June 12, 1936
Manager for Liverpool F.C.?
Chairman and increase of secretarial work
After eight years as secretary-manager of Liverpool F.C., Mr. George Patterson becomes secretary only once more, and the club is without a manager. Mr. Matt McQueen, who relinquished the office in 1928, was the last manager.
Presiding at the 44th annual meeting last night, Mr. William John Harrop said that in any football club to-day the volume of secretarial work was growing tremendously, and the board felt that Mr. Patterson should in future devote his time to this valuable work and not have the added responsibility of management upon him.
This meant that Mr. Patterson was now secretary only, and that at the moment the club was without manager. The question of appointing a manager or otherwise was undergoing the serious and careful consideration of the board.
In reply to a question as to whether the appointment of a manager would involve the payment of a salary extra to Mr. Patterson’s, the chairman said that when Mr. Patterson took on the dual post of secretary-manager the increase in his salary was very small.
The report and accounts, which disclosed a loss of £1,993, compared with a profit of £6,627 the previous year, were adopted.
Dissents
There were one or two dissidents who suggested that while the club had an overdraft no dividend should be paid.
In moving the report and accounts, Mr. Harrop said that from the playing point of view the season, which at one time looked promising enough, had ended in a disappointing manner. The team had played some very good game and some indifferent, and while they had perhaps more than their share of injuries, he did not wish to put that forward as an excuse.
They had an adequate defence, good half-backs, but the truth was that the forward line, which looked at one time so effective, was not so effective as they once hoped. Every effort was made to improve it, but the whole League was in such a state of uncertainty that other clubs dare not part with players Liverpool sought except at prohibitive prices.
On the subject of transfers, the chairman said that the club had paid an extremely high figure for Busby, but in this case, as in the others, the directors felt they laid something for the future and they had no regrets.
The retiring directors, Messrs. Walter Henry Cartwright, Richard Lawson Martindale and William Harvey Webb were re-elected without opposition, the nominee of the Shareholders’ Association, John D.M. Roberts, withdrawing, according to the understanding that if none of the retiring directors desired to retire he should not oppose them.
The auditors, Messrs.: Simon Jude and West, were re-elected.
The players signed to date were: –
Goalkeepers: Arthur Riley and Alf Hobson.
Full backs: Tommy Cooper, Ernest Blenkinsop, Ted Savahe, Jim Harley, Ben Dabbs, Robert Whittle and Robert Felton.
Half-backs: Matt Busby, Jimmy McDougall, Tom Bradshaw, Tom Bush, Norman Low, Fred Rogers, John Browning and Bernard Ramsden.
Forwards: Berry Nieuwenhuys, Phil Taylor, Fred Howe, Sid Roberts, Alf Hanson, Harold Taylor, Robert Glassey, Harry Eastham, Vic Wright, Jack Balmer, Lance Carr and Jimmy Collins.
Among several promising amateurs were: Keith Peters (Port Sunlight), Jack Shield (Bishop Auckland), Ray Lambert (Welsh Schoolboy international), Abe Rosenthal (Liverpool Schoolboys).
Among the questions put during the meeting was one as to why the directors’ seats had been increased from 89 to 147, and the same question questioners asked if it were not possible for directors and their friends to take their places before the game actually commenced and not at the kick-off and at the interval. He said that for five or ten minutes at first it was impossible for some of the shareholders to see anything but the ball in the air.
The chairman said he would endeavour to secure an improvement.
The question of Cup-tie tickets was raised in several quarters. It was understood that the allocation was four tickets per shareholder, but one case was pointed out where a lady exclaimed “Satisfied with four! Why Mr. — is terribly upset because he only got 26.”
Another instance quoted was where a shareholder applied early for tickets but was refused, but where a telephone message from Central Station the night before the closing date produced the tickets required the following the morning.
Another shareholder protested against always receiving the same seats in the back rows.
The chairman said that Cup-tie tickets were always a difficult question.
(Source: Liverpool Echo: June 13, 1936)
"Play Up, Liverpool" 