Today we take a trip back nearly 102 years to look back at
not just a game from Partick Thistle’s archive but also a player who played a
massive role during a pivotal period in the Club’s history.
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Alexander Galloway Raisbeck was born in Wallacetown, just
outside Polmont, on Boxing Day 1878. While it doesn’t appear that Alex played
for any team in home town his memory in Polmont lives on to the present day with
the staging of the Alex Raisbeck Trophy which is contested on an annual basis. In August 2014 Linlithgow Rose became the
first winners when they defeated Polmont AFC by five goals to two.
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| Linlithgow Rose with the Alex Raisbeck Trophy |
Alex’s playing career began with Larkhall Thistle and Royal
Albert before he joined Hibernian in 1896 spending two seasons at Easter Road before
heading down south to join Stoke City.
It was while playing for Stoke City that Raisbeck came to
the attention of Liverpool. Indeed he had played just a handful of matches for
Stoke when Liverpool paid £350 for his services in May 1898.
Raisbeck was an almost instant hit at his new club with the
official Liverpool website outlining his contribution to the club, which was
just 6 years old when he joined them, in glowing terms.
“Alex Raisbeck is regarded as the club's first star player.”
The centre back made his Liverpool debut against Sheffield
Wednesday in September 1898 and although relatively small in stature for a
player in that position his influence on the pitch was such that he would
become Liverpool captain. It was under Raisbeck’s captaincy that Liverpool
lifted their first Championship title at the end of the 1900-1901 season.
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| Raisbeck in Liverpool Colours |
His importance to Liverpool was such that the club supplemented
his wages by giving him another role at the club that of bill inspector whereby
he was responsible for looking after the public hoardings and notice boards
advertising future Liverpool fixtures. He repaid that loyalty shown to him by
remaining with Liverpool despite their relegation in season 1903-04. He
remained as captain as Liverpool won an immediate return to the top flight and
was still skipper when they marked their return by winning the First Division
title.
While at Liverpool Raisbeck came to the attention of the
international selectors and he was capped by Scotland on eight occasions, five
of them as captain.
In 1909, and after 341 first team appearances for Liverpool,
Raisbeck’s time as a Liverpool player was at an end and he returned to his
native Scotland with Partick Thistle the lucky club to secure the services of
the 30 year old who had plenty of good years of football ahead of him.
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| Raisbeck as a Jag |
That Thistle, in the process of setting up home in Maryhill,
were able to sign a player of Raisbeck’s calibre was considered something of a
coup with Raisbeck himself, in an article published some years after his
retirement, describing how the move came about.
"Maurice
Parry, who had been a great pal of mine at Anfield, was not being retained, and
it was while I was doing a good turn for him that I found a berth for myself.
Officials from Partick Thistle were in Liverpool in connection with Parry. Knowing
Mr George Easton, the secretary, very well I was asked my opinion of Parry. I
gave him a good recommendation as I had always liked Maurice’s play, although
this wasn’t the opinion of many. When I heard that Partick Thistle were
removing from Meadowside to their present home, Firhill, and that the officials
were anxious to get together a strong side, I casually remarked to friend
Easton that I shouldn’t mind a shift myself. The Partick secretary did not at
first believe me, but when he learned that I was serious on the matter he lost
no time in getting into touch with the Liverpool officials, with the result
that I was transferred soon after the season closed.”
Alex’s
first impressions of his new club and their new ground were far from
favourable.
“Early on in the
close season of 1909 I ran up against Director Lindsay, who, it will be remembered,
was present when I became a Partick player. I was doing nothing special at the
time, I had no where in particular to go and so when asked by Mister Lindsay to
go and have a look at their new enclosure I was only too willing to accept his
invitation. My first impressions of Firhill I shall never forget them.
When I entered what was supposed to be the playing field I could not help but
smile and remark to Director Lindsay, “Are we going to play here this August or
next?”
You ought to have seen it. One half of the playing field was not so bad. It was kin’ o’ level, but oh! the other half! Tons of rubbish were heaped up here and there and one would have been lucky to find a blade of grass. I tell you I nearly had a fit when I saw what I had come to after the beautiful enclosure of Anfield. And I may just as well tell the truth - I was at the time sorry that I had left Liverpool. That was my first impression but not a lasting one I am pleased to say."
You ought to have seen it. One half of the playing field was not so bad. It was kin’ o’ level, but oh! the other half! Tons of rubbish were heaped up here and there and one would have been lucky to find a blade of grass. I tell you I nearly had a fit when I saw what I had come to after the beautiful enclosure of Anfield. And I may just as well tell the truth - I was at the time sorry that I had left Liverpool. That was my first impression but not a lasting one I am pleased to say."
Thistle’s
time at their new Firhill home did have an abortive start with the ground not
passed fit in time for its scheduled opening against Queen’s Park but it was
open for business for the very first time on September 18th 1909
when Thistle defeated Dumbarton Harp 3-1 in a Scottish Cup tie.
By
that time Raisbeck’s influence on the pitch was already being felt. Naturally
assuming the role of captain, Alex made his Partick Thistle debut on August 16th
1909 away to Morton. Sadly though he wasn’t part of a winning Thistle side as
Morton ran out 2-1 winners as Thistle started to rebuild after an awful and homeless
previous season.
There
was no lack of praise of Raisbeck from the newspapers of the day but as time
moved on the impact of a long career began to catch up on himwith an increasing
number of games missed through a variety of niggling injuries.
The
end of his playing career came on December 20th 1913 when Thistle
defeated Raith Rovers 2-0 at Firhill with Alex approaching his 35th
birthday. In truth the end really came a few weeks earlier in a match against
Dundee, also played at Firhill. It was during that game that Raisbeck picked up
the knock that would signal the end of his playing days as he himself
explained;
“Dundee was my
unlucky club. During my five seasons with Partick I received many
disappointments when opposed to the Jute Men. I believe I was only once on the
winning side against Dundee and we met on well over a dozen occasions. It
was while playing Dundee in the League that I received the injury which finished
my career as a player. It didn’t look as if it would turn out to be serious but
it is often the simple-looking injuries which cause so much trouble.
"I thought little of the knock I received on my hench-bone
although I was pained for the moment. I was not forced to leave the field and
felt no ill effects until I was in the dressing-room at the finish. I was not
satisfied that all was well and asked the club doctor to examine me. He told me
that the injury was only slight but it could develop into appendicitis. I
wasn’t barred from playing. I think I played in half-a-dozen games before I was
forced to give up the game for the time being and undergo an operation.
While I was
playing I felt little the worse although at times I suffered much pain, especially
on the days following a match. I could walk about and run a little but when I
made an effort to reach anything with my leg a bug lump would appear on the
injured limb only to disappear when I took matters easy.
I grew a bit uneasy at this swelling and was far from satisfied that I was doing the right thing in playing. As I was living out of Glasgow it was not always convenient for me to see the club doctor so he advised me to consult my own physician in Larkhall. I was advised by him to consult a professor.
When I called on the professor he told me that I might play for twenty years without doing myself any injury but if I received a knock on the injured part it might prove dangerous. He advised me to undergo an operation and I wasted little time after receiving his advice. It was afternoon when I called at his consulting rooms and I was in bed in McAlpine’s Home in Glasgow that same evening by eight o’clock after marking the journey from Larkhall. I was operated on the following morning, which happened to be Christmas Day. It was certainly the strangest Christmas I have ever spent. It was a wise course I was advised to take for my health has improved ever so much since."
I grew a bit uneasy at this swelling and was far from satisfied that I was doing the right thing in playing. As I was living out of Glasgow it was not always convenient for me to see the club doctor so he advised me to consult my own physician in Larkhall. I was advised by him to consult a professor.
When I called on the professor he told me that I might play for twenty years without doing myself any injury but if I received a knock on the injured part it might prove dangerous. He advised me to undergo an operation and I wasted little time after receiving his advice. It was afternoon when I called at his consulting rooms and I was in bed in McAlpine’s Home in Glasgow that same evening by eight o’clock after marking the journey from Larkhall. I was operated on the following morning, which happened to be Christmas Day. It was certainly the strangest Christmas I have ever spent. It was a wise course I was advised to take for my health has improved ever so much since."
It
was while in the nursing home that a benefit match for Alex was arranged by the
club. A date, January 6th 1914, was very quickly arranged with an
international select providing the opposition.
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| Advert for the Benefit Game |
Despite
the wintery conditions; the pitch was, according to the ‘The Daily Record’, ‘covered
from end to end with snow an inch or two deep’, a crowd of 10,000 assembled at
Firhill to generate takings of £300 for Raisbeck who was still recovering from
his operation and unable to attend in person. He did, however, send a telegram
to James Brownlie of Third Lanark, who was to keep goal for the international
select, saying:
“Please convey
thanks to players for their kindness. Sorry can’t be with you.”
While
Raisbeck couldn’t be at the game his manager from Liverpool, Tom Watson, was
showing the high regard the former Liverpool captain was still held in on
Merseyside. Indeed ‘The Liverpool Echo’ was just one of the many newspapers to
cover the fixture within their pages.
There
was no shortage of action to report on either with the International select
eventually running out 7-5 winners despite Thistle having led 3-1 at the
interval.
Teams
Thistle:
Campbell, Adams, Bulloch, Morrison, Hamilton, Harris, Gowans (guesting from
Petershill), Hynd, Marshall, Harris, McIntyre.
International
Select: Brownlie (Third Lanark), Gordon (Rangers), T McGregor (Celtic), A
McGregor (St Mirren), Allan (Partick Thistle), May (Morton), Paterson
(Rangers), Bennett (Rangers), Parkinson (Liverpool), Croal (Falkirk), McNeil
(Hamilton)
Alex
embarked upon a managerial career at the end of his playing career firstly with
Hamilton Accies, where he also sat on the board, then Bristol City where he won
the Third Division (South) title in 1923. After he left Bristol City, Raisbeck
managed Halifax Town, Chester and Bath City before returning to Anfield and
Liverpool as a scout in 1939.
Alex
passed away in Liverpool on March 12th 1949 at the age of 70 his
influence on both Liverpool and Partick Thistle huge.
Sources
LFCHistory.net: http://www.lfchistory.net/Articles/Article/3783
Linlithgow Rose Website: http://www.linlithgowthistle.co.uk/
Official Liverpool FC website: http://www.liverpoolfc.com/history/past-players/alex-raisbeck
Partick Thistle Legends – Niall Kennedy and Tom Hosie
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