Red Or Dead
Page 1
RED OR DEAD
DAVID PEACE
In memory of Gordon Burn,
with love and thanks.
Here I am.
I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,
I will come in and eat with him,
and he with me.
Revelation, Chapter 3, Verse 20
The Argument III
Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. After the harvest, the failed harvest. Before the harvest, the next harvest. The man knocked on the door.
Come, said a voice from behind the door.
The man opened the door. The man stepped into the room. The man stood in the room. Before the long table, the long shadows.
Sit, said a voice from the shadows.
The man sat down in a chair at the end of the long table.
Yes, asked the voice.
The man blinked. The man tried to keep the tears from his eyes. The man swallowed. The man tried to keep his voice from breaking. And the man said, You are right. The strain has proved much too much. I am tired. And I cannot go on. I have had enough.
Close the door on your way out.
The man tried to stand. The man tried to get back on his feet. But the man could not stand. The man could not get back on his feet.
RED OR DEAD
William Shankly, in two halves
Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Epigraph
The Argument III
THE FIRST HALF – EVERYDAY IS SATURDAY: SHANKLY AMONG THE SCOUSERS
1. TO SEE OURSELS AS OTHERS SEE US
2. IN NIGHTS OF POSSIBILITY, IN DAYS OF OPPORTUNITY
3. WHAT IS TO BE DONE
4. AFTER THE SEASON, BEFORE THE SEASON
5. THE HAMMER AND THE NAILS
6. P.S. FIND PEOPLE WHO ARE TOUGHER
7. TO BEGIN AGAIN, AT THE BEGINNING AGAIN
8. THE SONG OF THE COUNTER-PLAN
9. THE MARCH TO APRIL
10. THOSE WHO DEPRIVE THE TABLE OF MEAT
11. IN THE BIG TIME
12. A DRESS REHEARSAL
13. A MAN OF THE MASSES
14. AFTER THE PASSION, BEFORE THE PASSION
15. ALL POWER TO THE KOP!
16. TOP OF THE WORLD
17. A RED GLOW IN THE SKY
18. THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN
19. AFTER THE WAR, BEFORE THE WAR
20. DEAR PEOPLE
21. THE OLD ENEMY
22. THE DIGNITY OF LABOUR
23. TOTAL FOOTBALL
24. THE MORTAL AND THE IMMORTAL
25. WE DO NOT LIVE ON MEMORIES
26. NOW BRINGS A SMILE, NOW BRINGS A TEAR
27. A KICK IN THE BALLS
28. THE CROSSES AND THE MARKS
29. THE BIG HAMMER AND THE MAGIC WAND
30. WITH ONE FOOT IN EDEN
31. SMALL STEPS
32. WINTER: A DIRGE
33. INTO THE DUSTBIN OF HISTORY
34. LOW SPIRITS AND BLUE DEVILS
35. IN THE LEAGUE OF STRUGGLE
36. CHRIST IS WITH THE RED GUARDS
37. A PARTY OF A NEW TYPE
38. RED YOUTH UNDER DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES
39. A COUNTRY MILE
40. THE SOLEMN LEAGUE AND COVENANT
41. THIS IS YOUR LIFE
42. WE KNOW NEITHER THE DAY, NOR THE HOUR
43. AFTER THE TRIUMPHS, BEFORE THE TRIUMPHS
44. SHEER POETRY, JUST LIKE ROBBIE BURNS
45. AFTER THE WHISTLE, BEFORE THE WHISTLE
THE SECOND HALF – EVERYDAY IS SUNDAY: SHANKLY AGONISTES
46. THE BEST LAID SCHEMES
47. O’ MICE AN’ MEN, GANG AFT AGLEY
48. AN’ LEA’E US NOUGHT
49. BUT GRIEF AN’ PAIN (YOU’RE HAVING ME ON)
50. FOR PROMIS’D JOY!
51. THE KING IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE KING
52. ON WATERING THE GARDEN
53. THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM
54. CHARITY IS A COLD, GREY, LOVELESS THING
55. IN THE HIGHLANDS, MY HEART IS NOT HERE
Section Title56. IN A DARK WOOD
57. A GREAT RECKONING IN A LITTLE ROOM
58. OUTSIDE THE GATES, OUTSIDE THE PALACE
59. OH, WHISTLE, AND I’LL COME TO YOU, MY LAD
60. THE LONG GOODBYE
61. I AM A CHRISTIAN AND A SOCIALIST, DESPITE YOU
62. BECAUSE YOU’RE MINE
63. ALL FLEAS ARE FIT
64. BRUGES
65. HOLIDAYS IN THE SUN
66. THERE’S NOTHING HERE BUT HIGHLAND PRIDE
67. AND HIGHLAND SCAB AND HUNGER
68. O TELL NA ME O’ WIND AN’ RAIN
69. IF PROVIDENCE HAS SENT ME HERE
70. ’TWAS SURELY IN HIS ANGER
71. THIS WAS YOUR LIFE
72. DON’T LET ME KEEP YOU
73. AT THE TOP OF MY VOICE
74. THE MATCHES OF THE DAYS
75. THE SPIRIT OF ’78
76. COME LIKE SHADOWS, SO DEPART
77. WHAT CAN YOU SAY?
78. ON YOUR BACK, LETTERS FROM AFAR
79. ALL HOURS OF THE DAY, ALL DAYS OF THE WEEK
80. LOT 79: THE RELICS OF THE SAINTS
81. AT SEA, ALL AT SEA; A SEA CHANGE
82. WE MUST GET BACK TO SANITY
83. I ALWAYS CARRY A PICTURE OF HIM
84. IT WAS TWENTY YEARS AGO TODAY
85. BEFORE THE REVOLUTION
86. WHATEVER THE SEASON
87. IN THE NON-LEAGUE
88. THE RELIGION OF MY TIME
89. WHO NOW WAVES THE BRIGHT RED FLAG?
90. Y. N. W. A.
The Argument III
SOURCES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
About the Author
By the Same Author
Copyright
1. TO SEE OURSELS AS OTHERS SEE US
In the winter-time, in the night-time, they remembered him. And then they came to him. In the winter-time, in the night-time. Not cap in hand, not on bended knee. Not this sort. But still they came. Here to Leeds Road, Huddersfield. Here on October 17, 1959. They came –
In the winter-time, in the night-time.
Tom Williams had seen enough. Liverpool Football Club were in the Second Division. They had not won anything since the League title in 1947. And they had never won the FA Cup. Tom Williams telephoned Geoff Twentyman. Geoff Twentyman told Tom Williams the name of the man Liverpool Football Club needed. Tom Williams telephoned Matt Busby. Matt Busby told Tom Williams the name of the man Liverpool Football Club needed. Tom Williams telephoned Walter Winterbottom. Walter Winterbottom told Tom Williams the name of the man Liverpool Football Club needed. Tom Williams had heard enough. Tom Williams telephoned Harry Latham –
In the winter-time, in the night-time.
Tom Williams and Harry Latham drove across the Pennines to Leeds Road, Huddersfield. They did not tell the directors of Huddersfield Town they were coming. They did not ask the directors of Huddersfield Town for complimentary tickets. They did not sit with the directors of Huddersfield Town. At Leeds Road, Huddersfield, Tom Williams and Harry Latham sat as close to the pitch and the home dug-out as they could. Huddersfield Town were playing Cardiff City. But Tom Williams and Harry Latham did not watch Huddersfield Town. They did not watch Cardiff City. They watched the man in the dug-out. The home dug-out. His eyes narrow, his mouth open. Jaw out, neck forward. His arms moving, his fists clenched. Right foot, left foot. Tom Williams and Harry Latham watched this man make every run every player on the pitch made. They watched this man kick every ball every player on the pitch kicked. They watched this man take every free kick. Every corner. And every throw-in. They watched this man make every pass. And every tackle. And
Tom Williams and Harry Latham listened to the man in the dug-out. They listened to this man cajoling his players. They listened to this man encouraging his players. And Tom Williams and Harry Latham saw the way the players of Huddersfield Town listened to the man. The way they listened to this man and the way they obeyed this man. His every command and his every instruction. His every word, the voice of God. And after the whistle, the final whistle, Tom Williams and Harry Latham had seen enough and they had heard enough. They knew this man had fought harder and played harder than any man out there on the pitch. And Tom Williams and Harry Latham knew this was the man they needed for Liverpool Football Club. This was the man they wanted for Liverpool Football Club. The only man for Liverpool Football Club –
In the winter-time, in the night-time. The only man.
In the shadows of the hills, in the shadows of the mills. Under the stands and on the slope. Tom Williams and Harry Latham saw the man they needed, the man they wanted. Under the stands, on the slope. Tom Williams and Harry Latham walked towards the man. And Tom Williams said, Good evening, sir. I don’t know if you remember me, but my name is Tom Williams and I am the chairman of Liverpool Football Club and this is Harry Latham, one of our directors. I wonder if we might have a word with you, Mr Shankly?
I remember you, said Bill Shankly. And they are not for sale.
Tom Williams smiled. Tom Williams shook his head. And Tom Williams said, We’re not here for Law or Wilson. We are here to talk to you, Mr Shankly. We are here to ask you a question.
Then ask it, said Bill Shankly.
Tom Williams said, How would you like to manage the best football club in the country, Mr Shankly?
Why, asked Bill Shankly. Matt Busby packing it in, is he?
Tom Williams smiled again. And Tom Williams said, Very funny, Mr Shankly. But you know what I’m talking about. I’m talking about Liverpool Football Club. How would you like to manage Liverpool Football Club, Mr Shankly?
I thought you didn’t want me for your football club, said Bill Shankly. I thought you didn’t think I was good enough for Liverpool?
Tom Williams shook his head again. And Tom Williams said, I never said that, Mr Shankly. I never said that.
You didn’t need to.
I wasn’t the chairman then, Mr Shankly. But I am the chairman now. And so now I’m asking you if you would like to manage Liverpool Football Club, Mr Shankly?
I thought you already had a manager? Mr Taylor? Phil Taylor?
It has not been made public yet. Nothing has been announced yet. But Mr Taylor is not a well man. He has asked me to relieve him of his duties. As I say, nothing has been announced yet, nothing made public yet. But we’d like to sort out something before it is.
Under the stands, on the slope. There was the sound of joking, laughter from the Huddersfield Town dressing room.
We might’ve lost today, said Bill Shankly. But we’re not doing too badly here, you know, Mr Williams?
Tom Williams said, We know that. We can see that. And that’s why we want you, Mr Shankly.
Well, said Bill Shankly. I’ll not be rushed. But I will consider it.
In the winter-time, in the night-time. Tom Williams held out his hand. And Tom Williams said, Thank you, Mr Shankly. That is all I ask. Goodnight, Mr Shankly. Goodnight.
2. IN NIGHTS OF POSSIBILITY, IN DAYS OF OPPORTUNITY
In their house in Huddersfield. In their kitchen at the table. Bill ate and Bill talked. Firing out his words, wolfing down his tea. Bill ate and Bill talked. But Ness said nothing, Ness ate nothing. Ness put down her knife and her fork on her plate. And Ness got up from the table.
Bill frowned. And Bill said, You’ve not finished your tea, love.
Ness picked up the plate and walked over to the bin. Ness pushed the meat and the vegetables off the plate and into the bin.
Bill shook his head. And Bill said, What a waste.
Ness walked over to the sink. Ness put the plug in the sink. Ness turned on the taps. Ness put her plate, her knife and her fork on top of the pans in the sink. Ness squeezed washing-up liquid into the sink. Ness turned off the taps. Ness picked up the scrubbing brush. Ness began to wash the plate and the pans. The knife and the fork.
Where is Liverpool, Daddy, asked one of their daughters.
Bill smiled. And Bill said, It’s by the seaside, love.
Ness stopped washing the plate and the pans. The knife and the fork. Ness looked up from the sink. Ness stared out into the dark garden. And Ness said, We’re settled here. We’ve got a nice house. We’ve got good friends. The girls like their schools. They’re happy here. I’m happy here. I don’t want to leave, love.
Bill said, I know, love. I know.
…
In his car, at the wheel. Driving down this road, driving up that road. Bill saw a telephone box on a corner up ahead. And Bill braked. Suddenly. Bill pulled over. Bill got out of his car. And Bill went into the phone box. Bill took out a piece of paper from the pocket of his coat. Bill dialled the telephone number on the piece of paper. Bill listened to the phone ring. Bill heard a voice answer. Bill dropped two coins into the phone. And Bill said, Mr Williams? This is Bill Shankly.
Good evening, Mr Shankly. What can I do for you?
Bill said, I’ve been thinking about your offer.
I’m very glad to hear that, said Tom Williams. So what have you been thinking, Mr Shankly?
Bill said, I’m interested. But I have a number of conditions.
Go on, Mr Shankly.
Well, I have to have total control of the playing and the coaching staff. I have to decide on the training methods and the playing style. I have to select the team without any interference from you or the directors. And if I feel we need new players, then you and the directors must make the money available for me to buy the players I want. And I also want a salary of £2,500. And so if you cannot accommodate all these conditions, then I’m afraid I’m not interested.
May I ask what Huddersfield are paying you, Mr Shankly?
Bill said, £2,000 a year.
Then I think we can accommodate all your conditions, said Tom Williams. I am sure we can, Mr Shankly.
Bill said, Then I accept your offer.
Thank you, said Tom Williams. Then we’ll be in touch again. Goodnight, Mr Shankly. Goodnight.
…
In their house in Huddersfield, their home in Huddersfield. In the night and in the silence. In his chair. Bill put down the newspaper. And in the night and in the silence. Bill closed his eyes. Liverpool Football Club had come to Leeds Road, Huddersfield. In the twentieth minute, Les Massie had scored. And Huddersfield Town had won. Liverpool Football Club had lost. Huddersfield Town were sixth in the Second Division. Liverpool Football Club were tenth in the Second Division. But no one was happy. Ten days before, Phil Taylor had announced his resignation as manager of Liverpool Football Club. Bill remembered his words. The words Bill had read in the newspaper. Bill could not forget his words. Phil Taylor had said, In my opinion, the club has enjoyed reasonable success. My three years have resulted in a third and two fourth-place positions. However, the strain of it all has proved too much for me. And so, great as my love is for Liverpool Football Club, I have decided to resign. I made promotion my goal. I set my heart on it. I strove for it with all my energy. But such striving was not enough. Now the time has come to hand over to someone else.
In the night and in the silence. In his chair. Bill opened his eyes again. The grapevine was alive with rumours. Rumours that Liverpool Football Club wanted Bill Shankly to be their new manager. Rumours Liverpool Football Club had denied. In his chair. Bill picked up the newspaper again. Mr Lawson Martindale, one of the senior directors of Liverpool Football Club, had said, Any names mentioned in connection with the vacancy are only conjecture. There is no certainty about the matter. Nor can there be until we have examined all the applications. We particularly desire secrecy. And we are hopeful that we shall have many first-class men seeking the job. But we do not wish to
cause them, or their clubs, any embarrassment.
…
In the ground at Leeds Road, before the door to the Huddersfield Town boardroom. Bill touched his tie, Bill straightened his tie. And then Bill knocked on the door to the boardroom.
Come, said a voice from behind the door.
Bill opened the door. Slowly. Bill stepped into the boardroom.
Sit, said Stephen Lister, the chairman of Huddersfield Town.
Bill walked to a chair at the end of a long table. Bill sat down in the chair. Bill looked up the long table at Stephen Lister and the directors of Huddersfield Town Football Club. Bill coughed. And then Bill said, This will be my last weekly report. I have received an offer from Liverpool Football Club. And I have decided to accept their offer.
Stephen Lister and the other directors did not speak.
Bill coughed again. And then Bill said, I realise that this may come as something of a shock to you all. But I have decided to go because I would like to take up the challenge of managing a big club in a big city. And Liverpool Football Club is a big club in a big city.
The chairman and the directors still said nothing.
Bill coughed. And then Bill said, But I want you to know I have taken this decision very reluctantly. I have enjoyed my time in Huddersfield. And the club has always been very good to me.
Stephen Lister and the directors looked at each other. They patted their bellies, they stroked their chins. They began to mutter, they began to whisper. This name and that name.
I wonder if Harry Catterick would be interested in coming here, said Hayden Battye. A decent chap, I hear …
Bill laughed. Bill shook his head. And Bill said, Harry Catterick? But Wednesday are a much bigger club than this.
I think the very least you could do, said Stephen Lister, is to give us one month’s notice, Shankly. You will continue in your duties until the end of the month, until the end of December.
Bill said, Fine. If that is what you want.
Close the door on your way out.
…
In the corridor, outside his office at Leeds Road. Bill saw Eddie Brennan, the assistant club secretary of Huddersfield Town. And Bill said, I’ve got something to tell you, Eddie. Something to tell you. I’m leaving, Eddie. I’ve been offered the Liverpool job and I’ve accepted it. So I’m leaving, Eddie. I’m off, I’m off. And I can’t wait, Eddie. I can’t wait. A big club, Eddie. A massive club. So much potential, Eddie. So much potential. You’ve been there, Eddie. You know. That crowd, Eddie. That city. What a crowd, Eddie! What a city! And they’re going to back me, Eddie. The board. They’re going to back me all the way, Eddie. Give me all the money I need. Not like here, Eddie. Not like this place. Never be anything, Eddie. This place. No potential, Eddie. No ambition. No money, Eddie. Nothing. Same with Carlisle, same with Grimsby. Same with Workington, same as here. Not like Liverpool, Eddie. What a club! What a city, Eddie! All that potential, all that ambition. I tell you, Eddie. I’ve been waiting my whole life for this. My whole life, Eddie. For a chance like this. It’s the chance of a lifetime, Eddie. The bloody chance of a lifetime. And I can’t wait, Eddie. I just can’t wait. So what do you think, Eddie?