Saturday, July 4 – 1914
In the beginning was Everton, and Everton were the goods, so they said. The Everton of those day’s played at Anfield and out of a dispute which those Evertonians had among themselves arose Liverpool, so that dispute was worthwhile. All this happened in 1892 and the ancient history glutinous may regale themselves with the following fact. It was a matter of the rental of the Anfield ground which led to the trouble and in the end a sections of the Evertonians decided to move rather than pay the rank asked – a mode of proceedings which is by no means uncommon.
In fact, to this day there are thousands of people who regularly preach and act upon the gospel that it is cheaper to move than pay rent. Joke, All American copyrights secured. The proprietor of the Anfield Road ground was Mr. John Houlding and at a meeting in his house it was decided that those who had left were not to have matters all their own way, for active opposition was the card which was to be played.
The Football Association were asked to sanction new club, which they did, and the association also allowed the newcomers to call themselves Liverpool, a title which Everton thought was much too ambitious. But Liverpool have worthily up held the honour of the city where name they bear.
Now Liverpool would have liked a place in the First Division of the League straight away, and in fact they asked for the place, but the League couldn’t see it in the same light and that Anfield Road for a time knew not League football. Still the Lancashire Combination were glad to have the new club and Liverpool reciprocates by winning the championship right off. That represented progress certainly.
The players in those days I might say were the Scotsmen, a fact which prompts me to think that the first committee of Liverpool must have been composed of wonderfully sensible men. This love for the Caledonian still exists at Anfield where the accent of the North is well-known.
One often hears funny stories of clubs in which a large number of Scots are engaged, but one of the funniest concerns not Liverpool but another club – one which will be easily identified when I say that the secretary once told me that there was a time when his team consisted of ten Scotsmen and Fred Spiksley.
It is said that at the same time the secretary one day in the stripping room dropped a sixpence on the floor and the coin rolled out of sight. “Never mind it,” said the secretary and he left the room, followed by Spiksley. The other members of the team however remained behind and tore up the concrete floor looking for the sixpences.
(Liverpool Echo, 04-07-1914)
John Houlding.
"Play Up, Liverpool" 