Red or Dead (6 page)

Matt Busby stopped stirring his tea. He put the teaspoon down in the saucer. He looked up from his cup. And Matt Busby smiled –

You’re not a quitter, Bill. You’re not going to resign ...

I am, Matt. I am. I’ve had enough, Matt. Enough.

Matt Busby picked up his cup. He took a sip of tea. He put the cup back down in the saucer. And Matt Busby looked at Bill –

So you’ve another job to go to then, Bill? Something else lined up, have you? Lined up just waiting for you, Bill?

No, Matt. No. But I don’t care, Matt. I don’t care any more.

Matt Busby took another sip of tea. He put the cup down again. He looked at Bill again. And Matt Busby sighed –

But then what about Nessie and the girls, Bill? You can’t just quit, you can’t just walk away. Think of your family, Bill ...

But I don’t care, Matt. I really don’t care.

Matt Busby shook his head –

If you had another job to go to, if you had a better opportunity, then that would be one thing, and then things would be different. But you haven’t, Bill. You haven’t. You’ve nothing, Bill. Nothing. And I honestly don’t think you’ll find anything better than this, a better
opportunity than this one you have now, Bill. I really don’t think so. I really don’t, Bill. And I also don’t think you want to be sat at home all day now, do you? Under Nessie’s feet all day, Bill. Now that wouldn’t be for you, would it? That wouldn’t be for you at all, Bill.

I don’t care, Matt. I really don’t care.

But you do care, Bill. I know you care. I know you do, Bill.

Bill shook his head. And Bill said, But you don’t know what it’s like, Matt. You don’t know what it’s like. It’s hard enough trying to win the battles on the pitch, Matt. You know that. But then I’ve got all these constant bloody battles off the pitch, Matt. Just trying to make them realise what it is we’re working for ...

But I do know, Bill. I do know. And you know I know. And you also know it’s always hard work. You knew that when you took the job, Bill. That it would be a hard job. That it’s always a hard job. Always. It was the same for me. And it’s
still
the same for me. It’s still hard work, Bill. Always hard work.

I know that, Matt. I do know that. But at Grimsby, at Huddersfield, I knew the limitations. And so I knew I had taken them as far as I could. I knew I’d reached the limits of their ambitions. And so I knew that it was pointless to stay on. But I thought it would be different at Liverpool. I thought there would be more ambition. More ambition and more potential. Ambition and potential to succeed.

And there is, Bill. There is. You were right.

Bill shook his head again. And Bill said, But I tell them we need a goalkeeper. And they say the one we have got is good enough. But what they really mean is, he’s good enough to keep them in the top half of the Second Division. In the top half of the Second Division, with gates of just over twenty thousand. That’s all they want. Top half of the Second Division. With gates over twenty thousand. That’s good enough for them, Matt. That’s all they want.

But it’s not good enough for you, said Matt Busby. It’s not what you want, Bill. I know that, I know that. And that’s also why I know you should not quit, Bill. Why I know you should not walk away now. Because Liverpool do have the potential. And no other club has that same potential. But only you have the ambition. No other manager has that same ambition. And so if you stick with it, things are bound to break for you, Bill. They are bound to break. I promise you, Bill. But
not if you quit. Not if you walk away now, Bill. Before you have hardly begun, before you have hardly started.

On Saturday 3 September, 1960, Liverpool Football Club beat Brighton and Hove Albion with two goals from Jimmy Harrower. Four days later, Liverpool Football Club drew two-all with Luton Town. Then Liverpool Football Club lost one–nil at Ipswich Town and two–one at Luton Town. Liverpool Football Club had played eight games this season. But Liverpool Football Club had won just twice this season. Liverpool Football Club had only six points from a possible sixteen. Liverpool Football Club were seventeenth in the Second Division. Liverpool Football Club were going backwards, Liverpool Football Club were falling. And their gates were falling, too.
Forty-three
thousand and forty-one folk had come to Anfield for the first game of the season. Thirty-seven thousand, six hundred and four folk for the next home match. The match Liverpool Football Club had lost one–nil to Southampton Football Club. Only twenty-seven thousand, three hundred and thirty-nine folk had come to Anfield for the game against Luton Town. In the pubs and in the clubs of Liverpool, folk began to question Bill Shankly. Folk began to ask if Bill Shankly was the right man to manage Liverpool Football Club. Folk began to ask what exactly were Bill Shankly’s qualifications for the job. What had Bill Shankly ever done? What had Bill Shankly ever won?

...

After the game at Kenilworth Road, the defeat to Luton Town. After Liverpool Football Club had come back home, home to Anfield. Bob Paisley had gone into the ground, Bob Paisley had gone under the stands. Among the piles of dirty boots, on an upturned beer crate. Bob Paisley took out his copy of the
Sporting Life
, Bob Paisley looked down at his copy of the
Sporting Life
. And then Bob Paisley heard footsteps in the corridor. Fast steps, heavy steps. Bob Paisley looked up from his copy of the
Sporting Life
. Bob Paisley saw Bill Shankly. In the doorway to the boot room. And Bob Paisley said, Hello, Boss.

Hello, Bob. Hello, said Bill Shankly. Are you busy, Bob? Or
do you have the time? The time for a chat, Bob?

Bob Paisley smiled. And Bob Paisley said, I’ve always the time, Boss. Come in. Have a seat, Boss.

Thank you, Bob, said Bill Shankly. And Bill Shankly walked into the boot room. Bill Shankly sat down on an upturned beer crate.

Bob Paisley smiled again. And Bob Paisley said, Now what’s on your mind, Boss? What’s on your mind?

No doubt the same as what’s on yours, said Bill Shankly.

Bob Paisley nodded. And Bob Paisley said, Aye, Boss. Aye. It’s been a bad start, Boss. A very bad start.

I keep going over things in my mind, said Bill Shankly. Over the things I’ve done, Bob. All the things I’ve done. Over and over, round and round, Bob. In my mind. Over and over, round and round, Bob. Wondering where I’ve gone wrong. Where I’m going wrong, Bob. And how to put it right. How to bloody fix it, Bob.

Bob Paisley nodded again. And Bob Paisley said, Aye, Boss. I’m the same. It’s the same with me, Boss.

But I know it’s me, Bob. It must be me. It’s my fault, Bob.

Bob Paisley shook his head. And Bob Paisley said, No, Boss. No. It’s not you, Boss. It’s not you. It’s never one man, Boss. It’s all of us. It’s every one of us, Boss.

Thank you, said Bill Shankly. Thank you, Bob. But Albert was right. You were all right, Bob. The players were not fit enough. The players
are
not fit enough. They were used to the road-work. They were used to the running. I should have listened to you, listened to you all.

Bob Paisley shook his head again. And Bob Paisley said, No, Boss. No. You were right, Boss. You were right. The players do their playing on the grass. So they should do their running on the grass. You were right, Boss. And you are still right. Still right, Boss.

But the players are just not fit enough, said Bill Shankly. I know that and you know that, Bob. We can see that.

Bob Paisley nodded. And Bob Paisley said, You remember you told us how you used to spend your summers? When you were a player yourself, Boss? How you used to go back to Glenbuck. Every summer. How you used to spend your days running across the fields and up the hills. Every day. Then how you spent your nights playing football with the men from the village. Every night.

Aye, said Bill Shankly. It was no holiday. No summer holiday. But my mother never believed in holidays. She used to say, Every day you wake up and you can get up and you can do your work, then that is a holiday. That is what she believed. That is how she raised us.

Bob Paisley smiled. And Bob Paisley said, Not many that believe that now, Boss. Not many that were raised that way. Not these days, Boss. Not in our team. Not this lot, Boss. They’ll have been sat in their deckchairs. On the front. Or sat on their sofas. In front of their televisions. Eating chips, drinking beer. Getting fat, getting lazy. That’s how this lot’ll have spent their sodding summers.

Aye, said Bill Shankly again. Aye. You’re right there, Bob.

Bob Paisley nodded. And Bob Paisley said, But you were right, too, Boss. Right to ease them back in. No good giving them bloody heart attacks on their first day back. No good at all.

Aye, said Bill Shankly. But we need to pick up the pace now.

Bob Paisley nodded again. And Bob Paisley said, Yes, Boss. We need to pick up the pace. We need to make them sweat.

Bill Shankly sprang forward on the upturned beer crate. Bill Shankly took out a book from his jacket pocket. A notebook. Bill Shankly flicked through the pages. The pages of notes. And then Bill Shankly stopped. Bill Shankly thrust the open book at Bob Paisley –

Look at that, said Bill Shankly. Look at that, Bob! It might just be the answer. It might just be what we need, Bob.

Bob Paisley took the book from Bill Shankly. Bob Paisley stared down at the lines on the page. The lines of a sketch, the lines of a diagram. And Bob Paisley said, What is it, Boss? What is it?

It’s a box, said Bill Shankly. It’s a box, Bob!

What kind of box, Boss?

A box to make them sweat, Bob. A box to make them sweat.

Bob Paisley looked back down at the lines on the page. The lines of a sketch, the lines of a diagram. The lines of a box. Bob Paisley nodded. And Bob Paisley said, Then what are we waiting for?

We’ll need some wood, said Bill Shankly. Plenty of wood, Bob.

Bob Paisley said, I can get us the wood, Boss. Plenty of wood.

And we’ll need some hammers, Bob. And some nails.

I’ve got the hammers, Boss. And I’ve got the nails.

And in the night, back out at Melwood. Bill Shankly and Bob
Paisley built the box. Out of wood, with hammers. And with nails. Four large boards, eight feet high. Ten yards apart. That was the box, the box for the players. The box to make the players sweat, the box to make the players work. Two players in the box. And a ball over the top into the box. The first player shoots against one board. First time. The other player hits 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. Into the box. Then for two minutes. Ball after ball. Into the box. Then for three minutes. Ball after ball. Into the box. Again and again. Ball after ball. Into the box. Every second. Shot after shot. Every second. Inside the box. Every player. Player after player. Into the box, inside the box. The players working in the box, the box working on the players. Because the box worked –

The box bloody worked.

…

In September, 1960, Liverpool Football Club beat Scunthorpe United and they beat Leyton Orient. In October, 1960, Liverpool Football Club beat Derby County and they beat Lincoln City. And they drew with Portsmouth Football Club. They beat Huddersfield Town and they drew with Sunderland Football Club. But in November, 1960, Liverpool Football Club beat Plymouth Argyle. They beat Norwich City and they beat Charlton Athletic.

On Saturday 26 November, 1960, Sheffield United came to Anfield, Liverpool. That afternoon, thirty-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine folk came, too. Sheffield United were top of the Second Division. In the thirtieth minute, Jimmy Harrower scored. In the fifty-fifth minute, Dave Hickson scored. In the sixty-third minute, Harrower scored again. And in the seventy-seventh minute, Harrower scored his third. And Liverpool Football Club beat Sheffield United four–two. That evening, Liverpool Football Club had twenty-six points. And Liverpool Football Club were second in the Second Division.

In December, 1960, Liverpool Football Club beat Swansea Town and they drew at Leeds United. On Boxing Day, 1960, Liverpool Football Club beat Rotherham United. That evening, Liverpool Football Club were unbeaten in fourteen games. And Liverpool Football Club were still second in the Second Division.

On Tuesday 27 December, 1960, the day after Boxing Day,
Liverpool Football Club travelled to Millmoor to play Rotherham United again. And Liverpool Football Club lost one–nil. Four days later, on New Year’s Eve 1960, Middlesbrough Football Club came to Anfield, Liverpool. That New Year’s Eve, thirty-four thousand, six hundred and fifty-four folk came, too. In the twenty-first minute, Alan A’Court scored. In the thirty-fifth minute, Kevin Lewis scored. In the fifty-sixth minute, Lewis scored again. But Liverpool Football Club lost four–three to Middlesbrough Football Club. At home, at Anfield –

After the whistle, the final whistle. In the dressing room, the home dressing room. The players of Liverpool Football Club looked at Bill Shankly. Bill Shankly standing in the dressing room, Bill Shankly staring at the players. From player to player. From Slater to Molyneux. From Molyneux to Byrne. From Byrne to Campbell. From Campbell to White. From White to Leishman. From Leishman to Lewis. From Lewis to Hunt. From Hunt to Hickson. From Hickson to Harrower. From Harrower to A’Court. And Bill Shankly said, You tried your best, boys. You tried your very best. Each and every one of you, lads. Every single one of you. And so I could not have asked for more, boys. Nothing more. But I know we have lost twice in a row now, lads. And no one likes it. None of us, boys. Not one single one of us. But we went fourteen games without losing, lads. And so I know we can go another fourteen games without losing. Another forty, boys! I know we can, I know we can. So this is not the end, lads. Not the end. This can still be our season, boys. I know it can be. Our season for promotion, lads!

...

On Saturday 7 January, 1961, Coventry City came to Anfield, Liverpool. That afternoon, fifty thousand, nine hundred and nine folk came, too. Fifty thousand, nine hundred and nine folk to watch Liverpool Football Club play Coventry City in the Third Round of the FA Cup. In the thirty-seventh minute, Roger Hunt scored. In the fortieth minute, Kevin Lewis scored. In the sixty-first minute, Jimmy Harrower scored. And Liverpool Football Club beat Coventry City three–two in the Third Round of the FA Cup. At home, at Anfield. One week later, Liverpool Football Club lost to Brighton and Hove Albion in the League. One week after that, Sunderland Football Club came to Anfield, Liverpool. That afternoon, forty-six thousand, one hundred and eighty-five folk came, too. Forty-six thousand, one
hundred and eighty-five folk to watch Liverpool Football Club play Sunderland Football Club in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup. In the third minute, Hooper scored. In the fourteenth minute, Lawther scored. And Liverpool Football Club lost two–nil to Sunderland Football Club in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup. At home, at Anfield. Liverpool Football Club were out of the FA Cup. Again.

...

In February, 1961, Liverpool Football Club beat Scunthorpe United. They beat Leyton Orient. They beat Derby County. And they beat Lincoln City. In March, 1961, Liverpool Football Club drew with Portsmouth Football Club. They beat Huddersfield Town. They lost to Swansea Town and they drew with Plymouth Argyle. On the last day of March, 1961, Liverpool Football Club beat Bristol Rovers three–nil. At home, at Anfield. That evening, Liverpool Football Club were third in the Second Division. Sheffield United were second and Ipswich Town were first. But just one point separated Liverpool Football Club and Sheffield United. Just one point, one single point –

On Tuesday 4 April, 1961, Liverpool Football Club travelled to Bramall Lane, Sheffield. In the seventy-second minute, Johnny Morrissey scored for Liverpool Football Club. But Liverpool Football Club could only draw one-all with Sheffield United. That night, Liverpool Football Club had forty-seven points. Sheffield United had forty-eight points and Ipswich Town had fifty-two points. Three days later, Liverpool Football Club travelled to the Eastville Stadium, Bristol. Bristol Rovers were fighting for their lives, Liverpool Football Club were fighting for promotion. And Bristol Rovers beat Liverpool Football Club four–three. That day, Sheffield United won. Four days after that, Liverpool Football Club beat Charlton Athletic two–one. That same day, Sheffield United won again. On Saturday 15 April, 1961, Liverpool Football Club travelled to Carrow Road, Norwich. And Norwich City beat Liverpool Football Club two–one. That day, Sheffield United won again. That night, Liverpool Football Club had forty-nine points. Sheffield United had fifty-four points and Ipswich Town had fifty-five points. Four days later, Sheffield United beat Derby County. Sheffield United now had fifty-six points. That night, Sheffield United were promoted in second place and Ipswich Town were promoted as Champions. Liverpool Football Club were not
promoted. Liverpool Football Club finished third in the Second Division. Third again.