The three League games played in the 1939/40 season were expunged from Football League records as the season was stopped due to World War II. The games are therefore not considered valid by LFChistory.net and as the "Association of football statisticians" does not count them towards official player totals.
Season | League | FA | LC | Europe | Other | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Totals | 115 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 122 |
1935-1936 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
1936-1937 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
1937-1938 | 33 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 |
1938-1939 | 42 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 |
1939-1940 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Apps | Minutes | Opponent |
---|---|---|
8 | 720 | Wolves |
7 | 630 | Brentford |
6 | 540 | Bolton Wanderers |
6 | 540 | Arsenal |
6 | 540 | Birmingham City |
6 | 540 | Middlesbrough |
6 | 540 | Derby |
6 | 540 | Sunderland |
6 | 540 | Huddersfield Town |
6 | 540 | Leeds United |
5 | 450 | Everton |
5 | 450 | Preston North End |
5 | 450 | Chelsea |
5 | 450 | Stoke City |
4 | 360 | Blackpool |
4 | 360 | Manchester City |
4 | 360 | Leicester City |
4 | 360 | Grimsby Town |
3 | 270 | Sheffield Wednesday |
3 | 270 | Portsmouth |
3 | 270 | Charlton Athletic |
3 | 270 | Manchester United |
2 | 210 | Crystal Palace |
2 | 180 | Aston Villa |
2 | 180 | Blackburn Rovers |
1 | 90 | Sheffield United |
1 | 90 | Luton Town |
1 | 90 | Norwich City |
1 | 90 | Stockport County |
1 | 90 | WBA |
Total | Venue |
---|---|
63 | Home |
59 | Away |
Total | Competition |
---|---|
115 | League |
7 | FA Cup |
Total | W | D | L | Win % | Manager |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
111 | 41 | 30 | 40 | 36.9% | George Kay |
11 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 18.2% | George Patterson (2nd term) |
The three League games played in the 1939/40 season were expunged from Football League records as the season was stopped due to World War II. The games are therefore not considered valid by LFChistory.net and as the "Association of football statisticians" does not count them towards official player totals.
Season | League | FA | LC | Europe | Other | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Totals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
1935-1936 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
1936-1937 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
1937-1938 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1938-1939 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
1939-1940 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | Opponent |
---|---|
1 | Charlton Athletic |
1 | Blackburn Rovers |
1 | Grimsby Town |
Total | Competition |
---|---|
3 | League |
Total | Goal minute period |
---|---|
1 | 46-60 minutes |
1 | 61-75 minutes |
1 | 76-90 minutes |
Total | Goal origin |
---|---|
3 | Open play |
Season | Appearances | Goals |
---|---|---|
1939-1940 | 16 | 1 |
1941-1942 | 1 | 0 |
1943-1944 | 4 | 0 |
1944-1945 | 5 | 0 |
# | Date | Against | Stadium | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 14.03.1936 | Huddersfield Town | Leeds Road | League |
50 | 23.10.1937 | Leicester City | Anfield | League |
100 | 31.12.1938 | Preston North End | Anfield | League |
# | Minute | Date | Against | Stadium | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 47 | 10.04.1936 | Blackburn Rovers | Ewood Park | League |
You meet a Manc and try to make him guess which two football grounds have a statue of a former Liverpool player outside
"Although a Liverpool player at the time, Matt still retained many connections with Manchester City and his former colleagues at Maine Road. During the summer he and Alex Herd used to play golf together back home in Scotland. One day Alex did not turn up for their usual round, and upon making inquiries from him later Matt learned that he had taken Willie McAndrew, the manager of Hamilton Academicals, in his car to see my parents about getting me to sign for his old club. On being told by Alex that I had turned down the invitation Matt immediately telephoned Mr. George Kay at Anfield and suggested that this Liddell lad might be worth an inquiry. 'Liddell eventually became a Liverpool player, a very fortunate day for Liverpool', says Matt, who goes on to add some complimentary remarks about me which are best left unsaid here. But let me add it was also a very fortunate day for Billy Liddell."
Billy did not know who had recommended him to Liverpool, but found out when he read Matt Busby's book later on his Liverpool career
"In 1967, we arrived at Anfield to play Liverpool and as I glanced out of the window of the coach I saw Bill Shankly standing at the main entrance. I was the first player to alight from the coach and when I reached the entrance Bill shook my hand warmly. 'Good to see you again, George,' he said. 'You're looking well, son.' This was unusual for him, and knowing Shanks to be a wily old fox, I decided to hang around to try to find out what he was up to. As each of the United players entered Anfield, Shanks shook his hand, welcomed him and told him how good he looked. Eventually, Bobby Charlton, a born worrier, came up to Shanks. 'Bobby, son. Good to see you,' Shanks said, shaking his hand. 'But by God, if ever there was a man who looked ill, it's you, Bobby!' Bobby's face went as colourless as an icicle. 'Ill? I look ill?' he repeated, running the fingers of his right hand over his forehead and down his right cheek. He was visibly shaken. 'Aye, Bobby, son. You look like you're sickening for something. If I were you I'd see a doctor as soon as you set foot back in Manchester.' Shanks patted Bobby on the back and took off down the corridor, leaving him trembling in the foyer.
In the dressing room, Bobby was conspicuous by his absence and, ominously, there was a delay in announcing the team. We sat around kicking our heels, no one daring to get changed in case Matt Busby had a tactical plan which meant leaving one of us out. The thought of getting changed only to be told to put your clothes back on because you're not in the team is a player's nightmare. Eventually Matt Busby entered the dressing room with Jimmy Murphy and told us they had reshuffled the team which had beaten West Ham the previous week. Bobby Charlton was unavailable. He'd suddenly been taken ill."
GEORGE BEST
"One day in 1959, when Huddersfield were playing Cardiff City, Tom (T.V.) Williams, who was then chairman of Liverpool, and Harry Latham, a director, came down the slope at Leeds Road to see me. Mr Williams said, 'How would you like to manage the best club in the country?' 'Why, is Matt Busby packing it up?' I asked."
Bill Shankly
"We [Smith and Chris Lawler] only found out later that a certain gentleman from down the East Lancashire Road has been monitoring our progress in the Central league. Matt Busby, the manager of Manchester United, was still rebuilding after the tragedy of the Munich Air Disaster in 1958. Later Bill Shankly would reveal to me that Busby had offered him £50,000 for the joint services of Messrs Smith and Lawler. The boss wouldn’t let his young prospects go. He had his own agenda and thankfully I was on it."
Tommy Smith
“Probably the classiest wing half-back I have ever met was Matt Busby, and I am not surprised he has made such a success of his job as manager of Manchester United, for Matt was not only a great player, he was also a great teacher. Surely football has never seen such an immaculate passer of the ball than the cheerful, likeable Scot. It was uncanny to see him change the direction of a game with one shrewd pass, which always went speedily and accurately to the right man. There was never anything slipshod about Matt. Only the best would do and no matter where the ball was he was always working, always taking up position, always thinking a couple of moves ahead of anyone else. So no wonder Matt Busby covered more ground in each match than any other player on the field, and to what wonderful purpose!"
Tommy Lawton, the English striker extraordinaire, praised Matt Busby’s strengths as a player, in ,” Lawton said in his book “My Twenty Years of Soccer”.
“Matt Busby was a man you could look up to and respect. He’d played the game and people like him weren’t solely tied down with tactics, which was a valuable lesson for me.”
When Bob Paisley joined Liverpool Matt Busby was club captain and they remained the best of friends ever since.
Club | Season | Club rank | League apps | League goals | Total apps | Total goals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Denny Hibernian | 1927-1928 | Scotland | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Manchester City | 1929-1930 | England First Division | 11 | 3 | 12 | 5 |
Manchester City | 1930-1931 | England First Division | 20 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
Manchester City | 1931-1932 | England First Division | 41 | 1 | 46 | 1 |
Manchester City | 1932-1933 | England First Division | 39 | 1 | 46 | 2 |
Manchester City | 1933-1934 | England First Division | 39 | 4 | 47 | 4 |
Manchester City | 1934-1935 | England First Division | 33 | 1 | 34 | 1 |
Manchester City | 1935-1936 | England First Division | 19 | 1 | 20 | 1 |
Total | 202 | 11 | 226 | 14 |