John Philip Chisnall (27 October 1942 – 4 March 2021) was an English professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who played as an
inside forward
Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...
for 13 seasons. He played for
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
,
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
,
Southend United
Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
and
Stockport County
Stockport County Football Club are a professional football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they were renamed Stockport Co ...
from 1959 to 1972. He was noted for being the last player to have been transferred directly
between Manchester United and Liverpool at the time of his death. In the space of twelve months, Chisnall played under three key managers –
Matt Busby
Sir Alexander Matthew Busby (26 May 1909 – 20 January 1994) was a Scottish association football, football player and manager, who managed Manchester United F.C., Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 197 ...
at Manchester United,
Bill Shankly
William Shankly (2 September 1913 – 29 September 1981) was a Scottish football player and manager, who is best known for his time as manager of Liverpool. Shankly brought success to Liverpool, gaining promotion to the First Division and winnin ...
at Liverpool, and
Alf Ramsey
Sir Alfred Ernest Ramsey (22 January 1920 – 28 April 1999) was an English football player and manager. As a player, he represented the England national team and captained the side, but he is best known for his time as England manager fr ...
for the England under-23 team.
Early life
Chisnall was born in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
on 27 October 1942. He played schools football for both
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
and England. Growing up a fan of
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
, he signed for the club as an apprentice in April 1958, two months after the
Munich air disaster.
He suffered a knee injury that almost jeopardised his career but eventually recovered. He subsequently turned professional in November 1959.
Professional career
Manchester United
Chisnall made his debut for the United first team under
Matt Busby
Sir Alexander Matthew Busby (26 May 1909 – 20 January 1994) was a Scottish association football, football player and manager, who managed Manchester United F.C., Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 197 ...
in December 1961, at the age of 19, playing against
Everton. He played in nine straight games and scored his first goal during a 2–0 victory in the
Manchester derby
The Manchester derby refers to football matches between Manchester City and Manchester United, first contested in 1881. City play at the City of Manchester Stadium in Bradford, east Manchester, while United play at Old Trafford in the borough of ...
at
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City F.C. from 1923 to 2003. It hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches. Maine Road's highest atte ...
. He spent the
following season primarily with the reserve team to develop his skills. Chisnall was given the number 8 shirt at the start of the
1963–64 season, displacing
Albert Quixall
Albert Quixall (9 August 1933 – 12 November 2020) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside-forward. He joined Sheffield Wednesday as a youth and debuted in their professional side in 1951. He played almost 250 league game ...
. He went on to form a strike partnership with
Ian Moir and
David Sadler, both of whom had also been recently promoted. His performance resulted in his being called up to the England under-23 team in November 1963.
He made one appearance for the England squad, a 4–2 win over
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
at
Anfield
Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. ...
.
Alf Ramsey
Sir Alfred Ernest Ramsey (22 January 1920 – 28 April 1999) was an English football player and manager. As a player, he represented the England national team and captained the side, but he is best known for his time as England manager fr ...
said at the time that Chisnall was "probably the best passer of a ball in the country".
However, he fell out of favour from the club
starting lineup
In sports, a starting lineup is an official list of the set of players who will participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as ''starters'', whereas the others are ''substitutes'' o ...
towards the latter part of 1963–64.
[ He played a total of 47 times for the club, scoring 10 goals.]
Liverpool
Chisnall was subsequently transferred to Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
in April 1964 for a fee of £25,000. He recounted how Busby informed him of the offer but assured him that there was no compulsion for him to leave.[ Chisnall observed how his transfer was helped by the close friendship between Busby and ]Bill Shankly
William Shankly (2 September 1913 – 29 September 1981) was a Scottish football player and manager, who is best known for his time as manager of Liverpool. Shankly brought success to Liverpool, gaining promotion to the First Division and winnin ...
, which he compared to brothers, as well as father and son.[ He said in 2007 "there was nothing like the intensity between and United">iverpooland United that now exists".][ He was the last player to be transferred directly between the two clubs at the time of his death.] Chisnall made his debut, four months after signing, at the 1964 FA Charity Shield as a substitute. He scored his first goal for the club two days later in the team's first ever European Cup game in a win at KR Reykjavik
KR is the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 and WMO country code for South Korea.
KR or Kr may also refer to:
Sports
* KR (basketball club), associated with Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur
* Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur, an Icelandic football club
* Kickoff ...
on 17 August 1964. He proceeded to be the first player to touch the ball on ''Match of the Day
''Match of the Day'' (abbreviated to ''MOTD'') is a football highlights programme, typically broadcast on BBC One on Saturday nights, during the Premier League season. The show's current presenter is former England international striker Gary L ...
'',[ against ]Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
on the first day of the 1964–65 season.[ He played his final game for Liverpool in the first leg of the 1965–66 European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final against ]Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
. Chisnall ultimately scored two goals in nine appearances with the team.
Later career
Chisnall moved to Southend United
Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
for £14,000 in 1967. This was the most expensive transfer
Transfer may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Transfer'' (2010 film), a German science-fiction movie directed by Damir Lukacevic and starring Zana Marjanović
* ''Transfer'' (1966 film), a short film
* ''Transfer'' (journal), in management studies
...
fee paid by Southend until it signed Bill Garner two years later. Chisnall appeared in 161 games and scored 32 goals in his four seasons with the club. He finished his career with Stockport County
Stockport County Football Club are a professional football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they were renamed Stockport Co ...
, playing one season with them in 1971–72. He made 30 league appearances for the team and scored two goals.[
]
Later life
After retiring from football, Chisnall settled down in Urmston
Urmston is a town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, which had a population of 41,825 at the 2011 Census. Historically in Lancashire, it is southwest of Manchester city centre. The southern boundary is the River Mersey, with Stretford ...
.[ He operated two ]betting shop
In the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, a betting shop is a shop away from a racecourse ("off-course") where one can legally place bets in person with a licensed bookmaker. Most shops are part of chains including William Hill, ...
s, before becoming a factory processor in Trafford Park
Trafford Park is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, opposite Salford Quays on the southern side of the Manchester Ship Canal, southwest of Manchester city centre and north of Stretford. Until the la ...
and working at a malt loaf
Malt loaf is a type of sweet leavened bread made with malt extract as a primary ingredient. It has a chewy texture and often contains raisins. It is usually eaten sliced and spread with butter for tea. Malt flour is sometimes used to supplement ...
bakery.[ His grandson played as a winger for United's academy team around 2007. Chisnall expressed his displeasure at the manner in which the attempted transfer of ]Gabriel Heinze
Gabriel Iván Heinze (; born 19 April 1978) is an Argentine football coach and former player who is currently the manager of Newell's Old Boys. As a player, he operated as a defender, either as a left-back or a centre-back.
Nicknamed ''Gringo'' ...
from Manchester United to Liverpool unfolded in the summer of 2007. He reflected how during his playing career, "you signed a contract, stayed loyal to your club until it was finished and regarded your wife as your agent. But there's no loyalty in football nowadays; players just leg it if they're unhappy."[
Chisnall suffered a major stroke in late 2013 that left him confined to a wheelchair and with speech problems. A charity evening was held in October 2014 near Manchester to raise money for him and was attended by former Manchester United and ]Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
players. He died on 4 March 2021 at the age of 78.
See also
* Liverpool F.C.–Manchester United F.C. rivalry
The Liverpool F.C.–Manchester United F.C. rivalry, sometimes referred to as the Northwest Derby, is a high-profile inter-city rivalry between English professional football clubs Liverpool and Manchester United. It is considered the biggest fi ...
References
External links
Profile at LFCHistory.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chisnall, Phil
1942 births
2021 deaths
Association football inside forwards
English footballers
England under-23 international footballers
Manchester United F.C. players
Liverpool F.C. players
Southend United F.C. players
Stockport County F.C. players
English Football League players
Footballers from Manchester