by David Peace
Thank you, said Bertie Mee. Thank you very much, Bill. It’s the greatest moment of my life. And to win it with a goal, Bill. And not a draw. It’s just the best feeling in the world, Bill. And I know the North did not think we could do it. But we showed you, Bill. We showed the North. And this is just what we needed, Bill. Before Saturday. The very thing we needed. Before the final, Bill …
Bill smiled. And Bill said, Well, enjoy it, Bertie. Enjoy it while it lasts. Because you’ll get a much tougher game on Saturday, Bertie. I can promise you that. I promise you that.
…
On their bus, their Liverpool bus. On their way, up Wembley Way. With a bus behind them, an empty bus behind them. Just in case. Just like before. Nothing left to chance. No shocks and no surprises. Everything planned, everything prepared. On their bus, their Liverpool bus. On their way, up Wembley Way. At the front of their bus, in his seat. Bill looked out through the window. Into a sea of red, into a world of red. Just like before. Red scarves and red flags, red banners and red songs. Everywhere Bill looked, everywhere Bill turned. Just like before. A Red Sea, a Red World. Just like before.
And on their bus, their Liverpool bus. On their way, up Wembley Way. Bill stood up at the front. Bill put on a cassette tape. Bill turned up the volume. So everyone on their bus, their Liverpool bus, could hear the cassette tape. The cassette tape of Bill on the radio. On Desert Island Discs, six years before. And Bill stood in the centre of the bus. In the middle of the aisle. And Bill said, Just listen to these songs, boys. These are all great songs. Great, great Scottish songs, boys. And great, great Liverpool songs …
And on their bus, their Liverpool bus. The players of Liverpool Football Club listened. The young players of Liverpool Football Club listened to the songs on the tape. And the players of Liverpool Football Club smiled. The young players of Liverpool Football Club smiled at Bill Shankly. As Bill stood in the centre of the bus. In the middle of the aisle. His lips moving and his arms moving. And when the cassette tape came to the last song, Bill turned up the volume as high as it would go. So everyone on their bus, their Liverpool bus, could hear the last song on the cassette tape. So everyone outside their bus, out on Wembley Way, could hear this last song. And Bill sang along to this last song on the cassette tape. And the players of Liverpool Football Club sang along to this last song on the cassette tape. The young players and the old players. Bill waving his arms, Bill shouting, Come on, boys. Come on! I can’t hear you, boys. I can’t hear you! And the players of Liverpool Football Club raised their voices. In chorus, as one. All the players of Liverpool Football Club singing –
You’ll never walk alone …
In their dressing room, their Wembley dressing room. Bill looked from player to player. From Ray Clemence to Chris Lawler. From Chris to Alec Lindsay. From Alec to Tommy Smith. From Tommy to Larry Lloyd. From Larry to Emlyn Hughes. From Emlyn to Ian Callaghan. From Cally to Alun Evans. From Alun to Steve Heighway. From Steve to John Toshack. From John to Brian Hall. And from Brian to Peter Thompson. Peter in the number-twelve shirt. And Bill smiled. And then Bill said, Six years ago, Tommy and Chris and Cally and Peter were sat here in this dressing room, waiting to play in the Cup Final. For the first time. And I’ve sat in here twice myself as a player, waiting to play in the Cup Final. And so those of us who’ve been here before, who’ve sat in here before, waiting to play in the final, we know what it’s like the first time you sit in here, waiting to play in the final. And we know it’s the worst part. The waiting. It’s hell. We know. But we also know it’s worth it. The waiting. This hell. Because once you get out there, boys. Onto that pitch, onto that turf. It’s heaven, boys. It’s paradise. It’s everything you’ve ever dreamt of, boys. Everything you’ve worked for. This is it, boys. The chance to win the Cup. The opportunity to make history, boys. And to make the supporters of Liverpool Football Club happy. So enjoy it, boys. Enjoy it. Because you’re going to experience heaven on earth, boys. You are going to know paradise on earth. So let’s get going, boys …
And in their dressing room, their Wembley dressing room. The buzzer sounded, the Wembley buzzer. And Bill led the players of Liverpool Football Club down the tunnel, the Wembley tunnel, onto the pitch, the Wembley pitch, and out into a sea of red, a world of red. LI-VER-POOL. The sea so deafening, the world so loud that the whole of London, the whole of England, heard that sea again, saw that world again. LI-VER-POOL. On their radios and on their televisions. Their colour televisions. LI-VER-POOL. People heard the supporters of Liverpool Football Club and people saw the supporters of Liverpool Football Club. LI-VER-POOL. Their scarves and their flags, their banners and their songs. LI-VER-POOL. Their red scarves and their red flags, their red banners and their red songs. LI-VER-POOL. Their sea of red, their world of red. LI-VER-POOL. And Bill knew people would always remember the supporters of Liverpool Football Club. LI-VER-POOL. Their sea of red, their world of red. LI-VER-POOL. Always remember. LI-VER-POOL, LI-VER-POOL, LI-VER-POOL.
On the bench, the Wembley bench. Bill looked out at the pitch, the Wembley pitch. The players of Liverpool Football Club wearing all red, the players of Arsenal Football Club wearing yellow and blue. But on the bench, the Wembley bench. His jacket already stuck to his shirt. His shirt already stuck to his vest. His vest already stuck to his skin. Bill felt the heat. The punishing Wembley heat. And Bill knew that pitch, that Wembley pitch, would be a sapping pitch, a sapping Wembley pitch. But in the first half, Bill watched Liverpool Football Club attack. And Wilson save. In the heat, the punishing Wembley heat, on the pitch, the sapping Wembley pitch. Bill watched Arsenal Football Club counter-attack. And Ray Clemence save. In the heat, the punishing Wembley heat, on the pitch, the sapping Wembley pitch. Attack and counter-attack, counter-attack and attack. Back and forth, forth and back. In the heat, the punishing Wembley heat, on the pitch, the sapping Wembley pitch. In the second half, Arsenal Football Club attacked again. And Clemence saved from Kennedy. In the heat, the punishing Wembley heat, on the pitch, the sapping Wembley pitch. Liverpool Football Club counter-attacked. And Wilson saved from John Toshack. In the heat, the punishing Wembley heat, on the pitch, the sapping Wembley pitch. In the sixty-fourth minute, Kelly replaced Storey for Arsenal Football Club. In the heat, the punishing Wembley heat, on the pitch, the sapping Wembley pitch. In the sixty-seventh minute, Bill replaced Alun Evans with Peter Thompson. And in the heat, the punishing Wembley heat, on the pitch, the sapping Wembley pitch. Liverpool Football Club attacked again. And McLintock cleared the ball. In the heat, the punishing Wembley heat, on the pitch, the sapping Wembley pitch. Arsenal Football Club counter-attacked. And Clemence saved from Kennedy. And George Graham hit the bar. And Alec Lindsay cleared off the goal line. The Liverpool goal line. But in the heat, the punishing Wembley heat, on the pitch, the sapping Wembley pitch. Liverpool Football Club attacked. And Wilson saved from Steve Heighway. And Wilson saved from Thompson. And Wilson saved from Brian Hall. In the heat, the punishing Wembley heat, on the pitch, the sapping Wembley pitch. After ninety minutes, the referee blew his whistle for extra time. In the heat, the punishing Wembley heat, on the pitch, the sapping Wembley pitch. In the first period of extra time, Emlyn Hughes passed to Thompson. Thompson passed to Heighway. Heighway accelerated down the left, Heighway raced down the left. Heighway came in from the left, Heighway came to the edge of the penalty area. And Heighway shot and Heighway scored. And in the heat, the punishing Wembley heat, on the pitch, the sapping Wembley pitch. Liverpool Football Club were beating Arsenal Football Club one–nil in the first period of extra time in the final of the FA Cup. In the heat, the punishing Wembley heat, on the pitch, the sapping Wembley pitch. Two minutes later, Wilson saved from Toshack. But in the heat, the punishing Wembley heat, on the pitch, the sapping Wembley pitch. In the one hundred and first minute of extra time, Radford kicked the ball over his own head. Back into the penalty area, the Liverpool penalty area. The ball loose, loose among the bodies. The bodies and the feet. And the feet of Kelly found the ball. The loose
ball over the line. Into the net and into a goal. And in the heat, the punishing Wembley heat, on the pitch, the sapping Wembley pitch. Liverpool Football Club were drawing one-all with Arsenal Football Club. In the heat, the punishing Wembley heat, on the pitch, the sapping Wembley pitch. Two minutes later, Clemence saved from Kelly. And Clemence saved from Radford. In the heat, the punishing Wembley heat, on the pitch, the sapping Wembley pitch. In the seventh minute of the second period of extra time, in the one hundred and eleventh minute of the final of the FA Cup, Radford passed to Charlie George. George on the edge of the penalty area, the Liverpool penalty area. And George shot and George scored. And George fell to the ground, the Wembley ground. On his back, his arms outstretched. And in the heat, the punishing Wembley heat, on the pitch, the sapping Wembley pitch. Arsenal Football Club were beating Liverpool Football Club two–one in the second period of extra time. And in the heat, the punishing Wembley heat, on the pitch, the sapping Wembley pitch. In the one hundred and twentieth minute of the final of the FA Cup, the referee blew his whistle. And Arsenal Football Club had won the FA Cup. Arsenal Football Club had done the Double. They had won the League and they had won the Cup.
On the bench, the Wembley bench. His jacket melted into his shirt. His shirt melted into his vest. His vest melted into his skin. His eyes drained of colour and his face carved with lines. Bill got up from the bench. The Liverpool bench. Bill walked down the touchline. The Wembley touchline. And Bill shook the hand of Bertie Mee. And then Bill walked across the pitch. The Wembley pitch. Bill went from player to player. From Wilson to Rice. From Rice to McNab. From McNab to Storey. From Storey to McLintock. From McLintock to Simpson. From Simpson to Armstrong. From Armstrong to Graham. From Graham to Radford. From Radford to Kennedy. From Kennedy to George. And from George to Kelly. And Bill shook their hands. Bill congratulated them all. And then Bill turned. Bill turned and Bill walked across the turf. The Wembley turf. Towards the supporters of Liverpool Football Club. Towards their scarves and their flags, towards their banners and their songs. And Bill stopped on the pitch. The Wembley pitch. Bill stood on the turf. The Wembley turf. Before the sea of red, before the world of red. His jacket stuck to his shirt. His shirt stuck to his vest. His vest stuck to his skin. His eyes filling with colour again. The lines leaving his face again. And Bill raised his arms. Bill put his hands together. And Bill applauded the supporters of Liverpool Football Club. For their sea of red, their world of red. And the supporters of Liverpool Football Club applauded the players of Arsenal Football Club, they saluted the players of Arsenal Football Club. And the supporters of Liverpool Football Club applauded the players of Liverpool Football Club, they saluted the players of Liverpool Football Club. And then the supporters of Liverpool Football Club cheered. The supporters of Liverpool Football Club sang. And the supporters of Liverpool Football Club roared, one word, the same word. Over and over, again and again,
one word: Shank-lee! Shank-lee …
SHANK-LEE!
…
On the balcony of the St George’s Hall. Bill could not believe his eyes. Everywhere Bill looked, he saw faces. The faces of people. Two hundred and fifty thousand people, five hundred thousand people. People smiling, people happy. And Bill could not believe his ears. People cheering, people clapping. People shouting, people singing. Two hundred and fifty thousand people, five hundred thousand people all cheering and all clapping, all shouting and all singing –
LI-VER-POOL, LI-VER-POOL,
LI-VER-POOL …
And Bill stepped forward. Bill opened his arms. And the people, the two hundred and fifty thousand people, the five hundred thousand people, all fell silent. And Bill said, Ladies and gentlemen. Yesterday at Wembley. We may have lost the Cup. But you, the people. Have won everything. You have won over the public in London. You have even won over the policemen in London. And it’s questionable if even Chairman Mao of China could have arranged such a show of strength as you have shown yesterday and today …
And the people, the two hundred and fifty thousand people, the five hundred thousand people, they all cheered and they all clapped, they all shouted and they all sang, LI-VER-POOL, LI-VER-POOL, LI-VER-POOL, LI-VER-POOL, LI-VER-POOL, LI-VER-POOL,
LI-VER-POOL, LI-VER-POOL,
LI-VER-POOL …
And Bill fought back tears. Bill struggled to breathe. And again Bill opened his arms. And again the people, the two hundred and fifty thousand people, the five hundred thousand people, all fell silent. And Bill said, Since I came to Liverpool. And to Anfield. I have drummed it into our players. Time and again. That they are privileged to play for you. And if they didn’t believe me then –
They believe me now.
37. A PARTY OF A NEW TYPE
Two months after Liverpool Football Club had finished fourth in the First Division. Two months after Liverpool Football Club had lost the final of the FA Cup. The chairman, the directors and the manager of Liverpool Football Club held a press conference at Anfield, Liverpool. A press conference to announce changes at Anfield, Liverpool –
Bob Paisley was promoted from senior trainer to assistant manager. Joe Fagan was promoted from reserve-team trainer to first-team trainer. Ronnie Moran was promoted from looking after the junior teams to looking after the reserve team. Tom Saunders was appointed to look after the junior teams and the club’s youth policy. And Reuben Bennett was officially given the role of assessing players recommended by the scouts of Liverpool Football Club and of assessing the opponents of Liverpool Football Club; the job and the title of ‘special duties in conjunction with the manager’ –
And, said Eric Roberts, the new chairman of Liverpool Football Club, Mr Shankly was offered a five-year contract. But Mr Shankly has decided to settle for three years. However, Mr Shankly also knows he has a further option on his contract when this new one expires in May, 1974. Because Mr Shankly knows that the job is his for as long as he wants it. And we hope, and we pray, he will continue to want it for a very, very long, long time …
I have always said, said Bill Shankly, I am happy to go on working here. Here at Anfield, here in Liverpool. Because the happiest and hardest days of my life have been spent here. Here at Anfield, here in Liverpool. Only Celtic and Rangers in their pomp could begin to compare with Liverpool Football Club. But I don’t think I’ll be going back to Scotland. And so I see no reason why I should even think of going to another football club. And so contracts do not matter to me …
And retirement is something I rarely consider. For me, football is my life. Provided I can still do my job satisfactorily and as long as I feel able to carry on. It seems silly to me to say you are such and such an age and therefore you are too old to carry on working and you must retire. It’s that old motto: you are as young as you feel you are. And that will always be one of my yardsticks. And whenever I come round to thinking about retirement, I will base my decision on two things: how I feel. And also my means. Because, basically, any man must go on working until he has earned enough to live independently. A lot of publicity is given to the high salaries to be earned in football. Not only by the players but by the managers. But there is not a lot said about the vast tax that has to be paid. The higher a person’s income, the more severely he is taxed, with surtax and then supertax following the normal levels of income tax. These taxes mean that someone earning one hundred pounds a week, in fact, receives little more than fifty pounds in his pay packet. As a result, it is only when you reach the age when you begin to consider retirement that you realise the benefit and the value of the pension schemes and the like that have been introduced into football in the last ten years. But there are not many men in football today who can say they have made enough to retire. So much for my means! But as far as feeling my age is concerned, I’m feeling perfectly fit and ready to go on for years yet. I train every day and do nothing that is likely to jeopardise my health. I don’t smoke. And the only time I drink is for medicinal purposes. When a drop of Scotch will keep out the cold and do me good. As a
result, I feel fit and younger than most people of my age. And so I feel I am able to continue working as manager of Liverpool Football Club as long as Liverpool Football Club are willing to have me …
Football management, though, can be a soul-destroying profession. But I think I am about to achieve what I set out to do when I took over almost twelve years ago …
It was in the autumn of 1959 that I was given the opportunity of taking over another Second Division club, Liverpool Football Club. There was not much more money in it for me. And so that was not why I accepted the offer from Liverpool Football Club. What attracted me to Liverpool Football Club was the potential of the support. For me, the support given to Rangers and Celtic has always been unequalled. But here at Anfield, here in Liverpool, I felt there was the potential support to rival even those two great clubs. That was the main reason I took the job. So I felt my job, my challenge, was to wake up the support that was lying dormant. Here at Anfield, here in Liverpool. That they only needed a good team to make them the finest supporters in the country. And I think the supporters of Liverpool Football Club have proved that over the last twelve years. In fact, I know they have!