IT DID not seem like a big deal at the time. The date was April 1964 and a journeyman professional named Phil Chisnall swapped clubs for the unremarkable fee of £25,000. But that modest move retains an unshakeable place in the history of the game because Chisnall remains the last player to feature in a transfer between Manchester United and Liverpool.
It is a sign of the tension, not to say out-and-out antipathy, between clubs separated by 40 miles of motorway that the unheralded midfield player’s move has not been emulated in the ensuing 41 years and nine months.
Chisnall, 63, who has been a bookie and a baker since retiring from the game, had the privilege of playing for Sir Matt Busby and Bill Shankly and retains a deep affection for both clubs. His loyalties will be split down the middle when his two former sides meet tomorrow.
“You can’t separate the teams,” Chisnall said. “United are at home, but they are not playing at their best. (Rafael) Benítez has made Liverpool hard to beat and they’re scoring goals now, so it’s hard to call. The game will be decided by the ball flying off someone’s leg and going in, or someone catching some luck somewhere.”
Chisnall would be happy to lose his celebrity as a Trivial Pursuit answer, but it does not look as if anyone will follow him from Old Trafford to Anfield any time soon.
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“The rivalry is too intense now,” he said. “When I signed for Liverpool in 1964 there was some feeling between the supporters because they came from two great cities side by side in the same region. But there was no ill-feeling between the players. We’d go for a pint together after the match and maybe have a game of golf in the week. And Sir Matt and Bill were so close, they had a father-son relationship.
“Now the rivalry is bitter. It has nothing to do with sport. It has become unhealthy. For football reasons, it would have made sense for Steven Gerrard to join United when Roy Keane left,” he said. “Liverpool have a lot of talented players in that area, and Sir Alex could have paid a fortune to fill a gap in his team. But it could never have happened, because Liverpool could not risk handing the title to United.
“It’s the same the other way around. United would never dream of selling Van Nistelrooy to Liverpool because if he scored 30 goals and Liverpool won the Premier-ship, the supporters would go mad.”
Chisnall’s claim to footballing fame looks secure for a while yet.