David Peace - Red or Dead

On the bench, the Anfield bench. In bitter air, in biting wind. Bill heard the carols, the Christmas carols. Fifty-three thousand, four hundred and thirty folk singing carols, Christmas carols. To thaw the air, to warm the wind. To boil the air, to burn the wind. But on the ground, the frozen-solid ground, on the pitch, the rock-hard pitch. There was no cheer, no Christmas cheer. And there was no goodwill, no seasonal goodwill. There was only battle and there was only fight. Body against body, man against man. Red man against white man. In bitter air, in biting wind. Bone and muscle, earth and leather. Grinding bone and straining muscle, white earth and black leather. In bitter air, in biting wind. Minute after minute. In the fourteenth minute, Reaney hit the ball straight at Lawrence. Lawrence beat the ball away. Yeats ground bone, Yeats crossed earth. Lorimer strained muscle, Lorimer found leather. In bitter air, in biting wind. Lorimer shot. And Lorimer scored. And in bitter air, in biting wind. Leeds United Association Football Club beat Liverpool Football Club one — nil. It was the first defeat for Liverpool Football Club in ten matches, the first defeat since Saturday 23 October, 1965. And in the bitter air, in the biting wind. Bill walked down the touchline. The Anfield touchline. Bill shook Don Revie’s hand. Bill half smiled. And Bill said, Well, never say I never give you anything for Christmas, Don. Merry Christmas to you, Don. And I’ll be seeing you tomorrow, Don. Tomorrow …

On their bench, their bench at Elland Road. Across the bone-hard ground, over the sand-coated pitch. The black ice and the driving snow. Bill watched and Bill waited. And in the forty-eighth minute, Thompson turned. Thompson beat his man. Thompson fed Hunt. Hunt jumped Charlton’s tackle. Hunt reached the byline. Exact and precise, low and diagonal. Hunt passed to Milne. Milne shot. And Milne scored. And Liverpool Football Club beat Leeds United Association Football Club one — nil. Away from home, away at Elland Road. And across the bone-hard ground, over the sand-coated pitch. The black ice and the driving snow. The only voices were the Liverpool voices. Rising from the banks, reaching into the sky. Into the sky, the black, winter sky. Red voices, germinal voices. Holy voices …

On their bus, their Liverpool bus. Through the streets, the Leeds streets. Bill stared out through the window, the bus window. At these streets, these Leeds streets. And on these streets, these Yorkshire streets. Bill saw some boys, three young lads. Red scarves around their necks, thin coats upon their backs. Their white faces to the road, the deserted road, their blue thumbs to the sky, the empty sky. And on their bus, their Liverpool bus. Bill stood up. And Bill called down to the driver, Pull up. Pull up!

The driver stopped the bus. The driver opened the doors. And Bill got off the bus. And Bill called to the boys, Climb on board, lads. Climb on board! We’ll take you home, boys. We’ll take you home.

Bill brought the boys onto the bus. Bill made space for the boys on the bus. Bill got them sandwiches. Sandwiches from the players. Bill got them autographs. Autographs from the players. Bill asked the boys about the game. Bill asked the boys about the team. Bill asked the boys what they thought about the game. Bill asked the boys what they hoped for the team. Bill listened to the boys. Bill listened to them. All the way back to Liverpool, all the way back home. And when their bus, their Liverpool bus, reached the city centre, the Liverpool city centre. Bill checked the boys had enough money now. Enough money now to get to their homes, their Liverpool homes –

Thank you, said the boys. Thank you for everything …

Bill shook his head. And Bill said, No, boys. No. You don’t have to thank me, boys. You have nothing to thank me for. It’s me who should be thanking you, boys. Thanking you for travelling all the way to Leeds today. In the ice and in the snow. Wearing your red scarves, your Liverpool scarves. To support Liverpool Football Club. So I thank you , boys. I thank you . For supporting Liverpool Football Club. Because we could do nothing without you, boys –

We would be nothing without you.

On Saturday 1 January, 1966, Manchester United came to Anfield, Liverpool. That New Year’s Day, fifty-three thousand, nine hundred and seventy folk came, too. That New Year’s Day, the gates were locked hours before kick-off. Hundreds of folk, thousands of folk, locked outside Anfield, Liverpool. Hundreds of folk, thousands of folk, among the policemen, the mounted policemen. Refusing to disperse, refusing to go home. Hundreds of folk, thousands of folk already home. Outside Anfield, inside Anfield. In one voice, just one word: LI–VERPOOL. Over and over, in one voice, again and again, just one word. One red word: LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL –

The word ignited the air, the word scorched the wind. But within the first two minutes of the game, Gregg cleared high and far into the air. Law sniffed and chased the wind. Law beat Yeats to the ball, Law dodged Byrne in the tackle, Law sidestepped Lawrence at his heels, Law shot. And Law scored. But the word did not retreat. The word did not surrender. LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. Now the word tore through muscle, now the word drilled through bone. LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. And a shot from Hunt. And a shot from Stevenson. And a shot from St John. And a shot from Smith. All rained down on Gregg beneath his crossbar. There was no shelter from the word. There was no respite from the word. LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. In the thirty-ninth minute, Byrne passed to Smith. Smith shrugged off two tackles. Smith took four more strides. And Smith shot. From twenty-five yards out. Fast and hard and low. In off the post. Smith scored. LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. But the word was not finished. The word was not satisfied. LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. The word insatiable, the word voracious. LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. In the last two minutes of the game, St John shot again. Gregg saved again. The ball flew back out of the ruck. Byrne drove the ball back into the ruck. And Milne diverted the ball. Into the net, into a goal. LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. The word triumphant, the word victorious. On New Year’s Day, 1966, Liverpool Football Club had thirty-six points. That New Year’s Day, Liverpool Football Club were first in the First Division.

…

On Saturday 22 January, 1966, Chelsea Football Club came to Anfield, Liverpool. That afternoon, fifty-four thousand and ninety-seven folk came, too. Fifty-four thousand and ninety-seven folk to watch Liverpool Football Club play Chelsea Football Club in the Third Round of the FA Cup. In the second minute, Roger Hunt scored. But in the seventh minute, Osgood equalised. And in the sixty-seventh minute, Tambling scored. And Liverpool Football Club lost two — one to Chelsea Football Club. In silence. The holders of the FA Cup had let go of the Cup. And in silence. Chelsea Football Club took the FA Cup back to London with them. Back to Lancaster Gate, to the headquarters of the Football Association –

For safe keeping.

After the Cup, out of the cup. Bill Shankly closed the dressing-room door. The home dressing-room door. Bill Shankly looked around the dressing room. The Liverpool dressing room. From player to player. From Lawrence to Lawler, Lawler to Byrne, Byrne to Milne, Milne to Yeats, Yeats to Stevenson, Stevenson to Callaghan, Callaghan to Hunt, Hunt to St John, St John to Smith and from Smith to Thompson. Bill Shankly nodded and Bill Shankly smiled –

I know you are all disappointed, boys. I know you are all hurt. I can see it in your faces, boys. In every one of your faces. But what is done is done, boys. What is lost is lost. And so you must not let that disappointment, you must not let that hurt, devour your belief and eat your confidence. Because you are still the best side I have ever seen play, boys. You are still the finest team in England since the war. And so you must believe in yourselves and believe in each other, boys. You must have confidence in yourselves and in each other. And then you will win again, boys. And again and again. That is the only answer to disappointment, that is the only way to deal with hurt. To win, boys. And to win and win again. Until you have won the League. Until Liverpool Football Club are the Champions again. That is the only answer now, boys. That is the only way now. To win and win again, boys. And to be Champions. Champions again, boys!