January 6, 1970
The search is on. The never-ending hunt for up-and-coming young players is being stepped up by Liverpool, as they bid to reinforce their already strong nation-wide scouting network. They are aiming to recruit another half-dozen men to scour the country. They have advertised in Scotland and in many parts of England and Wales, to plug any gaps in their system.
They already have many scouts dotted around the country, operating under chief scout Geoff Twentyman. And in the last week, they have added to their Anfield scouting staff by appointing Verdi Godwin, a former scout with Blackpool and Chelsea and acknowledged as one of the best in the game.
He teams up at Anfield with two of his discoveries, former Blackpool and England goalkeeper Tony Waiters, and England’s latest find, Emlyn Hughes. Liverpool’s aim is to be able to cover as many matches as possible to make sure that no potential stars are left un-watched and missed.
Already the scouting network is reinforced by many contact men throughout the British Isles, who tip Liverpool off about promising youngsters in junior football. Liverpool have players on their books from Scotland and Ireland, as well as from many corners of England. At present, they have only three Liverpool-born players regularly in their first team.
At Anfield, Liverpool manager Bill Shankly said: “We’re always on the look-out for more scouts – all clubs are. We have them everywhere. We marked out the country, and have everywhere covered.
“We have one man in most places, but in some districts we have two men on the look-out for us. We can’t afford to leave any stone un-turned.”
(Source: Liverpool Echo: January 6, 1970; via http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) © 2018 Findmypast Newspaper Archive Limited
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Geoff Twentyman.
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"Play Up, Liverpool" 