What Liverpool fan over the age of sixty could forget that overnight dash to Newcastle by Anfield officials, to pip Everton to the purchase of Albert Stubbins - who met, and joined, the reds in response to an urgent message flashed on a Geordie cinema screen?

This coup shattered forever the Goodison monopoly on class centre-forwards - and transformed an erratic Liverpool into League champions and cup semi-finalists, in the first fully competitive season after the war.

In the week before his transfer, Liverpool had beaten Chelsea 7-4, and lost at Manchester United 0-5!  Buying someone to STOP goals, rather than score them, seemed an obvious priority.  But Albert's arrival released the versatile Bill Jones from attack into defence, and solved two problems at once.

Two days later the new boys debut goal, in an unexpected 3-1 win at Bolton, set the pattern for success.  Then came the excitement of packed houses at Anfield, plus a penalty-kick that broke the arm of the Leeds goalkeeper, as Stubbins sought his first goal in front of the Kop.

And what about the famous diving header in the cup win over Birmingham - when he launched himself through the snow, to connect with a ferocious Liddell free-kick just six inches above the ground?

There were setbacks in the Stubbins sage, of course.  Missing a sitter in the semi-final against Burnley may well have cost the reds the chance of a cup and league 'double'.  A few years later, his prolonged refusal to renew his contract brought frustration to both club and player for a third of the season.  But, all in all, they were happy days - enjoyed by huge, trouble-free crowds, and remembered with affection by all reds fans, who revelled in the glittering talents of a great player and true gentleman of football. 

Thanks for the memories Albert.

 

 
Centre-forward Albert was one of Liverpool's most popular players in the period immediately following the end of the Second World War. Already vastly experienced and a prolific marksman when signed from Newcastle United in September 1946 at the age of 27, he scored on his debut at Bolton and only missed two more League fixtures for the rest of the season, which ended with him winning a League championship medal and being equal top-scorer at the club with Jack Balmer (24 goals each). 

Albert also scored four times (including a memorable hat-trick against Birmingham City) during Liverpool's run to the F.A. cup semi-final that season. He again scored 24 League goals in 1947-48, which included four (two in each half) when Huddersfield Town visited Anfield on 6th March 1948.

Stubbins made the team for the opening 10 fixtures of the 1948-49 season but then became embroiled in a contractual dispute with his employers over his desire to return to his native North-East, or at least train there. But the club insisted that he continued to live on Merseyside and partly because of this dispute and partly because of injury-problems, Albert didn't play for Liverpool's first-team again until the opening day of the next season. 

Ever the professional, he didn't let his personal feelings affect his commitment to the club that was paying his wages and he again reached double-figures in the League despite missing 13 First Division matches and was also a member of the team defeated by Arsenal in the 1950 F.A. cup final. By now in his early-30's, Albert's name was less frequently on Liverpool's team-sheet and the last of the 180 first-team appearances he made for the club came at Stoke on 3rd January 1953. He had kept up his record of scoring a goal almost every other game and finished his playing days on Merseyside with an impressive total of 83 in League and cup.