Red Or Dead

by David Peace

  The man laughed. The man put down his knife and his fork –

  So you think he’ll score on Saturday then, Bill?

  Aye. No danger, son. No danger at all.

  And you’ll be there, Bill, yeah?

  Oh aye. Rain or shine …

  The man glanced up through the window of the cafe. The man glanced down at his watch. The man shook his head –

  Well, I suppose I best be getting back, Bill. Back to work …

  Bill stood up. Bill picked up his umbrella. Bill handed the man his umbrella. And Bill said, Take this with you then, son.

  Oh no, said the man. I can’t do that, Bill. What about you? What will you do, Bill? You’ll get soaked …

  Bill shook his head. And Bill said, Take it, son. Take it. You’ve to go back to your work, son. Your need is greater than mine. I mean, I can stay here till it stops. Or I can dry off when I get home. But you’ve to go back to your work. You’ve your work to do …

  Well then, thank you. And I’ll drop it back here tomorrow for you, Bill. I’ll bring it back then …

  Bill shook his head. And Bill said, There’s no rush, son. There’s no rush at all. So don’t be going out of your way, son. Don’t you be making a special journey now. Not for me, son. Not for me.

  Thanks, said the man. Thanks again, Bill. And I’ll see you soon, I hope. So you take care now, Bill. You take care.

  Bill nodded. Bill smiled. And Bill said, And don’t you work too hard now either, son. You look after yourself …

  And Bill sat back down at the table in the window of the cafe on the Eaton Road in West Derby, Liverpool. In his suit and in his tie. Bill looked back down at his newspaper on the table. Bill picked up the paper again. Bill turned to the back pages of the paper. Bill heard the door of the cafe open. Bill looked up from his paper. And Bill saw a man he knew. A man who sometimes came into the cafe for his lunch. A man who always had a good chat with Bill. And Bill put down his paper. And Bill said, Hello, son. How are you, son? You look soaked through, son. Sit yourself down, son. And get some hot food inside you, son. A nice cup of tea down you, son …

  73. AT THE TOP OF MY VOICE

  Liverpool Football Club had beaten West Ham United two–nil. At home, at Anfield. Dalglish had scored in the thirty-seventh minute. And Fairclough had scored in the eighty-second minute. In the press box. The Anfield press box. With their pens and with their notebooks. The gentlemen of the press were scribbling away. The national press and the local press. The London press and the Liverpool press. The gentlemen of the press stopped their scribbling. The gentlemen of the press put away their pens. They put away their notebooks. And the gentlemen of the press walked out of the press box. They walked out into the corridor. The Anfield corridor –

  Here they come, said Bill Shankly. Bill Shankly in the corridor outside the press box. Outside the Anfield press box. Bill Shankly standing there in the corridor, Bill Shankly waiting there in the corridor. In the Anfield corridor –

  Here they are. Norman Fox of the London Times. Journalist extraordinaire. What a writer he is. Bob Greaves of Granada Television. Broadcaster supreme. What a presenter he is. Great professionals, true professionals. Always working, always digging. Looking for angles, looking for stories. Never off the clock. Here they all are. Looking for me, no doubt. To get my thoughts, to pick my brains. So come on then, boys. Here I am, here I am. You’ve found me, you’ve found me. So what do you want to know, boys?

  Outside the press box. The Anfield press box. In the corridor. The Anfield corridor. The gentlemen of the press smiled. And the gentlemen of the press asked Bill Shankly who he thought should be the next manager of England. Did Bill think it should be Ron Greenwood? Did Bill think it should be Lawrie McMenemy? Did Bill think it should be Brian Clough? Did Bill think Brian Clough was even seriously interested in the job?

  Oh well, said Bill Shankly. Brian and me, we often chat. We often talk. And so I know Brian well. And so I know Brian would not be going down to London if he did not fancy the job. If he was not interested in the job …

  The gentlemen of the press nodded. And the gentlemen of the press asked, But do you think Brian Clough could do the job, Bill? Do you think he would do a good job as manager of England?

  Oh, I have no doubt at all, said Bill Shankly. No doubt at all. Brian loves the game. Brian is passionate about the game. And his love for the game. His passion for the game. These are the things that have made him successful. And I believe he is the people’s choice, too. Because he is a man of the people. A man like me …

  Outside the press box. The Anfield press box. In the corridor. The Anfield corridor. The gentlemen of the press nodded. The gentlemen of the press smiled. The local press and the national press. The Liverpool press and the London press. But now the gentlemen of the London press looked at their watches. And now the gentlemen of the London press began to edge away. Away to pick up their phones, away to file their reports. But outside the press box. The Anfield press box. In the corridor. The Anfield corridor. The gentlemen of the Liverpool press did not look at their watches. The gentlemen of the Liverpool press did not begin to edge away. Outside the press box. The Anfield press box. In the corridor. The Anfield corridor. The gentlemen of the Liverpool press asked Bill Shankly about the game. Did Bill think it had been a good match? Did Bill think Liverpool had turned the corner now? After two wins in succession …

  Oh well, said Bill Shankly again. It’s difficult to say. Very difficult to say. I mean, it was good to see Thompson back. Very good to see him back. But he’ll need to re-establish himself. Rebuild his rapport with Emlyn Hughes. Thompson will need to do that. Because West Ham almost caught them out. They almost found them out. I mean, I think they were a little unlucky. West Ham United. I mean, to be a goal down at half-time, I thought they were unlucky. Very unlucky. I mean, Brooking and Curbishley were very quick. Those two were very sharp. And they passed the ball beautifully. Beautiful, neat passing. But their marksmen let them down. And I mean, losing Taylor didn’t help their cause. That was a blow for West Ham. A big blow. And I don’t think they ever really recovered. And I think if he had not gone off. If Taylor had not had to go off. Then I think it might have been a different game, a very different story, boys.

  The gentlemen of the Liverpool press nodded. And the gentlemen of the Liverpool press asked, But what about the goals, Bill? The Liverpool goals?

  Oh well, said Bill Shankly. They were good goals. Yes. They were great goals. I mean, I think Thompson’s header would have gone in. I believe Dalglish got the last touch. I believe he’ll get the credit. But Thompson deserves some of the credit, too. And then Heighway’s corner for the second was a brilliant corner. And he had a brilliant game. Yes. In many ways, I think Heighway was the difference. He was brilliant. Brilliant. Some of his runs, some of his crosses. It was like watching Tom Finney at his best. Tommy Finney in his prime …

  The gentlemen of the Liverpool press nodded. The gentlemen of the Liverpool press smiled. And the gentlemen of the Liverpool press said, You make it sound like a cup final, Bill …

  Oh yes, said Bill Shankly. Yes. You see, every game and every day for me is still a cup final day. It always was. And it always will be. And nobody, no matter what they try to do or say. Nobody will ever take that away from me. Nobody. Because everything I do, every single thing I do. If I’m signing an autograph or if I’m cleaning the car. I do it with enthusiasm. I do it with pride. And that means there is a certain amount of pressure behind it. Like for a cup final. A cup final every day. Behind everything I do. Every single thing I do. Because I have always driven myself. All along the line. All along the way. And I’m not going to stop now. In fact, I don’t think I could stop. Even if I wanted to. And I don’t want to. I never want to stop. I want to keep driving myself. And to keep pushing myself. Because that is called ambition. And that’s what keeps you going. Ambition keeps you going. And it’s ambition that has kept me going. All these years. I mean, if you don’t have ambition. If yo
u have no ambition. Then you might as well get into your bloody coffin now!

  The gentlemen of the Liverpool press nodded again. The gentlemen of the Liverpool press smiled again. And the gentlemen of the Liverpool press said, Well, it looks like it keeps you fit, Bill?

  Oh yes, said Bill Shankly again. Yes. Keeping fit is the most important thing of all. If you are physically fit, then you are mentally fit. You are alert. And you are sharp. And so I am alert. And I am sharp. As alert as I ever was and as sharp as I ever was. I mean, I was always an athlete. And so fitness was always in my blood. Keeping me alert, keeping me sharp. In fact, I’m still only eleven stone thirteen pounds. That’s only three pound heavier than when I was bloody playing! When I was playing thirty year ago!

  The gentlemen of the Liverpool press laughed. And the gentlemen of the Liverpool press said, So you are not tempted by any of these offers then, Bill? These offers we keep hearing about. These offers we keep reading about. Because you’re certainly fit enough, Bill. You are well enough. So you’re not tempted then, Bill?

  Oh well, said Bill Shankly. It’s a difficult thing to say, boys. A very difficult thing to say. I mean, yes. I have had offers almost every single month since I packed in here. From chairmen and vice-chairmen of I-don’t-know-how-many different football clubs. Almost every single football club in the land! And of course, I have been very flattered. And yes, I have been very tempted. But I mean, for one reason or another. The jobs were not right. The offers were just not suitable. I mean, many of them meant travelling too far away from home. Away from Liverpool. And while I don’t mind travelling about. I don’t mind travelling around with a club. I don’t like to spend a night away from home. And so I don’t want full-time involvement. That’s not what I’d want. But I’d like to be involved with a football club. In an advisory capacity, you understand? Using my experience of the game, using my knowledge of the game. My experience of people, my knowledge of people. And to be one of the boys again. Yes. To be one of the boys again. I think it would take ten year off my age. Yes. It would take ten years off me.

  74. THE MATCHES OF THE DAYS

  In the house, in their front room. In the evening and in the silence. Bill got up from his chair. Bill walked over to the television. Bill switched off the television. Bill walked out of the front room. Bill walked into the hallway. Bill picked up the telephone. Bill dialled a number. In the house, in their hallway. Bill listened to the telephone ring. And ring. And then Bill heard Peter Robinson say, Hello?

  And Bill said, Hello, Peter. Hello. It’s only me. It’s only Bill. Now did you just see the games? The games on Match of the Day?

  Yes, said Peter Robinson. I saw them. I watched it.

  And so what did you think, Peter? What did you think? I mean, I think that’s a good result. A very good result for Everton, don’t you think? I mean, I think many folk will have been surprised by that.

  Yes, said Peter Robinson again. It’s a good result.

  But I can’t say I’m surprised, Peter. I can’t say I’m very surprised. I mean, the way Gordon has set them up.

  Yes, said Peter Robinson. They looked very efficient. Very well organised. But I was surprised he kept McKenzie on the bench …

  Oh well. I can’t say that surprised me, Peter. Not really. Not the way Gordon is. Not the way he has got them playing as a team, Peter. You can see he believes in the importance of the team. In the importance of the individual knowing their place within the system. Within the team. Now McKenzie is skilful, I agree. Very skilful, I agree, Peter. But he has a tendency to show off. And to be that wee bit too greedy. And to not know his place, his place in the team. And so I can see why Gordon did not use him, why he kept him on the bench.

  Yes, said Peter Robinson. He can be a little showy …

  That’s it, Peter. Exactly. That’s it. He can be a little bit showy. And they were doing well enough without him. Without him and his bag of tricks. So Gordon had no call for him. He did not need him. Not when they were playing so well. I mean, I thought they took Chelsea for a walk in the park. To be honest with you, it was something of a stroll for Everton. I mean, they were happy enough to let Chelsea run. But only as far as the penalty area, mind you. Because they knew Chelsea would get no further. They could get no further. Not with Higgins, Jones and Pejic. Higgins, Jones and Pejic were very solid. Very strong, Peter. I mean, they even allowed Cooke a yard start.

  He did have two good chances, said Peter Robinson.

  He did, Peter. Yes, he did. You are right, Peter. You are right. But his shooting is never up to his passing. And they know that. They knew that. Their eyes were more on Wilkins, I think. Now he was a danger. He’s always a danger, is Wilkins. He does everything. He chases everything. He’s a terrier. A terrier, Peter. But I mean, Buckley, Dawson and King always had control of the midfield. They never relinquished control of the midfield. But still, as you say. As you say, Peter, Chelsea still had their chances. Two good chances. And it might have been a different game. A very different story. If they had taken one of those chances. If Everton had had to chase the game. It might have been a different story. But to be honest with you, Peter, I could not see it. I could never see it happening. Because Chelsea need a man like Latchford. A player like Latchford. A player who will always take his chance. I mean, Chelsea lack that kind of player. That kind of man.

  Did you think it was a penalty, asked Peter Robinson.

  No, no. I did not, Peter. No. I mean, the lad Pejic said it was not his hand. It was the hand of the keeper. The hand of Wood. And the way the players protested. The way the Everton players reacted. I am sure it was never a penalty. And it would have been harsh if the lad had then scored. So I think justice was done. Justice was served.

  What did you think of George Wood, asked Peter Robinson. I thought he made two very good saves, did he not?

  Yes and no, Peter. Yes and no. Yes, they were good saves. Yes. But they were saves he should have made. That’s his job, Peter. I mean, he was just doing his job. But you saw the other match, too? You watched the Birmingham–Forest match, Peter?

  Yes, said Peter Robinson. I did, Bill.

  Well now, then you saw a very good save there. An exceptional save by Shilton. I mean, Francis flicked it up beautifully. He volleyed it beautifully. He did everything right. But there was Shilton. With a glancing save, with a brilliant save. Not many keepers would have got to that, Peter. Not many men, I can tell you. That was going in, that was heading home. No danger. No danger at all. But there was Shilton. At full stretch. Incredible. I mean, for him to reach that. For Shilton to save that. Bloody unbelievable!

  And Forest are still top, said Peter Robinson. And Peter Robinson laughed. And Peter Robinson said, I find that pretty unbelievable, too. If I’m honest with you, Bill …

  Well, you know, Peter. You know what I think. I think they can go all the way. I think they can win the League. I really do, Peter. The way Brian has got them playing. The way he has set them up. As a team, Peter. As a team again. Not individuals, Peter. But as a team. A very balanced team. And Birmingham were no match for them. No match at all. And I mean, Alf will know that –

  I do wonder why Sir Alf agreed to step in, said Peter Robinson. I mean, why now? Why would he, Bill?

  Alf Ramsey is a football man. He loves being in football. After he was sacked, I know many clubs came knocking on his door. But they were either foreign clubs or Second Division clubs. But Alf always said he wanted to continue working. He said he still had a lot to give. And so when Birmingham offered him a directorship. He said yes. Because he wanted to be involved. And then when Willie Bell was sacked. And they asked him to be the caretaker manager. Again he said yes. Because he wanted to help. But they were never going to beat Forest. Alf knows that. Birmingham were lacking in the very basics. They have Francis. But just Francis. One man. An individual. And you can’t win a game of football with just one man. Just one individual. No matter how good he is, how skilful he is. You can’t win a game with just one
man, Peter.

  But it must have been galling for Sir Alf, said Peter Robinson, the way Burns played today. For Birmingham to have sold him to Forest before Sir Alf had even taken over. That must be very galling?

  Oh well, I don’t know about that, Peter. I don’t know about that. Burns is a very difficult character. By all accounts. A difficult man to deal with. And so I’m not sure Alf would have got on with Burns. And then Burns is Scottish, of course. And Alf has never had any love of us. So I’m not sure he would have been able to get the best out of him. Not the way Brian has. I mean, Brian has reformed him.