On the afternoon of the final, in the hours before the match. In the city, outside the stadium. Things had already started, things had already kicked off. Thousands of supporters of Liverpool Football Club had no tickets for the final. But thousands of supporters of Liverpool Football Club had still come to the Parc des Princes. To be near the final, to be near their team. But thousands of French policemen stood between them and the final, them and their team. Thousands of French policemen with batons and with guns. In their way, with tear gas. And some of the supporters of Liverpool Football Club threw empty beer bottles at the thousands of French policemen. Bottles in the air, bottles raining down. And some of the French policemen fired tear gas at the thousands of supporters of Liverpool Football Club. Tears in their eyes, gas in the air. Blowing into the Parc des Princes. Into the stadium, into the stands. The Kop of Boulogne. This stand named in honour of the Kop of Anfield. The Spion Kop.
In his seat, in the stands. Bill Shankly rubbed his eyes. Bill Shankly blinked. On the edge of his seat in the stands. Bill Shankly looked down at the pitch. Bill Shankly stared down at the players. The players of Liverpool Football Club. Ray Clemence. Phil Neal. Alan Kennedy. Phil Thompson. Ray Kennedy. Alan Hansen. Kenny Dalglish. Sammy Lee. David Johnson. Terry McDermott. Graeme Souness. Jimmy Case. Steve Ogrizovic. Colin Irwin. Richard Money and Howard Gayle. The players of Liverpool Football Club coming out into the stadium, out onto the pitch. And on another night, at another final. Bill Shankly heard that reception again, Bill Shankly heard that roar again. And on the edge of his seat in the stands. Bill Shankly looked around the ground, around the stadium. All the grounds and all the stadiums. At all the banners, at all the flags. All the red banners and all the red flags. And Bill Shankly closed his eyes,
Bill Shankly closed his eyes. And Bill Shankly smiled.
Back at the hotel, back at the reception. Bob Paisley was standing at the bar, standing on his own at the bar. And Bob Paisley saw Bill Shankly. Bill Shankly on his own, Bill Shankly walking towards Bob Paisley. Bill Shankly shook Bob Paisley’s hand –
Congratulations, Bob. Congratulations. I could not be happier for you, Bob. I just could not be more pleased for you …
And Bob Paisley said, Thank you, Bill.
I mean, after John won the European Cup with Celtic. I said to John, I said, You know you are immortal now, John. But I mean, you have won the European Cup three times now, Bob. Three bloody times. And so you are immortal, Bob. More than immortal!
Bob Paisley shook his head. And Bob Paisley said, No, Bill. No. There is only one immortal at Liverpool Football Club, Bill. And that immortal is you. That man is you, Bill. Because none of this, none of these cups. None of it could have happened without you, Bill. It’s all because of you. All because of you, Bill …
That is very kind of you, Bob. Very kind of you to say that. But I know I’m not immortal, Bob. I know I’m mortal. Very mortal.
90. Y. N. W. A
The game not finished, the match never finished. The pain in his heart and the smoke in his eyes. The city had been in flames, sirens in the air. Bill closed his eyes. On a stretcher, in an ambulance. Bill opened his eyes. And Bill saw Ness. His daughters and his granddaughters. And Bill smiled. In the bed, in the hospital. Bill closed his eyes again. His eyes closed, for the last time. Bill was in the field. For all time. Bill had rolled the stone from the tomb. In the field. Bill saw the tree. Its blossoms gone, its leaves fallen and its branches bowed. In the field. Bill walked towards the tree. In the field. Bill stood before the tree. In the field. Bill looked up at the tree. Its branches that would rise up again, its leaves and blossoms that would come again. In the field. Bill touched the tree. This tree standing tall, this tree standing triumphant. Triumphant and resurrected now. Now and for all time. In the field. Bill knew this tree, Bill loved this tree. Her name was Liberty, her name was Liverpool.
The Argument III (cont.)
On the train, at their table. Harold stared out of the window. Harold did not recognise the landscape, Harold did not recognise the place. Harold turned away from the window. And Harold took a postcard from out of his jacket pocket. Harold put down the postcard on the table. Harold slid the postcard across the table towards Bill. Harold smiled. And Harold said, You know who that is, Bill?
Aye, said Bill. Of course I do. It’s the Huddersfield Town side that won the Championship three seasons running.
Harold shook his head. And Harold said, No, on the other side. Turn it over, Bill. Do you know who that is?
Bill picked up the postcard. Bill turned over the postcard. And Bill read the words on the back of the postcard:
Up the Town, Nikita Khrushchev
Bill looked up from the words on the back of the postcard. Bill looked across the table at Harold. And Bill nodded. Bill smiled. And Bill heard the whistle of the train. Bill heard the voice of the guard –
All change here! All change, please!
SOURCES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book is a work of fiction. And so this book is a novel. The following books all helped to inspire this work of fiction, this novel. However, I would like to pay particular tribute to four books:
SHANKLY: My Story by Bill Shankly, with John Roberts (1976, 2011).
Shanks: The Authorized Biography by Dave Bowler (1996).
It’s Much More Important Than That by Stephen F. Kelly (1997).
The REAL Bill Shankly by Karen Gill (2007).
And then …
44 Years with the Same Bird by Brian Reade (2009).
A Strange Kind of Glory by Eamon Dunphy (1991).
Best and Edwards by Gordon Burn (2006).
Bob Paisley: An Autobiography by Bob Paisley (1983).
Bob Paisley: Manager of the Millennium by John Keith (1999).
Burns the Radical by Liam McIlvanney (2002).
Cally on the Ball by Ian Callaghan and John Keith (2010).
Crazy Horse by Emlyn Hughes (1980).
Dalglish by Kenny Dalglish, with Henry Winter (1996).
Dynasty by Paul Tomkins (2008).
Everton: The School of Science by James Corbett (2003, 2010).
Ghost on the Walclass="underline" The Authorised Biography of Roy Evans by Derek Dohan (2004).
Harold Wilson by Austen Morgan (1992).
Harold Wilson by Ben Pimlott (1992).
If You’re Second You Are Nothing by Oliver Holt (2006).
In a League of Their Own by Jeremy Novick (1995).
Jock Stein by Archie Macpherson (2004).
Kevin Keegan by Kevin Keegan, with John Roberts (1977).
Kevin Keegan by Kevin Keegan (1997).
Life of Robert Burns by John Stuart Blackie (1888).
Liverpool 800 edited by John Belcham (2006).
Matt Busby: Soccer at the Top by Matt Busby (1973).
Mr Shankly’s Photograph by Stephen F. Kelly (2002).