Not only was Bill Shankly one of the greatest, most successful football managers of all time but he could also spin a line like no other.
On the anniversary of his sad passing in 1981, we celebrate some of the iconic Scot’s finest words.
On Liverpool
“Liverpool was made for me and I was made for Liverpool”.
All of the best quotes contain a good dose of truth, otherwise they’re just a glorified song lyric.
When the former Preston right-half headed to Anfield in 1959, he quickly formed an emotional bond with a city that was only four years away from Beatlemania, a city finding its voice again after a period of post-war depression.
What the good people of Merseyside craved as an enormous cherry on top was to have a football team to inspire them every Saturday afternoon. A team to be proud of.
In return, Shankly thrived off the passion of the Liverpudlian public, their working class spirit chiming with his socialist ideals.
It was a match made in heaven.
On The Kop
“If you’re a member of The Kop, you feel as though you’re a member of a big society, where you’ve got thousands of friends all about you. They’re united and loyal.”
It’s fair to assume that Shankly would have transformed Liverpool into a magnificent, trophy-winning side with or without a twenty-odd thousand throng crowd behind one goal. As bonuses go, however, it’s a highly significant one.
The role played by the world-famous stand in the Reds’ rise to dominance is legendary, from proverbially sucking the ball into the net, to scaring the life out of opponents.
The canny manager also used the sea of singing scousers to motivate his team many times over.
“I’ve drummed it into our players time and again that they are privileged to play for you,” he once intoned.
On Everton
“If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, I’d shut the curtains.”
Any mention of Liverpool’s city rivals would typically bring out Shankly’s mischievous side and indeed another of his most fondly recalled one-liners also concerns the Toffees.
On trying to sign Frank Worthington, he insisted the two best teams on Merseyside were Liverpool and Liverpool Reserves.
Yet behind the coy smile and the twinkle in the eye, the great man always had a sincere respect for Everton and was genuinely touched by how warmly he was received at Goodison, particularly post-retirement.
Still, enough of all that. Back to the mischief.
When the Toffees signed Alan Ball from Blackpool in 1966, Shankly gave him a call. 'Congratulations on your move son. You'll be playing near a great side.'
On Building A Dynasty
“My idea was to build Liverpool into a bastion of invincibility. You know, Napoleon had that idea and he conquered the bloody world.”
The Reds were languishing in the Second Division when Shankly took over, and you would have got very generous football odds on them becoming successful, having recently been beaten by non-league Worcester in the cup.
Yet within one year, 24 players departed and the nucleus of a new side began to emerge, one that in due course gained promotion to the top-flight, then bossed it thereafter.
In his last decade at the club, Liverpool won three league titles, two FA Cups and the UEFA Cup. A dynasty had begun.
On Scoring
“If you’re not sure what to do with the ball, just pop it in the net and we’ll discuss your options afterwards.”
It would be fascinating to know what Shankly made of modern-day football. The avalanche of data and VAR. Agents and their demands. The Premier League betting that values corners and cards and everything in between.
When a young Ian St John came to him with a tactical query one day, he was met with the above response. The striker went on to score just shy of a hundred goals in red.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
