David Peace - Red or Dead

Bill turned again. Bill spied the manager. The hotel manager walking backwards out of the dining room. Bill caught the manager. And Bill said, And where do you think you are going? You are a cheat and you are a liar. Telling my boys, telling me, there was no Coca-Cola. When we had ordered Coca-Cola and we had paid for Coca-Cola. You should be ashamed of yourself. You are a disgrace to International Socialism. You are a disgrace to your party. An absolute disgrace. And I am going to report you. Report you to the Kremlin, sir!

Bill turned back to the players. And Bill said, This is abroad, boys. This is Europe. Never forget that, always remember that. So it is always a conspiracy, boys. Always a war of nerves …

In the car park of the Ploieşti Municipal Stadium in Ploieşti, in Prahova County, in Romania. Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club got off their bus. Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club went inside the Ploieşti Municipal Stadium. Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club walked into the dressing room at the Ploieşti Municipal Stadium, the away dressing room. Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club looked around the dressing room at the Ploieşti Municipal Stadium, the away dressing room. Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club saw the mud and the puddles on the floor of the dressing room. Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club saw the bloody bandages and the soiled towels on the benches of the dressing room. The old strips of Elastoplast, the cold cups of tea. Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club opened the door to the toilets in the dressing room at the Ploieşti Municipal Stadium. Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club smelt the piss and the shit. Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club saw the piss on the floor and the shit in the toilets. And Bill told the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club to go back out to their bus in the car park of the Ploieşti Municipal Stadium. And then Bill found the officials of Fotbal Club Petrolul Ploieşti. And Bill said, The toilets have not been cleaned. The dressing room has not been cleaned. It is a disgrace. And it is degrading. And if the dressing room is not cleaned, if the toilets are not disinfected, then we will go back to Liverpool. We will go back home. And we will report you, report Fotbal Club Petrolul Ploieşti, report you to UEFA and to FIFA and to the world …

Fifteen minutes later, Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club got back off their bus again. Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club went back into the dressing room, the away dressing room again. The clean dressing room, the disinfected toilets. And now the players of Liverpool Football Club changed into their kits and into their boots. And then the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club sat down on the benches in the dressing room, the away dressing room.

Ten minutes before kick-off, the lights went out in the dressing room, the away dressing room. For ten minutes, Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club sat in the dark and waited for the kick-off. And waited –

After thirty-six minutes, in a vicious game, Moldoveanu scored. After fifty minutes, in a vicious game, Roger Hunt equalised. After fifty-nine minutes, in a vicious game, Boc scored. And then Dridea scored. And after eighty-nine minutes, in a vicious game, Dridea was through again, certain to score again. But in the eighty-ninth minute, in this vicious game, Yeats tackled Dridea. And Dridea did not score again. But on Wednesday 12 October, 1966, at the Ploieşti Municipal Stadium, in a vicious game, Fotbal Club Petrolul Ploieşti beat Liverpool Football Club three — one. In the First Round of the European Cup, Fotbal Club Petrolul Ploieşti and Liverpool Football Club had drawn the tie three-all. In the European Cup, away goals did not count double. In the First Round of the European Cup, Fotbal Club Petrolul Ploieşti and Liverpool Football Club would have to play another match, another game. At a neutral ground,

on foreign soil. On the bench, their bench at the Heysel Stadium, in Brussels, in Belgium. Bill watched and Bill waited. And after thirteen minutes, Roger Hunt put Ian St John through. And St John scored. And after forty-three minutes, Peter Thompson beat three men. Thompson passed to St John. St John passed to Geoff Strong. Strong shot. And the ball rebounded off a defender. But Thompson got to the ball first. Thompson shot. And Thompson scored. And at a neutral ground, on foreign soil, Liverpool Football Club beat Fotbal Club Petrolul Ploieşti two — nil in the First Round play-off of the European Cup. And Liverpool Football Club were through to the Second Round of the European Cup.

…

Before the house, on their doorstep. In the night and in the silence. Bill unlocked the front door. In the night and in the silence. Bill opened the door. In the night and in the silence. Bill stepped into the house. In the dark and in the silence. Bill closed the door. In the dark and in the silence. Bill put down his suitcase in the hallway. In the dark and in the silence. Bill walked down the hallway to the kitchen. In the dark and in the silence. Bill switched on the light. In the kitchen, at their table. Bill sat down. In the kitchen, at their table. Bill looked around the room. In the kitchen, at their table. Bill saw the cooker and the fridge. In the kitchen, at their table. Bill saw the kettle and the pans. In the kitchen, at their table. Bill saw the cups and the plates. In the kitchen, at their table. Bill smelt the air, Bill felt the warmth. The air of their house, the warmth of their home. And Bill smiled. Bill smiled.

On Saturday 29 October, 1966, Liverpool Football Club travelled to the Victoria Ground, Stoke. And Liverpool Football Club lost two — nil to Stoke City Football Club. That evening, the Champions of the Football League were ninth in the First Division.

On Saturday 5 November, 1966, Nottingham Forest came to Anfield, Liverpool. That afternoon, forty thousand, six hundred and twenty-four folk came, too. In the sixteenth minute, Geoff Strong scored. In the sixty-second minute, Roger Hunt scored. In the seventy-third minute, Peter Thompson scored. And two minutes later, Hunt scored again. And Liverpool Football Club beat Nottingham Forest four — nil. At home, at Anfield. Four days afterwards, Burnley Football Club came to Anfield, Liverpool. That evening, fifty thousand, one hundred and twenty-four folk came, too. In the fourth minute, Chris Lawler scored. In the eighty-ninth minute, Peter Thompson scored. And Liverpool Football Club beat Burnley Football Club two — nil. At home, at Anfield. Three days later, Liverpool Football Club travelled to St James’ Park, Newcastle. In the twenty-second minute, Ian St John scored. In the sixty-fifth minute, Roger Hunt scored. And Liverpool Football Club beat Newcastle United two — nil. That evening, Chelsea Football Club had twenty-three points. And Chelsea Football Club were first in the First Division. That evening, the Champions of the Football League had twenty-one points. The Champions second in the First Division.

On Saturday 19 November, 1966, Leeds United came to Anfield, Liverpool. That afternoon, fifty-one thousand and fourteen folk came, too. In the forty-third minute, Chris Lawler scored. In the fifty-seventh minute, Peter Thompson scored. In the seventy-fifth minute, Geoff Strong scored. In the eighty-third minute, Ian St John scored. And in the eighty-ninth minute, Strong scored again. And Liverpool Football Club beat Leeds United five — nil. At home, at Anfield. Don Revie tried to walk down the touchline. The Anfield touchline. Don Revie tried to shake the hand of Bill Shankly. And Don Revie said, That first goal, just before the interval, that was a lucky goal, Bill. And then after your second goal, we were too brazen, we were too cavalier. Too intent on chasing the game, too intent on winning the match. So your last three goals, Bill. The last three Liverpool goals. They give an unrealistic look to the actual game, an untrue picture of the actual match. Five — nil is no real reflection of the game. Five — nil is no true reflection of either Leeds United or Liverpool. And so I have to say, Bill. I have to say we were unlucky, very unlucky today. And you were lucky, very lucky today …