William "Bill" Shankly,
OBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(2 September 1913 – 29 September 1981) was a
ScottishScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
football player and manager, most noted for managing
LiverpoolLiverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
between 1959 and 1974. One of
BritainThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's most successful and respected football
managersIn sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
, Shankly was also a fine player whose career was interrupted by the Second World War. He played nearly 300 times in
The Football LeagueThe Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
for
Preston North EndPreston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
and represented
ScotlandThe Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
seven times, as well as playing for
Partick ThistlePartick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football club from Glasgow. Despite their name, the club are based in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908...
and
Carlisle UnitedCarlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
.
He is most remembered for his achievements as a manager, particularly with
LiverpoolLiverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
. Shankly took charge of Liverpool when they were bottom of the Second Division but soon established them as one of the major forces in the English game. During his 15 years at the club they won three
league championshipsThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
, two
FA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
s and the
UEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
, before his surprise retirement after winning the
1974 FA Cup FinalThe 1974 FA Cup Final was contested by Liverpool and Newcastle United at Wembley. In a one-sided match Liverpool won 3–0, with goals from Kevin Keegan and Steve Heighway...
.
Background
Shankly was born in the Ayrshire mining village of Glenbuck, He was one of 5 brothers who went on to play professional football. His brother
BobRobert "Bob" Shankly was a professional football player and manager. from the village of Glenbuck in Ayrshire, Scotland....
(1910–1982) was also a successful manager, guiding
DundeeDundee Football Club, founded in 1893, are a football club based in the city of Dundee, Scotland. They are nicknamed The Dee or The Dark Blues and play their home matches at Dens Park. Their shirt colour is dark blue. Dundee currently play in the Scottish First Division, having been relegated from...
to victory in the
Scottish championshipThe Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...
in 1962 and the semi-finals of the European Cup the following year. His tough upbringing was the basis for his own brand of
humanitarianIn its most general form, humanitarianism is an ethic of kindness, benevolence and sympathy extended universally and impartially to all human beings. Humanitarianism has been an evolving concept historically but universality is a common element in its evolution...
based
socialismSocialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
, and he would joke in later life that he never had a bath until aged 15, and that the poverty brought about a good sense of humour.
Football was a way of getting away from the mine shafts – either on a Saturday afternoon and during weekly training, or as a professional option. All five Shankly brothers were members of the
Glenbuck CherrypickersGlenbuck Cherrypickers were a football team in the village of Glenbuck in South Ayrshire, a district of Scotland.The Glenbuck Cherrypickers were notable for the high number of professional footballers that they produced, despite only existing for around fifty years...
– a team famous at the time for producing 49 footballers from the village, straddling the latter part of the 19th and the early years of the 20th century – although Bill, the youngest brother, never played for their first eleven.
His other brothers were Alec, who played for
Ayr UnitedAyr United Football Club are a Scottish association football team based in Ayr, South Ayrshire, that plays in the First Division of the Scottish Football League. Formed in 1910 after the merger of former clubs Ayr Parkhouse F.C. and Ayr F.C...
and
ClydeClyde Football Club are a Scottish professional football team currently playing in the Third Division of the Scottish Football League. Although based for the last fifteen years in the new town of Cumbernauld, they are traditionally associated with an area that covers Rutherglen in South...
, Jimmy (1902–1972), who played for various clubs, including
Sheffield UnitedSheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
and
Southend UnitedSouthend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...
, and John (1903–1960), who played for
Luton TownLuton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
and
BlackpoolBlackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
. His maternal uncle,
Bob BlythRobert Blyth was the manager for the football club Portsmouth F.C. from 1901-1904.-Football career:Blyth was born in Glenbuck Scotland and was a member of the Glenbuck Cherrypickers, playing alongside members of his extended family...
, played for
Preston North EndPreston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
and
PortsmouthPortsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
, before becoming Portsmouth's manager.
Playing career
Shankly's playing career began in Scottish Junior Football, where he played for the now defunct Cronberry Eglinton and Glenbuck Cherrypickers. In July 1932 he caught the eye of scouts and was signed to play for
Carlisle UnitedCarlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
, making his debut on 31 December 1932 against Rochdale. In July 1933, after only 16 appearances for Carlisle, he signed for
Preston North EndPreston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
for a fee of £500.00, and was a key member of the Preston side promoted to the First Division in 1934. He played for Preston in two
FA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
finals, losing to
SunderlandSunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
in 1937, but beating Huddersfield Town in 1938.
Shankly made his debut for
ScotlandThe Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
in a 1–0 win against
EnglandThe England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
in April 1938. He made four further appearances for his country, plus another seven in wartime internationals, but his distinguished playing career was interrupted by
warWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1939.
He played for a number of teams during the war, including
Northampton TownNorthampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
,
LiverpoolLiverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
,
ArsenalArsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
,
Cardiff CityCardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
,
Bolton WanderersBolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
,
Luton TownLuton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
,
Partick ThistlePartick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football club from Glasgow. Despite their name, the club are based in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908...
and
King's ParkKing's Park FC were a football club who played in the Scottish Football League before the Second World War. Based in Stirling, they joined the League in the 1921–22 season, following the reintroduction of the Second Division and were one of 11 new members for that season.-History:Their finest...
, and helped Preston to victory in the 1941 Wartime Cup Final at Wembley. With the resumption of organised professional football again in 1946, Shankly resumed playing for Preston, but was 33 and coming to the end of his playing days.
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
had taken away the best years of his career.
Carlisle United
Shankly retired from playing in March 1949 and the same month was appointed the manager of Carlisle United, beginning his managerial career where his professional playing career had also started. He lifted Carlisle from 15th in Division Three North in 1949 to a title challenging 3rd in 1951, but resigned in that year citing a lack of financial commitment on the part of the directors – a pattern which would repeat itself for the next ten years across a succession of northern English football clubs. However, Shankly influenced the careers of players such as
Ivor BroadisIvan Arthur Broadis is a former England international footballer. Broadis' clubs were Carlisle United, Sunderland, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Queen of the South. Broadis played at inside forward...
(who went on to collect 14 caps for England and remained friends with him long after his departure), for many years.
Grimsby Town
After a failed interview at Liverpool, Shankly moved to manage
Grimsby TownGrimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
in 1951.
When Shankly arrived at Grimsby he inherited an ageing group of players and the club had just been relegated to Division 3 North, their second relegation in four seasons. While the morale of the players and supporters was low, Shankly reasoned that they were the same players who had served Grimsby in the top flight, and he was quickly able to use the raw material at his disposal to weld the players into a capable side. He quickly became a cult figure at
Blundell ParkBlundell Park is a football ground in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England and home to Grimsby Town Football Club. The stadium was built in 1898, but only one of the original stands remain. The current capacity of the ground is 9546, though with the introduction of all seating in the late...
, and the team regularly drew crowds in excess of 20,000, while Shankly, still a competent player, would attract attendances in excess of 5,000 when appearing for the reserves. However, Grimsby missed out on promotion in 1951–52, despite picking up 36 points out a possible 40 in the last 20 matches. It was to be a last hurrah for the old team, and after a bright start to the 1952–53 season, their form slumped. Shankly was given little money to buy new players and was reluctant to blood some promising reserves because of the loyalty he felt to these older stalwarts (a fault that was to surface at Liverpool years later). Disillusioned by events, he quit in January 1954, citing once again a lack of ambition by the board as his main reason.
In his autobiography Shankly was to claim that his Grimsby team was: "Pound for pound, and class for class, the best football team I have seen in England since the war. In the league they were in they played football nobody else could play. Everything was measured, planned and perfected and you could not wish to see more entertaining football."
Workington
After Shankly left Grimsby he went on to manage
WorkingtonWorkington A.F.C. is an English football club from Workington, Cumbria. They are in the Conference North, and play their home matches at Borough Park, which has a capacity of 3,101 . The club play in red, and are known locally as the Reds...
in 1954–55, lifting the side from the lower end of Division Three North to a 8th place, their highest finish at the time, and for the first time above their local rivals and Shankly's former club Carlisle United.
Huddersfield Town
Shankly arrived at Huddersfield in 1955 to assist the brilliant, but perfectionist
Andy BeattieAndrew "Andy" Beattie was a Scottish professional football player and manager. He was the first manager of the Scottish national team.- Playing days :...
, who had offered to resign after Huddersfield had finished 12th in Division One, having finished 3rd in the season previous. They were unable to prevent the club's decline, however, and Huddersfield were relegated, with Beattie resigning to become a postmaster (he eventually returned to management two years later, and had a brief spell as Scotland manager) in the November of 1956, leaving Bill Shankly in sole charge.
Overall, Shankly's tenure at Huddersfield was relatively unsuccessful, as the Terriers recorded three successive mid-table finishes in Division Two, a period that included an
extraordinary 7–6 lossCharlton Athletic F.C. 7–6 Huddersfield Town F.C. was an association football match between Football League Second Division teams Charlton Athletic F.C. and Huddersfield Town F.C. that took place on 21 December 1957 at Charlton Athletic's home ground, The Valley...
to
Charlton AthleticCharlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
, after being 5–1 up with half an hour to play. He appeared prone to falling foul of the boardroom at each club he managed, as he often felt they did not apply the same commitment to team affairs as he did, and Huddersfield was no exception. Shankly was particularly resistant to the board's desire to sell a young
Denis LawDenis Law is a retired Scottish football player, who enjoyed a long and successful career as a striker from the 1950s to the 1970s....
, on one occasion stating to the boardroom: "Get out your diary and write this down. One day, Denis Law will be transferred for £100,000." After four years at Huddersfield, and after Shankly's departure for Liverpool,
Manchester CityManchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
signed Law for a transfer fee of £55,000, setting a new British record, and Shankly's prediction was eventually met and exceeded in 1962 when Law was signed by Manchester United for £115,000.
Liverpool
It was Shankly's own commitment and enthusiasm that had initially intrigued Liverpool chairman T.V. Williams when Shankly had been interviewed for the vacant Liverpool job in 1951, and in December 1959, following an embarrassing defeat to non-league Worcester City in the FA Cup, Shankly was appointed manager of
LiverpoolLiverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
.
Liverpool had suffered a period of decline in the 1950s, after having won five league titles in the first half of the century, and were at this time languishing in the Second Division, with a crumbling stadium, poor training facilities, and a large pool of untalented players. Shankly released 24 of these, and converted a storage room into a room for tactical discussion, where Shankly, along with other Boot Room founding members
Joe FaganJoe Fagan was an English football manager best known for being manager of Liverpool F.C. from 1983 to 1985.- Career:Joe Fagan's playing career was largely spent at Manchester City for whom he signed in 1938...
,
Reuben BennettReuben Bennett from Aberdeen was a Scottish professional association footballer for Queen of the South, Dundee F.C. and Elgin City. He was then manager at Ayr United and a founder member of the Boot Room coaching staff at Liverpool F.C.-Player:In Bennett's playing days he was a goalkeeper with...
and
Bob PaisleyRobert "Bob" Paisley OBE was an English football half back turned manager. His association with Liverpool was to span nearly half a century including his contribution to the club, first as a player, then as a physiotherapist and coach, and finally as manager.In nine years as manager between 1974...
began to reshape the team.
The training ground at
MelwoodMelwood, in West Derby, Liverpool, is home to Liverpool FC's training ground. It is not attached to The Academy, which is in Kirkby.It is based in the West Derby area of Liverpool and has been their home since the fifties. The ground previously belonged to St Francis Xavier, a local school...
was in a poor state of affairs, overgrown and with only one mains water tap. Shankly turned this into a strength, by arranging for the players to arrive instead at Anfield, and then bus them over to Melwood, creating team camaraderie. At Melwood Shankly introduced fitness training, including diet assessment, and skills training including using an artificial goal painted on a convenient wall, split into eight sections which he would demand the players hit each time. For playing practice, Shankly introduced five-a-side games, and after training, the team would all bus back to Anfield together to shower, change and eat a communal meal. This way Shankly ensured all his players had warmed down correctly and were free from injury.
1960s team
Slowly at first, and then with a gathering pace, Shankly and his backroom team turned Liverpool around, and with new signings
Ron YeatsRonald 'Ron' Yeats is a Scottish former footballer. He was the captain of the first great Liverpool team of the 1960s.-Life and playing career:...
,
Ian St. JohnIan St. John is a former Scottish footballer, who played for Scotland 21 times. He later became a manager and pundit...
and
Gordon MilneGordon Milne is an English former footballer and football manager.-Personal life:Gordon Milne, was born in Preston, Lancashire, England and is the son of the former Preston player Jimmy Milne, and son to Jesse Milne...
, promotion was gained back to the First Division in 1961–1962. Liverpool finished 8th in their first season back in the top flight. The addition of Peter Thompson in 1963 further strengthened the team, and in 1963–1964 Liverpool clinched their 6th league title, ahead of Manchester United.
In 1964–65, Liverpool won the
FA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
for the first time in the club's history with a 2–1 victory over Leeds United at Wembley. The team finished 7th in the League, and reached the European Cup semi-finals, before eventually succumbing 4–3 on aggregate to Inter Milan managed by
Helenio HerreraHelenio Herrera Gavilán was a Franco-Argentine football player and manager.Although born in Argentina, Herrera's parents were both Spanish, his father being a well-known Spanish anarchist in exile...
, after taking a 3–1 first leg lead to the San Siro.
In 1965–66, Liverpool won the league title, reached the final of the European Cup Winner's Cup, losing 2–1 in extra time to
Borussia DortmundBallspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
, and beat Everton to win the subsequent following season's
Charity ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
. However, Liverpool's performance in the 1966-67 European Cup was poor, and after struggling to overcome FC Petrolul Ploieşti in the first round, they were dumped out of the last-16 by Ajax inspired by then 19-year old
Johan CruyffHendrik Johannes Cruijff OON , known as Johan Cruyff, is a retired Dutch footballer and is currently the manager of the Catalan national team as well as a member of the AFC Ajax board of directors. He won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974, which is a record jointly held with...
(7–3 on aggregate; including a 5–1 defeat in Amsterdam). It was this game that convinced Shankly that a more patient, possessive way of playing would be required if Liverpool were to achieve consistent success in Europe. Liverpool gradually improved their League performances again over the course of the next few years, finishing 5th, then 3rd, then 2nd, as Leeds United and Manchester United prevailed.
1970s team
The early 1970s team saw a transitional period which preceded the birth of Shankly's second great Liverpool side. Players such as
Roger HuntRoger Hunt, MBE is an English former footballer. He was a member of the England team which won the 1966 World Cup.-Club career:...
, Ian St.John, Ron Yeats and goalkeeper
Tommy LawrenceTommy Lawrence was the goalkeeper in the first great Liverpool team under manager Bill Shankly.-Life and playing career:...
were sold or released, and fresh players such as
Kevin KeeganJoseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....
,
Emlyn HughesEmlyn Walter Hughes, OBE was an English footballer who captained both the England national team and the much-decorated Liverpool F.C. team of the 1970s.- From Blackpool to Liverpool :...
,
Steve HeighwayStephen Derek "Steve" Heighway is a former footballer who was part of the hugely successful Liverpool team of the 1970s.-Life and playing career:...
,
John ToshackJohn Benjamin Toshack OBE is a Welsh former footballer and manager. He is currently the manager of Macedonia. He has also managed several others clubs including Swansea City, who he took from the Fourth Division to the First in four seasons.As a player, he is remembered for being part of the...
and
Ray ClemenceRaymond Neal "Ray" Clemence, MBE is one of English and European football's most decorated goalkeepers ever and was part of the Liverpool team of the 1970s.-Scunthorpe United:...
were brought in.
Liverpool finished 5th in 1969–70 as Everton regained the title, and 5th again in 1970–71, losing out in the F.A. Cup Final to double winning
ArsenalArsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. They just missed out on another title in 1971–72, finishing third in a close group of four teams challenging for the title, and only a single point behind
Brian CloughBrian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be...
's
Derby CountyDerby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
.
In 1972–73 the club cruised to the league title, despite strong competition from Arsenal and Leeds. Liverpool also won their first European trophy the
UEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
, overcoming
Borussia MönchengladbachBorussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
3–2 in a two-legged final. Liverpool lost out to Leeds in the following season's League race, but won the F.A. Cup once more, as Liverpool overcame
Newcastle UnitedNewcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
in a comprehensive 3–0 victory at Wembley, in what proved to be Shankly's last competitive game in charge.
Relationship with fans
Due to his
working classWorking class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
background, Shankly had a strong feeling for how the fans followed the team and wanted them to perform. He felt he was letting the fans down when the team performed badly. When he wasn't managing the football club, Shankly was often working at his typewriter, personally replying to letters from fans that arrived at Melwood. Shankly even called some supporters at home to discuss the previous day's game, while the accounts of him providing tickets for fans are endless.
One of the most iconic images of all was caught on television in April 1973, when he and the team were showing off the League Championship trophy to the fans in the Kop. A Liverpool scarf which had been thrown at Shankly during a lap of honour was flung to one side by a policeman. Shankly pounced on the scarf and reprimanded the policeman, saying "Don't do that. This might be someone's life". After his retirement Shankly said: "I was only in the game for the love of football – and I wanted to bring back happiness to the people of Liverpool."
The journalist John Keith, who wrote the play
The Bill Shankly Story, commented that Shankly knew how important the fans were to a successful team, and that even after his retirement, at the 1976 second leg of the UEFA Cup final in Brugge: "A fan came over and said he didn't have a ticket – so Shanks went and bought him one."
Retirement
Shankly was by now 60 years old, and on 12 July 1974, he decided to retire as he wanted to spend time with his wife Ness and their family. He said that the process of going to tell the chairman of his decision was like facing the
electric chairExecution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
. When news of Shankly's resignation first emerged, distraught fans jammed the club's switchboard and at least one local factory's workers threatened to go on strike unless their hero returned.
The club was left in capable hands though, with the boot-room staff supplemented by ex-players
Ronnie MoranRonnie Moran is a former Liverpool captain and coach, who has twice served as caretaker manager...
and
Roy EvansRoy Evans CBE was a Liverpool football player who eventually rose through the coaching ranks to become team manager.-Career:...
, who got behind new manager
Bob PaisleyRobert "Bob" Paisley OBE was an English football half back turned manager. His association with Liverpool was to span nearly half a century including his contribution to the club, first as a player, then as a physiotherapist and coach, and finally as manager.In nine years as manager between 1974...
. Later it was revealed that Shankly wanted
Jack CharltonJohn "Jack" Charlton, OBE, DL is a former footballer and manager who played for Leeds United in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and was part of the England team who won the 1966 World Cup...
to succeed him at Liverpool, and not Paisley.
Shankly regretted resigning from Liverpool and began watching training sessions at Melwood. The board were unhappy that Shankly was not allowing new manager Paisley to settle in to the management role.
Phil ThompsonPhilip Bernard Thompson is a retired English footballer, who played as a defender for Liverpool team of the 1970s and 1980s. During this time, he also represented the England national football team on 42 occasions...
even claims that at Melwood Shankly was still called "Boss" while Paisley was known as "Bob". Moran claimed things "began to get a bit awkward".
Liverpool striker Keegan stated that Liverpool "didn't get it wrong very often but they did that time" and believed that Shankly should have been placed on the board of directors, a position he was never offered.
Shankly was awarded the
OBEThe British honours system is a means of rewarding individuals' personal bravery, achievement, or service to the United Kingdom and the British Overseas Territories...
in November 1974. He continued to live in a house bought when he and his wife moved to Liverpool, and was a regular sight around the city, happy and willing to talk to anyone about football.
Death
On the morning of 26 September 1981, Bill Shankly was admitted to
Broadgreen HospitalBroadgreen Hospital is a large teaching hospital located on Thomas Drive, in the suburb of Broadgreen, Liverpool, England, part of the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust...
following a
heart attackMyocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. While in hospital he insisted on being nursed in an ordinary ward and not a private one. "That is where he wanted to be", a hospital spokesman told the
Liverpool EchoThe Liverpool Echo is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Saturday, and is Liverpool's evening newspaper while its sister paper, the Liverpool Daily Post, is the morning paper...
newspaper. His condition was stable and it appeared that he was going to make a full recovery; there was no suggestion that his life was in danger. The switchboard was jammed with concerned fans and prayers were said for him at the Sunday morning and evening services at both of the
AnglicanThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
and
CatholicThe word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Cathedrals. However, late on 28 September, Shankly suffered another heart attack and he died, aged 68, at 1.20am on 29 September 1981. He was cremated, and his ashes buried at the Anfield Crematorium on 2 October.
The
Labour PartyThe Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
conference stood in a minute's silence when his death was announced, for a man who had always been a socialist. Sir
Matt BusbySir Alexander Matthew "Matt" Busby, CBE, KCSG was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–1971 season...
was so upset when he heard the news of Shankly's death that he refused to take any telephone calls from people asking him for a reaction. Some years before his death, Shankly had paid tribute to Busby, saying that he was "the greatest football manager who ever lived".
On the evening following Shankly's death Liverpool defeated
Oulun PalloseuraOulun Palloseura, OPS for short, is a Finnish football club based in Oulu.The football team is currently playing in the Finnish second tier, Ykkönen.-Season to season:-Current Squad 2011:-External links:*...
7–0 in the
European Champions' CupThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
; prior to the kick off a banner was unfurled on the Kop which read "Shankly Lives Forever".
Four days after his death, Liverpool played
Swansea CitySwansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
in a first division match. Swansea manager
John ToshackJohn Benjamin Toshack OBE is a Welsh former footballer and manager. He is currently the manager of Macedonia. He has also managed several others clubs including Swansea City, who he took from the Fourth Division to the First in four seasons.As a player, he is remembered for being part of the...
, a player Shankly had signed for Liverpool, wore a Liverpool shirt for the minute silence prior to the match.
Shankly's widow, Nessie Shankly, outlived her husband by almost 21 years. She died, aged 82, after suffering a heart attack on 2 August 2002. At the time of her death, she was still living in the house on Bellefield Avenue,
West DerbyWest Derby is a suburb in the north of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is also a Liverpool City Council ward. At the 2001 Census, the population of the ward was 14,801 .-History:...
, where she had moved on her husband's appointment as Liverpool manager in 1959.
The Shankly Gates were erected in 1982 in tribute to Shankly; Shankly's widow Nessie unlocked them for the first time on 26 August 1982. Across the Shankly Gates are the words
You'll Never Walk Alone, an expression of solidarity familiar to all Liverpool fans. Fans still continue to tie scarves to the gates, to chant his name to the tune of his favourite hymn
Amazing Grace"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...
, and the distinctive metal work above the gates is featured above the club crest.
From the mid-1990s Preston North End commenced a complete rebuilding of
their groundDeepdale is a stadium in the Deepdale area of Preston, England, the home of Preston North End F.C. and, up to 2010, England's National Football Museum. Preston North End are one of the founder members of the Football League.- History :...
to convert it into a modern all-seater stadium. When the former Spion Kop end was replaced by a new stand in 1998 it was named the Bill Shankly Kop, and was designed with different coloured seats providing an image of Shankly's head and shoulders.
His grandsons Keiran and Darren Shankly, who were both born after his death, were given a box at
AnfieldAnfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
. However, it appears they have never used the box, the Shanklys being a discreet family who shun the limelight.
Shankly was made an inaugural inductee of the
English Football Hall of FameThe English Football Hall of Fame is housed at the National Football Museum, currently being relocated to Manchester, England. The Hall aims to celebrate and highlight the achievements of the all-time top English footballing talents, as well as non-English players and managers who have become...
in 2002, in recognition of his impact on the English game as a manager.
The
Mersey PoetThe Liverpool Poets are a number of influential 1960s poets from Liverpool, England, influenced by 1950s Beat poetry. They were involved in the 1960s Liverpool scene that gave rise to The Beatles, during a time when the city was termed by US beat poet Allen Ginsberg "the centre of the consciousness...
Adrian HenriAdrian Henri was a British poet and painter best remembered as the founder of poetry-rock group The Liverpool Scene and as one of three poets in the best-selling anthology The Mersey Sound, along with Brian Patten and Roger McGough. The trio of Liverpool poets came to prominence in that city's...
, a die-hard
LiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
supporter dedicated a poem "The Thoughts of Chairman Shankly" to Shankly.
Playing
- 1934 Second Division runner-up (with Preston North End)
- 1937 FA Cup finalist. (with Preston North End)
- 1938 FA Cup winner. (with Preston North End)
- 1941 Wartime Cup winner (with Preston North End)
Managerial
- First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
- Champions: 1963–64, 1965–66, 1972–73
- Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
- FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
- Winners: 1965
The 1965 FA Cup Final took place on 1 May 1965 at Wembley Stadium. It was the 93rd year, 84th final and the 37th to be played at Wembley...
, 1974The 1974 FA Cup Final was contested by Liverpool and Newcastle United at Wembley. In a one-sided match Liverpool won 3–0, with goals from Kevin Keegan and Steve Heighway...
- UEFA Cup
- Winners: 1973
The 1973 UEFA Cup Final was an association football match played over two-legs between Liverpool F.C. of England and Borussia Mönchengladbach of West Germany on 10 May, 1973 and 23 May, 1973 at Anfield, Liverpool and the Bökelbergstadion, Mönchengladbach. It was the final two matches of the 1972–73...
- FA Charity Shield
The Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
- Winners: 1966, 1974
The 1974 FA Charity Shield was a football match played on 10 August 1974 between 1973–74 champions Leeds United and 1974 FA Cup Final winners Liverpool...
- Shared: 1964
The 1964 FA Charity Shield was the 42nd FA Charity Shield, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's First Division and FA Cup competitions. The match was played on 15 August 1964 at Anfield, Liverpool and contested by Liverpool, who had won the 1963–64 First...
, 1965The 1965 FA Charity Shield was the 43rd FA Charity Shield, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's First Division and FA Cup competitions. The match was played on 14 August 1965 at Old Trafford, Manchester and contested by Manchester United, who had won the...
- 1973 English Manager of The Year
Managerial statistics
| Team |
From |
To |
Games |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Win % |
|
1949 |
1951
|
|
1951 |
1953
|
|
1956 |
1959
|
|
1959 |
1974
|
Total
|
Quotations
- An interview on a Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
chat-show hosted by Shelley RohdeGillian Shelley Mary Rohde was a British journalist and author. She was best known in the North West of England as a reporter and presenter on Granada Reports, but she is more widely remembered as the biographer of the artist L. S...
in 1981 produced arguably Shankly's most famous (and most often misquoted) quote – "Someone said to me 'To you football is a matter of life or death!' and I said 'Listen, it's more important than that'." But on the official Liverpoolfc.tv website, it states that the official quote is "Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that." It is likely that Shankly paraphrased a quote attributed in the 1950s to Henry Russell SandersHenry Russell "Red" Sanders was an American college football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Vanderbilt University and the University of California at Los Angeles , compiling a career college football record of 102–41–3...
, an American football college coach, although his was referring to a rival – "Beating 'SC is not a matter..."
- "A lot of football success is in the mind. You must believe you are the best and then make sure that you are. In my time at Anfield we always said we had the best two teams on Merseyside, Liverpool and Liverpool reserves."
- "If Everton were playing at the bottom of the garden, I'd pull the curtains." (Ironically, his home in West Derby was opposite Everton's former training ground in Bellefield, where he was always a welcome visitor after his retirement.)
- "If a player is not interfering with play or seeking to gain an advantage, then he should be." (about the offside law, also attributed to Brian Clough
Brian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be...
)
- Shankly was famously competitive in 5-a-side matches, in which his talented full-back, Chris Lawler
Chris Lawler is a former footballer who enjoyed much of Liverpool's success of the 1960s and 1970s.-Life and playing career:...
was also famed for his taciturnity. Bob Paisley was refereeing one day and decreed a goal offside. Shankly argued long and hard, so much so that in the end Bob Paisley asked Lawler: "Chris – you were the last man, was Bill offside?" To which Chris replied "Yes Bob, he was." Shankly exploded with rage. "All these years he keeps his mouth shut, and when he does speak, it's to tell a lie".
- "The socialism I believe in is not really politics. It is a way of living. It is humanity. I believe the only way to live and to be truly successful is by collective effort, with everyone working for each other, everyone helping each other, and everyone having a share of the rewards at the end of the day. That might be asking a lot, but it's the way I see football and the way I see life."
- Shankly was once asked how a top star of the 1970s compared to his former Preston North End teammate Tom Finney
Sir Thomas Finney, OBE is a former English footballer, famous for his loyalty to his league club, Preston North End, and for his performances in the English national side....
: "Aye, he's as good as Tommy – but then Tommy's nearly 60 now."
- On playing for the Scotland national team, Shankly remarked "It's fantastic. You look down at your dark blue shirt, and the wee lion looks up at you and says 'Get out after those English bastards!'"
- "My idea was to build Liverpool into a bastion of invincibility. Napoleon had that idea. He wanted to conquer the bloody world. I wanted Liverpool to be untouchable. My idea was to build Liverpool up and up until eventually everyone would have to submit and give in."
- "First is first. Second is nothing."
- "There's only two teams in the whole of Liverpool; Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and Liverpool Reserves"
- "When I've got nothing better to do, I look down the league table to see how Everton are getting along"
External links