Liverpool’s history with managers is illustrious, with just 21 full-time players since the club’s founding in 1892.
Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan, Kenny Dalglish, Gerrard Houllier, Rafa Benitez and Jurgen Klopp are the names that appeared in the headlines, but there was one revolutionary figure who came before them all.
Tom Watson.
Liverpool’s first title-winning manager
While there are countless records on the likes of Shankly, Paisley and Klopp, biographies of Watson are scarce, as is the period in which he served.
Over a period of 19 years, from 1896 to 1915, Watson at Anfield laid the foundation for what was to come, a story not often told but now made possible thanks to the book ‘Red Dawn: The Ballad of Tom Watson’ by Jeff Goulding and Kieran Smith.
The duo set the tone early on, calling Watson “the greatest Liverpool manager you’ve never heard of,” and someone who “can be seen as the first exponent of what we now call ‘the Liverpool way’.”
His story is fascinating and compelling, from his pre-Liverpool days playing a key role in the North East with Newcastle and Sunderland to his vision and culture at Anfield.
When your club is covered in such detail, every untouched story is like gold, and Watson rightly gets his moment in the spotlight.
This was a man who joined Liverpool when it was just four years old, while he himself was only 37. It was a signing that was considered a statement coup for the football club.
A highly respected figure in English football, Watson led Liverpool to their first top-level league title in 1901 and again in 1906, and their first ever FA Cup final in 1914.
Tragically, he only left the club when he died in 1915 at the age of 56, after 742 games in charge.
An ode to the legacy of Tom Watson
We all know that Liverpool Football Club is steeped in a rich history, but there is something enriching about delving into the club’s pristine history, and few do it better than Goulding and Smith.
It was, admittedly at their own expense, a journey that required extensive research and digging, with a hunger for more, with the late 1990s and early 20th century being the complete opposite of today’s oversaturation!
While it may have been challenging to reveal details about Watson without an endless timeline of interviews or archives, you won’t be shortchanged when it comes to Watson’s story.
‘Red Dawn’ expertly sets the tone using key figures before, during and after his time at Liverpool, doing justice to the story of a man who helped Liverpool Football Club become what it is today.
He was the brains behind Liverpool’s first championship team, a charismatic leader whose approach to diet and exercise was, shall we say, unique – you’ll have to read this to find out more!
In an age where information is so easily available at your fingertips, looking back in time on Watson’s story is refreshing and leaves you wondering why he went unheralded for so long.
*You can start reading ‘Red Dawn: The Ballad of Tom Watson and Liverpool FC’s First Champions’ by buy a copy here
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