David Peace - Red or Dead

But I am fit enough, Boss! I know I am. I’m ready, Boss. And I’m desperate, Boss. I’m desperate to play …

Well, you know me, Ron. You know me. I make no promises, son. No promises I cannot keep. But if you get yourself down here tomorrow, Ron. Bright and early. Then we’ll have a see, shall we, son? We’ll have a see if you’re fit enough to play. If you can play …

Thank you, Boss. Thank you very much.

But mind you stay off that chocolate now, Ron. Mind you stay away from those Easter eggs. Because they are a poison, son. To a man like you. Nothing but a poison to a man like you, Ron.

…

On Easter Monday, 1964, Tottenham Hotspur came to Anfield, Liverpool, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. That afternoon, fifty-two thousand, nine hundred and four folk came, too. Fifty-two thousand, nine hundred and four folk locked inside Anfield, Liverpool, LI–VERPOOL, LI–VER-POOL. Ten thousand folk more locked outside Anfield, Liverpool, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. Surging and shoving, shoving and surging. Outside Anfield, inside Anfield, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. In the thirty-sixth minute, Ian St John took a pass from Ronnie Moran. And St John scored for LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. Two minutes later, Gerry Byrne passed to Alf Arrowsmith. Arrowsmith flicked on to St John, St John coming from deep. And St John shot low and St John scored again for LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. But then Brown lobbed in a ball. Yeats headed out the ball. But Mullery volleyed the ball back. And Mullery scored. But in the fifty-third minute, Ian Callaghan left Henry spinning. Callaghan found Peter Thompson in the centre. Thompson shot. Arrowsmith stuck out a foot, Arrowsmith diverted the shot. Into the goal for LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. And LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, Liverpool Football Club had beaten Tottenham Hotspur three — one. At home, at Anfield, Liverpool, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. And that evening, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, Liverpool Football Club had fifty points. Everton Football Club had forty-nine points. And Manchester United had forty-seven points. That evening, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, Liverpool Football Club were first in the First Division. For now. There were still six more games to go, still six more games to play –

On Saturday 4 April, 1964, Manchester United came to Anfield, Liverpool, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. Fifty-two thousand, five hundred and fifty-nine folk came, too. Fifty-two thousand, five hundred and fifty-nine folk locked inside Anfield, Liverpool, LI–VERPOOL, LI–VER-POOL. In the sunshine. In the bright and brilliant sunshine. Again, ten thousand folk more were locked outside Anfield, Liverpool, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. Surging and shoving, shoving and surging. Again. Outside Anfield, inside Anfield, LI–VERPOOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. And in the sunshine. In the bright and brilliant sunshine. From the first whistle of the game, from the first second of the match, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LIVER- POOL attacked. LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL sought an early paralysing blow. In the sunshine. In the bright and brilliant sunshine. In the fifth minute, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL won a corner. Peter Thompson took it. Ron Yeats rose for it. Gregg let the ball slip. Roger Hunt back-heeled it. And Ian Callaghan cracked it into the back of the net for LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. And again in the sunshine. In the bright and brilliant sunshine, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL attacked. Again LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL came. And Gregg saved. From Ian St John. From Hunt. From Alf Arrowsmith. Again and again and again LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER- POOL, LI–VER-POOL never let up, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL never relented. In the sunshine. In the bright and brilliant sunshine. In the thirty-ninth minute, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER- POOL, LI–VER-POOL made United bow down again. With Gregg stranded, Callaghan shot. Law blocked the shot on his own goal line. The ball flew back to Callaghan. But Callaghan did not shoot, Callaghan crossed to Arrowsmith. And Arrowsmith headed the ball into the goal for LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. But in the sunshine. In the bright and brilliant sunshine. Still LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL attacked and attacked and attacked. In the sunshine. In the bright and brilliant sunshine. In the second half, St John hit the post for LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. Gregg saved point-blank from Hunt of LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. And then in the sunshine. In the bright and brilliant sunshine. In the fifty-second minute, Gordon Milne passed to St John. LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. St John passed to Hunt. LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LIVER-POOL. Hunt to Arrowsmith. LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. And Arrowsmith put the ball in the net again. In the net again, in the sunshine. In the bright and brilliant sunshine, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL beat Manchester United three — nil. At home, at Anfield, LI–VER-POOL,

LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL –

After the whistle, the final whistle. Matt Busby walked down the touchline. The Anfield touchline. And Matt Busby shook Bill Shankly’s hand. Matt Busby squeezed Bill Shankly’s hand. And Matt Busby looked up at the Kop. The Spion Kop. Still swaying and still surging, still surging and still singing LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. And Matt Busby said, You are worse than that lot, Bill. With all your enthusiasm and with all your excitement, Bill …

Don’t say that, said Bill Shankly. Please don’t say that, Matt. I’m not worse than them. I’m the same as them, Matt. The same …

Matt Busby smiled, Matt Busby touched his ear. And Matt Busby said, You’re right, Bill, You are right. But do you hear that, Bill? Do you hear that? They have recognised a kindred spirit, Bill. They have recognised you as one of their own. You as one of them, Bill …

Shankly! Shankly! Shankly! Shankly! Shankly! Shankly …

Bill Shankly smiled at Matt Busby. And then Bill Shankly turned to face the Kop. The Spion Kop. Bill Shankly raised his hands above his head. And Bill Shankly saluted the Kop. The Spion Kop –

Shankly! Shankly! Shankly! Shankly! Shankly …

Matt Busby smiled again. And Matt Busby said, They have taken you to their hearts, Bill. To their very hearts.

Shankly! Shankly! Shankly! Shankly …

Aye, said Bill Shankly. They have, Matt. And I have taken them to mine. To my own heart, too …

Shankly! Shankly! Shankly …

But now they’ll never let you go, Bill. You know that? Now they’ll never let you leave, Bill. I hope you know that?

Shankly! Shankly …

Aye, Matt. I do know that. But I would never leave them, Matt. I would never go. Not now, Matt. Not now. Because I could never leave them , Matt. I could never let them go …

SHANK-LEE!

…

On Tuesday 14 April, 1964, Liverpool Football Club travelled to Turf Moor, Burnley. And that evening, the Spion Kop travelled to Turf Moor, too. Thousands and thousands of them, twenty thousand of them. A Red Convoy. On buses, on trains. A Red Line. In cars, on foot. A Red Army. On the march, the march to victory. In the twentieth minute, Alf Arrowsmith scored. In the fifty-second minute, Ian St John scored. And in the fifty-ninth minute, Arrowsmith scored again. And Liverpool Football Club beat Burnley Football Club three — nil. Away from home, away from Anfield. That night, Liverpool Football Club were still first in the First Division. Liverpool Football Club now had fifty-four points. Liverpool Football Club now needed only one more point. Only one more point from their last four games. Only one more point to be Champions. The Champions of England –