Author Topic: #SHANKLY100- PERSONAL MEMORIES of BILL SHANKLY  (Read 16912 times)

Offline vicgill

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Re: #SHANKLY100- PERSONAL MEMORIES of BILL SHANKLY
« Reply #40 on: August 25, 2013, 06:35:34 pm »
I will admit I used to like Jimmy Melia in the old days a clever player.

yep very clever
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Offline Rick13

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Re: #SHANKLY100- PERSONAL MEMORIES of BILL SHANKLY
« Reply #41 on: August 26, 2013, 06:52:25 pm »
I began supporting Liverpool in 1970. I lived in a small village in the West of Ireland. My brother and I loved to play football and when we couldn't find a kick-about locally we would just play together. 

Man. Utd were the most popular team in the village, closely followed by Leeds (my brother's team). I decided I wanted to support a team but which one ? I wanted a club that had history and potential.  In the end it came down to a decision between Liverpool or Everton (!). Thankfully, or should I say, Shankfully, I made the right choice; for it was the personality of The Great Man and his link with the fans that won me over to The Anfield Reds.


Back then, where I lived, the only communication we had with regular live English football was via a crackly sounding radio. You had to constantly manoeuvre the radio to get  decent reception. I would listen intently every Saturday to the BBC's Sport on 2. There was no TV football for us back then apart from those occasions when Irish television would show the F.A. Cup and European club finals. I loved to hear Bill's voice. Everything he said always seemed so profound. And that's the reason I'm writing this now;  it was the 1973 End of Year Review on that Sport On 2 radio programme and this particular  Shankly quote has always stayed in my head. I taped it. Bill was being interviewed and he was asked how it was that Liverpool scored so many crucial late goals.  His answer epitomised the relentless spirit of those who,years later, fought and continue to fight for justice for the victims of Hillsborough : "WE BELIEVE THERE'S NEVER A CAUSE THAT'S LOST".


I'm going over next Sunday for a few days. I want to be in Liverpool for his 100th birthday. I had hoped to attend the Centenary Dinner on Monday night but the tickets have all sold out so I'll have a few pints and savour the atmosphere of the city instead. I still love football  but my interest in watching it has waned in recent years due to the cynicism and greed prevalent in the modern game.


This is my first post. I went googling, looking for "Shankly 100", and came upon this gem of a thread. I've really enjoyed reading the wonderful stories of Bill and how he linked with all of you. Thanks everybody.



"WE BELIEVE THERE'S NEVER A CAUSE THAT'S LOST"

 
"We believe there's never a cause that's lost" Bill Shankly

Offline Rome 84

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Re: #SHANKLY100- PERSONAL MEMORIES of BILL SHANKLY
« Reply #42 on: September 2, 2013, 10:15:52 am »
Ronnie Moran on his mate Shanks:

Ronnie Moran picks up the framed photograph that takes pride of place in what he calls the trophy room at the front of his retirement bungalow on the outskirts of Liverpool. Trailing his finger along the picture from right to left, he names his former comrades in arms one by one.
“The first one is Reuben Bennett,” he says. “Then there’s Joe Fagan, me, Bob Paisley and, last but not least, Shanks. They’ve all left us now. I’m the only one still here.”
At the age of 79, Moran is the last of the original Shankly Boys, Liverpool’s oldest surviving link to the most revered figure in the club’s history. Those who were coached by him, especially the senior players whom he nicknamed “the big heads”, know only too well that Moran is not prone to sentiment.
After league championships were won, he would start pre-season by putting the players’ medals on a table at Melwood and telling them to “take one if you think you deserve one, but just remember you haven’t won anything this season.”
Where Bill Shankly is concerned, though, Moran allows himself a nostalgic indulgence. Today is the 100th anniversary of the legendary manager’s birth and for Moran it provokes memories of the man who lived up to his pledge to “turn Liverpool into a bastion of invincibility”.
“I wish he was still around,” Moran says. “He wasn’t just a great manager, he was also a good fella and obviously everyone who was lucky enough to know someone like that is going to miss him. That goes without saying.”
On September 29 it will be 33 years since Shankly died and it says everything about the remarkable impact he had on the lives of those who worked with him that his loss is still keenly felt. Moran was a player when Shankly became Liverpool manager in 1959, a full back of such dependability that he was already club captain at the time of the Scot’s arrival. Shankly, though, saw something in him that went far beyond his ability with a ball at his feet. Moran was to become his sergeant major.
Moran went on to become the most decorated coach in English football as Liverpool, first guided by Shankly and then inspired by his legacy, swept all aside at home and abroad. By the time he retired in 1998, Moran had helped Liverpool to win a staggering 30 leading honours including 13 league championships, four European Cups, five FA Cups, five League Cups and two Uefa Cups. If Shankly had seen something in Moran, the same was true in reverse.
Asked when he first realised that Shankly would be a success, Moran’s answer is unequivocal. “Day one,” he says. “There was just something about him, something unique. His enthusiasm was infectious and that was exactly what Liverpool needed at the time.
“He took part in the five-a-side games and the lads used to joke about it because he’d be going around kicking anyone who wasn’t quick enough to get out of his way, but before we knew it we became as competitive as he was. When Shanks arrived we were in the second division. Without him we might still be there.”
Shankly’s revolution sparked Liverpool’s renaissance but the brilliance of it was to be found in its simplicity. A way of playing was established that was built on the principles of passing to the nearest man in a red shirt and moving into space.
“He got rid of a lot of players early on, then he brought players in who were like-minded in their thinking about the game,” Moran says. “If he didn’t get what he wanted off them, they too would be away.”
Yesterday, supporters headed to the statue stationed in front of the Kop. The sculpture bears a simple inscription: “Bill Shankly — He made the people happy” and Moran maintains that the feeling was mutual.
“Shanks loved the supporters as much as they loved him,” he said. “All he wanted to do was give them a team to be proud of and he did that. I was lucky to be a part of it all but I do miss him.”

Offline Shady Craig

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Re: #SHANKLY100- PERSONAL MEMORIES of BILL SHANKLY
« Reply #43 on: September 2, 2013, 03:39:31 pm »
As Ronnie touched on there i also posted in another thread earlier that his "enthusiasm is infectious" after watching the clips of him, people like him dont come around often in life ,luckily for us he was part of ours

Offline BazC

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Re: #SHANKLY100- PERSONAL MEMORIES of BILL SHANKLY
« Reply #44 on: September 2, 2013, 05:21:16 pm »
Great reading through this board today, and this thread especially - Kriss' posts were a highlight. Thanks to all who have shared their posts here.  :wave
“This place will become a bastion of invincibility and you are very lucky young man to be here. They will all come here and be beaten son”

Offline justsean

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Re: #SHANKLY100- PERSONAL MEMORIES of BILL SHANKLY
« Reply #45 on: September 2, 2013, 05:33:36 pm »
There's an interview about UEFA cup success with Bill Shankly on City Talk right now. Great listen.

They're playing commentary from when we beat St.Etienne 1-0 in European Cup Final, Shankly was on the commentary team on City Talk presumably that night.

Such a great listen. Could listen all day!

*sorry if slightly off topic*
« Last Edit: September 2, 2013, 05:37:32 pm by justsean »

Offline Zeb

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Re: #SHANKLY100- PERSONAL MEMORIES of BILL SHANKLY
« Reply #46 on: September 2, 2013, 05:41:11 pm »
Ronnie Moran on his mate Shanks

Thanks for putting your interview up Rome 84. Watched the lfctv video of Ronnie and how he still goes back to Melwood to have a look round. You could see how much he missed being involved.
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Offline JonnyCigarettes®

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Re: #SHANKLY100- PERSONAL MEMORIES of BILL SHANKLY
« Reply #47 on: September 2, 2013, 05:54:29 pm »
Yes, it was a Friday and the day before Liverpool played Swansea City at Anfield (Saturday 3rd October 1981) and John Toshack took off his Swansea tracksuit top for the pre-match minute's silence to reveal a red Liverpool shirt underneath it with his Number Ten on the back.



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Offline hoppyLFC

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Re: #SHANKLY100- PERSONAL MEMORIES of BILL SHANKLY
« Reply #48 on: September 2, 2013, 05:57:31 pm »
Fantastic stories on here.......I don't know why but i'm getting teary eyed reading them.....so much admiration for the man I suppose, and pride in being a Liverpool supporter and knowing what he meant and still means to us all.

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Offline justsean

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Re: #SHANKLY100- PERSONAL MEMORIES of BILL SHANKLY
« Reply #49 on: September 2, 2013, 06:00:36 pm »
What a tribute from Toshack.

Offline Welshred

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Re: #SHANKLY100- PERSONAL MEMORIES of BILL SHANKLY
« Reply #50 on: September 2, 2013, 06:04:51 pm »




I know this is extremely off topic and nothing to do with Shanks but...you're back!!! :o

Offline Almo

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Re: #SHANKLY100- PERSONAL MEMORIES of BILL SHANKLY
« Reply #51 on: September 2, 2013, 06:42:46 pm »
Fascinating stories....thanks so much to all who have taken the time to post such brilliant personal incites.

Offline Thepooloflife

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Re: #SHANKLY100- PERSONAL MEMORIES of BILL SHANKLY
« Reply #52 on: September 6, 2013, 12:16:26 am »
Some brilliant stories of the great man on here.

What can one say about Bill that hasn't been said already.....I'll try and give my impressions of him, which might not be as eloquent or as vivid as some have expressed already, but........

To me Shankly was the Godfather of Liverpool. A genius. A legend. A true hero of the people. Because he loved the people....and they loved him. Though the game now is a far cry from those days, many players now are seen as idols, yet in many ways are remote from those that adore them. Players were stars back in Shanks day too, but few deserved the adulation and respect that Shanks received. He had an aura that is hard to express in words.....but you felt it when in his presence or seeing him.

I was never lucky enough to actually meet him......I did pat him on the back briefly when he was leaving Anfield after a game ! But, the stories of him related earlier are exactly how I imagine he would be face to face. Of many memories I have about Bill perhaps two that stand out are the tale which John Keith relates on a tape cassette I have, about how Shanks was very suspicious of foreigners. This was the era of the Cold War and someone told him once that when you go behind the Iron Curtain you were being 'bugged' - they'd put them in the lights in the team hotel he was told. So, after the team checked in to their hotel, Shanks would stand on a chair and shout into the lights, "We know you're in there you Russian so and so's"! Brilliant.

The other favourite I have is of Anfield in 1973, after we'd just won the League title after a gap of seven years, by drawing 0-0 with Leicester City. I was on the Kop that day and the atmosphere and celebrations when the team paraded the trophy and Shanks walked round after them was just magical.....absolutely magical. It's the famous image of him at the triumphant Kop end, arms outstreched, fists clenched with a red and white scarf round his neck.....his adoring people singing his name and he paying homage to them. The love in those scenes is just palpable. It's here in this Youtube link (if I can get it to work !) -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YUu8BMYA5I


He was a true man of the people. His socialism born in the coal mines of Ayrshire. That upbringing gave him a steely determination, but also a sense of community and comradeship which he found again in the people of Liverpool.

God bless Bill - never forgotten.

 

Offline the 92A

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Re: #SHANKLY100- PERSONAL MEMORIES of BILL SHANKLY
« Reply #53 on: September 6, 2013, 12:00:09 pm »
Thanks for posting, keep them coming, thanks for posting Rome84, I wanted to read that but hit a wall last time I tried.
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Offline John C

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Re: #SHANKLY100- PERSONAL MEMORIES of BILL SHANKLY
« Reply #54 on: September 7, 2013, 06:18:14 pm »
I attended an evening with Ian St John at the Aigburth People's Hall social club many, many years ago during which he told dozens of stories about Shankly and his wit.

Player: "I think I need to visit an optician boss, my eye sight seems to be getting poorer.

Shankly takes the player outside.

Shankly: "What's that up there son".

Player: "Do you mean the moon boss".

Shankly: "ay a do, so how much further do you want to be able to see son".

Offline Theoldkopite

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Re: #SHANKLY100- PERSONAL MEMORIES of BILL SHANKLY
« Reply #55 on: September 7, 2013, 08:20:26 pm »
Bill Shankly – I can’t ever remember coming into direct contact with him but him and my dad ensured I would be a Liverpool supporter for life.
Two incidents stick in my mind – and at my age that’s not bad going! Firstly, the night of the Liverpool v Inter Milan semi-final (the game that the ref didn’t cheat in!).  I don’t know what time they closed the gates but the boys pen was full by about 6.00pm! The atmosphere was electric as we had just won the FA Cup for the first time on the Saturday. Shanks had the bright idea of sending Gerry Byrne and Gordon Milne, who were injured for the Inter game, to walk around the pitch with the FA Cup just before kick-off. They walked around past the Annie Road end and as they neared the Kop the noise was unbelievable. There was only ever going to be one winner on that night!

The other incident was the second leg game against Ajax following our 5-1 defeat in the first leg. Shanks told us that we would turn that score around and do you know what – me and 50000+ Liverpool supporters turned up to see it!! In hindsight, we never had a chance, given how good that Ajax team was, but Shanks told us we would do it so that was that. 2-2 wasn’t bad in the circumstances!

Shanks was just there and we were proud to have him. He was a man of the people   - forget this shit from EFC – they nicked the people’s club idea from Bill. At that time they were the millionaires club and we were the ‘little’ team with the scruffy ground. Look at what this club has achieved since the 60’s and thank God that Bill Shankly came here. 

Offline fowlermagic

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Re: #SHANKLY100- PERSONAL MEMORIES of BILL SHANKLY
« Reply #56 on: September 8, 2013, 07:05:53 pm »
Great tribute and thanks for posting your memories Sirs.
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Offline Red Genius

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Re: #SHANKLY100- PERSONAL MEMORIES of BILL SHANKLY
« Reply #57 on: September 9, 2013, 01:20:28 am »
It was 4 days after he died we played Swansea, how fitting they are our next opposition... in good character lets absolutely destroy them.
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Offline cliffm

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Re: #SHANKLY100- PERSONAL MEMORIES of BILL SHANKLY
« Reply #58 on: September 18, 2013, 05:29:03 pm »
I was brought up in Kenny, and a girl who lived in our street said she and her family were going to see Liverpool at St George's (Hall).   I'd been brought up a Blue, as were all my family, so I said what do you want to go for? They'd just been beaten in the FA Cup final by Arsenal. Even though I was only 12, I fancied the lass (Susan), so I went along to be near her.
When we got to Lime Street, the team had climbed onto a hastily erected platform opposite the railway station.  Bill Shankly came up to the microphone and gave an incredible speech, vowing to get back next year and win it, including the famous "Red Army" quote.
I'd never seen anybody so magnetic, enthralling..mesmerising! I would have done anything he'd have asked of me, the man was such an orator and leader.

When I got home I said to my Dad "I've just been to see Shankly and Liverpool coming home, and they were fantastic, I'm a Red now, I'm not going to see Everton anymore"
I thought he'd be shocked, but he said "I knew your heart was never in it anyway son, you spend more time watching the bloody pigeons than the match."
What a man Shanks was.  I'm glad he was a force for good, because he'd have made a hell of a dictator.