David Peace - Red or Dead

Talking of this season, Bill. This season to come, asked the journalist. Who do you think will win the League, Bill?

In the hallway, on the telephone. Bill smiled. And Bill said, Don’t look further than Liverpool. Back the class horse. I mean, you’ll only lose your money backing the triers. Your Aston Villa, your West Bromwich. I mean, it’s a one-horse race. Not like in my day, not these days. I mean, in my day, in those days. You’d look at the Manchester teams. You’d look at Everton, you’d look at Derby. And you’d say, We’ve got something on our hands here. And above all, you’d look at Leeds. About this time of year, just before the season started. And you’d think about the likes of Hunter, Bremner, Giles and Lorimer. And you’d think about the manager, that fellow who’s in the desert now. And you’d think, What’s he up to? What is he planning for us? And you’d think about the confrontations, the confrontations to come. How they would go, what would happen. But not any more, not these days. There’s no point. Not any more, not now. Now there’s only Forest. They are a very talented side, a very well-managed side. And perhaps Ipswich, Ipswich Town. Again, they are a good side, a well-managed side. And I think they possibly should have won more things than they have. More than just the Cup. They should have won the League by now. The most important thing. But that’s all there is now, these days. Just Forest and Ipswich. And I mean, that’s the reason I did not go down for the match today. For the Charity Shield today. Because I could have gone. Oh yes, I could have gone. But there’s no point going all that way to find out something you already know now, is there? No bloody point. Not if you already know. No point at all …

But you still listened to the match on the radio, said the journalist. So who would you say was Liverpool’s best player today, Bill?

Bill breathed in. Bill tightened his grip on the telephone. And Bill said, Liverpool! Liverpool was the best player. And Liverpool Football Club is always the best player. Because Liverpool does not have individual players like other teams. I mean, look at the Arsenal. Take the Arsenal today, for example. They are a good side, a capable side. But they depend on Liam Brady. They depend on one single man. One individual player. Liverpool Football Club depend on no single man. No individual player. Liverpool Football Club depend on every man! Liverpool Football Club depend on each other. And when you’ve people doing that properly, when they are the right men. Well trained, well prepared. Then they cannot be beaten. And so Arsenal couldn’t beat them. Not if they played them for the next ten bloody years. Because Liverpool depend on each other. It’s collective. Everyone working for each other. It is a kind of socialism. Pure socialism. Everyone doing what they can for the rest –

And Bill put down the telephone. In the hall. Bill heard a clock ticking. In the house. Ticking. And Bill felt old, two thousand years old. The clock ticking. So very old, so tired. Ticking. So very tired and so strained. The clock ticking. So very strained, his heart strained. Ticking and whispering. It was a different time, a different world. A world with no place for some men, some men left behind. In a different time, a different world. Men like him, men like Bill. His heart strained, his heart breaking. Left behind, with no place. In a different world, a different time. The clock always, already ticking. In the house, in the hall. Ticking and now a ball bouncing. On the ground, in the drive. Feet walking up the drive, hands knocking on the door. Little feet and little hands. And Bill opened the door. And Bill said, Hello, boys. How are you, lads? Did you listen to the match then?

Yeah, Bill. Yeah, said the boys. The boys with their red cheeks, their red shirts. Their red ball in their little hands. It was great, Bill. It was magic. And now we’re going to play it, Bill. So will you come out to play? Will you come out and be the referee for us, Bill?

Bill looked at the boys. On his doorstep, in his driveway. With their red cheeks, their red shirts and their red ball. And Bill frowned. And Bill said, Aye, go on then. I’ll come out to play. But I’ll not be the referee. No way. If I’m coming out to play, then I want to play!

But then who will you be, said the boys. If you come out to play, then who will you be, Bill? Which player will you be?

Bill laughed. His heart beating. Beating and healed again. And Bill said, Liverpool, of course. I’ll be Liverpool, boys …

What do you mean, asked the boys. With their red cheeks, with their red shirts. Their wide eyes and their open mouths. What do you mean? You can’t be everyone, Bill. You got to pick one player. You got to be someone, Bill. You can’t be every man now, can you?

Bill shook his head. And Bill smiled again. And Bill said, That’s the thing, boys. That’s just the thing. When you play for Liverpool, you play as every man, boys. Because when you play for Liverpool Football Club, you play for every man. You are not someone, you are everyone, boys. Every man. That’s the thing that is different about Liverpool Football Club, boys. Different from every other football club in the land. In the world, boys. When you play for Liverpool, you play for everyone. You play for every man, boys. So you are every man. And then you are every player, boys. That’s you, every man. And so I’m going to be Liverpool, boys. I’m going to be Liverpool. Now what about you, boys? Who are you all going to be?

Liverpool, shouted the boys. All the boys with their red cheeks, all the boys with their red shirts. And their red ball, their red ball up in the air now. We’re going to be Liverpool, too, Bill! Liverpool!

For the second successive year, Kevin Keegan had been named as the European Footballer of the Year. The Souvenir Press and the Wilkinson Sword company invited Kevin Keegan to London from Hamburg, West Germany. The Souvenir Press and the Wilkinson Sword company planned to present Kevin Keegan with a Sword of Honour in recognition of his achievement in becoming the European Footballer of the Year for the second successive year. And Ernest Hecht of the Souvenir Press called Bill Shankly. Ernest Hecht asked Bill Shankly if he would like to surprise Kevin Keegan. If Bill Shankly would like to present Kevin Keegan with his Sword of Honour –

Yes, said Bill Shankly. I would, Ernest.

In London, at the presentation. Wide-eyed and thrilled to bits, Kevin Keegan watched Bill Shankly step out from behind the curtains. Kevin Keegan watched Bill Shankly walk across the stage. A sword in his hands. Bill Shankly held out the sword towards Kevin Keegan. And Kevin Keegan heard Bill Shankly say, This is for you, son. For all you have achieved in the game. For all you have done with your life, son. This Sword of Honour is yours. This sword is for you, son …

And Kevin Keegan took the Sword of Honour from Bill Shankly. Kevin Keegan stared down at the Sword of Honour in his hands. But now Kevin Keegan shook his head. And now Kevin Keegan handed back the Sword of Honour to Bill Shankly. And Kevin Keegan said, This is not mine, this is yours, Boss. Because anything I have achieved, anything I have done. It is because of you, Boss. It’s all because of you. Because it was you who bought me from Scunthorpe, you who took a gamble on me when no one else would, Boss. And it was you who believed in me. You who always believed in me, Boss. You always encouraged me, you always supported and taught me. That was you, Boss. All you. So this sword is yours, not mine.

Bill Shankly shook his head. The sword in his hands, the tears in his eyes. Bill Shankly shook his head again –