The United-Liverpool Scandal

I didn't know about this, interesting stuff.

Despite an enduringly fierce rivalry, perhaps the most astonishing chapter of Manchester United and Liverpool's shared history remains an unlikely tale of collusion – a century old on 4 April - and an affair which would ultimately lead to lifetime bans for seven players and a reshaping of the Football League.
While United's 1914/15 season had been a largely wretched affair, the ability to spring an upset meant that, on face value, a 2-0 win over mid-table Liverpool on Good Friday, 1915, was hardly remarkable. Yet events on the field told an altogether different tale.
"The second half was crammed with lifeless football," reported The Manchester Daily Dispatch. "United were two up with 22 minutes to play and they seemed so content with their lead that they apparently never tried to increase it. Liverpool scarcely ever gave the impression that they would be likely to score."
The sight of both sides going through the motions irked those in the stands – just an estimated 15,000 supporters – with jeers and catcalls ringing around the sparsely filled stadium. A spectacular first-half penalty miss by United skipper Pat O'Connell added to the peculiarity, while the sight of Liverpool's Fred Pagnam being berated by colleagues after hitting the crossbar with the visitors' only noteworthy effort on goal further aroused suspicions. United manager John Robertson is alleged to have left the stadium in disgust before the end of the game, as George Anderson's brace gave his side a 2-0 success, which went a long way to preserving the Reds' top-flight status. The final whistle, however, was far from the end of the matter.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1915_British_football_betting_scandal

 

War was on, were you at the front or were you a coward?

 

It was 1915? Have a guess.

 

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. An investigation by the Football Association was launched and found that players from both sides had been involved in rigging the match: Sandy Turnbull, Arthur Whalley and Enoch West of United, and Jackie Sheldon, Tom Miller, Bob Pursell and Thomas Fairfoul of Liverpool; Sheldon was a former United player himself and was found to be the plot's ringleader. Some players, such as Liverpool's Fred Pagnam and United's George Anderson refused to take part. Pagnam had threatened to score a goal to ruin the result, and indeed late in the match hit the crossbar, causing his teammates to publicly remonstrate with him. He later testified against his team-mates at the FA hearing. At the same hearing, United player Billy Meredith denied any knowledge of the match-fixing, but stated that he became suspicious when none of his teammates would pass the ball to him
All seven players were banned from playing for life in a decision handed down on 27 December 1915. The FA concluded that it had been a conspiracy by the players alone – no official from either club was found guilty of wrongdoing, and neither club was fined or had points deducted.[4] West vociferously protested his innocence, even going so far as suing the FA for libel. However, he lost the case and the ban stood. In itself, the ban had no immediate effect on the players' footballing careers, since, by that point, the Football League had suspended operations for the duration of the First World War. The ban did not apply in Scotland (four of the suspended players were Scottish), however the Scottish Football League had also suspended operations and the Scottish Football Association was never called upon to issue any sort of ruling on the players' eligibiity there.
Sandy Turnbull was killed while serving in the war, but all the other players, except West, had their bans lifted by the FA in 1919 in recognition of their service to the country; Turnbull received a posthumous reinstatement. The intervention of the First World War meant that the Football League did not resume until 1919–20. This meant that West was the only player involved who was actually unable to play League football due to suspension. Fairfoul also did not return to football although he was re-instated, however the other four players resumed their careers after the war. West had to wait until 1945 for his ban to be lifted, by which time he was 59.
Although the players' main motives for the match-fixing appear to be financial, and not to save United from relegation, the two points United won from that game were enough to earn them 18th place and safety, one point ahead of 19th-placed Chelsea, who were nominally relegated. 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.

 

Scandalous.

 

Imagine this in the modern game, heads would pop in outrage.

 

I'm outraged and appalled. I blame the BBC.

La.

 

Bunch of twatz, I thought it quite interesting but will now leave this board in a sulk and never come back......well I probably will come back if not in this guise it'll be in my other username.

 

Bunch of twatz!

 

Dont use the I ws not born as an excuse, I was there along with many others, you were the coward hiding

 

It's usually seen as a viable excuse? I have no answer.

 

Dont tell me you were hiding at the back as well

 

"...denied any knowledge of the match-fixing, but stated that he became suspicious when none of his teammates would pass the ball to him"



The only sad thing in all that was that Chelsea didnt get relegated. That would have been worth the match fixing.

 

The old wounds.

 

My old south african friend would always refer to a woman's private area as a "vertical axe wound". In his afrikaan accent it sounded pretty good.

 

I sat down this morning thinking this was a post-match discussion thread ............................................