In the twenty-seventh minute, McDermott scored. In the thirty-ninth minute, Dalglish scored. In the fifty-fourth minute, Dalglish scored again. And in the seventy-first minute, Altrincham won a penalty. And Heathcote scored the penalty. In front of the Kop, the Spion Kop. And in the eighty-eighth minute, Ray Kennedy scored. And Liverpool Football Club beat Altrincham Football Club four — one in the Third Round of the FA Cup –
At Anfield, at home.
88. THE RELIGION OF MY TIME
In the house, in their hall. The letters still came and the telephone still rang. But not the letters from clubs, not the calls from chairmen. Not these days. But in the house, in their hall. The letters from charities still came, the calls from hospitals still came. The Royal Society for the Blind on Merseyside and the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. Letters Bill always wanted to answer, calls Bill always wanted to take. And in the house, in their hall. Other letters came, other calls came. Letters from local businesses asking Bill to help them win contracts, calls from local radio and television asking Bill to appear on their shows. And if he could still help, if he could still make people happy. Then Bill was still happy to help. Once or twice a week. Sometimes three, even four times a week. Bill would put on his suit again. Bill would put on his tie again. And Bill would kiss Ness goodbye again.
In the car park of Granada Television Studios in Manchester. Bill got out of the car. Bill walked across the car park. Bill walked into Granada Television Studios. Bill walked up to reception. And Bill said, Hello. My name is Bill Shankly. I am here for the Live from Two show. I am to be a guest on the show today …
The man on the reception desk nodded. The man on the reception desk picked up the telephone. And then the man on the reception desk asked Bill to wait for someone to come down and take him along to the studio. And Bill waited in the reception. And then Bill followed a young woman along to the studio. Along to the dressing room. And Bill sat in the dressing room at the Granada Television Studios. On his own, in the dressing room. Before the mirror, in the dressing room. In his grey suit and his white shirt. And his red and white striped tie. In the dressing room, in the mirror. Bill waited for the other guest to arrive. And then the dressing-room door opened. And Sir Harold Wilson came into the dressing room. With his two bodyguards, his protection. His special protection. And Bill got up from his chair. And Bill shook hands with Sir Harold Wilson. And Bill said, It’s good to see you, Sir Harold. It’s great to see you. How are you, Sir Harold? How are you? I was very sorry to hear you were so ill last year. And so I was very pleased to hear you would be coming on this show today. In fact, it was one of the reasons I said yes …
Thank you, said Sir Harold Wilson. Thank you very much, Bill. It is very kind of you. Very kind of you indeed, Bill. And thank you for your card, your card when I was in hospital …
Bill shook his head. And Bill said, No, no. That was nothing, the very least I could do. I was very worried …
Yes, said Sir Harold Wilson. I wasn’t sure myself if I was going to make it. If I was going to pull through. I had three operations, you know? And they were quite common ones. But they told me they had to take out half my guts to keep me alive. Half my guts, Bill.
But you are OK now? I mean, you look well enough…
Thank you, said Sir Harold Wilson again. And yes, now I am one hundred per cent. But as you know, I have decided to step down at Huyton, at the next election. I will not stand again, Bill.
Bill nodded. And Bill said, Yes, I was very sorry to hear that. And I did worry it was for health reasons. I was very concerned …
No, said Sir Harold Wilson. Not for health reasons, Bill. Not really. To be honest with you, Bill. I just feel there is no reason really to go on. I remember, within a week of meeting my wife, I told her, I told Mary, I said, I am going to marry you. I am going to become an MP. And become prime minister. And it is what I did. And I did it four times, Bill. And that is as good as any prime minister before me.
Bill nodded again. And Bill said, Yes. That is something.
Sir Harold Wilson sat down now. In the dressing room, before the mirror. His shoulders hunched now, his hair white now –
But I just feel I have done as much as I will ever do, said Sir Harold Wilson. As much as I can ever do now, Bill.
And then the dressing-room door opened again. And Shelley Rohde came into the dressing room. And Shelley Rohde shook hands with Sir Harold Wilson and with Bill. Bill liked Shelley Rohde. Bill liked her laugh. Bill liked her book on L. S. Lowry. And Bill liked the story Shelley told about L. S. Lowry. The first time Shelley went to interview Lowry. In his house. Lowry told her he had given up painting. Lowry told her he was too old. But then Shelley had looked again at the painting in the room. In his house –
The painting was still wet.
Now Shelley Rohde led Sir Harold Wilson and Bill along the corridor to the television studio. First Shelley would interview Sir Harold. And Bill would wait in the wings. In the wings, behind the set. Bill listened to Shelley Rohde interview Sir Harold Wilson about his new book. His book on the State of Israel. His thoughts on Zionism. About his family, about his upbringing. Church and chapel. Unemployment and typhoid. Scouting and university. His career and his politics. The public image and the private man. With a slow pulse rate and with a quiet heartbeat. And then Shelley introduced James Conroy-Ward. And now James Conroy-Ward sang Admiral Porter’s song from H.M.S. Pinafore —
Bill waiting in the wings, Bill listening in the wings. Waiting and listening, unbuttoning his jacket and buttoning his jacket until Bill heard Shelley say –
Welcome back. Now our next guest grew up in Ayrshire, one of five sons in a family of ten. Almost inevitably, at the age of fourteen, he went to work in the mines. And only when that pit closed, three years later, did he find his way from the dole into football. By the time he was twenty-five, he was not only an international but he also played for Preston North End in 1938, when they won the FA Cup Final. Now ironically, eighteen years later, he found himself manager of the club they had beaten in that final, Huddersfield Town. His subsequent triumphs with Liverpool are too numerous to mention. Suffice to say, when he retired as manager, he was offered a radio chat show which he accepted on the condition that his first guest was Sir Harold Wilson. So here now, for a return match –
Ladies and gentlemen, Bill Shankly!
Bill stepped out from the wings. Bill unbuttoned his jacket. Bill walked towards the sofa. And Bill shook hands with Shelley and with Sir Harold. Bill sat down between Shelley and Sir Harold. And Bill said, That was the reason I put the show on, because you were first …
But why did you particularly want him, asked Shelley.