David Peace - Red or Dead

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 you 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.