David Peace - Red or Dead

In the car park, the Anfield car park. In the sunshine, the July sunshine. In the second week 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 weekends. And then Bob, Joe, Reuben and Ronnie joined Bill and the players in the car park at Anfield. Then Bill, Bob, Joe, Reuben, Ronnie and the players all climbed on the bus to Melwood. And when the players arrived at Melwood, when the players got off the bus, the players saw the boxes on the training pitch. And the players groaned, the players laughed. And Bill and the players ran twice around the training pitch. Then Bill and the players passed the ball back and forth, in pairs, back and forth for twenty minutes. Then Bill and the players went into the boxes. In pairs. Balls came over the top into the boxes. One player tried to hit the ball first time, the other tried to hit the same ball on the rebound. First time. Ball after ball. Every second, another ball. Into the box. Every second for one minute. Ball after ball. Then for two minutes. Then for three minutes. Again and again. Ball after ball. Every second. Shot after shot. Every second. Inside the box. In pairs, in turn. Pair after pair, player after player. Then Reuben blew his whistle. Bill gathered the players in the middle of the training pitch. And Bill said, Right, lads. Enough exercises. We’re going to play some football. Some five-a-sides …

And that was the second week of training. And the third. And the fourth. And the fifth. They did not practise set pieces, they did not practise corners. And they did not practise free kicks. They practised passing. Always forward, always faster. Faster and faster, for five weeks. Always forward. And always to a red shirt,

always to a red shirt,

a red shirt. Bill training, always training. Bill playing, always playing. With hunger and with passion. In amongst the players, in amongst the team. Bill training, Bill playing. Bill watching and Bill listening. Watching for hunger and listening for passion. Hunger for the red shirt, passion for the red shirt –

The hunger and the passion –

For the shirt, the red shirt. And Bill watched Tommy Smith square up to Emlyn Hughes. Bill watched Bob pull them apart. Bill watched Ian St John square up to Tony Hateley. And Bill watched Bob pull them apart –

And Bill smiled.

…

At Maine Road, Manchester. In the stands, in his seat. Bill watched Manchester City play West Bromwich Albion in the 1968 Charity Shield. Manchester City were the Champions of the Football League. West Bromwich Albion were the winners of the FA Cup. In the stands, in his seat. Bill watched West Bromwich Albion try to keep the ball in the air. Bill watched Manchester City keep the ball on the ground. And Bill watched Manchester City beat West Bromwich Albion six — one in the 1968 Charity Shield. And in the stands, in his seat. Bill stood up. Bill left the ground. And Bill drove back to Anfield. Bill went into his office. Bill shut the door. Bill took off his hat, Bill took off his jacket. Bill sat down at his desk. And Bill took out his book. His book of names, his book of notes. Bill took out his pen. His red pen. And in the office, at his desk. Bill began to write in his book. His book of names, his book of notes. In the office, at his desk. Bill stopped writing. Bill put down his pen. His red pen. Bill took out his diary. His diary of dates, his diary of fixtures. And Bill stared down at the first date in his diary, the first fixture of the season. The new season. In the office, at his desk. Bill sat back in his chair. Bill closed his eyes. And then Bill opened his eyes. Bill leaned forward. Bill picked up his book. His book of names, his book of notes. Bill turned to the last page. The last page of names, the last page of notes. Bill picked up his pen. His red pen. Bill drew a line through one name on the page. The last name on the last page. Hateley . And then Bill wrote a name on the page. A new name on the last page. Graham . Bill put down his pen. His red pen. Bill closed his book. His book of names, his book of notes. In his office, at his desk. Bill sat back in his chair again. Bill closed his eyes again. And Bill waited.

…

In the dressing room. The home dressing room. Bill looked from player to player. From Lawrence to Lawler, Lawler to Wall, Wall to Smith, Smith to Yeats, Yeats to Hughes, Hughes to Callaghan, Callaghan to Hunt, Hunt to Graham, Graham to St John and from St John to Thompson. And Bill said, Last season, on the first day of last season, we went to Maine Road and we drew nil — nil with this lot. And then, when they came here, we drew one-all. So last season, Manchester City took two points from us. Home and away. Last season, Manchester City finished with three points more than us. Just three points. But we finished third and they finished first. And they were the Champions and we were not. We were nothing, we were nowhere. So if you are thinking this is just the first game of the season. Just the first match of forty-two League matches this season. If you are thinking to drop a point today, to even lose two points today, it doesn’t matter. That there will be other games, forty-one other games. Well, if there is any man in this room thinking thoughts like that, then that man has no place in this room. No place in this team. Because a point dropped today is a point lost forever. And every point lost is a point that costs you. Because that point lost today could be the point that costs you the title. That gives them the title. That condemns you to second best. To third best. Or even worse. And that’s not good enough. That’s never good enough. Not for Liverpool Football Club. Not for the people who support Liverpool Football Club. The only thing that is good enough for Liverpool Football Club, for the people who support Liverpool Football Club, is to win every game, to take two points from every match. From all forty-two matches. And then to be Champions. Because that is the only thing good enough. For Liverpool Football Club. And for the people who support Liverpool Football Club –

To be Champions again.

On the bench, the Anfield bench. In the first game of the season, in the second minute of the match, Bill watched Manchester City score. But in the twenty-fourth minute of the first match of the season, Graham equalised. And in the seventy-third minute of the first match of the season, Thompson scored. And Liverpool Football Club beat Manchester City two — one. At home, at Anfield. In the first match of the 1968–69 season –

On the bench, the bench at the Dell. In the second game of the season, Bill watched Southampton Football Club score. And score again. And Liverpool Football Club lost two — nil. Away from home, away from Anfield –

On the bench, the bench at Highbury. In the third game of the season, Bill watched the players of Liverpool Football Club harry and harry and harry. Run and run and run. But in the thirtieth minute of the third match of the season, Sammels sent Radford through. And Radford slotted the ball home. But still the players of Liverpool Football Club harried and harried and harried. Ran and ran and ran. And in the fiftieth minute of the third match of the season, Thompson dribbled through three players. Thompson passed inside to Hunt. And Hunt scored. But then on the bench, the bench at Highbury, Bill watched the sun disappear. And the sky turn black. With thunder and with lightning. And then the rain came. And the rain swept thousands from the terraces. And the rain turned the pitch into a cauldron. But still the players of Liverpool Football Club harried and harried and harried. Ran and ran and ran. Under a black sky, in the pouring rain. But then the whistle came, the final whistle. And the game was drawn, only drawn. And in that first week of the 1968–69 season, in the first three games of this new season, Liverpool Football Club had won once, drawn once and lost once. In the first week of the 1968–69 season, in the first three games of the new season, Liverpool Football Club had dropped three points. Three points lost forever. It was a bad start to the 1968–69 season, a very bad start to the new season –