Red Dawn

"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 Radio *

"Truly excellent work. I have long been a champion of Tom Watson since I became curator of Liverpool FC Museum in 1997. He deserves to be remembered, celebrated and acknowledged as the manager who set our club on its amazing journey. I hope all Reds who care about the full, rich, nuanced history of the club will read this. Congratulations to the authors."

-- Stephen Done * author and former curator of Liverpool FC Museum *

"A long overdue and much welcome addition to the Liverpool FC library. Red Dawn: The Ballad of Tom Watson is a detailed account of an era in Anfield history that has never been covered in such meticulous depth before. Almost 130 years since he took charge of the club, Watson - the clubs longest serving and first title winning manager - finally gets the recognition he deserves in what is another great body of work from Jeff Goulding and Kieran Smith."

-- Mark Platt * Author and Museum Curator at Liverpool FC *

"We are all aware Liverpool Football Club is steeped in rich history, but there is something enriching about delving into untouched club history, and few do it better than Goulding and Smith. Red Dawn expertly sets the scene using key figures before, during and after his time at Liverpool, giving justice to the story of a man who helped Liverpool Football Club become what it is today. In an age when information is so easily at our fingertips, looking back in time on Watson’s story is refreshing and leaves you questioning why he has gone unheralded for so long."

-- Joanna Durkan * This is Anfie