When Bill Shankly arrived at Anfield in 1959, Liverpool were in the second
division and going nowhere. Yet, Shankly was immediately at home here. He
sensed in the huge crowds a kinship with the supporters from the word go.
They were his kind of people. With the backing of Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan and the enthusiasm
of the fans behind him he set about rebuilding the team. In came Yeats and
St. John, two players he had wanted at Huddersfield.
By 1961-62 Liverpool were ready for promotion and with Roger Hunt scoring
41 goals they won their place back in the top flight. A season of consolidation
followed in which they finished 8th, the only problem being Everon finishing
as champions. As would happen again 20 years down the line, Liverpool and
Everton were about to carve up the domestic honours between them in the
next five or six seasons, but as the 63-64 season started, it was Everton
who were top dogs on Merseyside, a fact that rankled with Shankly.
In 1963-64 Liverpool won the league with the nucleus of side that had
gained promotion two seasons previously still in place. The following
season they won the F.A. cup for the first time in the club's history and
reached the semi-finals of the European Cup, going out in controversial
style to Milan. In season 65-66 they won the title again, easing up at
the end, while neighbours Everton took the F.A. Cup. They lost the final
of the European Cup winners Cup at Hampden Park to Borussia Dortmund.
The great sixties side had gained promotion from Division 2, won the
League title twice, the F.A. Cup once, and reached the ECWC final and
the European Cup semi-final all inside five seasons. Shankly's mistake
now was to let the side rumble on without any major rebuilding for a
season or two too long.
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