March 22 – ‘Honest’ John Passes Away

FOR decades Liverpool was the most successful and stable clubs in the country, or even the world. It was run along conservative lines with much made of the so-called ‘Liverpool way’ which meant getting on with it and above all not airing any dirty linen in public.

In recent years things have been a bit different with power struggles, endless rows played out in the papers and unseemly fallings out among the main players. It was enough to make you think Brookside had in fact not been cancelled, but simply renamed Liverpool FC and moved out of the close to Anfield.

Today we are honouring one of the men who started it all. Long before Benitez, Hicks, Gillett and Parry, and many years before Bill Shankly ever came on the scene, Liverpool owes its existence to two men: John Houlding and John McKenna, who passed away on this day in 1936.

As we have told you before, the club was only started in 1892 after former Anfield tenants Everton had a dispute over the rent with the owner Houlding, and hot-footed it across Stanley Park to Goodison.

Houlding then decided to start his own team and he employed his good friend ‘Honest’ John McKenna to help him. Thereafter McKenna became, to all intents and purposes, the first ever manager of Liverpool FC and his first job was to find some players – all the current Liverpool-based footballers were already employed by Everton.

To solve this he travelled to Glasgow and signed up 13 Scotsman to form his new side. They were called the Team of the Macs, for obvious reasons when you who they were: Duncan McLean, James McBride, Malcolm McVean, Hugh McQueen, Matt McQueen, John McCartney, Bill McOwen and Joe McQue were all in the first team, with not an Englishman in sight – so some things were ever thus.

On September 1, 1892 the newly formed club were due to play their first ever match. The Liverpool Echo reported: “The old Anfield ground will be occupied by the newly organized club known as ‘Liverpool Association’, and claim for it that no better game be witnessed on any other plots in the neighborhood.” That was an early dig at cross-town neighbours Everton who were also playing the same night, against Bolton at Goodison.

Bravado or not, the prediction was correct as McKenna began his managerial career with a dream 7-1 win over Rotherham Town.

McKenna was also busy behind the scenes and wrote to the Football League seeking admittance for the new team. They were denied entry and instead entered the Lancashire League, which they won at the first time of asking to gain promotion to the Football League proper in 1893.

The club recovered from the blip of relegation of 1895 and began to flourish under McKenna’s all-encompassing management, which included building a new stand for the fans.

He was also active in the wider game and served as Football League President for some 26 years.

By the time he died in 1936 he had served Liverpool Football Club for 40 years and had been one of the major driving forces behind getting the club off the ground. Quite simply, without him Liverpool FC would not exist.

Like John Houlding, his friend and business partner before him, his coffin was carried through the city by three Liverpool players and three Everton players, a commemorative plaque to him remains in the foyer in Anfield.

Liverpool would not even have had a Football League to enter had it not been for this man and his visionary ideas, so check that out, and allay any Monday morning blues with a visit to us for another thrilling installment of football history.