April 26, 1934
Everton transfer not to be completed
Going to retire
Although he had signed the Everton Club’s transfer form Elisha Scott has decided that he will retire from football as a Liverpool player, after all.
According to his statement to-day, he is to go out of the game at the end of this season, and accordingly the transfer papers will not be completed.
Scott called at the Echo Office to-day, along with Mr. Walter Henry Cartwright, chairman and Mr. George Patterson, secretary, of the Liverpool Club, to convey his decision.
Scott made the following statement:
“I have decided, after all, to retire from active participation in football. I am retiring as a Liverpudlian, as I always wanted to.
“The Liverpool Club has treated me very generously in the past. We are still the best of friends, and hope to continue so.
“I should like to thank the Liverpool public for their continued interest and encouragement during the past twenty-one years.”
“And what about Everton?” he was asked.
“My decision is final. There will be no transfer,” replied Scott.
Scott’s letter
“No transfer forms have been completed,” said Mr. Patterson, the Liverpool secretary, “and Everton are hardly concerned now.
“Here is a letter which Elisha handed to us to-day and which explains his decision completely. He wrote it last Friday, dated it on Tuesday in readiness for our meeting, but owing to his temporary decision which resulted in the transfer negotiations, did not hand it in until to-day, when he had made a final decision.”
The letter from Scott is as follows: –
Mr. W. Cartwright,
Chairman, Liverpool F.C.
April 24, 1934.
Dear Sir, – I was sorry to receive your club’ letter intimating that they were ot prepared to offer me an engagement for next season, and that I had been placed on the transfer at £250, this amount to be given me as accrued share of benefit. I wish to state that I would have been prepared to sign for your club again, but if my services were not required it was my intention to retire from the game. Now that you have decided not to offer me a re-engagement it is my desire to retire from the game. I would like the Liverpool Football Club to let me retire, and give me my accrued share of benefit for services rendered to the Liverpool Football Club.
Yours faithfully,
(signed) Elisha Scott.
Chairman’s comment
Mr. Cartwright said: “I am sorry these complications have arisen. The best of feelings have always existed between Everton and Liverpool, and I hope they will continue to do so. It would have been the same had any other club applied for his immediate transfer.
“It was not the intention of the Liverpool Club to transfer Scott this season. The letter which was sent to Scott only applied to season 1934-35, so far as it might refer to his possible engagement with another club. If Scott had not declared himself unfit to play, we should certainly have chosen him to play against the Corinthians, at Anfield, on Saturday. We were amazed, like everybody else, when we heard of the negotiations with Everton.
“He had assured us he intended to retire, and he was going to give me that decision in writing so that I could bring it before our meeting on Tuesday. However, the letter did not come until to-day, as Mr. Patterson has stated.
“Scott has now reversed his decision to play again, and the suggested transfer will not take place.”
Mr. Cartwright said the matter now rested until it came before the full board meeting of the Liverpool directors on Tuesday next, when Scott’s letter would be fully and sympathetically considered.
Scott is going to Ireland for the weekend, and will return to Anfield on Tuesday.
(Source: Liverpool Echo: April 26, 1934)
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