Keith, John (2005), p91
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Persondata
NAME Liddell, Billy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Liddell, William Beveridge
SHORT DESCRIPTION Scottish footballer
DATE OF BIRTH 10 January 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH Townhill, Fife
DATE OF DEATH 3 July 2001
PLACE OF DEATH Liverpool, Merseyside