Alexander "Alex" (& Bill & Andrew) Raisbeck

Alexander "Alex" Raisbeck was without doubt one of the great, perhaps the greatest, exponent of the genius of the Scottish centre-half, the attacking, Scottish centre-half. His talent was obvious from a very early age, so much so that his major reputation was made across the border, he spending forty of the next fifty years there, having first moved initially to Stoke at the age of twenty. 

However, it was in eleven seasons from 1898 at Liverpool that he made his enduring reputation, winning his eight caps, having first made his mark when brought South to spend three months in late 1897-8 in successfully pulling the Potteries club free of relegation danger.

Alex Raisebeck was born in Wallacestone by Polmont, his mother's home village, the son of a miner from Monkland. The family then stayed at Slamannan before moving from pit to pit first to Blantyre/Cambuslang and finally to Larkhall. It is therefore probable that he learned his first football in the former before it was honed in the latter. Certainly he initially came to junior prominence at Larkhall Thistle and the equally town-club, Royal Albert. That was before from just seventeen years old he spent two seasons with Hibernian in the First Division, playing up to half its games as it finished second and third respectively. 

On Raisbeck arriving Liverpool had just finished mid-table in the English First Division and Matt McQueen was about to have a final season at the club, with three appearances in goal. By the end of his first season the new boy had made thirty-eight starts and the Anfield club was runner-up. Then the following campaign it stumbled a little, finishing tenth but Alex still made thirty-six appearances, was made captain and with thirty-three starts led the club in 1901 to it first league title, to relegation in 1904, immediate promotion and a second league win in 1906 . 

Meantime, again in 1901 Alex had returned to Larkhall to marry. His bride was Elizabeth Stewart from Dalserf. They were to have twelve children, of whom ten seemed to have survived with four born in England but eight in Scotland, seven in Larkhall, two prior to 1904, five after 1909 when at thirty he returned North to be player-manager at Partick Thistle. It had just finished bottom of the First Division but had not been relegated. By the time he at thirty-five hung up his boots it had been fourth, fifth and was safely mid-table. 

Alex Raisbeck would then moved into management, which post-Great War took him around English football for the next two decades with, it has to said, variable results ended at Bath City in 1939 by the Second World War. And by then the family had re-settled on Merseyside, where it would remain almost within sight of Anfield until his death at the age of seventy in 1949. He is buried in Anfield Cemetery, joined in 1955 by Elizabeth on her passing still in Liverpool but in Prescot at seventy-five. 

NB: Two of Alex Raisbeck's brothers, both also half-backs, the elder Bill for a decade, much of it in the top-flight in England notably at Sunderland, and the younger Andrew, also played professional football. Both emigrated and died in Canada.

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