As supporters of the theory that modern professional football started ‘going to the dogs’ when dogs somehow stopped running on to the pitch, we always like to hear stories about “the working people’s ballet” when fans were bunneted and players were brilliantined.

So when Kjell Hanssen got in touch to tell us about the research he is doing in the BNA on the early history of Liverpool FC, we were all ears. A former regular through the turnstiles at the Colindale Library, Kjell has been discovering scores of interesting newspaper stories about Liverpool FC and Bill Shankly at the BNA website.

As the 2nd of September 2013 is the centenary of Bill Shankly’s birth, Kjell kindly agreed to mark this occasion by writing a short article for the blog about his BNA research on ‘Shanks’ and the history of Liverpool FC. Oh, and just a wee note to say that we loved the name of Liverpool’s captain in 1914, Thomas Fairfoull – a wonderful, oxymoronic name for a footballer.

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Introduction and background
I have been a passionate football supporter of Liverpool FC for as long as I can remember. Ah, he must be Norwegian some might say and, yes, those ‘some’ are correct. A Norwegian indeed. I have, though, been living and working in the UK for the last 13 years.

I have always had a passion for football history, and one thing that has always surprised me is how poor many football clubs are on their own early history. One summer’s day in 2008, I decided I’d had enough of not knowing all the facts about the early history of Liverpool F.C. – so off to the British Library’s Newspaper Collection at Colindale I went.

Liverpool FC and me
Anything I found concerning Liverpool in articles or even advertisements, I‘ve copied, printed out and taken home. At home, I have gathered all the information in a Word document, and transcribed (and written descriptions for) all the articles I found. There have been many trips to Colindale over the years, but when I saw that the British Newspaper Archives started their project I was indeed a very happy football historian. I could now do all my research from home.

Dundee Courier – Tuesday 05 April 1938

Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000564/19380405/141/0009

From ‘just’ collecting articles from the first few years of Liverpool’s existence, I have widened the search period and have decided to try to and find out as much as possible up until 1980. My Word document now contains more than 2000 pages in a chronological order. Through my research I have found some nuggets. For example, I discovered that Liverpool as a football club was actually founded a few months earlier than most people knew. It is, though, a very tough task to try to prove the club wrong on its own foundation date, but hopefully one day…

Putting my research online
After a time, I decided to share my research by putting everything I have found online. I purchased the domain, kjellhanssen.com, and I’ve been updating this website, or blog, for more than a year now. A few weeks ago the number of visitors went past 50,000, so I am happy knowing that what I find and share is enjoyed by others as well. I have received emails and comments from family members of Liverpool players from times long gone by, and it is such a wonderful feeling when you actually can present newspaper articles that bring so much joy to other people.

Researching Bill Shankly’s life and Liverpool FC in the BNA
One of the biggest characters in the history of Liverpool F.C. is Bill Shankly, and through the BNA website I have been able to find some gems from the early part of his footballing career. Bill was born on 2 September 1913 in the small Scottish mining village of Glenbuck. Shankly arrived at Liverpool as their new manager in December 1959 and became a hero almost instantly. He stayed with the club until 1974, and he died in 1981.

The first item of Bill Shankly’s career was found in Evening Telegraph on Thursday 21 July 1932 and read: “Another Scottish junior went south yesterday. He is William Shankley, his position right-half, and goes on a month’s trial to Carlisle United. Shankley’s brother was with Carlisle before going to his present club, Southport.”

Evening Telegraph – Thursday 21 July 1932

Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000563/19320721/108/0008

Moving forward to 1939, after only three League matches of the 1939/1940 season, the Football League cancelled the football season because of World War Two. This meant that all professional football players were deemed as amateurs, and they could now play for whichever club they wanted. The football season in Scotland, though, went on as ‘normal’ (although some clubs did stop playing during the war) and in the Western Morning News, on Friday 17 November 1939, this small note was found: “In granting King’s Park, the Scottish club, permission to play their right half, Shankly, the Scottish international, Preston North End have made a condition that King’s Park must insure the player for £2,000. Shankly will play for King’s Park to-morrow against Hibernian.”

Western Morning News – Friday 17 November 1939

Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000329/19391117/093/0008

After the war was over football rolled on again, but age had of course done its work on many a great player from the 1930s. In The Sunday Post, for 6 July1947, I came across this article:

“Our old friend, Bill Shankly, Scotland and Preston wing-half, has landed himself a nice job. Bill’s grand career is drawing to a close, and, as insurance against the future, he has signed a contract with Preston to act as player-coach next season.

“Bill is thus filling the shoes of fellow-Scot Andy Beattie, who relinquished this coaching job to join Barrow as manager. With characteristic thoroughness Bill has already got down to business and is already in training at Deepdale.

“Personally, I’d say this is a move that’ll make both club and player happy. Only a few weeks ago, the junior final, Bill was telling me of some of the things he’d like to see done for the youngsters. This is his chance to show us.”

The Post – Sunday 06 July 1947

Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000566/19470706/086/0013

There is still much research needed to be done on Bill Shankly’s early career, and for me it is just a pleasure to have access to the BNA. It has saved me from making many trips to Colindale, though I still feel a certain excitement when visiting libraries across the UK to fill a gap in the history of my favourite club. Over the years, I have found reports of matches no one knew were played.

My best discoveries in the BNA

In particular, there two items that stick in my mind as my best discoveries on the BNA website. On 23 September 1899, the Leicester Chronicle had a long article about Liverpool’s secretary manager, Tom Watson. In this article, Watson explains what life as a football manager was like in the 1890s. It is a must-read if you like football history.

I would also say that a series of articles on print in the Liverpool Echo in May 1914 is on the top of my favourite list. These articles were in fact letters sent from Sweden and Denmark by Liverpool’s team captain, Thomas Fairfoull (what a wonderful surname for a footballer…), while Liverpool were on tour of Scandinavia.

I smile when I read stories about other BNA user finding stories of their relatives through old newspapers. I smile because I know how good it feels when you find something special in The Archive.

Kjell Hanssen

http://kjellhanssen.com/