The Lost Shankly Boy

"George Scott and Jeff Goulding have done a sensational job of making us root for the displaced young boy who wanted to make his family proud but came up against a league of legends that refused to budge from their first team places. Part cautionary tale, part personal journey, the book had me rooting for every character within the Liverpool family and that’s saying something as I’m an Exeter City supporter." -- Matt Riley * GoodReads *

"The blood for a solid storyteller in Mr George Scott runs literally and figuratively red. With Liverpool reaching the precipice once again in 2020, and in a period to take stock of the greatness of Mr Shankly, even for those who declare to know Anfield and the Kop inside out will benefit from this delightful account of a touchable history."

* The Sportsman *

"It's a compelling story, which includes an extraordinary array of anecdotes about Scott staying in digs with Anfield legend Tommy Smith, returning to Aberdeen FC and running rings round Rangers great John Greig, being employed as a security guard in a South African shanty town and working as a sales rep when he met Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor."

* The Press & Journal *

"A gripping story of a young man's quest to become a professional footballer, his fightback from a series of challenges - including a hair raising brush with death in South Africa - and ultimately of a bond between player and manager that has spanned a lifetime. All of it told with an easy-going style that at times takes you closer to the history of the Shankly era than ever before."

-- Dave Usher * The Liverpool Way *

"This book is an account of life at a Liverpool FC before YNWA had even arrived and The Beatles had only just formed. It also tells of the precarious and fleeting nature of a footballer's life if he is not quite at the top grade - Scott himself didn't quite make the cut with the first team. In the days of no substitutes, the very success of the fast-emerging Liverpool made it hard for Scott, or anyone else, to break into that team, no matter how good they were and how hard they worked and trained. Scott explains how hard it can be to maintain your enthusiasm and positivity when you just cannot break through and are not given the chance, despite scoring 71 goals in 183 occasions in which he represented the club."

* Tomkins Times *

"An honest tale of the beginnings of the Shankly era at Liverpool, seen through the eyes of a talented yet humble boy. A brilliantly told story, with a stellar cast, yet the real star is George Scott and the impact that his short career at Liverpool had on the rest of his life. Jeff Goulding manages to encapsulate George Scott's incredible story and transport you so vividly into the fabled boot room, that you can smell the dubbin on the boots."

-- Stuart Horsfield * These Football Times *

"Parts of his book will make you howl with laughter while others will have you reaching for a box of tissues to mop up the tears. We can only be thankful that The Lost Shankly Boy was eventually found and encouraged to tell us all about his amazing journey."

* Christopher Wood, LFC History *

"George Scott was a Liverpool player for five years, but his extraordinary story shows how Bill Shankly managed his entire career."

-- Chris McLoughlin * Reach Sport *

"George's book captures every emotion. You will laugh and you will cry as his story, so brilliantly written, takes you from humble beginnings to the heart of Liverpool's rise to world fame, both culturally and on the football field. It is a pleasure to read as George's inspirational story unfolds. Bill Shankly insisted on working with people of good character. This book illustrates why George Scott was part of Shanks' Red Revolution."

-- Kieran Smith * Liverpool FC Historical Group *

"I loved every page. Took me back to the earliest of my years as a Liverpool supporter."

-- Peter Moore * Former CEO, Liverpool FC *

"The George Scott story fills in the gap between what life was like for the men who became legends and those who didn't quite make it. It illuminates what the life of Reserve players was like and how they had to cope with life after Liverpool."

-- John Pearman * Red All Over the Land *