David Peace - Red or Dead

On Saturday 4 May, 1968, Liverpool Football Club travelled to Elland Road, Leeds. That afternoon, forty-four thousand, five hundred and fifty-three folk came, too. In the fifteenth minute, Jones scored. And for the next sixty-nine minutes, Leeds United were beating Liverpool Football Club. But in the eighty-fourth minute, Chris Lawler latched on to a poor clearance by Harvey. And Lawler scored. And one minute later, Bobby Graham scored. And Liverpool Football Club beat Leeds United two — one. Away from home, away from Anfield. That day, Manchester City beat Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United beat Newcastle United. That evening, Liverpool Football Club had fifty-three points. Manchester United had fifty-six points and Manchester City had fifty-six points, too. Manchester City were still first in the First Division. On goal average. Liverpool Football Club now third in the First Division. But Manchester City and Manchester United had only one last game to play. Liverpool Football Club still had two more games to play. If Manchester City and Manchester United each lost their last game and if Liverpool Football Club won each of their last two games, then Liverpool Football Club would be the Champions of England –

On Saturday 11 May, 1968, Nottingham Forest came to Anfield, Liverpool. That afternoon, thirty-eight thousand, eight hundred and fifty folk came, too. For the last home game of the season. Just thirty-eight thousand, eight hundred and fifty folk. In the thirty-fourth minute, Ian St John scored. In the thirty-sixth minute, Tony Hateley scored. And in the forty-first minute, Hateley scored again. In the fifty-fifth minute, Roger Hunt scored. And in the seventy-first minute, Hunt scored again. And in the eighty-fourth minute, Hateley scored again. His third goal of the match, his twenty-seventh goal of the season. And Liverpool Football Club beat Nottingham Forest six — one. But it didn’t matter. It didn’t count. That day, Manchester United lost two — one to Sunderland. But it didn’t matter. It didn’t count either. That day, Manchester City beat Newcastle United four — three. That evening, Manchester City were first in the First Division. And that evening, Manchester City were the Champions of England.

…

On Wednesday 15 May, 1968, Manchester United travelled to the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, to play Real Madrid in the second leg of the semi-final of the European Cup. If Manchester United beat Real Madrid, then Manchester United would be in the final of the European Cup. That evening, Liverpool Football Club travelled to the Victoria Ground, Stoke. Bill Shankly walked into the dressing room. The away dressing room. Bill Shankly looked around the dressing room. The Liverpool dressing room. From player to player. From Lawrence to Lawler, Lawler to Wall, Wall to Smith, Smith to Yeats, Yeats to Strong, Strong to Callaghan, Callaghan to Hunt, Hunt to Hateley, Hateley to St John and from St John to Thompson. And Bill Shankly swallowed. And Bill Shankly swallowed again. Bill Shankly coughed. And Bill Shankly coughed again –

If we win tonight, boys. Then we will overtake Manchester United. And then we will be the runners-up in the Football League. We will finish second. And so we will be the second-best team in the Football League, boys. The second best …

On Wednesday 15 May, 1968, Manchester United came from three — one down at half-time to draw three — three with Real Madrid in the second leg of the semi-final of the European Cup. Manchester United had won the tie four — three on aggregate. Manchester United had reached the final of the European Cup. That night, in the fifty-eighth minute, Roger Hunt scored his thirtieth goal of the season. But that night, Liverpool Football Club lost two — one at Stoke City. That night, that season, after forty-two games, Liverpool Football Club finished third in the First Division –

Not first, not second –

Third best.

At the Estadio Insular, in the Canary Islands, Liverpool Football Club played UD Las Palmas in a post-season friendly. And Liverpool Football Club drew one-all with UD Las Palmas. That night, in the bar of their hotel in the Canary Islands, the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club watched the final of the European Cup on the television. That night, the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club watched Manchester United beat SL Benfica four — one after extra time. That night, the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club watched Manchester United become the first English team to win the European Cup. And that night, on the television in the bar of the hotel, Bill watched Matt on the pitch, the Wembley pitch. Bill watched Matt surrounded by his players on the pitch, the Wembley pitch. And Bill saw the look in Matt’s eyes. The memories in Matt’s eyes. And Bill knew what this meant to Matt. Bill knew Matt had set his heart on this. Bill wanted to call Matt, Bill wanted to congratulate Matt. And Bill tried to stand. Bill tried to get to his feet. His shirt stuck to his vest. His vest stuck to his skin. But in the bar, the hotel bar, Bill could not stand. Bill could not get to his feet. His shirt stuck to his vest. His vest stuck to his skin. Bill fought back tears. Bill struggled to breathe.

In his room, his hotel room. Not in his bed, his hotel bed. Bill paced and Bill paced. Bill thinking and Bill thinking. Bill knew failure could become habitual, defeat become routine. Routine and familiar. Familiar and accepted. Accepted and permanent. Permanent and imprisoning. Imprisoning and suffocating. Bill knew failure carried chains. Chains to bind you. You and your dreams. To bind you and your dreams alive. Bill knew defeat carried spades. Spades to bury you. You and your hopes. To bury you and your hopes alive. Bill knew you had to fight against failure. With every bone in your body. Bill knew you had to struggle against defeat. With every drop of your blood. You had to fight against failure, you had to struggle against defeat. For your dreams and for your hopes. For you and for the people. To fight and to struggle. For the dreams of the people,

for the hopes of the people.

…

In the car park, the Anfield Road car park. In the sunshine, the July sunshine. On the first day of training. In his sweater and in his tracksuit bottoms. Bill waited for the players of Liverpool Football Club. In their kits, their training kits. Bill greeted every player. Bill shook their hands, Bill patted their backs. Bill asked after their families, Bill asked after their holidays. And then Bob, Joe, Reuben and Ronnie Moran joined Bill and the players in the car park at Anfield. And in the sunshine, the July sunshine. They all walked out to Melwood. Then Bill and the players jogged once around the training pitch. Then Bill and the players passed the ball back and forth, in pairs, back and forth to each other for twenty minutes. Then Bill and the players jogged once more around the training pitch. And then Bill, Bob, Joe, Reuben, Ronnie and the players all walked back to Anfield.

In the car park, the Anfield car park. In the sunshine, the July sunshine. On the second day of training. Bill, Bob, Joe, Reuben, Ronnie and the players all jogged out to Melwood. Then Bill and the players ran once around the training pitch. Then Bill and the players passed the ball back and forth, in threes, back and forth to each other for thirty minutes. Then Bill and the players ran once more around the training pitch. And then Bill, Bob, Joe, Reuben, Ronnie and the players all jogged back to Anfield.

In the car park, the Anfield car park. In the sunshine, the July sunshine. On the third day of training. Bill, Bob, Joe, Reuben, Ronnie and the players all ran out to Melwood. Then Bill and the players ran twice around the training pitch. Then Bill and the players passed the ball back and forth, in fours, back and forth to each other for forty minutes. Then Reuben blew his whistle. And Bill gathered the players in the middle of the training pitch. Bill, Bob, Joe, Reuben and Ronnie divided the thirty players into six groups of five. And Bill said, Right, lads. Enough running. We’re going to play some football. We’re going to play some five-a-sides …