Hugh Gerhardi

The South African was recommended by manager Don Welsh's friend, Billy Butler, the former Bolton Wanderers’ player who was then coaching in South Africa. Welsh met up with Gerhardi in Southampton to which he had sailed from Johannesburg. Gerhardi played six League matches for Liverpool as a half-back during the latter stages of the 1952/53 season after arriving from Thistle in Johannesburg. He made his debut at Middlesbrough on 7 February 1953 and played in the next four matches as well but was only called on once more before the season ended, the last of his six appearances coming in a 4-0 defeat at Cardiff City on 6 April 1953. The Liverpool Echo noted: "His positional play is not expert, his timing is not always good, but by judicious stretching of a long leg he gets results."

Gerhardi is one of the tallest men ever to feature for Liverpool, at 6 ft. 4 ins. (194 cm.). Homesickness made him move back to South Africa after just one season with the club but he returned for the following season without ever featuring for the first team again. His story has a tragic ending as on 12 January 1985, Gerhardi committed suicide in his store in Johannesburg. He had mistakenly believed he had a brain tumour according to his wife of 30 years, Pauline. She told the Liverpool Echo: "He had been feeling worried for some time but I never dreamed it would come to this. I think what upset him most, was that because of his blood pressure he had to give up coaching, and that was the most important part of his life."