Think match-fixing scandals are a new innovation in football? Think again. Free The Manchester United One tells the story of a match played during World War One between United and Liverpool that was rigged by the players.
Eight of them admitted their role and were pardoned, a ninth was killed in the war, but a player called Enoch ‘Knocker’ West – the ‘one’ referred to in the title – not only insisted he was innocent, he was the only player to serve out 30 years of a life suspension, by which time he was far too old to make a comeback. He went to his grave still declaring that he had been wronged.
Graham Sharpe sets out in this excellent book to find out how and why the match was fixed and to decide whether West was stitched up. From scouring old newspapers for clues and reports to tracking down West’s relatives, Sharpe’s research is exhaustive, and it pays off. Not only does he discover a raft of interesting facts about the match, he also reveals the betting subculture that was part and parcel of football even in the early part of the 20th Century.
The response of Manchester United and the football authorities to Sharpe’s attempts to earn West a posthumous pardon are a little disappointing: Peter Kenyon ignores calls for a benefit match to be staged, while David Davies of the FA turns down repeated requests to look at the case afresh.
A great read, and a reminder that football has never just been a sport.
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