shankly.com is part of the

The following collection of anecdotes from friends and associates of Shankly's down the years when seen in isolation may appear as no more than humorous soundbites and throwaway lines.

Though an essential part of the man, his witty and, let's face it, often bizarre way of looking at life, is more clearly explained by the fact that he was simply devoted, child like, to the game he loved.

The quotes and stories simply reveal how deeply the devotion ran through him, like lettered rock. They were the result of his dedication and fanaticism, not the cause of his enduring fame. Enjoy !

*

MIKE LYONS - Everton captain of the 1970s

"In his retirement Shanks used to help out with the schoolboys at Everton and I'd never seen anything like it. There he was, well into his sixties, mixing it with the kids, playing his heart out and motivating his side to do the same, moaning if there was a free kick against him and shaking hands and patting lads on the back whenever his side got a goal. He was just like one of the kids himself.

He used to come to me and give me a match report afterward. He once said 'Great game today Mick. We won 19-17 !' It was almost as if he were back in the school playground. Most importantly he enjoyed himself and I always got a kick when I saw that."

*

TOMMY DOCHERTY - just after Bill had announced his retirement

"Adidas wanted to present him with a Golden Boot in recognition of what he'd done. Bob ( Paisley ) took the call and said, 'They want to know what shoe size you take'. Shanks shouted back, 'If it's gold, I'm a 28.' "

*

HOWARD KENDALL - Former Everton manager

"Probably the most profound advice he ever gave me was to get into a tracksuit as soon as I turn up for work. He said that it showed the players that there was work to be done and acted as a deterrent to people in suits who wanted to bog you down with administrative work."

*

JOHN KEITH - Journalist colleague of Shankly's

"Bill Shankly's suspicions of dirty tricks in foreign lands were always at their height when Liverpool travelled behind the former Iron Curtain. On one trip into Eastern Europe, a member of the club party called at Bill's hotel room and found him standing on a chair talking to the ceiling light.

'I know you're there ... you're spying on us,' he shouted, borrowing nothing from James Bond. Then, still glaring upwards, he demanded: 'Why don't you come out, you cowards ?' "

*

PETER THOMPSON - Liverpool winger of the 60s and 70s

"It was a quarter to three on match day at Anfield and there was no sign of Shanks. Suddenly, he came in. His shirt's torn, tie undone, jacket hanging off, hair all over the place. 'What's happened boss ?' 'I've just been in the Kop with the boys.' He'd gone in with 28,000 of them and they'd been lifting him shoulder high, passing him round, and he loved that."

*

BOB PAISLEY - Bill's assistant at Liverpool

"When Bill came to Liverpool from Huddersfield, a friend at Huddersfield told me I'd never be able to work with Bill for more than two years. I wouldn't be able to stand the strain, he said. But from the moment he arrived we got on like a house on fire. Bill was happy with us and we were certainly happy with him. He carried us along through the sheer force of his personality."

*

RON YEATS - Liverpool skipper of the 1960s

"He gave me a lot of confidence. He made any player feel like a great player. If you feel like one, then you'll play like one. Even when we lost, the boss would prove that it was all a mistake - the winning goal was offside, one of our blokes was fouled - that sort of thing.

Another thing is that there were no non-triers in a Shankly team. He wouldn't tolerate any lax attitudes - no matter who you were. We didn't have any stars really - everyone was treated the same."

*

TOM SAUNDERS - youth team coach at Liverpool

"The players waited for instructions and Shankly began to speak and continued for some fifteen minutes. Not about the opposition or even football. Oh no ! Boxing was the sole subject for a quarter of an hour. He then switched to football but quickly brought proceedings to a halt. 'Don't let's waste time ! That bloody lot can't play at all.' With that, the team talk was rapidly brought to a close."

*

JIM MCLAREN - Carlisle goalkeeper in the 40s and 50s

"We were going to Tranmere for a game and as we got near the ground Bill got off the coach to ask for directions. The person he asked couldn't help. Bill got back on the bus shaking his head. 'Can you believe that ? Imagine not knowing where the football field is.' "

*

RAY WILSON - one of Bill's star players at Huddersfield in the 50s

"When I signed for Everton I hadn't realised how intense the Liverpool-Everton rivalry is. It took me a couple of years to realise that feeling bordering on hatred they have there. I'd be talking to Bill as I remembered him at Huddersfield and he'd be telling me that it was a disgrace I'd got picked for England. I was the worst full-back ever !"

*

TOM DALEY - Grimsby goalkeeper in the 50s

Tom Daley often played in the same reserve team as Bill and watched him enjoying himself. "We were at home to Scunthorpe reserves and the ball went in to the stands. Shanks went to take the throw and he started talking to the crowd. He was having a great time taking questions and the referee had to go over and give him a telling off. At half-time he was fuming. 'I was just telling 'em about the first team game away last week, trying to get a bit of atmosphere.' "

*

JOE MERCER - playing adversary from the 30s and 40s

"From the moment he arrived there's been only one way... up. And this endless success was mirrored in that amazing relationship with the Kop. When he was at Anfield he was the city of Liverpool's answer to vandalism and hooliganism, because the kids came to see Liverpool. They came to see those red shirts and Shankly was their man, their hero, their football god. He belongs to the Kop, he's one of them. If he hadn't managed Liverpool I'm sure he'd have been on the Kop dressed in red, singing and chanting 'Liverpool, Liverpool.' "

*

RON YEATS - Shankly's captain at Liverpool in the 60s

"I remember he said to Tommy Lawrence after we had just won the League but still had a few games to play out the season. 'Tom, wouldn't it be great if we could put a deck chair in the middle of the goal, you sitting in it, cigar in your mouth, and when the ball comes, you get out of your deck chair and catch it and say 'It's a lovely day to play football, isn't it.' ' "

*

DON REVIE - Leeds United manager in the 60s and 70s

"He would phone me up every Sunday morning. Each call followed the same ritual, with Shankly eulogising over his Liverpool players. Every player would be praised, including the substitute who would have contributed to the victory even if he had not played.

To Shankly, every player in that red strip had everything; a right foot, left foot, tackling, heading and stamina. No player had a weakness, they were each the best player, position for position in the world. When I managed to get in a mention of one of my own players, he would just say, 'a fair player, nae bad,' leaving me wondering how Leeds ever managed to win a match with no great players, not even good ones for all that Bill would admit to."

*