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Tony Hateley

Birthdate: 13 June 1941 Birthplace: Derby, England Date of death: 1 February 2014 Other clubs: Notts County (1956-63), Aston Villa (1963-66), Chelsea (1966-67), Coventry City (1968-69), Birmingham City (1969-70), Notts County (2 / 1970-72), Oldham Athletic (1972-74), Boston Minutemen (1974), Bromsgrove Rovers (1974-75), Barrow (1976), Prescot Town (1976-78), Keyworth United (1978-79) Bought from: Chelsea Signed for LFC: £96,000, 05.07.1967

Liverpool debut: 19.08.1967 Last appearance: 31.08.1968 Debut goal: 26.08.1967 Last goal: 24.08.1968 Contract expiry: 19.09.1968 Win ratio: 48.21% W:27 D:15 L:14 Games/goals ratio: 2 Total games/goals opposite LFC: 9 / 5 LFC league games/goals: 42 / 17 Total LFC games/goals: 56 / 28

Player profile

Liverpool paid Chelsea a club record fee of £96,000 to secure the services of this powerful towering centre-forward. Hateley had already scored over 150 League goals for Notts County, Aston Villa and Chelsea when he arrived at Anfield as a 26-year-old and looked like he had the best years of his career ahead of him. His main strength was his heading and he was somewhat lacking in the technical department as Tommy Docherty, his boss at Chelsea, put it so eloquently: "Hateley’s passes should be labelled ‘To whom it may concern’ and ‘This boy can trap a ball further than I could kick it.’" He scored a hat-trick in only his third League match for the Reds and missed only four first division fixtures during his debut season, netting 16 times in all. He added another eight goals as Liverpool reached the FA Cup quarter-final stage, including four in one game as Walsall were thrashed 5-2 in a fourth round replay on Merseyside. Three goals in Europe meant he had scored no less than 27 goals in his first season!

Hateley never managed to repeat the success of that first season and his career at Anfield was to be only a brief one. He was substituted at Leeds on the last day of August 1968 and was never to pull on the famous red shirt again. Liverpool's pass-and-move style did not seem to suit Hateley's game and only 15 months after his arrival he was on the move. Shankly bought Alun Evans and the youngster from the West Midlands took over the No. 9 shirt. Tommy Smith, his former teammate, revealed why Hateley was sold despite his impressive goal tally: "Tony was a nice fella and a good player in the right team. However, his arrival changed our style of play. From being a passing team, we suddenly started launching the long ball up to the big man. It is not something you plan. It’s just that a centre-forward who is good in the air becomes a magnet for the long, high ball." Hateley never regained the spark that had made him such an asset and he drifted down the Football League. He had though a happy return to his first club, Notts County,  in the 1970/71 season when he scored 22 goals in 29 games as the fourth division title was won. Tony, who is the father of former England international, Mark, played for 12 clubs in his career and scored 209 goals in 429 League appearances.

Tony passed away on 1 February 2014, 72 years of age.

Related Quotes

In the days when rail travel to London took over three hours Bill Shankly spent all the time telling me how we'd reap a harvest from Tony Hateley's heading abilities. 'With Hateley nodding them in at one post and Ron Yeats on the other post we'll net a hatful', he kept telling me. What happened? On his debut Hateley did score with his head, but through his own goal!"

Peter Robinson recalling Liverpool's transfer negotiations with Tony Hateley. His own goal was actually in his fourth game, but why ruin a good story?

"Tony was a nice fella and a good player in the right team. However, his arrival changed our style of play. From being a passing team, we suddenly started launching the long ball up to the big man. It is not something you plan. It’s just that a centre-forward who is good in the air becomes a magnet for the long, high ball."

Tommy Smith on Tony Hateley

"He started off well. A bright, likeable lad with a good personality. A fit Tony Hateley was worth his weight in gold, but things didn't break for him. He had a string of injuries. His injury sheet was frightening and they took the sting out of him."

Shankly on Tony Hateley

Scrapbook

• Bournemouth go out to big Tony - 30 January 1968
• Chelsea hit by old pal Tony - from 9 September 1967
• Hateley over to Goodison - 1978
• Hateley reveals the Liverpool secret
• Hateley stand-up figure
• I'm glad the Doc sold me - September 1967
• Liverpool sign Hateley - from 6 July 1967
• Poster from Soccerstar 1967
• Power build-up at Anfield - Football Monthly September 1967
• Tony the unseen hero - 19 February 1968