George Kay: Manager (1936-51)Other Clubs as Manager : Southampton
Honours: 1 LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP 1946-47
1 LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUP 1946-47
1 LANCASHIRE COUNTY COMBINATION CHAMPIONSHIP CUP 1946-47
RUNNERS UP FA Cup - 1949-50 (Semi-Finalists - 1946-47)
Other clubs: Player - Bolton Wanderers, Belfast Celtic, West Ham United
As a player George Kay began his career with three appearances for Bolton in 1910/11 before becoming the first Englishman to captain an Irish League club when he skippered Belfast Celtic. He then returned to England in 1919 to become a key part of West Ham United's defence and skippered 'The Hammers' in the famous 'White Horse' FA Cup Final of 1923.
PROFILE
Kay, a deep - even introspective - thinker, joined Liverpool after five years in charge of Southampton and as manager signed the player widely regarded as Liverpool's greatest ever, Billy Liddell. Furthermore he signed a very young Bob Paisley from Bishop Aukland, for which supporters of the club should be eternally grateful. He also stole the legendary Albert Stubbins from Everton who were about to sign the gifted forward.
Kay guided 'The Reds' to a championship in 1946-47, with a unique 'quadruple' achieved with the Liverpool Senior Cup taken in a final against Everton, and two other local cups. Much of his managerial career at Anfield was interrupted by the war and he may have achieved even more if it were not for this debilitating intrusion.
He has been unfairly overlooked by the awesome achievements of Shankly and his protege Paisley, but in fact he was remarkable and able manager and nearly achieved the prize most desired by the Club, the FA Cup, in 1950 in a close game won ultimately by Arsenal.
He brilliantly planned his assault on the first post-war championship by taking the team on a trip to the USA and Canada, where against mediocre opposition, but with tremendous support, he gave his team time to gel and, very significantly feast on unrationed food in copious quantities. His team, fit, healthy and buoyed by ten wins in ten games managed to stand the strain of a season that only ended in July after a harsh winter delayed fixtures for weeks on end.
Another far from healthy man, Kay died a premature death in 1965. His death prompted Billy Liddell to say: "If ever a man gave his life for a club, George Kay did so for Liverpool."
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