August 22, 1903
Liverpool have lost at least four first-class men in William Goldie, John Glover, Sam Raybould, and George Livingston, the first three of whom were suspended by the Association for refusing the maximum wage from their old club and signing for Portsmouth. The other man, Livingston, will be seen in the ranks of Manchester City.
Another player to leave the Anfield Road club is Don McCallum, who has transferred his affections to Greenock Morton, while the name of Bill Perkins, the goalkeeper who a few seasons ago was secured from Luton, for which club he rendered splendid service, is conspicuous by its absence. James McLean (Vale of Leven), John Chadburn (West Bromwich Albion), Herbert Craik (Greenock Morton), and Frederick Buck, the clever right winger from West Bromwich Albion, are the principal of the new men engaged.
The club have enlisted the services of a new trainer in the person of Billy Connell, late of Stockport County, with which club Arthur Goddard and Charlie Wilson, two men in the service of the Anfielders, were formerly associated.
Full list of players is: – Goal, Peter Platt; backs, Billy Dunlop, Joe Hoare (Southampton), James McLean (Vale of Leven), and John Chadburn (West Bromwich); half backs, Maurice Parry, Alex Raisbeck , George Fleming, Herbert Craik (Greenock Morton), and Andrew Raisbeck, Charlie Wilson, John Hughes (Aberdare); forwards, Jack Cox, Edgar Chadwick, Richard Morris, John Carlin, Frederick Buck (West Bromwich), Arthur Goddard, Henry Nixon, George Latham, Charles Morgan, and Sidney Smith.
(Manchester Courier: August 22, 1903)
"Play Up, Liverpool" 
William Connell was ubiquitous in team pictures from the first decade of the nineteenth century into the 1920s, but this is the first reference I’ve read of his LFC arrival.
Hi there,
He did not have a good first season for sure, but I do believe the quality of the players leaving were the reason for the relegation in his first season.
This is a list of the trainers at Anfield I have in my papers:
1892-1893 Alec Dick, J Richardson and ?
1893-1894 T Whitway
1894-1895 T Whitway and Jackson
1895-1896 T Whitway and Jackson
1896-1897 T Whitway
1897-1898 T Whitway
1898-1899 J Chapman
1899-1900 J Chapman
1900-1901 J Chapman
1901-1902 J Chapman
1902-1903 J Chapman
1903-1904 W Connell
1904-1905 W Connell
1905-1906 W Connell
1906-1907 W Connell
1907-1908 W Connell and George Fleming
1908-1909 W Connell and George Fleming
1909-1910 W Connell and George Fleming
1910-1911 W Connell and George Fleming
1911-1912 W Connell and George Fleming
1912-1913 W Connell and George Fleming
1913-1914 W Connell and George Fleming
1914-1915 W Connell and George Fleming
1915-1916 W Connell and George Fleming
1916-1917 W Connell and George Fleming
1917-1918 W Connell and George Fleming
1918-1919 W Connell and George Fleming
1919-1920 W Connell and George Fleming
1920-1921 W Connell and George Fleming
1921-1922 W Connell and George Fleming
1922-1923 W Connell, J Hewitt, C Wilson
1923-1924 W Connell, J Hewitt, C Wilson
1924-1925 W Connell, J Hewitt, C Wilson
1925-1926 W Connell, J Hewitt, C Wilson
1926-1927 W Connell, J Hewitt, C Wilson
1927-1928 W Connell, J Hewitt, C Wilson
1928-1929 Charlie Wilson, J Hewitt
1929-1930 Charlie Wilson, J Hewitt
1930-1931 Charlie Wilson, J Hewitt, Ephraim Longworth
1931-1932 Charlie Wilson, J Hewitt, Ephraim Longworth
1932-1933 Charlie Wilson, J Hewitt, Ephraim Longworth
1933-1934 Charlie Wilson, J Hewitt, Ephraim Longworth
1934-1935 Charlie Wilson, J Hewitt, Ephraim Longworth
1935-1936 Charlie Wilson, J Hewitt, Ephraim Longworth
1936-1937 Charlie Wilson, J Hewitt, Ephraim Longworth
1937-1938 Albert Shelley
1938-1939 Albert Shelley
1939-1940 Albert Shelley
1940-1941 Albert Shelley
1941-1942 Albert Shelley
1942-1943 Albert Shelley
1943-1944 Albert Shelley
1944-1945 Albert Shelley
1945-1946 Albert Shelley
1946-1947 Albert Shelley
1947-1948 Albert Shelley
1948-1949 Albert Shelley
1949-1950 Albert Shelley, J Seddon (ass trainer)
1950-1951 Albert Shelley
Kjell
Hi Kjell,
That’s of remarkable list.
I’m interested in Connell because I’ve seen him in so many pictures and because I’ve got his signature on an autograph page. He was certainly not camera shy. The same could probably be said of Albert Shelley.
By the way, my rating reflects my interest in the article, not that I’m happy the team was weakened. In truth, most of these posts deserve top marks.
Jeff
Hi Jeff,
I am happy you enjoy them. I have so many books about LFC and the more I look into matters the more errors appear.
I tried to do a search on Connell, but could not find anything else on him prior to coming to Liverpool. I can check with some contacts of mine if they have more information about him.
Kjell