by David Peace
I’ll give you an answer, said Steve Heighway. When you ask me a sensible question. A sensible answer to a sensible question …
Bill turned to Tommy Smith. Bill turned to Chris Lawler. And Bill shouted, Get him out of here. Out of my sight. Take him away. Before I set bloody fire to him.
…
On the bench, the bench at Stamford Bridge. In the third minute, Bill watched Steve Heighway cross to John Toshack. And Toshack met the cross. And Toshack scored. Ten minutes later, from thirty yards out, Bill watched Ian Callaghan shoot. And Callaghan scored. And Liverpool Football Club beat Chelsea Football Club two–one. Away from home, away from Anfield –
On the bench, the Anfield bench. In the forty-fourth minute, Bill and fifty thousand, four hundred and ninety-one folk watched John Toshack score again. In the sixty-second minute, they watched Ferguson score an own goal. And two minutes later, they watched Emlyn Hughes score. And Liverpool Football Club beat West Ham United three–two –
On the bench, the bench at Filbert Street. In the eighth minute, Bill watched John Toshack score again. And in the sixteenth minute, Bill watched Toshack score again. But in the six minutes before half-time, Bill watched Weller score twice for Leicester City. And in the second half, Bill watched Weller score again for Leicester City. And Liverpool Football Club lost three–two to Leicester City. Away from home, away from Anfield. That night, Arsenal Football Club had ten points. And Arsenal Football Club were first in the First Division. Everton Football Club had nine points. Tottenham Hotspur had nine points. And Liverpool Football Club had nine points, too. That night, Liverpool Football Club were fourth in the First Division. On goal average. Not second, not even third best. Fourth, fourth, fourth.
On the bench, the bench at the Baseball Ground. On his fifty-ninth birthday, Bill was watching Liverpool Football Club play Derby County. And Bill was watching Peter Cormack play for Liverpool Football Club. Peter Cormack making his debut for Liverpool Football Club. But that day, on his birthday, Bill was not watching Ray Clemence play for Liverpool Football Club. Ray Clemence was injured. That day, on his birthday, Bill was watching Frankie Lane play for Liverpool Football Club. Frankie Lane making his debut for Liverpool Football Club. Against Derby County, against the Champions of England. Derby County eighteenth in the First Division, the Champions struggling in the First Division. And on his birthday, in the sixteenth minute, Bill watched Kevin Keegan pass to John Toshack. And Toshack scored again. But then, Bill watched Hinton cross for Derby County. A long cross. And Bill watched Frankie Lane catch the cross for Liverpool Football Club. The long cross. And Lane held the ball in his arms. And Lane stepped back. The ball in his arms. His feet over the line. The goal line. And into the goal. An own goal. A needless own goal. And on his birthday, in the eighty-seventh minute, Bill watched Nish pass to O’Hare. And O’Hare scored. And on his birthday, Bill watched Liverpool Football Club lose two–one to Derby County. Away from home, away from Anfield. Brian Clough walked down the touchline. The touchline at the Baseball Ground. Brian Clough shook Bill’s hand. And Brian Clough smiled –
That was bad luck, Mr Shankly. Very bad luck. But I said all we needed to get going, to get our season going, was a little bit of luck. And that’s what we got today. A little bit of luck …
On the bench, the bench at Brunton Park. Bill watched Liverpool Football Club play Carlisle United in the Second Round of the Football League Cup. But again, Ray Clemence did not travel. Ray Clemence still injured. And so again, Frankie Lane played for Liverpool Football Club. In the forty-second minute, Bill watched Kevin Keegan score. But in the seventy-second minute, Bill watched O’Neill score, too. And Liverpool Football Club drew one-all with Carlisle United in the Second Round of the Football League Cup. Away from home, away from Anfield –
On the bench, the Anfield bench. In the twenty-eighth minute, Bill and forty-three thousand, three hundred and eighty-six folk watched Emlyn Hughes shoot. And his shot hit the post. The shot rebounded off the post onto the body of Parkes and the ball rebounded off the body of Parkes. Into the net and into a goal. In the seventy-sixth minute, Bill and the forty-three thousand, three hundred and eighty-six folk watched Kevin Keegan pass to Steve Heighway. And Heighway passed to Peter Cormack. And Cormack shot. And Cormack scored. His first goal for Liverpool Football Club. On his home debut, his Anfield debut. Four minutes later, they watched Tommy Smith take a penalty. Twice. And Smith scored for Liverpool Football Club. And in the eighty-fourth minute, they watched Heighway take a free kick. And Keegan met the free kick. And Keegan headed the free kick. Into the net and into another goal. And Liverpool Football Club beat Wolverhampton Wanderers four–two. At home, at Anfield. That evening, Everton Football Club had thirteen points. And Everton Football Club were first in the First Division. Everton Football Club unbeaten. Tottenham Hotspur had twelve points. Tottenham Hotspur second in the First Division. Arsenal Football Club, Liverpool Football Club, Ipswich Town and Leeds United all had eleven points. Liverpool Football Club still fourth in the First Division. On goal average –
Still fourth, fourth, fourth, fourth –
On the bench, the Anfield bench. Bill and thirty-three thousand, three hundred and eighty folk were watching Liverpool Football Club play Eintracht Frankfurt of West Germany in the first leg of the First Round of the UEFA Cup. In the twelfth minute, they watched Kevin Keegan score. And in the seventy-fifth minute, they watched Emlyn Hughes score. And Liverpool Football Club beat Eintracht Frankfurt of West Germany two–nil in the first leg of the First Round of the UEFA Cup. At home, at Anfield –
On the bench, the bench at Highbury. In the fifteenth minute, Bill watched the linesman collapse with torn knee ligaments. And the game stopped, the match was suspended. Twenty minutes later, Jimmy Hill, the head of LWT Sport, appeared on the touchline. Dressed in black and holding a flag. The game restarted, the match continued. And Ray Clemence saved from Radford. And saved from Graham. And saved from Ball. And John Toshack hit the post. But no one scored. And Liverpool Football Club drew nil–nil with Arsenal Football Club. Away from home, away from Anfield –
On the bench, the Anfield bench. Bill and twenty-two thousand, one hundred and twenty-eight folk were watching Liverpool Football Club play Carlisle United in the replay of the Second Round of the Football League Cup. Early on, John Toshack was injured. And Bill took off Toshack. Bill sent on Phil Boersma. And in the thirty-seventh minute, Kevin Keegan scored. Two minutes later, Boersma scored. In the seventieth minute, Tommy Smith missed a penalty. But three minutes later, Chris Lawler scored. And ten minutes later, Boersma scored again. And in the eighty-sixth minute, Steve Heighway scored. And Liverpool Football Club beat Carlisle United five–one in the replay of the Second Round of the Football League Cup. At home,
at Anfield. On the bench, the Anfield bench. In the twenty-eighth minute, Bill and forty-two thousand, nine hundred and forty folk watched Phil Boersma score again. In the thirty-first minute, they watched Alec Lindsay score. In the thirty-third minute, they watched Steve Heighway score. In the fifty-first minute, they watched Peter Cormack score. In the fifty-third minute, they watched Tommy Smith miss another penalty. But in the fifty-fourth minute, they watched Kevin Keegan score a penalty. And Liverpool Football Club beat Sheffield United five–nil. At home, at Anfield. That afternoon, there was fighting on the terraces at White Hart Lane, London. There was fighting on the streets outside the City Ground, Nottingham. But that evening, Liverpool Football Club had fourteen points. And Tottenham Hotspur had fourteen points, too. But Liverpool Football Club had scored twenty-two goals and Liverpool Football Club had conceded ten goals. And so that evening, Liverpool Football Club were first in the First Division. On goal average –
First. First. First –
Top.
…
In the drive, in the car. Bill turned off the engine. In the night and in the silence. Bill got out of the car. Bill walked up the drive. And Bill opened the front door. In the dark and in the silence. Bill took
off his hat. Bill hung up his hat. And Bill went down the hall. In the dark and in the silence. Bill went into the kitchen. Bill switched on the light. And Bill went to the drawer. Bill opened the drawer. Bill took out the tablecloth. And Bill closed the drawer. Bill walked over to the table. Bill spread the cloth over the table. And Bill walked over to another drawer. Bill opened the drawer. Bill took out the cutlery. The spoons. The forks. And the knives. And Bill closed the drawer. Bill walked back over to the table. Bill laid two places at the table. And Bill went to the cupboard. Bill opened the cupboard door. Bill took out the crockery. The bowls and the plates. And Bill walked back over to the table. Bill put a bowl and a plate in each of the two places. Bill walked back to the cupboard. And Bill took out two glasses. Bill closed the cupboard door. Bill walked back to the table. And Bill put a glass in each of the places. Bill walked to another cupboard. Bill opened the door. And Bill took out the salt and pepper pots. Bill closed the cupboard door. Bill walked back to the table. And Bill put the salt and pepper pots on the table. Bill went to the pantry. Bill opened the pantry door. And Bill took out a jar of honey and a jar of marmalade. Bill walked back to the table. Bill put the jar of honey and the jar of marmalade on the table. And Bill walked over to the refrigerator. Bill opened the refrigerator door. Bill took out the butter dish. And Bill walked back over to the table. Bill put the butter dish down in the centre of the table. Bill walked back over to the refrigerator. And Bill took out a bottle of fresh orange juice. Bill closed the refrigerator door. Bill walked back over to the table. And Bill put down the bottle of orange juice on the table. In the night and in the silence. Bill sat down at the table. In the kitchen, at the table. Bill closed his eyes. But in his mind, in his eyes. Bill saw the saves Ray Clemence had made. Bill saw the blocks and the tackles Chris Lawler had made. The blocks and tackles Alec Lindsay had made. The blocks and tackles Tommy Smith had made. The blocks and tackles Larry Lloyd had made. The passes they all had made. The passes and the runs Emlyn Hughes had made. The passes and the runs Kevin Keegan had made. The passes and the runs Peter Cormack had made. The passes and the runs Steve Heighway had made. The passes and the runs Phil Boersma had made. The passes and the runs Ian Callaghan had made. The passes and the runs they all had made, the blocks and the tackles they all had made. From the back to the front, from the front to the back. Again and again, over and over. Never stopping, never tiring. With the ball and without the ball, without the ball and with the ball. Never tiring, never stopping. Over and over, again and again. From the front to the back, from the back to the front. And in the kitchen, at the table. In the night and in the silence. In his mind, in his ears. Bill heard the crowd. The Anfield crowd. The Kop. The Spion Kop. Never stopping, never tiring. Always shouting, always singing, Li-ver-pool, Li-ver-pool, Li-ver-pool. Never stopping, never tiring. Always supporting, always believing in Li-ver-pool, Li-ver-pool, Li-ver-pool. And in the kitchen, at the table. Bill opened his eyes. Bill smiled. And Bill stood up. Bill walked over to the kitchen wall. Bill switched off the kitchen light. But in the dark and in the silence. Bill heard Ness cough upstairs. In their bed, in her sleep. Bill heard Ness coughing and coughing. Bill switched on the light again. Bill walked over to the cupboard. And Bill took out a glass. Bill walked over to the sink. Bill filled the glass with water. And Bill walked back over to the kitchen wall. Bill switched off the light. In the dark and in the silence. Bill walked up the stairs. Bill went into their bedroom. And Bill walked around their bed. Bill put down the glass of water on the table beside their bed. Beside his wife. And in the dark and in the silence. Ness said, Thank you, love. Thank you.
…
On the bench, the bench at the Waldstadion, in Frankfurt, in West Germany. Bill was watching Liverpool Football Club play Eintracht Frankfurt in the second leg of the First Round of the UEFA Cup. But in the fifty-seventh minute, Bill took off Tommy Smith. Because he was hurt, because he was injured. And in the fifty-seventh minute, Bill sent on Trevor Storton. And Liverpool Football Club did not score. But Eintracht Frankfurt did not score either. And Liverpool Football Club beat Eintracht Frankfurt two–nil on aggregate in the First Round of the UEFA Cup. Away from home,
away from Anfield. On the bench, the bench at Elland Road. Bill was watching Liverpool Football Club play Leeds United. Last season, Leeds United had beaten Liverpool Football Club home and away in the Football League. And last season, Leeds United had knocked Liverpool Football Club out of the Cup, too. And on the bench, the bench at Elland Road, in the thirtieth minute, Bill watched Clarke back-head the ball to Jones. And Jones scored. But ten minutes later, Bill watched Liverpool Football Club win a corner. And Phil Boersma took the corner. And Larry Lloyd headed the corner. Into the net and into a goal. In the sixty-fifth minute, Bill watched Charlton cut out a pass for Lindsay. But Charlton lost his feet. And Charlton lost the ball. Phil Boersma found the ball. Boersma jumped over the tackle from Hunter. And Boersma shot. Into the net and into another goal. And now Charlton went up. Charlton now a forward. And Clarke scored. But the linesman raised his flag. For offside. And the referee disallowed the goal. For offside. And then Ray Clemence pushed a shot over the bar. Tipped it over the bar. And then Bremner shot. And Bremner’s shot clipped the post. The wrong side of the post. And Liverpool Football Club held on. They held on. And Liverpool Football Club beat Leeds United two–one. Away from home,
away from Anfield. On the bench, the bench at the Hawthorns. In the sixty-sixth minute, Bill watched Hartford score for West Bromwich Albion. And in the eighty-sixth minute, Bill watched Steve Heighway equalise for Liverpool Football Club. And Liverpool Football Club drew one-all with West Bromwich Albion in the Third Round of the Football League Cup. Away from home, away from Anfield. There would have to be a replay. Another replay –
On the bench, the Anfield bench. Bill and fifty-five thousand, nine hundred and seventy-five Merseyside folk were watching Liverpool Football Club play Everton Football Club. And in the opening minutes, they watched Clemence drop the ball in his own six-yard box. Clemence lost the ball. And Royle found the ball in the six-yard box. The Liverpool six-yard box. And Royle shot. But Larry Lloyd was on the line. The Liverpool goal line. And Lloyd cleared the ball off the line. The Liverpool goal line. But in the sixtieth minute, Johnson passed to Royle. Royle passed to Connolly. And Connolly passed to Kendall. Kendall in front of the goal. The Liverpool goal. The goal open, the goal yawning. Kendall shot. And Kendall missed. The open goal, the yawning goal. And in the seventy-seventh minute, Alec Lindsay passed to Steve Heighway. Heighway hoisted the ball. From the left, to the right. And the ball dropped. By the post, the Everton post. And there was Peter Cormack. Cormack headed. And Cormack scored. And Liverpool Football Club beat Everton Football Club one–nil. At home, at Anfield. That evening, Everton Football Club had fifteen points. And Tottenham Hotspur had sixteen points and Arsenal Football Club had sixteen points, too. But that evening, Liverpool Football Club had eighteen points. And Liverpool Football Club were first in the First Division. Not on goal average. On points. Two points. First in the First Division by two points –
And with a game in hand.
…
In the kitchen, at the sink. In the night and in the silence. In his pyjamas and in his slippers. Bill filled another glass with water. Bill walked back over to the kitchen wall. And Bill switched off the light again. In the dark and in the silence. Bill walked back up the stairs. Bill went back into their bedroom. And Bill walked around their bed. Bill put down the glass of water on the table beside the bed. Beside his wife. And Ness looked up at Bill. And Ness smiled up at Bill –
Thank you, love. Thank you. But I’m sorry, love …
In the bedroom, by their bed. In the night and in the silence. Bill said, I wish you’d see the doctor, love. I really wish you’d go.
But it’s nothing, love. It’s just a cough. A little cough.
But it’s getting no better, love. It’s getting worse.
In the night and in the silence. Ness did n
ot reply. Ness had closed her eyes again. In the night and in the silence. Bill walked back around their bed. Bill got back into their bed. In the dark and in the silence. Bill stared up the ceiling. Their bedroom ceiling. And in the dark, and in the silence. Bill said his prayers again.
41. THIS IS YOUR LIFE
Three days after Liverpool Football Club had beaten Everton Football Club one–nil. At home, at Anfield. West Bromwich Albion came to Anfield, Liverpool, to play Liverpool Football Club in the replay of the Third Round of the Football League Cup. That evening, twenty-six thousand, four hundred and sixty-one folk came, too. In the fifty-first minute, Robertson of West Bromwich Albion shot from the edge of the penalty area. And the shot glanced off Kevin Keegan. And the shot arced over Ray Clemence. Into the net and into a goal. In the sixty-second minute, Emlyn Hughes shot from the edge of the penalty area. And Latchford knocked the shot down. But the shot still bobbled over the line and into a goal. And the replay of the Third Round of the Football League Cup went into extra time. And in the last minute of extra time, in the one hundred and twentieth minute of the match, the two hundred and tenth minute of the tie, Alec Lindsay crossed into the penalty area. And there was Keegan. To meet the cross, to head the cross. Into the net and into a goal. And Liverpool Football Club beat West Bromwich Albion two–one in the last minute of extra time in the replay of the Third Round of the Football League Cup. At home, at Anfield. Four days later, Liverpool Football Club travelled to the Dell, Southampton, and Liverpool Football Club drew one-all with Southampton Football Club. Away from home, away from Anfield. But that evening, Liverpool Football Club were still first in the First Division. By one point, just one point. But still with a game in hand.
On Saturday 21 October, 1972, Stoke City came to Anfield, Liverpool. That afternoon, forty-five thousand, six hundred and four folk came, too. Forty-five thousand, six hundred and four folk and Tommy Smith. Tommy Smith no longer hurt, Tommy Smith no longer injured. But in the thirty-fourth minute, Hurst hit the bar. The Liverpool bar. And Greenhoff met the rebound. Greenhoff headed the rebound into the net and into a goal. In the sixty-sixth minute, Banks carried the ball more than the permitted four steps. And from the free kick, the indirect free kick, Smith rolled the ball to Emlyn Hughes. And Hughes shot. And Hughes scored. And in the ninetieth minute, the last minute of the match, Ian Callaghan shot into the penalty area. And the shot deflected off Skeels’ face. Into the net and into a goal. And Liverpool Football Club beat Stoke City two–one. At home, at Anfield. In the last minute of the match, the very last minute.