Red Dawn

The Ballad of Tom Watson and Liverpool FC's First Champions

Jeff Goulding author Kieran Smith author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Pitch Publishing Ltd

Publishing:10th Nov '25

£25.00

This title is due to be published on 10th November, and will be despatched as soon as possible.

Red Dawn cover

Red Dawn: The Ballad of Tom Watson and Liverpool FC's First Champions is the remarkable tale of how Tom Watson, a man from the North East of England, provided the spark that led to the Anfield club's first two top-flight titles in 1901 and 1906.

Watson was a visionary whose training methods, advice to players on diet and somewhat controversial recruitment strategy would no doubt raise eyebrows in the modern era. However, he would provide the blueprint for success that saw him become Liverpool's longest-serving manager.

Watson's men were the superstars of their day, and included heroic captain Alex Raisbeck and lethal marksman Sam Raybould, not to mention the incomparable Matt McQueen, a future title-winning manager in his own right.

Red Dawn is Jeff Goulding and Kieran Smith's second collaboration, and like their previous title, The Untouchables: Anfield's Band of Brothers, the book sheds new light on a previously unheralded period in the club's history.

"A fascinating insight into the career of a man who laid the groundwork for the winning mentality we still see at Liverpool Football Club today. The level of detail about his life is meticulous. More people should know about Watson’s story – this book is long overdue. This is the man who transformed the Reds from a fledgling club into a major force in English football. A marvellous biography. Without Tom Watson, the club could have taken a very different path. His legacy lives on through the many legendary managers who followed him."

-- Paul Salt * BBC Radio Merseyside Sport *

"Insightful, entertaining, riveting, Red Dawn is a fascinating reflection on the life of a man who helped shape Liverpool FC into the modern successful club it is today. Watson was a moderniser and a hugely popular character at the very birth of football. To this day, he remains Liverpool FC's longest serving manager - and was one of the first to believe in football science, but whose methods would raise a few eyebrows today... Red Dawn perfectly reflects the attitudes of the day and charts a fledgling club taking its first steps to glory. Beautifully written, this book is the definitive account of a man whose legacy should never be forgotten."

-- Paul Higgs * Liverpool Live Rad

ISBN: 9781801507073

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

320 pages