David Peace - Red or Dead

…

In the corridor, the Anfield corridor. Kevin Keegan knocked on the door of the treatment room. Kevin Keegan opened the door of the treatment room. Kevin Keegan limped into the treatment room. Kevin Keegan saw Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley standing in the treatment room. Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley waiting for Kevin Keegan –

Bill coughed. And Bill said, Take off your trousers, take off your socks. And lie down on that table, son. And let’s be having a look at you. Let’s be getting to the bottom of this, son …

Kevin Keegan took off his shoes. Kevin Keegan loosened his belt. Kevin Keegan unzipped his trousers. Kevin Keegan took off his trousers. Kevin Keegan took off his socks. And Kevin Keegan lay down on the treatment table at Anfield.

Bill and Bob walked over to the treatment table. Bill and Bob stared down at the left foot of Kevin Keegan. Bill shook his head. Bob shook his head. And Bill said, There’s not a bruise on you, son. Not a single mark. What the hell is wrong with you, lad? What on earth is it?

I don’t know, said Kevin Keegan. But I know I can’t play on it. It hurts when I walk, Boss. Let alone when I run. Or when I kick a ball.

Bill said, But there’s no bruise and there’s no swelling, son. So it wasn’t a tackle. It can’t have been from a tackle now, can it?

No, said Kevin Keegan. I don’t think so.

And you’ve not gone over on your ankle, have you, son?

No, said Kevin Keegan again.

And you’ve not been skiing or anything daft like that, have you, son? Not behind our backs. Without telling us? Nipping off to the slopes? For a quick turn on the slopes, son?

No, laughed Kevin Keegan. Not in Liverpool, Boss.

Bill shook his head. And Bill said, It’s no laughing matter, son. I’m just trying to get to the bottom of what’s bloody wrong with you.

I’m sorry, said Kevin Keegan. But I’ve not been skiing.

What about a bike? You been riding a bike, son?

No, said Kevin Keegan. I’ve got a car. I drive.

What kind of car, son?

A Capri.

A Capri? The last time I looked you had a Cortina?

Well, I bought a new Capri …

When?

A couple of weeks ago, said Kevin Keegan.

Bill said, A brand-new one?

Yes, said Kevin Keegan.

Bill looked at Bob. Bill shook his head. Bob shook his head. And Bill said, Well, that’ll be it. It’ll be your fancy new car. I bet the clutch is stiff. And you’ve been pressing down on it too hard. And so that’s how you’ve done your foot in. Jesus Christ. You fool, you bloody idiot. More money than sense. That’s you, son. That’s you …

It can’t be the car, said Kevin Keegan. It can’t be.

Oh, and so now you know better than me, do you? Well, I’m telling you, it’s your car. Your fancy new car, son. Because we’ve seen it before. Too many times before. And so you won’t be driving that car again, son. And you’ll be coming to Stoke and you’ll be playing against Stoke. So get your trousers on, son. And get yourself on that bus. I’ve had enough of your bloody malingering …

Kevin Keegan sat up on the treatment table. Kevin Keegan got off the treatment table. Kevin Keegan pulled on his trousers. Tears in his eyes, hurt in his throat. Kevin Keegan looked at Bill Shankly –

I’m not malingering, Boss. It hurts when I walk. So I’m not going to Stoke, Boss. Because I can’t play. I’m going home!

Bill and Bob watched Kevin Keegan limp barefoot out of the treatment room. Bill and Bob listened to Kevin Keegan slam the door on his way out of the treatment room. And Bob looked at Bill. Bill winked at Bob. And Bill said, Let him go, Bob. Let him go. He’ll be back, Bob. He’ll be back. But be sure to take that car off him when he does come back. Be sure to take his bloody car.

…

On the bench, the bench at the Victoria Ground. Bill watched Ray Clemence try his hardest for Liverpool Football Club. Bill watched Chris Lawler try his hardest for Liverpool Football Club. Bill watched Alec Lindsay try his hardest for Liverpool Football Club. Bill watched Ian Ross try his hardest for Liverpool Football Club. Bill watched Larry Lloyd try his hardest for Liverpool Football Club. Bill watched Emlyn Hughes try his hardest for Liverpool Football Club. Bill watched Brian Hall try his hardest for Liverpool Football Club. Bill watched John McLaughlin try his hardest for Liverpool Football Club. Bill watched Steve Heighway try his hardest for Liverpool Football Club. Bill watched Bobby Graham try his hardest for Liverpool Football Club. And Bill watched Ian Callaghan try his hardest for Liverpool Football Club. But Bill saw no drive. Bill saw no leadership. And Bill saw no spark. Bill saw no fire. And Bill saw no goals. And on the bench, the bench at the Victoria Ground. Bill watched Liverpool Football Club draw nil — nil with Stoke City –

On the bench, the Anfield bench. Bill and forty-eight thousand, four hundred and sixty-four folk watched Ray Clemence try his hardest for Liverpool Football Club. They watched Chris Lawler try his hardest for Liverpool Football Club. They watched Alec Lindsay try his hardest for Liverpool Football Club. They watched Ian Ross try his hardest for Liverpool Football Club. They watched Larry Lloyd try his hardest for Liverpool Football Club. They watched Emlyn Hughes try his hardest for Liverpool Football Club. They watched Peter Thompson try his hardest for Liverpool Football Club. They watched Brian Hall try his hardest for Liverpool Football Club. They watched Steve Heighway try his hardest for Liverpool Football Club. They watched Bobby Graham try his hardest for Liverpool Football Club. And they watched Ian Callaghan try his hardest for Liverpool Football Club. But still they saw no drive. They saw no leadership. And still they saw no spark. Still they saw no fire. And again they saw no goals. And again they saw Liverpool Football Club draw nil — nil. Again. Nil — nil with Chelsea Football Club. At home,

at Anfield. In the office, at his desk. In the night and in the silence. Bill looked down at the paper. The pink evening paper. And Bill looked down at the table. The League table. And Bill saw the standings. The First Division standings. Liverpool Football Club had played twelve games. Liverpool Football Club had thirteen points. And Liverpool Football Club were ninth in the First Division. And in the office, at his desk. Bill put down the paper. The pink evening paper. And in the night and in the silence. Bill picked up the glue. The pot of glue. Bill picked up the scissors. The pair of scissors. And Bill coughed. Bill coughed

again. On the bench, the bench at the City Ground. Bill was watching the new Liverpool Football Club play Nottingham Forest. Bill watching Tommy Smith, Bill watching Kevin Keegan. Bill watching drive and leadership, Bill watching spark and fire. And in the fifth minute, Emlyn Hughes scored. In the sixty-fifth minute, Steve Heighway scored. And in the seventy-eighth minute, Smith scored a penalty. And the new Liverpool Football Club beat Nottingham Forest three — two. And on the bench, the bench at the City Ground. Bill smiled. And then Bill coughed. Bill coughed again. And

again. On the bench, the Anfield bench. Bill and forty-two thousand, nine hundred and forty-nine folk were watching the new Liverpool Football Club play Fußball-Club Bayern München e.V. of West Germany in the first leg of the Second Round of the European Cup Winners’ Cup. But the new Liverpool Football Club did not score. And Fußball-Club Bayern München did not score. And the new Liverpool Football Club drew nil — nil with Fußball-Club Bayern München in the first leg of the Second Round of the European Cup Winners’ Cup. Bill coughing,

coughing and coughing. On the bench, the Anfield bench. Bill and forty-one thousand, six hundred and twenty-seven folk were watching the new Liverpool Football Club play Huddersfield Town. And again, they saw drive and leadership. Again, they saw spark and fire. And in the fifty-seventh minute, Tommy Smith scored. And in the eightieth minute, Alun Evans scored. And the new Liverpool Football Club beat Huddersfield Town two — nil. Bill smiling. But Bill coughing,