Soccer History - Soccer History is a quarterly magazine devoted to the history of football the world's greatest game.

Soccer History Selected Articles & Features

SELECTED ARTICLES FROM SOCCER HISTORY

Below is a selection of articles from Soccer History back issues.
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EVERTON’S DAYS AT ANFIELD, 1884-1892, ISSUE 4

Anfield is the legendary home of Liverpool Football Club to today’s fans, a stadium to inspire fear in the hearts of visiting teams, yet this was not always the case and it is often forgotten that Everton played their home games there from 1884 to 1892.

This is a brief account of the Toffees residence at a ground that has become famous as the home of their local rivals over the last century or so.

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JOHN PEDEN, MANCHESTER UNITED'S FIRST IRISH PLAYER, ISSUE 11

Recruitment of Irish players by Football League clubs peaked in the period 1946-1955, but from the late nineteenth century onwards there had been a steady flow of talent across the Irish Sea. In fact the movement of players from Ireland dates from at least the early 1890s, shortly after the formation of the Irish League in 1890-91. One of the first players to play professionally for an English club was Jack Reynolds, an Englishman who had settled in Northern Ireland after being stationed there with his Army Regiment. Reynolds played for Distillery and Ulster before joining West Bromwich Albion in March 1891. Two other former Distillery players who plied their trade in England were Bob Crone and Jack Taggart, and after a spell with Middlesbrough, the two linked up with Reynolds when they signed
for the Baggies during the 1892-93 season.

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THE NURSERY CLUBS OF ARSENAL AND TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR IN THE 1930S, ISSUE 7

The concept of the nursery club, whereby a senior club reaches a formal agreement with a more junior club that will allow youngsters to develop their skills away from the parent club, has begun to make a comeback in recent years. In modern parlance these are now termed ‘feeder’ or ‘satellite’ clubs but the relationship between, say, Manchester United and Royal Antwerp or Arsenal and KSK Beveren is essentially that of a traditional parent and nursery club. The fact that English clubs now make their arrangements with clubs abroad is a reflection both of the globalisation of the game and a desire to circumvent the more strict regulations on work permits applied here. Nurseries, of course, were commonplace in the 1930s, indeed the Weekly Illustrated newspaper of 29 August 1936 noted that, “Most first class clubs have nurseries for training and developing those men who have talent.”

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THE FORMATION OF THE FOOTBALLERS' BATTALION, ISSUE 1

When the First World War broke out in August 1914, the general opinion in England was that this was to be a short-lived affair that would be concluded by Christmas. It was perhaps this sentiment, as much as their public stance that the players were under legally binding contracts for the duration of the season, which led the Football and Southern eagues to announce that the 1914-15 campaign would run as usual.

The clubs, however, showed their support for the national cause by agreeing to a series of measures to support the war effort: regular collections were held
for the various war relief funds, fans attending matches were often addressed by local dignitaries encouraging them to enlist, while stadiums were made available to the military for drill and, in many cases, the erection of miniature rifle ranges.

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THE BARRHEAD SENSATION, CELTIC'S SCOTTISH CUP DEFEAT BY ARTHURLIE, JANUARY 1897, ISSUE 13

Whilst there has been a long and healthy record of giantkilling in the FA Cup, the near dominance of the Old Firm in Scotland had led to a situation where they have rarely been troubled by such inconveniences. In modern times the defeat of Rangers by Berwick back in 1967 and Celtic’s loss to Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2000 are two extremely rare incidents of major cup shocks. Prior to that one has to delve into the depths of history to uncover an earlier upset of similar proportions: in fact back to 1897 when Celtic fell victim to Arthurlie, a team not even considered of sufficient strength to be accepted as members of the Scottish League. On that occasion, however, the slaying of the giants from Parkhead was not so much a result of some well-aimed strikes by their lower-level opponents, but, as we shall see, a self-inflicted blow by a group of players who saw themselves as more important than the club. The consequences were far reaching and the re-organisation that followed paved the way for greater success in the following years.

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THE OPENING OF THE ORIGINAL WEMBLEY STADIUM IN 1923, ISSUE 16

With the new Wembley Stadium finally a reality after so many delays, it seems an appropriate time to look back at the first version of Wembley. In this article I shall examine the background to the building of the original stadium before going on to consider the reaction of the popular press (Daily Mail, Daily Express, Daily Herald, Daily Mirror) to the 1923 FA Cup Final, when the stadium was used for the very first time. The occasion, as is well known, was somewhat chaotic with the capacity hugely exceeded although the match between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United was successfully played to a conclusion.

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Our aim is to inform football fans who are interested in the past, and so provide them with an understanding of how the game developed to where it is today