WE WANT THE REDS!
Long after the whistle, the final whistle. Still in the rain, still in the wind. No one would go, no one would leave. And up in the directors’ box, Tom Williams tried to address the crowd. To thank the crowd and to thank the players. But no one could hear, no one was listening. No one going, no one leaving. And so up in the directors’ box, Tom Williams invited Bill Shankly to address the crowd –
One of the hardest things in football, said Bill Shankly. Is to win the Second Division. And to be promoted. And so this is the happiest day of my football life. My football life so far …
But in the rain and in the wind. The public address system was not loud enough. Not loud enough to silence the crowd. The crowd and the Kop. In the rain and in the wind. Their cheering and their chanting. In the rain and in the wind. The Kop cheering and the Kop chanting, WE WANT THE REDS! WE WANT THE REDS!
OH, WE WANT THE REDS!
THE REDS! THE REDS!
THE REDS!
No one going, no one leaving. In the rain and in the wind. Tom Williams told Bill Shankly he had better go back down to the dressing room. And fast. Bill Shankly ran back down to the dressing room. Fast. Bill Shankly burst into the dressing room, the home dressing room –
You’ll have to go back out there, said Bill Shankly. You’ll all have to go back out there, boys. The crowd want you. The crowd still want you, lads. So give the crowd a lap of honour. Give them what they want, boys. What they deserve. And you deserve …
And in their shorts and in their socks, the players of Liverpool Football Club ran back up the tunnel. The Anfield tunnel. And the players of Liverpool Football Club ran back out onto the pitch. The Anfield pitch. And the supporters of Liverpool Football Club roared, the supporters of Liverpool Football Club cried, REDS! REDS! REDS!
But the players of Liverpool Football Club could not give the crowd their lap of honour. The players of Liverpool Football Club could not get but twenty yards. On the pitch, the Anfield pitch. The crowd swallowed up the players, the crowd took up the players. Into their arms and into their hearts. And on the pitch, the Anfield pitch. The police had to rescue the players. The police had to help the players. Back down the tunnel, back to the dressing room. Back to their mugs of champagne, back to their celebration. In the dressing room, the home dressing room. Bill Shankly clapped his hands together –
Now you know what it means, laughed Bill Shankly. What it means to play for this club, boys. To play for Liverpool Football Club!
…
After the champagne, after the celebrations. The directors of Liverpool Football Club looked down the long table at Bill Shankly. The directors of Liverpool Football Club smiled at Bill Shankly. And the directors of Liverpool Football Club said, Well done, Mr Shankly. Well done indeed! What a season it has been, Mr Shankly. What a great season! The best season in years, Mr Shankly. The very best in years! And as a token of our gratitude, Mr Shankly. As a token of our thanks, we would like to present you with this cigarette box. This engraved silver cigarette box. There is one box for you, Mr Shankly. And there is one for all your staff. And one for every player. As a token of our gratitude. As a token of our thanks, Mr Shankly.
Thank you, said Bill Shankly. Thank you very much, gentlemen. But I just hope no one here in this room, no one here at this table, thinks that this is satisfactory. That this is enough?
The directors of Liverpool Football Club stopped smiling. The directors of Liverpool Football Club looked back down the long table at Bill Shankly. And the directors of Liverpool Football Club said, What do you mean, Mr Shankly? What do you mean? Were you hoping for something more, Mr Shankly? Is this box not enough?
I do not mean the box, said Bill Shankly. I mean promotion. I mean, I hope no one in this room, no one at this table, thinks promotion is enough. That promotion is satisfactory. Yes, Liverpool Football Club are back in the First Division. Back in the Big League. But that is only where Liverpool Football Club belong. Only where they should have been all along. In the First Division, in the Big League. So the next time you come bearing gifts, bringing presents, it will be because we’ve won the Big League. Because Liverpool Football Club have won the First Division. And the FA Cup. And the European Cup. And every cup there is to win. Because only that will be satisfactory, gentlemen. When Liverpool Football Club have won everything there is to win, when Liverpool Football Club have conquered the world. Only that will be enough.
10. THOSE WHO DEPRIVE THE TABLE OF MEAT
In Blackpool, on the North Shore. In his deckchair, in the sun. Bill looked out across the beach, out across the sands, towards the water, towards the sea. In the sun. Ness was sat in the deckchair next to Bill. Ness had a newspaper on her lap. Her crossword done, her eyes closed now. In the sun. The girls had gone for a walk on the promenade. To the arcades and the amusements. In the sun. Bill closed his eyes now. Bill listened to the waves, Bill listened to the gulls. And Bill heard the voices of children. Children laughing, children playing. In the sun. Bill opened his eyes. Bill looked out across the beach again, out across the sands again. And Bill saw the buckets and the spades. The balls and the games. In the sun. The balls on the beach, the games on the sands. In the sun. Bill got up from his deckchair. Bill took off his shirt and Bill took off his vest. Bill walked down onto the beach, down onto the sands. There was always a game, always another game.
…
In the boardroom, the Anfield boardroom. There were no directors. The directors of Liverpool Football Club were still on their holidays. But Bill was not on his holidays. Not any more. And Bob, Joe, Reuben, Arthur and Albert were not on their holidays. Not any more. In the boardroom, the Anfield boardroom. Bill, Bob, Joe, Reuben, Arthur and Albert were back at work. Their books spread out on the long table. Their books of names, their books of notes. Their sheets of paper piled up on the table. Their sheets of names, their sheets of dates.
And Bill said, We all know we won the Championship in the first month of the season. We all know in that first month we were fitter, we were stronger and we were more competitive than any other team in the League, than any other team in the Second Division. We all know that is how we won promotion, why we were the Champions. But we all know that was in the Second Division. In a different league. Now we are in the First Division. Now we are in the Big League. Now we will need to be even fitter, even stronger and even more competitive. And we also know, in itself, that will not be enough. Not enough in the First Division. In the Big League. We will need to have more artistry, we will need to have more vision. In short, we will need to have more skill. We will need to have much more skill …
Joe, Reuben, Arthur and Albert nodded. And Bob said, And we will need to have more guile, Boss. And we will need to have more confidence. More guile and more confidence, Boss.
Bill nodded. And Bill said, You are right, Bob. You are exactly right. We will need to give the players more guile and we will need to give the players more confidence. Exactly, Bob …