By Chris Rowland.

This is the start of a new series looking back at the seasons that define the modern Liverpool FC and helped shape a football dynasty from the 1960s. We’re starting with Bill Shankly’s first Division 1 title.

The 1950s had not been kind to Liverpool.

The first full post-war season champions of 1947 – the team of Billy Liddell and Albert Stubbins, Jack Balmer and one  Bob Paisley – had gradually declined  to the point where the club suffered the ignominy of relegation in last position, 22nd out of 22, in 1953/4, having only escaped the previous season by winning their last match.

The team was under the management of Don Welsh, who suffered from

“the toxic combination of ageing star players who were either waning or retiring and their inadequate replacements” (Andrew Mckay on TTT’s “The Impossible Job – Managing LFC in the 1950s”.

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