November 5 – Huddersfield Shanked!

WITH Huddersfield wallowing around at the bottom of the third flight of English football it’s easy to forget that two of the greatest managers of all-time have sat in the dug-out at their former Leeds Road home. The first was Herbert Chapman, who led them to three successive titles in the 1920s and the other was Bill Shankly, who was appointed today in 1956.

Shanks joined the Terriers from lowly Workington AFC, as he was toured around a host of unfashionable northern clubs, such as Carlisle and Grimsby looking for his managerial career to take flight.

Huddersfield Town had just been relegated to the Second Division when they appointed Shankly and the Scot was given the task of an immediate return to the top flight.

During his first season Shanks would oversee one of the most remarkable matches ever seen in English football. If you think Tottenham’s recent comebacks have been impressive, then you obviously haven’t heard the one about Shankly’s Huddersfield team that were 5-1 up with 30 minutes to go against ten-man Charlton, but conspired to lose 7-6 in a frankly ludicrous game of football.

A more successful move was the signing of a 15-year-old Denis Law in 1956. After Law’s emergence in the first team the board at Town wanted to accept a £45,000 offer for the striker, but Shankly was not impressed. “Get out your diary and write this down,” he vented. “One day, Denis Law will be transferred for £100,000.” Law left the Terriers after four years for Manchester City in a £55,000 move and in 1962 Shankly’s prophecy came true when Manchester United shelled out £115,000 for Law’s services.

Shankly’s passion and commitment to the cause had alerted the suits at Liverpool, where the Scot had unsuccessfully interviewed for the job in 1951. In December 1959 he joined the Merseyside club, taking the Reds from the bottom of the Second Division to the pinnacle of English football.

See some cracking old-school footage of Shanks the player turning out for Preston against his future employers Huddersfield in the 1938 FA Cup Final. Whatever happened to Mr Radcliffe from the start of the clip? As luck would have it, the afore mentioned Herbert Chapman was also busy today, so check what he was doing here and we’ll be back tomorrow footy fans.