Players - Tony Hateley

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)
Signed from: Chelsea
Signed for LFC: £96,000, 03.07.1967
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
Games/assists ratio: 5.6
Total games/goals opposite LFC: 9 / 5
League games / goals / assists: 42 / 17 / 10
Total games / goals / assists: 56 / 28 / 10

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.
Appearances per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 42 7 2 5 0 56
1967-1968 38 7 2 5 0 52
1968-1969 4 0 0 0 0 4
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps Minutes Opponent
4 360 Tottenham
3 300 WBA
3 270 Everton
3 270 Stoke City
3 270 Sunderland
3 238 Leeds United
2 180 Coventry City
2 180 Newcastle United
2 180 Walsall
2 180 Chelsea
2 180 Manchester City
2 180 Wolves
2 180 Bolton Wanderers
2 180 Leicester City
2 180 Burnley
2 180 Arsenal
2 180 Fulham
2 180 Malmo
2 180 Nottingham Forest
2 169 Manchester United
2 162 West Ham United
2 136 TSV Munich
1 90 Ferencvaros
1 90 Bournemouth
1 90 Sheffield United
1 90 Southampton
1 90 Sheffield Wednesday
Total Started/substitutions
56 Started
3 On the bench
0 Substitute
5 Substituted
Total Venue
28 Home
27 Away
1 Neutral
Total Competition
42 League
7 FA Cup
5 European Fairs Cup
2 League Cup
Total W D L Win % Manager
56 27 15 14 48.2% Bill Shankly
Goals per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 17 8 0 3 0 28
1967-1968 16 8 0 3 0 27
1968-1969 1 0 0 0 0 1
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
Total Started/substitutions
28 Started
0 Substitute
Total Competition
17 League
8 FA Cup
3 European Fairs Cup
Total Goal minute period
5 1-15 minutes
2 16-30 minutes
7 31-45 minutes
5 46-60 minutes
5 61-75 minutes
4 76-90 minutes
Total Goal origin
28 Open play
Assists per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 10 0 0 0 0 10
1967-1968 10 0 0 0 0 10
1968-1969 0 0 0 0 0 0
A more detailed look at the player's assists
Milestone Appearances
# Date Against Stadium Competition
1 19.08.1967 Manchester City Maine Road League
50 04.05.1968 Leeds United Elland Road League
Milestone Goals
# Minute Date Against Stadium Competition
1 8 26.08.1967 Newcastle United Anfield League
Related Articles
Those first few minutes…… Part 2

Part 1 gave no pleasure to research, write, or (for LFC fans no doubt) to read, concerning LFC going behind in under ten minutes of a match.

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
Bournemouth go out to big Tony - 30 January 1968
Chelsea hit by old pal Tony - from 9 September 1967
Chelsea hit by old pal Tony - from 9 September 1967
Hateley leaves - 19 September 1968
Hateley leaves - 19 September 1968
Hateley over to Goodison - 1978
Hateley over to Goodison - 1978
Hateley reveals the Liverpool secret
Hateley reveals the Liverpool secret
Hateley stand-up figure
Hateley stand-up figure
Hateley talks to Kop
Hateley talks to Kop
I'm glad the Doc sold me - September 1967
I'm glad the Doc sold me - September 1967
Liverpool sign Hateley - from 6 July 1967
Liverpool sign Hateley - from 6 July 1967
Poster from Soccerstar 1967
Poster from Soccerstar 1967
Power build-up at Anfield - Football Monthly September 1967
Power build-up at Anfield - Football Monthly September 1967
Shankly lands Hateley
Shankly lands Hateley
Tony the unseen hero - 19 February 1968
Tony the unseen hero - 19 February 1968
Other Clubs
Club Season Club rank League apps League goals Total apps Total goals
Notts County 1958-1959 England Third Division 4 1 4 1
Notts County 1959-1960 England Fourth Division 10 8 10 8
Notts County 1960-1961 England Third Division 45 27 47 27
Notts County 1961-1962 England Third Division 40 19 46 21
Notts County 1962-1963 England Third Division 32 22 32 22
Aston Villa 1963-1964 England First Division 35 17 39 19
Aston Villa 1964-1965 England First Division 42 20 53 34
Aston Villa 1965-1966 England First Division 39 27 44 28
Aston Villa 1966-1967 England First Division 11 4 12 5
Chelsea 1966-1967 England First Division 27 6 33 9
Coventry City 1968-1969 England First Division 17 2 20 3
Birmingham City 1969-1970 England Second Division 26 6 27 6
Birmingham City 1970-1971 England Second Division 2 0 2 0
Notts County 1970-1971 England Fourth Division 29 22 30 23
Notts County 1971-1972 England Third Division 28 10 35 12
Oldham Athletic 1972-1974 England Third Division 5 1 5 1
Boston Minutemen 1974-1975 NASL 3 0 3 0
Bromsgrove Rovers 1974-1975 Southern League Division One North N/A N/A N/A N/A
Barrow 1975-1976 Northern Premier League 10 4 11 5
Prescot Town 1976-1978 Mid-Cheshire League N/A N/A N/A N/A
Keyworth United 1978-1979 Notts Alliance Senior Division N/A N/A N/A N/A
Total 405 196 453 224