Fred Pagnam

Pagnam, the son of a bank manager, was born in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, where he attended Baines Grammar School. He played football for Birchall Boys' Club and for non-league clubs Lytham and Blackpool Wednesday before joining Huddersfield Town in 1910. He played for the reserves but not for the first team, and after a spell with Doncaster Rovers of the Midland League, he joined Southport Central of the Central League. By early 1913, the club was struggling financially, and the directors offered the players a choice: a wage cut or a free transfer. Pagnam took the latter, and moved on to Blackpool. He scored just once in 23 Second Division appearances, spent time with another Midland League team, Gainsborough Trinity, and signed for Liverpool in 1914. Pagnam scored on his Reds debut, against Chelsea on 10 October 1914, and scored four against Tottenham Hotspur a couple of weeks later. He went on to score 26 goals that season and was Liverpool's top scorer. His time at Liverpool coincided with a conspiracy by some Liverpool players to rig a match with Manchester United. This was in order to profit from betting on the result, in what became known as the 1915 British football betting scandal. Pagnam refused to take part in the conspiracy and even threatened to score a goal to ruin the prearranged result. United won 2–0 as agreed, but four Liverpool players and three United players were eventually found guilty of match-fixing by the Football Association, with Pagnam…

In 1926, Pagnam became Watford's manager; he spent three years in the job but achieved little. Watford finished 21st out of 22 in his first season but improved to 8th in 1928–29. After leaving Watford, he managed Galatasaray and the Turkey national team. Pagnam then coached in the Netherlands at DWV, HVV Den Haag, De Volewijckers, HFC Haarlem and CVV Vriendenschaar.

Pagnam served in the Royal Garrison Artillery and the London Regiment during the First World War. He was declared a deserter on 20 April 1918. At the outbreak of the Second World War, he returned to the UK with his wife to run a pub. Pagnam died in 1962 aged 70.

As a player

Watford

Third Division South top scorer: 1922–23