The hidden files that uncovered Falkirk's world record transfer coup

In the summer of 2003, an SOS phone call led to a discovery that shed new light on one of Scottish football's greatest ever heists

Here’s your starter for 10: which is the only Scottish football club to hold the world record for the highest transfer fee paid?

Answer…

Falkirk.

Congratulations if you got it. More so still if you read this excellent piece about the £5,000 transfer of Syd Puddefoot from West Ham to Falkirk in 1922 back in Issue Two of Nutmeg magazine.

Syd Puddefoot, who was, in 1922, the most expensive footballer in the world

However, knowledge of Mr Puddefoot’s great adventure north between the wars is not necessary to appreciate today’s story, which concerns not only that intriguing piece of footballing history, but the very last days of Brockville Park (Falkirk’s stadium from 1885 to 2003), a herd of wanton youths with an appetite for destruction, and treasure that would have been lost in the rubble of time, were it not for a concerned citizen of the fair burgh in which our tale unfolds.

I did know about Puddefoot as I grew up in various locations around Britain, raised a Falkirk supporter by a Falkirk supporter who had been taken to Brockville by his grandfather.

Thomas Robertson – my great-grandfather, for those of you keeping score at home – was a veteran of the Palestine campaign of the First World War and a blacksmith on the docks of Grangemouth. When he died, his obituary in the Falkirk Herald said that he had stopped working on horses to dive into the docks and rescue a drowning man – on two separate occasions.

He was also a supporter of Falkirk Football Club, and as they walked together to Brockville, he would tell my father about the time Falkirk became the first club in the world to pay £5,000 for a footballer; how they drove that man through the town in a carriage, parading him in front of the cheering public like a prize of battle.

As he got older and retired from a career in education, my dad started to document the club’s history (he would eventually write several books on the subject). Occasionally he would tell me about new aspects of the Puddefoot story he had heard about: the rumours of a wartime sweetheart Puddefoot had met in Bridge of Allan when he was stationed there; the delegation of directors that had travelled by train to London to do the deal; the legend that they had done so with considerably more than the £5,000 it took to snare Puddefoot, and had broken their return journey, drinking the change in station bars.

By the time of the last game at Brockville, a 3-2 defeat by Inverness at the end of season 2002/03 (Falkirk won the title in the then First Division but were denied promotion due to stadium criteria of the Scottish Premier League), my dad was the unofficial historian of the club.

As the clock ticked down from that final game to the final demolition of the stadium (to make way for a Morrisons supermarket), security of the site, like Brockville itself, was not fit for purpose.

One midweek summer’s evening, my dad got a phone call from a friend who had decided to take his old seat in the main stand for one last time; one last look out across what was left of his field of dreams.

‘Mike, you’ll need to get down to Brockville. Kids have broken into the offices, they’re throwing around books and files. Who knows what’s in there?’

And like his grandfather before him, my dad leapt from the chores of his day to answer a call for help. Only this time, it wasn’t a drunken, drowning docker who needed saving. It was Old Lady Brockville herself.

He sped down to the ground and walked through broken doorways and around upturned desks, to discover a scene that was at once both devastating and thrilling. On one hand, the club had indeed left unguarded this cathedral, the place where so many of his memories were stored. Much damage had been done, an insult before the final injury to be delivered by the wrecking balls and bulldozers in a few days’ time.

On the other hand, for a footballing archaeologist, this was the motherlode.

The club had emptied the stadium of everything of value – monetary or historical – before they vacated it… or so they had thought. Preliminary demolition had knocked through a false wall in the main stand to reveal a row of cubicles that had originally been used by journalists to phone in their copy at half-time and full-time. At some point this space had been walled in, and with it a stack of boxes containing documents covering more than a century of the club’s history.

Like Indiana Jones finding the Chachapoyan Fertility Idol at the start of Raiders of the Lost Ark, my dad knew he had to take this treasure with him, whatever poisoned darts or giant, rolling boulders may come his way. Fortunately, the feral youths had by now dispersed and, in a series of round trips, he was free to load the boxes into the back of his car and ferry them home.

Here were records of the greyhound races that had once taken place on the dirt track that encircled the football pitch; here were the payslips of my all-time favourite footballer, Simon Stainrod, a one-time England international who had spearheaded a glorious return to the Premier League in 1991 on audacious terms detailed on these pieces of paper: wages - £1 per week; appearance fee - £1,000 per week.

And there, bound in decomposing leather, written in a beautiful, slanting hand and in language from another time, were the minutes of every board meeting from before the war, right through the 1920s – including a real-time account of one of the greatest coups in the history of Scottish football: the world record transfer of Syd Puddefoot from West Ham United to Falkirk, for £5,000.

The minutes broke down – meeting by meeting – the plot, which had its origins in Puddefoot’s time in Bridge of Allan during the First World War, beginning with a tip-off from an unusual source:

Dec 10, 1918

The Secretary read letter from W. Wilton (Manager, Rangers) giving information of S Puddefoot, West Ham centre forward, being with his regiment stationed at Bridge of Allan and suggesting that the club might get his services if they cared. The Chairman reported having acted on the suggestion, the Manager having gone to Bridge of Allan and arranged with Puddefoot, and that he had played at Airdrie on Saturday.

Feb 25, 1919

The manager reported Puddefoot’s regiment was under order to leave Bridge of Allan on Thursday or Friday but he had applied to the Colonel Commanding for permission to play Puddefoot.

Then, in the spring of 1920, the first attempt to bring Puddefoot back north since the end of hostilities.

March 9, 1920

The manager read letter received from S Puddefoot indicating his desire for a change of club owing to dissatisfaction as to the way matters were going with him & his club. It was agreed - Mr Crawford dissenting - that the Manager should go to London and personally interview him and the Officials of the West Ham. The manager being empowered to go to £3500 for his transfer.

Then…  

March 16, 1920

The Manager reported having gone to London and interviewed West Ham Officials who had refused to entertain an offer of £2000 for Syd Puddefoot’s transfer but the player was quite willing and anxious to come and would now do all in his power to get his transfer.

So, a £3,500 fee was sanctioned by the board, yet the offer was for £2,000. Hmmm.

Whatever happened to that additional £1,500, it took two years for West Ham to consider selling. They let it be known that offers were in from Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. It was now or never if the unlikely courtship between Falkirk and the future England striker was to be consummated.

February 7, 1922

The Secretary reported the steps taken to secure the transfer of Sydney C. Puddefoot from West Ham United and in connection therewith read the letter received from Puddefoot stating he was likely to be on the transfer list. The Chairman had signed a statement that the Directors were willing to go the length of £5,000 for the transfer and Messrs Hamilton, McIntyre & J Anderson had initialed the statement as agreeing.

The Chairman stated he had called on Mr Robert Waugh but did not get him in.

The Secretary & Mr Liddell had gone to London and arranged the transfer for £5,000, the player to receive £1,000, and his terms £10 per week with a Bonus of £2 for a win & £1 for a draw. Mr Waugh during the discussion protested against the manner in which the business had been gone about, having no opportunity of giving an opinion or decision in the matter and wished his dissent to be entered.

After discussion the action of Messrs Liddell & Secretary in signing Puddefoot was homologated and it was agreed to raise the amount necessary by loans.

I know what you’re thinking, and I agree: ‘homologated’ is a fine word and one we should all use more than we do.

So, the world record transfer fee now belonged to Falkirk. In 2024, the £5,000 it took to persuade West Ham to sell would be worth £237,000. The £1,000 bonus paid to the player translates to £47,000. A sum for which Neymar, the linear successor to Puddefoot as the world’s most expensive footballer, would not get out of bed.

How could Falkirk afford to break the world transfer record? Crowdfunding, 1922 style.

Several individuals and businesses in the town chipped in to the ‘Puddefoot Fund’ after the fact; and much to the embarrassment and anger of the dissident Mr Waugh, the bill for the remainder of the transfer fee was past due by the time he became aware of it.  

Feb 27, 1922

The Secretary read over list of persons who had loaned money towards the fund in payment of Sydney C. Puddefoot’s transfer fee, totaling to date received £2,325: £75 of this total being for purchase of shares. It was resolved that loans bear interest at the rate of 6 per cent per annum.

My dad was giving a talk on this affair in 2018, when a member of the audience approached him with a receipt for a contribution to the Puddefoot crowdfunding effort. It read:

Received from James H Aitken Esq. in Lint Riggs, Falkirk the sum of one hundred pounds Sterling as a loan payment towards the fund being raised in payment of Sydney C. Puddefoot’s transfer fee. The loan to bear interest at the rate of 6% per annum until paid.

The minutes show that £2,000 of the record fee remained outstanding for some months following the transfer. And shortly thereafter, they show a steady stream of suitors ready to repatriate Puddefoot.

Feb 27, 1923

Blackburn Rovers wired enquiring if the Directors were prepared to transfer Puddefoot and what fee would be required. It was agreed to ask six thousand pounds (£6,000) as a minimum fee and to write to Tottenham Hotspur giving that club an opportunity to quote as previously promised.

March 8, 1923

Letters were read from Blackburn Rovers intimating transfer for Puddefoot was more than they would give for one player, and from P McWilliam Tottenham Hotspur stating his Board were not prepared to pay sum mentioned for Puddefoot.

Perhaps the player’s suitors had caught wind of an intriguing subplot.

Around this time, Puddefoot is frequently absent from the Falkirk line-up, and there are several vague references to an increasing frustration on the part of his employers. Puddefoot spends time in hospital; he returns for a game, maybe two, and then requests a leave of absence. Falkirk engage a solicitor, apparently to ascertain their legal obligations toward an asset that is not performing.  

At no point is the exact nature of Puddefoot’s complaint identified, but the episode ends with this entry in the minutes.

April 3, 1923

The manager read report by Dr Smith on Puddefoot’s condition which was as follows. “I certify that Syd Puddefoot is able to resume work and is not a source of danger to others.”

I know, right?

By the following autumn, he was back in the team every week and often on the scoresheet. And the English clubs began to circle once again.

In October 1923, Everton and West Ham enquire about Puddefoot, the latter club’s offer of £1,500 being described as “insulting”.  A month later, Chelsea come calling. In January of 1924, they try again, but the gap between their offer of £3,000 and Falkirk’s demand of £4,500 is too broad to be bridged. Then…

Dec 1924

A letter was submitted from Blackburn Rovers enquiring if we had any intention of transferring Puddefoot & if so, to state our lowest price for him. Secretary was instructed to inform them that we were prepared to consider an offer of £5,000 for Puddefoot’s transfer.

Feb 1925

A deputation was then received from Blackburn Rovers, who made an offer for the transfer of Puddefoot. After consideration it was agreed to transfer Puddefoot to Blackburn Rovers for the sum of £3,750, Puddefoot to receive from us £390 as his share of transfer fee.

It was decided to call a meeting of subscribers to ‘Puddefoot Loan’ to place before them a proposal that they transfer a part of their subscription to Share Capital.

As you can read in that feature from Issue Two of Nutmeg, there is still a lot to tell of Puddefoot’s story – including a famous FA Cup win and a managerial adventure in Turkey – but that closes the book on the world’s most expensive footballer’s time at Falkirk. And what a book: bound in withering leather and hidden for decades behind a false wall in a slowly crumbling old football stadium.