Monday, April 19 – 1954
A sad postscript to Liverpool’s departure from the First Division after forty-nine years was the announcement yesterday of the death of my old friend George Kay, their former manager.
George resigned his position with the club in 1951 because of continued ill-health after having been with them since 1936, and having steered them to the League Championship in 1947 and to the Cup Final in 1950.
Perhaps the shock of seeing the club which he loved so well vanished from among the elite was just that one burden too much for George’s heart to bear.
But at least George, who started his managerial career with Southampton, must have felt a vicarious thrill of satisfaction in seeing how one of his discoveries, Ted Drake, had steered Chelsea into leading all the other London clubs.
May the turf rest lightly on you, George, for whether you were captaining West Ham against Bolton in that most fabulous football match ever played – the first Wembley Cup Final – or whether you were encouraging the youngsters in the teams you adorned as manager, you were very much O-Kay.
(Daily Mirror, Peter Wilson, 20-04-1954)
"Play Up, Liverpool" 