Your Views
( Volume 6 )

Click here for 'Your Views' - Volume 1

Click here for 'Your Views' - Volume 2

Click here for 'Your Views' - Volume 3

Click here for 'Your Views' - Volume 4

Click here for 'Your Views' - Volume 5

The North Down Tommy Smith Liverpool Supporters Club

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Brian Howell

I love the Shankly web site. When I need inspiration or cheering up it's the place I go.

I first went to Anfield as a lad in the late sixties and spent a few seasons standing on my wooden box at the back of the Anny Road before being promoted to the Main Stand. When I think of those days - when we weren't winning that much but no one moaned like they do now - the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. They're doing it now! The smell of ale, hot pork pies swimming in fat, ciggies and chewies. The lads chucking the sweets into the crowd with pinpoint accuracy and giving back the change. The blokes walking around the pitch with the advert for boxing at The Stadium balanced on their shoulders. The singing. The crush. The comments and jokes and laughter. Old blokes having heart attacks and people fainting every game. The steam rising from the crowd. The rain - remember the storm at Gerry Byrne's testimonial?!

But back to Bill. These days, though still a red through and through, I go to watch Tranmere - because you can get a ticket and it's just down the road. When the Rovers are attacking, desperately needing a goal or when they're hanging on with minutes left, I always imagine Bill's face - and Bob's - I shut my eyes and see their faces. It's an inspiration - YOU CAN DO IT!!!.

I do it watching Liverpool on the telly too.

How can ordinary men have such a lasting effect on a person? But they weren't ordinary were they!

I attended a Variety Club dinner with my Dad in Leeds many years ago. It was in honour of Kevin Keegan. Bill and Bob were there. Bob actually sat on our table. How humble the two of them were. But I could see an aura around Bill in particular. He was like a messiah.

I'm 45 this year but I don't mind saying this is bringing tears to my eyes. And I haven't even had a pint yet!

Cheers lads. God Bless. Walk on.

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John Boyle

About 1968 my Uncle Tom Doherty worked near Warrington & he happened to know Tommy Lawrence who was then Liverpool’s goalkeeper. I was football mad & when I came home from school one day there was a parcel in the post for me.. It contained a Football Annual & an autograph book which had been signed by the Liverpool FC squad at the time. From that day to now, I have followed Liverpool FC.

I was sorry to see Tommy Lawrence lose his place, but he lost it to one of the greatest goalkeepers ever, Ray Clemence. The Liverpool team of the early 70s were rebuilding, Smith, Callaghan, Hughes, Lawler and Peter Thompson remained from the 60’s and Lloyd, Lindsay, Hall, Toshack ,Cormack & of course Steve Heighway who played for the Republic of Ireland, came into the team. It was a great time to follow Liverpool.

It was the second great time Liverpool have had in recent history. The man who put it together in the 60’s was now putting it together in the 70’s. Others came into the team like Kopite Phil Thompson & the irrepressible Kevin Keegan. Toshack/Keegan & Heighway/ what a strike force!

They won the FA Cup in 1974 with a superb display in the final against Newcastle United.

Then the unthinkable happened in the close season, Bill Shankly retired.

I wrote to him to wish him well & to tell him how much I enjoyed watching Liverpool play . I started a football club in Ireland at the time and we played in Red shirts,Red shorts & Red socks.

Bill sent me on his autograph on a photo of his last Liverpool squad. I know from all I’ve read and heard & seen about Bill, that he was football mad, that he loved genuine football supporters,that he was quick witted & worked hard for the supporters of Liverpool and that he was and still is loved by football supporters everywhere. I can understand how footballers like Yeats, St.John, Milne, Byrne, Stevenson, Hunt and all the others played out of their skins for him.

Bill Shankly died in Sept. 1981 a few days after my father passed away. May they Rest in Peace.

I am sorry I never met Bill Shankly, but I feel I knew him !

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Pauline Robinson

I am writing to thank you for a brilliant website on my grandfather, Bill Shankly.

It has been a pleasure to read peoples views and really great to see the pictures of my sister Karen at the day out the Hellenic Branch of LFC supporters club.

In late November and early December I was privelaged to travel to Edinburgh and Preston to receive awards on behalf of my grandad. One for the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame and one for the Football Hall of Fame at Preston. I met some brilliant people, such as Norma at Edinburgh, Jim Baxters partner, Dennis Law, Sandy Busby , Vicky Bremner and Barbara Dean, Dixie Deans daughter and Sir Bobby Charltons wife, Norma at Preston and I was extremely touched by the esteem people still held for my grandad .

Again thank you to every one for the wonderful stories and memories.

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Nassos Siotropos

My name is Nassos Siotropos & I am writting you on behalf of our Liverpool's Supporters Club based in Athens called ''Hellenic Branch''

Recently on our club office in Athens we invite and we were happy to see the grandaughter of the great Bill Shankly, Karen. Karen has been living in our country for more than a decade and she is married to a Greek man and have two childs.

I 've attached photo's from that visit which was a tribute to Bill Shankly with many items as u can see conserning our greatest manage.

The atmosphere was very emotional for as but for most to Karen as she saw so many things about her grandfather and bring memories back to her. It will be great for us if you l'd like to have some photo's on your website

Click here for the Hellenic Branch photographs
Hellenic Branch web site
With Nessie

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Ralph Robinson

Thanks for a great site that brings back many memories of watching Liverpool before moving to Canada in 1979.

My personal favourite will always be the final game of the 73 season, after getting into the city centre at around 11.00 p.m.the night before and only having enough money to get back to Middlesbrough and into the game the next day I found myself walking around Anfield all night with my wife to-be. I can still feel the cold damp night air as we tried sleeping under one corner of the Kop, it was indeed a long night but worth every minute. The next day we were in the great Kop watching our beloved Liverpool clinch the Title.

But the biggest highlite of all was Shanks standing in front of the Kop just a few yards away from us saluting the crowd, that picture will forever stay etched in my mind.

Thanks Shanks.

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John Martin

My Shanks anecdote concerns the aftermath of the never to be forgotten first European Cup win in 1977 (when it really was the EUROPEAN CUP ). On the Friday following the Final in Rome Tommy Smith's testimonial match took place at Anfield between Liverpool (or at least those members of the squad who could stagger onto the pitch after the celebrations of the previous 48 hours) and ,I think, an England XI. Needless to say the ground was packed as the European Cup was to be paraded. What a party!

From a personal point of view things got better because through the good offices of my best mate I watched the game from the Directors' Box and, of course, had access to the Trophy Room after the game. I unashamedly caressed the European Cup and the League Championship Trophy (which we all felt was ours in perpetuity in those days)and wallowed in the success of MY club.

Looking across the room I saw the great man standing in typical pose ( immaculate suit, white mac -unbuttoned of course, hands thrust deep in pockets ). What made the picture so sad for me was that he was standing completely alone. I had to speak to him but it took me a good 10 minutes to pluck up the courage to approach him. Eventually I ventured past him on my way to the 'Gents' and managed to blurt out to him "this is all down to you Mr. Shankly". "Thank you son" he replied. My comment to him was totally inadequate and the whole episode took only seconds to enact and yet I can't get out of my mind the image of Bill Shankly standing alone during what was at the time the club's finest hour. 25 years later I think it probably still is our finest hour,

All the best
J.M.

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Pie

Derek, what an excellent web site you have created. Being 40 years old, a life long Motherwell fan, and born of mining stock myself albeit over 45 years after the great man, I have visited what remains of the village of Glenbuck some 30 minutes from Motherwell and it's not a pretty site. One can almost imagine how difficult life must have been for its inhabitants, but not really.

You say it produced over 50 professional footballers. Perhaps it epitomises what is wrong with our game today. Players have it far too easy as they swan in and out of training in their Ferrari's earning copious amounts of money, diving in the penalty box at every opportunity, ending up in court, cheating when ever they can, and basically being a disgrace to the beautiful game. Football needs more Bill Shankly's, Jock Stein's, and dare I say it Matt Busby's. Honest hard working men, who lived and breathed the game and gave it their all for very little in return.

Nice one Mate.

A Lanarkshire Motherwell Supporter (born 'n' bred).

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