NOTE FROM IAIN: The Predictor League for Liverpool on Saturday is now open HERE. Entries can be submitted until 3.30pm on Saturday.
Blast from the past
Since our first game at the home of Liverpool in 1914, we have only ever won there on four occasions – the most recent was in 2015, 52 years after our previous victory there in 1963; prior to that was a win in 1954 and our first victory was back in 1928. Needless to say, Anfield is not the happiest of Hammers hunting grounds!
The first victory of the post-war period came on 4th September 1954 in a Second Division match in front of 37,592 spectators – Kitty Kallen was number one with ‘Little Things Mean A Lot’, Laurence Harvey was in UK cinemas in Romeo and Juliet and broadcaster Anne Diamond was born four days later.
Bill Nelson made his Hammers league debut for this visit to Don Welsh’s newly-relegated Liverpool. The 24-year-old left-back had made his first competitive appearance for the club in a 2-1 Essex Professional Cup tie win over Colchester four years earlier, on 28th September 1950, but would only make two league appearances for the club. The first of these was this win at Anfield; the second came just two days later, in a 1-1 home draw with Hull. The Silvertown-born defender transferred to QPR in 1955 and later moved to Southern League Guildford.
Centre-forward Dave Sexton gave Ted Fenton’s Hammers the lead after 24 minutes, with winger Harry Hooper (pictured above) doubling the advantage on the hour. Hooper sadly passed away in August of this year at the age of 87 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. Liverpool winger Jimmy Payne registered a consolation for the hosts with 14 minutes remaining.
The Hammers went on to finish in eighth place in 1954/55, while Liverpool finished 11th. Inside-left John Dick would end the season as the Irons’ top goalscorer with 26 goals in 41 matches. Birmingham topped the Second Division, Chelsea won the First Division title and Newcastle won the FA Cup.
Liverpool: Dave Underwood, Tom McNulty, Frank Lock, Barry Wilkinson, Don Campbell, Geoff Twentyman, Jimmy Payne, Alan Arnell, Louis Bimpson, John Evans, Billy Liddell.
West Ham United: George Taylor, John Bond, Bill Nelson, Andy Malcolm, Ken Brown, Frank O’Farrell, Harry Hooper, Albert Foan, Dave Sexton, John Dick, Jimmy Andrews.
Club Connections
Adrian welcomes his former club. A whole host of players join the goalkeeper in having turned out for both West Ham United and Liverpool, particularly over the last 30 years. These include:
Goalkeepers: David James, Charles Cotton.
Defenders: Paul Konchesky, Alvaro Arbeloa, Rob Jones, David Burrows, Glen Johnson, Julian Dicks, Rigobert Song, Neil Ruddock, Thomas Stanley.
Midfielders: Don Hutchison, Yossi Benayoun, Joe Cole, Victor Moses, Paul Ince, Ray Houghton, Javier Mascherano, Stewart Downing, Mike Marsh.
Strikers: Craig Bellamy, Titi Camara, Andy Carroll, Robbie Keane, David Speedie, Neil Mellor, Charlie Satterthwaite, Danny Shone, Tom Bradshaw.
George Kay made 237 league appearances for the Hammers between 1919 and 1926, becoming the first-ever player to play more than 200 league matches for the club. Kay was also the West Ham captain in the 1923 FA Cup Final. He went on to manage Liverpool between 1936 and 1951, winning the First Division title in 1947.
This week’s focus though is on a much-travelled Scottish centre-forward who represented both clubs. Peter Kyle was born in Cadder, East Dunbartonshire, on 21st December 1878 and represented Glasgow and District schools before playing for Glasgow Parkhead. He had been rejected after trial periods with Clyde, Hearts and Thames Ironworks (later to be West Ham United) but did turn out for junior club Larkhall Thistle.
Having reportedly been rejected by Clyde due to possessing a fierce temper, the 20-year-old Kyle joined First Division Liverpool in 1899 for £100, playing five games for the club. He made his Liverpool debut under manager Tom Watson in a 3-2 defeat at Stoke on 2nd September 1899 and played in four of the opening five league games of the season, all of which ended in defeat. His fifth and final appearance for Liverpool came in a 1-0 FA Cup first round replay win over Stoke at Anfield on 1st February 1900. He failed to score a goal for the club and, unhappy with mainly reserve team football, he dropped down into the Second Division to sign for Leicester in the summer of 1900. After just over a year in the East Midlands, Kyle was on the move again, signing for West Ham United in the autumn of 1901.
The 22-year-old Kyle (pictured), a heavy-set centre-forward who was over 6’ in height, made his Hammers debut in a 1-0 FA Cup third qualifying round win at Leyton on 2nd November 1901 – it was the only time he would savour victory in a West Ham shirt. He made his only Southern League appearance for the club in a 2-1 defeat at QPR the following week and his final match for the Irons came in a 2-1 FA Cup fourth qualifying round loss at home against Grays United on 16th November 1901. After just three games for West Ham, Kyle was shipped out to fellow Southern League outfit Kettering in a swap deal for Welsh international full-back Bill Jones in December 1901. Jones would spend the remainder of the 1901/02 season in east London, making 15 appearances for the Hammers – Jones was tragically killed in action during World War One, in May 1918, and is buried at the Doiran Military Cemetery in the north of Greece, near the south-east shore of Lake Doiran.
Kyle, meanwhile, represented Kettering in the Southern League before appearing for Wellingborough. He returned to Scotland in September 1902, playing once for Aberdeen before joining Cowdenbeath three months later. He moved to Hearts in the summer of 1903 and represented Larkhall-based side Royal Albert, Port Glasgow Athletic and Partick Thistle in 1904. Kyle returned to the Southern League in 1905, signing for Tottenham – the extrovert centre-forward was involved in an incident which validated those clubs who had been previously concerned about Kyle’s temperament. He was suspended by his club in the spring of 1906 for fighting with Spurs team-mate Chris Carrick, an incident which was deemed “a breach of the club’s training rules”. Teesside-born Carrick had also played for West Ham, but during the 1904/05 season so he had not been a team-mate of Kyle’s at the Hammers.
Kyle was swiftly transferred to First Division Woolwich Arsenal in April 1906 and proved there was little doubt over his footballing ability, scoring 22 goals in 60 senior outings – he was also called up by his country to take part in a trial match in 1907 but never played a full international game for Scotland. Kyle was Arsenal’s top scorer in the top flight in 1907/08 but, with the club strapped for cash, he was sold to First Division rivals Aston Villa before the end of that campaign. By October 1908 the wayward striker was on the move again, staying in the top flight to sign for Sheffield United. His old failing came to the fore once again though when he was sacked for failing to train properly with the Blades and he returned to Scotland with former club Royal Albert in the summer of 1909.
Kyle returned to Southern League football with Watford at the age of 30 in November 1909. He scored four goals in 13 appearances but was released in February 1910 for what was, according to the West Herts Post, “utterly disgraceful and demoralising conduct” which also involved team-mates Frank Cotterill and Jock Grieve. Kyle returned to Scotland to join Royal Albert for a third spell and finished his career at Raith Rovers, whom he joined in July 1911. Peter Kyle died on 19th January 1957 at the age of 78.
Referee
Saturday’s referee is Kevin Friend. The Leicester-based official has been involved in top-flight matches since 2009 and took charge of the Hammers in our historic 3-0 victory at Liverpool in August 2015. He sent off Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho and West Ham’s Mark Noble in that match at Anfield, with the latter’s dismissal rescinded on appeal. Last season, Friend refereed the Hammers in our 3-0 defeat at Burnley last November, for our 2-0 loss at Manchester City in February and, most recently, for our 4-0 win at Norwich in July.
Friend is also remembered for the soft penalty he gifted Hull in our 1-0 defeat at the KC Stadium in September 2013 when Joey O’Brien was adjudged to have shoved Robbie Brady. He compounded the error by later denying the Irons a clear penalty when Jake Livermore handled in the area. Don’t expect much from Friend in the way of handball decisions – he also denied the Hammers a penalty in a match at Everton when Aaron Cresswell’s cross was handled by Seamus Coleman.
Possible line-ups
Reigning champions Liverpool are without Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, while Joel Matip, Konstantinos Tsimikas, Naby Keita and Thiago Alcantara are doubts. The Reds are unbeaten in eight league matches against West Ham, winning six and drawing two.
West Ham boss David Moyes is reluctant to throw new signing Said Benrahma into Premier League action too soon. Michail Antonio is facing at least a month on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury last weekend; Antonio has scored in four of his six Premier League appearances against Liverpool. Moyes has not won any of his 16 matches as a manager against Liverpool at Anfield.
Possible Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Matip, Robertson; Henderson, Thiago, Keita; Salah, Firmino, Mane.
Possible West Ham United XI: Fabianski; Coufal, Balbuena, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Masuaku; Bowen, Rice, Soucek, Fornals; Haller.
Enjoy the game – Come On You Irons!