David Peace - Red or Dead

Lucky, said Bill Shankly. You think we were lucky? Well, I think you need your eyes testing, Don. That was not luck you saw today, that was the finest side in England since the war you saw. The very finest! You were not beaten by bad luck, Don. You were beaten by the best team in England. The best-ever team in England. And in Europe, Don. In Europe.

…

On Wednesday 7 December, 1966, Liverpool Football Club arrived at the Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam. In the fog, the heavy, wet blanket of fog. From out across the North Sea, in across the city. Clinging to their clothes, sticking to their skin. Bill Shankly and Rinus Michels, the manager of Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax NV, the referee, his linesmen and the UEFA observer walked down one tunnel. And then down another tunnel. A one-hundred-foot tunnel of unbreakable glass. To stop bottles hitting the players as they walked out onto the pitch. Bill Shankly, Rinus Michels, the referee, the linesmen and the UEFA observer walked out onto the pitch. There were coils of barbed wire around the pitch. To stop Dutch ‘Provos’ from invading the pitch. Bill Shankly, Rinus Michels, the referee, the linesmen and the UEFA observer stood in the centre circle of the pitch. No one could see the coils of barbed wire around the pitch. No one could see anything. The heavy, wet blanket of fog had smothered the Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam. Now it smothered Bill Shankly, Rinus Michels, the referee, the linesmen and the UEFA observer. It wrapped them in its heavy, wet blanket. Smothering them and blinding them –

I cannot see a thing, said Bill Shankly. Not a single thing! This game cannot be played. The match should be postponed. I am worried we’ll not get home. The airport is already closed. I don’t know how we’ll get home. We have to play Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday. It is a crucial game for us, a vital match for us. I do not want us to be delayed. I do not want us to be unprepared. So this game should be called off. The match postponed. Until next week …

The referee stared into the fog, the heavy, wet blanket of fog. The referee nodded. And the referee said, If we can see from goal to goal, then the game can go ahead. But I cannot see from goal to goal, so the game cannot go ahead. The match must be postponed. But the forecast is for the fog to clear, the fog to lift. And so we can play the match tomorrow. Back here, tomorrow night …

You what, said Bill Shankly. I told you, we cannot hang around. We cannot wait another day in Amsterdam. We have to play United, Manchester United, on Saturday. It is a crucial game, it is a vital match. We have to get back home tonight, back home to Liverpool tonight …

But the UEFA observer shook his head. And the UEFA observer said, There is a different rule in Holland. In Holland, if you can see from the halfway line to the goal, then the game can still be played. That is the rule in Holland. And I can see from here in the centre circle to each goal. So the match need not be postponed. The game can still be played. And played tonight –

Before the whistle, the first whistle. In the dressing room, the away dressing room at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam. Bill Shankly looked around the room. The Liverpool dressing room. From player to player. From Lawrence to Lawler, Lawler to Graham, Graham to Smith, Smith to Yeats, Yeats to Stevenson, Stevenson to Callaghan, Callaghan to Hunt, Hunt to St John, St John to Strong and from Strong to Thompson –

The game is not being postponed, said Bill Shankly. The match is being played. Well, more fool them, boys. More fool them, I say. This lot could not hold a candle to us if they could see us. So they are going to need a thousand candles out there tonight. Because who has ever heard of Ajax Football Club, boys? No one I know. Two seasons ago, this lot were almost relegated. Into the Dutch toilet. And that’s what I thought Ajax was, boys. A detergent for cleaning your toilet. My only worry tonight, my only fear tonight, is how on earth we are going to get out of here, boys. How we are going to get back home. We’ve got United on Saturday, boys. So I don’t want you stuck in airports. I want you rested, boys. I want you ready. So once the game is done, boys. Once this match is won. Make sure you get back here sharpish, boys. And let’s be getting back. Getting back and getting home, boys …

After the whistle, the first whistle. On the bench, their bench in the Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam. Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Reuben Bennett stared out into the fog, the heavy, wet blanket of fog. They could hear the crowd. The sixty-five thousand people inside the Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam. But they could not see the crowd. The sixty-five thousand people inside the Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam. In the fog, the heavy, wet fog. They could barely see the halfway line on the pitch before them. But in the third minute, white-shirted Dutchmen appeared like ghosts before them. From out of the fog, the heavy, wet fog. Swart saw Groot, Swart passed to Groot. Groot saw De Wolf, Groot crossed to De Wolf. De Wolf saw the ball, De Wolf saw the net. And De Wolf saw the goal. De Wolf headed the ball. Into the net, into a goal. In the fog, the heavy, wet fog. On the bench, their bench in the Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam. Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Reuben Bennett heard the clapping. But still they could see nothing, still nothing but ghosts. And in the sixteenth minute, the ghosts appeared again. Out of the fog, the heavy, wet fog. Swart saw Nuninga, Swart passed to Nuninga. Nuninga saw the ball, Nuninga saw the net. And Nuninga shot. Lawrence saw the ball, Lawrence blocked the shot. Cruyff saw the ball, Cruyff saw the net. And Cruyff shot into the net, into a goal. In the fog, the heavy, wet fog. Again on the bench, their bench in the Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam. Again Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Reuben Bennett heard the clapping. And now they heard the cheering. But in the fog, the heavy, wet fog. They still had not seen a thing. But Bill Shankly had heard enough. In the fog, the heavy, wet fog. Bill Shankly got off the bench. In the fog, the heavy, wet fog. Bill Shankly stepped over the line. In the fog, the heavy, wet fog. Bill Shankly crossed the line onto the pitch. In the fog, the heavy, wet fog. Bill Shankly walked up to Tommy Smith. And Tommy Smith jumped out of his skin. In the fog. Tommy Smith could not believe his eyes –

Go find Geoff, said Bill Shankly. And go find Willie. Get them back here, Tommy. Get them back here now. It’s time for a meeting, Tommy. Time for a little team meeting …

In the fog, the heavy, wet fog. Tommy Smith ran off to find Geoff Strong and Willie Stevenson. And in the fog, the heavy, wet fog. Tommy Smith came back with Geoff Strong and Willie Stevenson –

Jesus Christ, said Bill Shankly. You’re playing like lunatics. Like madmen, boys. There’s another game to come. Another match at Anfield. Jesus Christ, boys. It’s not even half-time. And we’re losing two — nil. So let’s just take two — nil, boys. Let’s take that back home. So batten down them hatches. And don’t go giving away any more goals!

In the fog, in the heavy, wet fog. Bill Shankly walked back off the pitch. Bill Shankly crossed back over the line. Bill Shankly went back to the bench. Bill Shankly sat back down on the bench. But in the fog, the heavy, wet fog. Bill Shankly still could barely see the halfway line on the pitch before him. But in the thirty-eighth minute, Bill Shankly saw the ghosts again. Out of the fog, the heavy, wet fog. Cruyff saw the ball, Cruyff took the ball. Yeats saw Cruyff, Yeats took Cruyff. Swart took the free kick. The ball rebounded off the Liverpool defenders. Cruyff saw the ball, Cruyff shot. The ball rebounded off the Liverpool defenders. Nuninga saw the ball, Nuninga saw the net. And Nuninga shot. Into the net, into a goal. And on the bench, their bench in the Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam. Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Reuben Bennett heard the clapping. They heard the cheering. And now they heard the chanting. Ha-ha, Liverpool! Ha-ha, Liverpool! Ha-ha, Liverpool! But in the forty-second minute, the ghosts were not finished. In the fog, the heavy, wet fog. Nuninga saw the ball again, Nuninga saw the goal again. And Nuninga shot. Into the net again, into a goal again. And in the fog, the heavy, wet fog. On the bench, their bench in the Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam. Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Reuben Bennett heard the clapping. They heard the cheering and they heard the chanting. The chanting and the laughing. Ha-ha, Liverpool! Ha-ha, Liverpool! Ha-ha, Liverpool ! And in the seventy-sixth minute, still the ghosts would not rest. In the fog, the heavy, wet fog. Groot won a free kick. Another free kick. Groot saw the net. Groot hit the free kick into the net. And on the bench, their bench in the Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam. Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Reuben Bennett heard only laughter. Ha-ha! Ha-ha! Ha-ha! Only laughter in the fog, the heavy wet, fog. The heavy, wet laughter. Ha-ha! Ha-ha! Ha-ha! In the last minute, the very last minute. Lawler scored for Liverpool Football Club. But in the fog, the heavy, wet fog. In the fog and in the laughter. Ha-ha! Ha-ha! Ha-ha! Liverpool Football Club had lost five — one to Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax NV. Ha-ha! Ha-ha! Ha-ha! One, two, three, four, five — one.