YNWA takes a look back at some of the players who have turned out for both the Baggies and Liverpool, as we prepare to entertain West Bromwich Albion on Saturday evening.
Baggies between the sticks
Scott Carson made just nine senior reds appearances following his arrival from Leeds United for £750,000 in January 2005, but only managed to keep two clean sheets. He was sold to West Bromwich Albion for £3.25m in July, after seasons on loan at first Charlton Athletic and then Aston Villa. He has so far turned out on eleven occasions for the Midlands outfit, securing three shut outs.
Chris Kirkland spent the 2005/06 season on loan from the reds at The Hawthorns. He signed from Coventry City for £6m in August 2001 and appeared 45 times between our sticks, while suffering from a succession of injuries. He only played twelve times for the Baggies, keeping just one clean sheet.
Ex-reds goalkeeping coach Joe Corrigan is now undertaking the same role for West Bromwich Albion, having joined them in February 2005.
At the back
Dudley-born left-back David Burrows began his career with West Bromwich Albion, for whom he made a total of 53 first-team appearances, scoring just once. He was signed by Kenny Dalglish in October 1988 for £550,000 while still a teenager, and went on to score three goals in 193 senior games for the reds, helping us to the League title and FA Cup. Graeme Souness swapped him and Mike Marsh with West Ham United for Julian Dicks, five years after his arrival on Merseyside.
Steve Nicol joined the reds in October 1981 for a £300,000 fee from Ayr United. The versatile Scot played 468 reds games, scoring 46 times and helping us to four League titles, European Cup, three FA Cups and an FA Charity Shield, as well as being named the Football Writers' Player of the Year in 1989. He joined First Division West Bromwich Albion on loan from Sheffield Wednesday in March 1998, making ten appearances while at The Hawthorns.
Up front
Harry ‘Smiler' Chambers was our top scorer in each of the first five post-First World War seasons, and helped us to the League title in both 1922 and 1923. He netted a hat-trick in our 5-1 thumping of Everton at Anfield in October 1922 and won eight England caps during his reds career, scoring four goals. He left Anfield for the Baggies in March 1928, having scored 151 goals in his 339 reds games, but played as a centre-half in his one year at The Hawthorns.
David Speedie arrived at Anfield in January 1991, being signed from Coventry City by Kenny Dalglish for £700,000. He struck six times in his fourteen games for the reds before he moved on to Blackburn Rovers just seven months later. He had a loan spell with the Baggies in 1992/93 while with Southampton, grabbing two goals in his seven games.
Charlie Hewitt scored six goals in sixteen reds games following his arrival from Tottenham Hotspur in 1907. He moved to The Hawthorns in April of the next year. John Durnin failed to make the break-through at Anfield, making only two League Cup appearances before his departure in 1989. He spent a month on loan with the Baggies in 1988, netting twice in five games for them before returning to our reserves.
The management
Keith Burkinshaw became the Baggies' boss in June 1983. He was only in charge for sixteen months, keeping them in the First Division on goal difference in his one full season. As a centre-half he had only made one senior reds appearance, against Port Vale in April 1955.
Double signing
We signed both forward Fred Buck and right-back John Chadburn from West Bromwich Albion in May 1903. Buck netted just once in thirteen reds games, and moved on to Plymouth Argyle a year later, returning to the Baggies for a second spell later in his career. Chadburn had an even less successful time at Anfield, playing just twice before joining Buck at Home Park.
Other double agents
Former reserves striker Michael Nardiello signed for Albion in July 2006. Just like at Anfield, he failed to make a senior appearance for the Baggies. Bruce Grobbelaar had a trial for Ron Atkinson at the Hawthorns in 1980, while he was visiting family friends in England. A deal could not be struck, and so he returned to Vancouver Whitecaps. He joined the reds from the Canadian club for £250,000 in March 1981 and played 628 times, helping us to six League titles, one European Cup, three FA Cups, three League Cups and three FA Charity Shields.
