The Ends of the East Lancs Road

Nine senior players have made the direct move between Anfield and Old Trafford, although several others have played for both clubs.

And of course Matt Busby was still on Liverpool's books as a player at the time he agreed to take the job of manager of Manchester United.

These are players who have seen both ends of the East Lancs Road.

Liverpool to Manchester United

1912 Tom Chorlton (1882 - 1952)

Born in Heaton Mersey, Stockport, Tom Chorlton played for County and Accrington Stanley before moving to Liverpool in 1904. He played 121 games for them as a defender, scoring 8 goals (mostly penalties). A regular starter from 1908 -11, he then lost his place and transferred to United in August 1912.

He stayed two seasons with United, but only played four league games at right-back, in 1913-14, before moving to Stalybridge Celtic.

His career ended with World War I.

23 September 1920 Tom Miller (£2,000) (1890 - ?)

Born in Motherwell, 30 June 1890, inside forward Tom Miller was brought to Anfield in 1912 for £400. He scored 56 times in 146 Liverpool games, appearing in their first FA Cup Final in 1914 (they lost 1-0 to Burnley in front of King George V, the first monarch to attend a final and the man responsible for the traditional singing of Abide with Me).

Miller was suspended from football for his part in the great 1915 match-fixing scandal involving Liverpool and Manchester United (see below), but he was reinstated after the war and then moved to Old Trafford in September 1920.

He made his United debut at Old Trafford against Tottenham on 25 September and scored his first goal against Oldham two matches later. He played 25 league games that season, scoring 7 goals, and 2 games in the FA Cup, scoring once (against Liverpool at Anfield).

Miller moved back to Scotland with Hearts in July 1921, for £550 plus Arthur Lochhead. Miller played three times for Scotland.

1929 Tommy Reid (1905- ?)

Born in Motherwell, Reid started his career with Liverpool. He scored thirty times in just 55 Liverpool games. After being loaned out to Oldham Athletic, he transferred to Manchester United in 1929. He scored 14 goals in 17 appearances that season and went on to score 67 goals in just 101 games, before being transferred back to Oldham in 1933.

December 1937 Robert (Ted) Savage


Right-half Ted Savage was born in Louth in Lincolnshire. He left Anfield for Old Trafford in December 1937 after 105 Liverpool games following his arrival from Lincoln City in May 1931. He made his debut for Liverpool as a forward, netting twice in a 4-0 defeat of Grimsby Town at Anfield that September, but never scored for them again.

He played only 5 games for United (4 League, one FA Cup) before moving on to Wrexham in November 1938.

1938 Allenby Chilton (1919 - 1996)

see separate profile


Manchester United to Liverpool

November 1913 John (Jackie) Sheldon (1888 - 1941)

Born in Clay Cross, Derbyshire, 11 February 1888. Jackie Sheldon played for Nuneaton as an amateur before signing for United in November 1909. He was part of the team that won United's second Championship in 1912. An outside right, he was mainly used as cover for Billy Meredith. As a result, he only played 26 first team games in four seasons before being transferred to Liverpool in November 1913. He remained at Anfield (except for his absence during the war) until he retired nine years later, after scoring twenty times in 147 games.

Sheldon was alleged to be the ringleader of the 1915 match-fixing scandal, perhaps because of his contacts with both clubs.

The 1915 match-fixing scandal

On 2 April 1915, Good Friday, Liverpool visited Old Trafford for a First Division match. United were struggling against relegation, while Liverpool were comfortable in mid-table. It was generally assumed that football would be halted at the end of the season for the remainder of the Great War, so many of the players probably believed their careers were effectively at an end.

Liverpool lost 2-0, George Anderson scoring a goal for United in each half. Sheldon missed a penalty late on in the match, and there were suspicions that several Liverpool players were hardly trying.

After the match handbills started to appear, alleging that a large amount of money had been bet at odds of 7/1 on a 2-0 win to United. The bookmakers decided not to pay out on the result and offered a £50 reward for information that would unmask the conspirators. The Sporting Chronicle took up the story and claimed that they discovered evidence that players on both sides had got together to concoct a 2-0 scoreline. The newspaper also argued that some of the players had large bets on the result.

An investigation by the FA concluded that players from both sides had been involved in rigging the match: Sandy Turnbull (the goal scoring hero of the 1909 FA Cup final), Arthur Whalley and Enoch "Knocker" West of United, and Jackie Sheldon, Tom Miller (see above), Bob Purcell and Tom Fairfoul of Liverpool. Suspicion attached to several other players as well, although nothing was proved. Some players, such as Liverpool's Fred Pagnam and United's George Anderson (who scored both goals) apparently refused to take part in the scheme (although Anderson was convicted and imprisoned in 1918 for his part in another match-fixing comspiracy). Pagnam claimed he had threatened to score a goal to ruin the result, and indeed hit the bar late in the game, after which several of his team-mates were seen to argue with him. He later testified against his team-mates at the FA hearing and for the FA in West's libel action.

All seven players were banned from playing for life, and even banned from entering football grounds. Knocker West, the only convicted United player who actually took part in the game, vociferously protested his innocence, even going so far as suing the FA for libel. However, he lost the case (twice) and the ban stood. Sandy Turnbull was killed in 1917 serving in World War I. All the other players, except West, had their bans lifted by the FA in 1919, in recognition of their service to the country during the War, and after they had apologised. For continuing to protest his innocence, and possibly for spending the war in a factory rather than fighting, West had to wait until 1945 for his ban to be lifted in a general amnesty, by which time he was 59 and an embittered man. He refused to enter Old Trafford ever again.

The investigation had found that it had been a conspiracy by the players alone - no official from either club was found guilty of any wrong-doing, and neither club was fined or had points deducted. However, although the players' motives for the match-fixing were financial, rather than to save United from relegation, the two points United won from the game were enough to earn them 18th place and safety, one point ahead of Chelsea in 19th place, who were nominally relegated. But the intervention of the World War meant that the Football League did not resume until 1919-20. Before the 1919-20 season started, the League decided to expand the First Division by two teams; Chelsea (along with Arsenal) were elected back into the First Division and thus spared the drop.

His ban lifted, Jackie Sheldon made a further 72 appearances for Liverpool before a serious injury ended his career in 1922, and he was even given a benefit by the club.

He died in Manchester on 19th March 1941.

May 1921 Fred Hopkin (1895 - 1970) (£2800)

Born in Dewsbury on 23 September 1895, Fred Hopkin first played football for Darlington in 1912, his career there spanning World War 1.

An outside left, he moved to United in 1919. He scored his first goal for United in the Manchester derby (a 3-3 draw) and also scored in United’s first ever visit to Highbury on Saturday 21 February 1920 (when two goals from Joe Spence and one from Hopkin gave United a 3-0 victory). He played two full seasons for United (70 League games - scoring 8 goals - and 4 FA Cup games). In six games for United against Liverpool, he was never on the winning side (4 draws, 2 defeats).

During his time at Old Trafford, United were fined £350 by the FA for the crime of paying Fred more than the maximum wage and for promising to give him a percentage of his transfer fee, which was also illegal.

This showed how much United thought of Hopkin, but he left Old Trafford for £2,800 in May 1921 (Liverpool's record fee at the time) and helped Liverpool to consecutive League titles. He was an ever present during the first title winning season, 1921-22, and missed just 2 of the 42 league matches in the second in 1922-23. However, he was best known as the man whose goal set the Anfield Road end on fire. He was a rare goalscorer, and when he finally struck against Bolton Wanderers in 1923, there were great celebrations. Seconds later, flames rose from the stand, which had to be evacuated.

Hopkin scored a total of twelve goals in 360 Liverpool games, before moving back to Darlington in 1931. He died on March 5 1970, the last survivor of the Liverpool double championship team of the 1920s.

1954 Tommy McNulty (£7,000) (1929 - 1979)

Tommy McNulty was born in Salford on 30 December 1929. McNulty made his senior debut for United against Portsmouth in April 1950 and played 7 games in the remaining part of the season. He played 22 league games in 1951 -52, winning a League Championship medal and 24 the season after. Altogether, the right -back made 59 appearances (57 League, 2 FA Cup - both lost) and one in the Charity Shield, before moving on to Liverpool for £7,000 in February 1954.

He stepped down a division in the process, as Liverpool were in Division 2 at the time. He went on to play 36 times for Liverpool before being offloaded to Hyde United four years later. He died in April 1979.


1964 Phil Chisnall (£25,000)

see separate profile


Played for both clubs

George Livingstone (Liverpool 1902-03; United 1908-1914)

See separate profile.

Neil McBain (United 1921-23; Liverpool 1928)

Scottish international half-back Neil McBain, played for United from 1921-23. He was bought for a fee of £6,000 from Ayr United in November 1921, and was in the team relegated at the end of the 1921-22 season. He played 43 games in all, scoring twice (both in Division 2) before moving to Everton in January 1923. He arrived at Anfield in March 1928, but only stayed eight months, playing twelve times.

Jimmy McInnes (Liverpool 1938-40; United wartime guest)

Scottish left-half Jimmy McInnes made 51 Liverpool appearances after signing from Third Lanark in March 1938 for £5,500, but didn't play for them again after the war. He guested with United during the war, and later became Club Secretary at Anfield from 1955-65. However, he hanged himself in the turnstile area of the Kop in 1965, just four days after Liverpool had won the FA Cup for the first time.

Ted MacDougall (Liverpool 1966-67; United 1972-73)

Ted MacDougall never made the Liverpool first team, but he was on their books in 1966-67, before moving to York City and then Bournemouth. He had an unhappy spell with United, signed by Frank O'Farrell from Bournemouth in September 1972 for £200,000. He played 11 league games for O'Farrell, scoring 4 goals, before the manager was sacked. He played another 7 games under Tommy Docherty, scoring one more goal, before being unloaded on West Ham in March 1973 for £170,000. He then moved on to Norwich, Southampton and subsequently back to Bournemouth.

John Gidman (Liverpool youth; United 1981-86)

Gidman played for Liverpool youth teams before the club released him and he joined Aston Villa in 1971. He was signed by Everton in 1979 for £650,000. A right-back, he then became Manchester United's new manager Ron Atkinson's first signing as he moved to United in 1981 as part of a £450,000 swap deal, with Mickey Thomas moving to Everton. He helped United win the FA Cup in 1983 and 1985. After scoring 4 goals in 120 appearances for United (including 4 substitute appearances), he left the club for rivals Manchester City in 1986. During his two seasons at City, the club was relegated to the Second Division. So Gidman was actually on the books of Liverpool, Everton, United and City.

Stephen Pears (United 1979-85; Liverpool 1995-96)

Keeper Stephen Pears was understudy to Gary Bailey at United, and played 5 games in the 1984-85 season. He then moved to Middlesborough, where he spent 10 successful years. His testimonial match was the final game at Ayresome Park. Liverpool signed him on a free transfer in August 1995 and he sat on the bench five times as understudy to David James, without getting on the pitch.

Peter Beardsley: (United 1982-83; Liverpool 1987-91)

United bought Peter Beardsley from Vancouver Whitecaps in September 1982 for £300,000. He spent a season with them without making much impact, only making one appearance in the League Cup victory against Bournemouth on 6 October 1982. He moved back to Vancouver Whitecaps on 1 March 1983 on a free transfer. Newcastle brought him back from Canada within a few months in a successful move. He arrived at Anfield from Newcastle for £1.9m in July 1987, and scored 59 times in 175 Liverpool games, helping them to claim two League titles and the FA Cup. He was sold to Everton in 1991.

Paul Ince: (United 1989-95; Liverpool 1997-99)

Paul Ince made his United debut against Millwall on 16 September 1989, after his controversial transfer from West Ham for £1 million. He helped them to two League titles, two FA Cups, the European Cup Winners’ Cup, European Super Cup and a League Cup. He played 281 games for United, scoring 29 goals. His last game was the defeat to Everton in the 1995 Cup Final. Over the summer he was sold to Internazionale for £8 million. He joined Liverpool in July 1997 in a £4m deal from Inter, going on to make 81 appearances, and scoring seventeen goals, including the equaliser in a 2-2 draw with United at Anfield, which he celebrated in that somewhat over-dramatic manner. However, he was past his best and Houllier sold him to Middlesbrough for £1m in July 1999.

Michael Nardiello

Michael Nardiello is a teenager from Torquay who moved to Anfield from Manchester United in summer 2005. It's unclear if he was offered a contract renewal by United or not; some rumours say he was sacked for fighting. He was in the Liverpool side that won the FA Youth Cup in 2006, but joined West Brom on 29 June 2006 after impressing Brian Robson in a successful trial. He has played for England U16 and U17 sides .

Ramon Calliste

Oddly, another youngster from Old Trafford, Ramon Calliste, also moved to Liverpool in 2005. The Welsh Under-21’s international was released by United at the end of the season. He spent a season in the Liverpool reserves before they released him as well.

Sources :

Red11
Red News
wikipedia
lfchistory.net
ynwa.tv (Liverpool fan site)
The Times 25 July 2007