He Tore A Hamstring Dot Mee Dot UK

Napoleon Had That Idea

Liverpool Football Club are, in the opinion of many observers, a club in crisis. A footballing institution driven into financial ruin by two American owners, a giant of British football reduced to seventh place in the Premier League last season.

However, in football as in other walks of life, everything is relative. I can assure you that there were at least 13 other Premier League clubs that would have happily swapped places with Liverpool last year. However, they are NOT Liverpool, and for Liverpool, The Bastion of Invincibility, nothing other than the very best will suffice.

“My idea was to build Liverpool into a bastion of invincibility. Napoleon had that idea. He wanted to conquer the bloody world. I wanted Liverpool to be untouchable. My idea was to build Liverpool up and up until eventually everyone would have to submit and give in” ~ Bill Shankly

It is because of what Bill Shankly started, because of what Bob Paisley continued, that Liverpool Football Club has a heritage that few clubs can dream of emulating, that Liverpool Football Club, even amidst the shambolic tenure of their current owners, strive for nothing less than first place. And whilst this may necessitate illusions of current grandeur, Shanks would have accepted no less.

Few of today’s fan base may remember that Liverpool lay at the foot of the old Football League Second Division, and had been humbled by non-league Worcester City in the FA Cup, when Shanks arrived in December 1959. Melwood, and parts of Anfield, were in a state of disrepair, and one of Shankly’s first actions was to release 24 squad members.

At this stage, he also converted an old storage room into a discussion room for coaching staff. This quickly became known as the Anfield Boot Room, and whilst others may have tried to replicate it, no other has had the fame, aura or mystique of this institution.

It started with Shanks, Paisley and Joe Fagan, and welcomed Ronnie Moran, Roy Evans and ‘King’ Kenny Dalglish after them. Just looking at those names would raise the hairs on the neck of any Liverpool supporter. These men, between them, delivered 13 Football League titles and 4 European Cups, amongst other honours.

Just as Shankly had promised, Liverpool Football Club were untouchable, and all others submitted. Those who visited Anfield to take on the Mighty Reds did so with a mix of resignation and trepidation.

That was then, however, and this is now. Shankly’s beloved Liverpool Football Club stands at a crossroads, on a precipice even, the likes of which have been unknown since the passionate Scotsman walked into the club in 1959, saying:

“Although I’m a Scot, I’d be proud to be called a Scouser”

Bob Paisley won more League Titles and also conquered Europe on multiple occasions. Joe Fagan won a hitherto unknown treble, and Kenny Dalglish brought The Double to Anfield in his first season. More recently, of course, Rafa Benitez presided over THAT memorable night in Istanbul. However, it is William Shankly OBE, who is remembered and immortalised by Liverpool supporters as the man responsible for its glorious history.

Shankly would have been 97 years old today. He passed in 1981, at a time when the dominance of his beloved club was at its peak under Bob Paisley. However, no Liverpool fan, no matter how young, is unaware of the father of Liverpool Football Club. The Shankly Gates and Statue ensure that.

Yes, I do call for a dose of realism from the supporters of today, and an acceptance of where we currently are as a club. However, Shanks would not have stood for it, and would have given every sinew of energy to change the status quo. That is why I am proud to support the Spirit of Shankly group, that is committed to removing the current owners from our club.

Shanks would have been proud and would have been a part of it. He would have known that with such commitment, passion and pride, Liverpool Football Club remains an irresistible force that will again take its place not only at the top table of football, but as the Guest of Honour. Football needs a successful Liverpool Football Club, and its supporters demand it, for as Shankly told us:

“If you are first you are first. If you are second, you are nothing”

I was only seven when Bill Shankly passed away, and was born some 2 weeks after he took his final bow at Wembley, winning the 1974 FA Cup Final. I grew up with Paisley and Dalglish, but I am in no doubt of the man who made Liverpool Football Club everything that it is today.

[show_avatar email=editor@hetoreahamstring.me.uk align=left] You will notice the reference on several occasions to ‘the current owners’. Whilst we are all aware of their names, we refuse to print those names on a day dedicated to the memory of Bill Shankly.