Alex Raisbeck

Alexander Galloway Raisbeck (26 December 1878 – 12 March 1949) was a Scottish professional football player and manager. After playing junior football for Larkhall Thistle, he was signed by Hibernian where he made his professional debut at the age of 17. Despite playing only ten matches in his first season, he was chosen to represent a Scottish League XI in a match against their Irish counterparts.

In 1898, he joined English First Division side Stoke on a short term deal at the end of the 1897–98 season, playing in four league matches and four Football League test matches to help the club avoid relegation. His form attracted attention from other clubs and he signed for Liverpool in May 1898. He quickly established himself in the first-team and was appointed club captain after two seasons at the age of 21, leading the side to their first ever league title in 1901. Liverpool were relegated in 1904 and Raisbeck subsequently cancelled his plans to leave the club to help them win promotion back to the First Division at the first attempt, winning the Second Division title in 1905.

Returning to the First Division for the 1905–06 season, he was part of the side that won the league title on their return. He remained with Liverpool until 1909, making over 300 appearances during an eleven-year spell, when mounting injuries and homesickness led him to seek a return to his native Scotland, eventually signing for Partick Thistle. He captained Thistle for five seasons before undergoing an operation to cure potential appendicitis that led to his retirement from playing in 1914.

During his career, Raisbeck also represented the Scotland national team on nine occasions between 1900 and 1907, although a match against England in which 25 fans died in a stand collapse was later discounted. Following his retirement, Raisbeck managed Hamilton Academical, Bristol City, Halifax Town, Chester and Bath City.

Early life Raisbeck was born in the village of Wallacestone near Polmont, Stirlingshire on Boxing Day, 1878. However, his family moved from the village to Slamannan before eventually settling in South Lanarkshire, living in a house near Cambuslang built on the site of a former infectious disease hospital.

His parents, Luke and Jean, had fourteen children, although only eight lived to adulthood. At age twelve, Raisbeck was given the choice of picking a line of work and decided to follow his father and older brothers into the local colliery to work as a coal miner. He would start work in the pit at six in the morning and would not return to the surface until at least five in the afternoon each day. known commonly as Judge as he wore a wig, who visited Raisbeck's family home to try to convince him to join the club. At the time, Raisbeck had actually given up on playing football due to a knee injury but was eager to leave his mining job and signed for the club on 30 July 1896.

Raisbeck made his professional debut for Hibernian less than two months after signing, playing in a 2–2 draw with Abercorn on 12 September 1896, and scored his first goal for the club in the reverse fixture against Abercorn in a 9–0 victory. He made ten appearances in all competitions during the season, helping Hibs to second place, and impressed selectors enough to be called up to the Scottish League XI as a reserve player for a match against their Irish counterparts. However, Alex Keillor later withdrew from the squad which allowed Raisbeck to start the match played at Solitude.

At the age of seventeen, Raisbeck travelled to Aberdour with the Hibernian squad for a training camp. During a dinner, he rushed to finish his soup during a heated discussion and swallowed a small bone that became lodged in his throat; players and coaches made frantic attempts to help Raisbeck as he struggled to breathe and began to lose consciousness before club trainer Paddy Canon was able to hit him hard enough on the back to dislodge the bone.

After a twelve week training camp near Blackpool, he made his debut in a First Division match against Sheffield Wednesday on 3 September 1898. Liverpool reached the semi-final of the FA Cup in his first season at the club, playing a four game tie against Sheffield United. Liverpool had led 2–1 and 4–2 in the original tie and first replay before drawing both matches after conceding late goals and a second replay was abandoned with Liverpool leading 1–0 after Sheffield fans ran onto the pitch on more than one occasion. Liverpool would eventually lose 1–0 in a fourth match and Raisbeck would be called into a hearing by a disciplinary panel after Liverpool players " severely jostled" the referee at the end of the match having been aggrieved at his decisions. The referee believed Raisbeck had witnessed the incident and asked him to name the players responsible but Raisbeck refused, later stating "I did not think any of our players had had anything to do with the demonstration".

Three years after the club won the league title, they suffered relegation to the Second Division. Raisbeck had considered leaving Liverpool at the start of the 1903–04 season but changed his mind when they were relegated, stating "I simply could not leave my club in its day of disaster." He remained with the club and helped them win promotion back to the First Division after a single season after recording a record points total, with only goalkeeper Ned Doig making more appearances during the course of the season. On their return to the First Division, the Liverpool board decided to form the club into a limited company. When the players were informed of the decision by manager Watson during a training camp in The Midlands, several senior players, including Raisbeck, decided to invest in shares of the club with ten of the fifteen players at the camp choosing to purchase shares.

In their first season back in the First Division, Raisbeck enjoyed his most successful campaign with the club as he helped them to lift the league title, the Sheriff of London Charity Shield and the Liverpool Senior Cup. In his later years with Liverpool, mounting injuries began to take their toll on Raisbeck's body and his appearances for the club steadily decreased each season. The team had finished bottom of the Scottish First Division the previous season but were due to move into their new ground Firhill and Raisbeck and Parry were part of several signings brought in to boost the club's fortunes. The injury ruled him out of his benefit match and he never played a competitive match for Partick again.

He went on to win a total of eight caps, all but one coming in matches against England.

Managerial career

In March 1914, Raisbeck met an official working for Hamilton Academical who informed him that the club were looking to employ their first manager. He enquired about taking the job and was eventually hired. His success with Bristol saw him named as one of the candidates to take over as Liverpool manager from David Ashworth but the post was eventually given to Matt McQueen. Bristol suffered relegation again in the 1923–24 season and, despite returning to the Second Division three years later, he resigned from his post in June 1929. he took over the manager's role at Chester in 1936, after being chosen from over 100 applicants, as the permanent replacement for Charlie Hewitt. In July 1938, Raisbeck was appointed manager of Southern Football League side Bath City, however the outbreak of World War II in 1939 led all competitive football to be suspended and he left his position at the club. He later returned to Liverpool following the end of the war, working as a scout until his death in 1949.

Personal life

Raisbeck fathered fourteen children during his life. He died in Liverpool on 12 March 1949 at the age of 70, leaving £276 and 18 shillings in his will.

Two of his brothers were also footballers: Bill's clubs included Sunderland and Falkirk, while Andrew appeared for Hibernian and was a reserve at Liverpool, then played for Hull City. Both emigrated to Canada in 1907 along with other family members.

Career statistics Club Source:

International Source:

!!!!!!!!

—

Honours

As a player: Liverpool Football League First Division winner: 1900–01, 1905–06 Football League Second Division winner: 1904–05 Sheriff of London Charity Shield winner: 1906

Hibernian Scottish League runner-up: 1896–97

As a manager:

Bristol City Football League Division Three (South) Champions 1923, 1927