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Ahead of the official launch of 'At The End Of The Storm,' a book chronicling one of our most incredible title triumphs, we caught up with its two authors to find out more.
Written by LFC TV producer Mark Platt and local sports historian Gary Shaw, At The End Of The Storm tells the story of Liverpool's remarkable First Division title success of 1946-47.
It will be officially launched at the Static Gallery in Liverpool city centre on Friday, November 20.
In a sneak preview for Liverpoolfc.tv, the two authors explain their reasons for writing the book and discuss why it is regarded as such an amazing campaign.
First of all, what inspired you to write a book about the 1946-47 title winning season?
GS: I'd heard lots of stories from older relatives about this season and given my interest in both local sporting history and wartime culture it seemed inevitable that one day I would look at it closely and carry out more detailed research. It was such a remarkable season and without doubt the most unexpected of the club's 18 title triumphs. No-one gave Liverpool a chance that season but they upset all the odds in true underdog style.
MP: It really is just a great football story of overcoming adversity and one we felt had to be told. The history of Liverpool Football Club did not begin with Bill Shankly's arrival in 1959, as we are led to believe in a lot of other LFC-related books. The club had an illustrious history before this and it's important people are made aware of it.
How difficult was it to access material such as photographs and player insight for the book?
MP: Not as difficult as originally thought to be honest although that is largely down to the kind help of various individuals, without whom we'd have struggled to source many of the great photographs that are in the book. In no particular order, the assistance of museum curator Stephen Done, Adrian Killen and Barry Devonside was invaluable.
GS: In total we ended up with about 140 photographs in the book, the majority of which originate from the players themselves and have not been published before. Interview-wise most of the players who played this season have now sadly passed away but there are a few still around and they were only too willing to share their memories. Luckily, between us, over the years we had interviewed quite a few of the other players, Albert Stubbins and Stan Palk for example, before they passed away and this is the first time a lot of these quotes have been published too. We also sourced additional quotes from the newspapers of the time in a bid to paint a truer picture of the era.
So how did the two of you come together to write it?
MP: We got to know each other a few years ago through our support for Liverpool and our mutual interest in the history of the club. One day we got talking about this particular season, both of us knew a fair bit about it and it was from there that the idea to write the book evolved.
When was the idea conceived and how long did it take to write?
GS: Probably sometime towards the end of 2007 was when we first agreed to go ahead and write it, and it slowly built up from there. As with most books, the majority of the writing took place in the last few months but altogether I'd say the whole project has taken us about two years.
Did you have to overcome many obstacles writing the book?
MP: The main obstacle was trying to find the time to do it! Both of us work full-time so getting involved in such a project when also working full-time is difficult. Initially, any days off were spent carrying out research in the library, while towards the end it was a case of coming home from work, having your tea, and then sitting down in front of the computer until the early hours. Thankfully, it's something we both enjoyed. It's a cliche but it really was a labour of love.
GS: Same here, writing a book of near 200,000 words is pretty time-consuming and trying to juggle a full-time job around it was hard at times. Tracing photographs of the lesser known squad players from that season also proved quite difficult, in particular one of Len Carney – an amateur who played only two games that season but scored the crucial winning goal on the opening day of the campaign. At first we had no idea of what he even looked like and we trawled through hundreds of old photographs and scrapbooks in search of one. Even then we were left stumped and it was only about a month ago that Dave Wotherspoon of Marine FC, one of Carney's former clubs, was able to verify who he was from a picture in a book he had written about the Mariners. As soon as we saw it we realised we had had a photograph of him all along!
The club's Museum curator Stephen Done has described it as the one of the very best of our 18 league titles. Why is it hailed as such an impressive triumph?
MP: Because it was so unexpected. Liverpool went into the 46-47 season with a track record to suggest they wouldn't even challenge for the title, let alone win it. It had been 20-odd years since they'd last won anything and it was thought the war had taken the best years off many of their players, the likes of Balmer and Fagan for example. They'd also lost their pre-war inspiration Matt Busby to Manchester United and the youngsters signed before the war, like Paisley and Liddell, were as yet untried in the top division. During the season, even after they'd enjoyed a good run of results, they were constantly being written off. Wolves were the long-time leaders of the division and no-one could see them being overhauled. But Liverpool never gave up and their resilience eventually paid off.
GS: It really was remarkable, the best-ever without doubt and that's because of the whole set of circumstances that surrounded it. In addition to what Mark has already said there was also the fact that they had to overcome such distractions as the constant threat of a players strike, the worst weather conditions ever recorded which, in turn, led to the longest-ever season. It didn't end until the middle of June and although our league campaign had finished we still had the small matter of beating Everton in the final of the Liverpool Senior Cup on the same afternoon that the championship was finally decided.
Tell us about the famous 'goal in the snow'...
MP: Older fans who witnessed it will tell you it was one of THE greatest Liverpool goals of all-time. A diving header by Albert Stubbins from a Billy Liddell free-kick. I think what made it so special was that he flew almost horizontally towards the ball just a few inches off the ground, like an exocet missile. It completed his hat-trick and a famous 4-1 victory. The fact it also came in such an important game - a FA Cup quarter-final against Birmingham - made it even more memorable for those lucky enough to be there. I know Albert rated it as one of the best goals he ever scored and from reading through the reports of the time the newspapers agreed. Some reporters wrote that there'd never be a better goal scored and while that is obviously open to debate, it must have been special because it has stood the test of time and people still talk about it today.
GS: It wouldn't have been scored in this day and age because the game would simply not have been played. Two inches of snow covered the pitch and that has just added to the legend of it. When Albert dived to head the ball home such were the slippery conditions that he ended up sliding head first into the goal himself! It's rightly hailed as one of the greatest goals of all-time but amazingly, he believed another goal he scored in that game was better. Why? Because it was more of a team goal. And that's the overall impression you get from that season – the team came first and everyone pulled together in the right direction for the good of the club.
The team were known as the 'crazy gang' long before the emergence of the Wimbledon teams of the 80s and 90s. Why was this?
MP: Basically because from one week to the next you just didn't know what to expect from them, an example being early in the season when they beat Chelsea 7-4 at Anfield, in what was arguably one of the greatest Liverpool matches of all-time. Then, just a few days later, they crashed to a 5-0 defeat away to Manchester United. It also refers to the great camaraderie and team spirit that existed between the players. Like Gary says, they were a team in every sense of the word and this, no doubt, played a massive part in winning them this title.
Squad rotation is seen as something that is very much part of the modern game, but you suggest it was implemented back in that season...
MP: I wouldn't say implemented in that season but it was very much in evidence, especially during the second half of the campaign when the team was involved in an exciting FA Cup run. Over the Easter period especially, when they had three games in four days sandwiched in between the two semi-finals against Burnley, wholesale changes were made. It's ironic that in the modern era managers are criticised for fielding under-strength teams in the cup but back then it was the opposite. Of course, Liverpool had yet to win the FA Cup at this point and such was the prestige of the competition back then that the club made no secret of the fact that cup glory was their number one priority.
GS: If Rafa does that now, everyone comments, but it was simply accepted back then. Liverpool used a total of 26 players that season, 17 of whom were debutants, so when you compare it to last season when Rafa called on 30 there's not that much difference.
What part of the book did you most enjoy writing?
GS: I'd say putting the season into perspective, both socially and culturally, and also the tour of North America because not a lot of people know about this as it hasn't been written about in much depth before.
MP: It was also good to unearth some new evidence about certain players the club tried to sign that season and people may be surprised at some of the names that almost joined. If they had there's no doubt the course of football history may have turned out differently.
GS: Although I obviously knew how the season ended, writing about the run-in was exciting and hopefully that comes across to the readers.
Who were these players that nearly signed that you speak of?
MP: That would be telling! You'll have to read the book to find out.
Okay. You've obviously gone into great detail in the book. What was the highlight of the season in your opinion?
MP: There are so many. The ground-breaking pre-season tour of North America, pipping Everton to the signing of Albert Stubbins, Balmer's hat-trick of hat-tricks – which is yet to be equalled, the thrilling but ultimately unsuccessful FA Cup run, victory at Wolves on the last day and the agonising two-week wait before the title was confirmed. It was a season that had everything but if I had to pick one highlight I'd have to go for the signing of Stubbins because this was a statement of intent that Liverpool meant business. The board had often been previously criticised for an apparent lack of ambition but this deal silenced those doubters and played a major part in them emerging from Everton's shadow.
GS: Chairman Bill McConnell must take a lot of credit for that for he was brave enough to smash the club's transfer record to sign Stubbins. 'Billy Mac' is a real unsung hero when it comes to the history of this club. He was the one who also came up with the idea of the inspirational tour of the USA and his support for the club throughout the 46-47 campaign was invaluable. Sadly, he fell ill towards the end and passed away just weeks after the title was clinched but at least he had the satisfaction of seeing his beloved Reds crowned champions before he died. I've also got to mention the last two league games of the season – away to Arsenal and Wolves. We had to win both to have any chance at all but with 14 minutes left at Highbury we trailed and all hope seemed lost. In typical Liverpool fashion though no-one gave up and it must have been great to be a supporter back then.
Are you planning any further collaborations on LFC?
GS: With a history as illustrious and interesting as Liverpool's there's plenty to write about and we do have a few ideas. For now we just hope everyone enjoys reading what we believe to be, in terms of both words and pictures, the definite story of this most amazing season.
At The End Of The Storm, is priced at £12.99 and can be ordered at
http://www.attheendofthestorm.co.uk
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