"Liverpool was made for me and I was made for Liverpool."
William Shankly. Possibly the greatest man to ever grace Liverpool. His name will never be forgotten around the realms of Anfield – the theatre where his play was conducted. It is a place that he once described was his home:
His play, however, did not start in Merseyside. He travelled all around the UK and the clubs he handled conquered all corners of Europe. What made him so great? Was he a great motivator? Were his psychological skills the key to his success?
Shankly to a Brussels hotel clerk who queried his signing ‘Anfield’ as his address on the hotel register – “But that’s where I live.”
As a player, he made his name by performing as a ball-winning right half (the defensive midfield role). He went on to make twelve international appearances for Scotland, despite his ‘peak-years’ being disrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. Shankly then took to the art of coaching; pointing out that he felt he was perfect for the position.
His journey started on the 2nd of September 1913 in the largely derelict town of Glenbuck, a coal-mining village in Ayrshire, Scotland where he was born. Conceived into a sporting family, William Shankly was the ninth of ten children; the youngest boy. His father, John, was a postman but went on to tailor handmade suits. The Shankly residence was an Auchenstilloch Cottage, housing a family of ten; five boys and five girls and of course the parents, John and Barbara Shankly. All four of his brothers went on to play football professionally, even to the extent that Bill Shankly exclaimed,
"I have absorbed all the coaching systems with any useful qualifications and have full confidence in my ability and in myself to be a leader.”
In his autobiography, Bill Shankly claimed his upbringing was very hard, stating that everyone was very hungry, especially during the winter months. Shankly also admitted to stealing vegetables from nearby farms in addition to embezzling bread and biscuits from suppliers wagons that lay close at hand. Despite later admitting that it was wrong, ‘Shanks’ claimed that the root cause was his family’s constant hunger and that his and his siblings’ acts were, “devilment more than badness.”
"Once, when we were all at our peaks, we could have beaten any five brothers in the world.”
Schools, at that time, were infamous for their strict nature. Although Shankly attended his local village school from the age of five until he was fourteen, he found it more ‘character building’ than tough discipline. His preferred subject was Geography and he played football at every possible opportunity, mostly on the school playground given that there was no organized team local to him.
William Shankly faced unemployment in 1930 after working in a mine with his brother Bob for two years. He described the pure filth that he and his sibling had to endure day after day, saying that the first time he had a bath was when he was fifteen. Wullie, as Shanks was known to family members, continued to commit to playing football despite being employed as a miner. He occasionally went to Glasgow to watch either Celtic or Rangers, blissfully ignoring the footballing segregation between the Hoops and the Gers that estranged Glasgow. Using these trips to acknowledge the skill on show, Shankly attempted to hone his skills.
An 18-year-old Bill Shankly had trial at his village side, Glenbuck Cherrypickers but unfortunately, the club became extinct. Not to be denied, Shankly moved onto Cronberry Eglinton, a team based just outside Glenbuck. He cycled to and from the side’s ground. Despite only being part of the club, he gracefully honoured Scottish Junior Football, citing that he had ‘learnt a lot,’ generally from listening to senior players and his brothers.
It wasn’t long before he joined Carlisle United, an English club. He claims to have had his footballing path already written out in his head while he was working in the Scottish mines, announcing that he felt it was only a matter of time and that he was only killing time being a miner. He explained,
His debut season at Carlisle United during the 1932-33 campaign turned out to be his only season with the club. He was invited for a trial by Carlisle scout, Peter Carruthers, and Shanks explained that it had been the first time he had left his homeland. Shankly made his debut for Carlisle Reserves in a fixture against Middlesborough Reserves and shone, invoking a local newspaper report to quote, “Shankly played strenuously and might develop into a useful left back.” Quite the opposite, the Scotsman turned out be a gritty right half.
"I have always been an optimist with a belief in my destiny. This is my underlying enthusiasm for football”
At the end of an eventful first season, Shankly had racked up 16 senior appearances for the Cumbrians, who went on to win the North Eastern League Cup in 1933. Shankly revealed in 1976 that he still had that medal. Shankly earned 4 pounds and 10 shillings a week, a decent wage considering the top rate was roughly 8 pounds. At this stage in his career, Shanks was earmarked as ‘a key young player ‘capable of taking Carlisle on to greater things.
Bill’s move to Preston North End in 1933 was largely down to his brother’s extensive persuading. He was offered five pounds a week – something that he judged to be insufficient. Alec, his brother, pointed out that Preston were a much more iconic club in English football. Belonging in the Second Division at the time, they were in an excellent position to restore their top flight integrity. Alec explained that there was a better opportunity to further his career with a switch to the Lilywhites, elucidating that, “It’s what you get later that counts.”
Brotherly love prevailed as William Shankly signed his new contract in a rail carriage.
With whole-heartedness and unrivaled commitment, Shankly burst onto the scene at Preston. He assisted an early goal in a 5-0 triumph, earning him praise from the newspapers for his ‘clever passing.’ Establishing himself as a firm favourite amongst fans, Shankly aided Preston in their promotion during that season after finishing just behind Grimsby Town.
His wage increased to over eight pounds and a Preston correspondent wrote, “One of this season’s discoveries, Bill Shankly, played with rare tenacity and uncommonly good ideas for a lad of twenty. He is full of good football and possessed with unlimited energy; he should go far.”
During the 1937-38 campaign, Preston North End endured enormous success. They ended third in the league coupled with an FA Cup Final victory over Huddersfield Town. Shankly labelled the season as the ‘pinnacle of his career’.
Then, disaster struck. WWII broke out and Shanks had to forgo any hope of imminent success with Preston as he joined the Royal Air Force as a 26-year-old. His eagerness to continue playing the sport he loved allowed him to muster up the enthusiasm to compete for wherever he was stationed while on duty. Shankly played for Arsenal, Norwich City, Luton Town, and even Scottish side Partick Thistle. He even managed to turn out in front of the Kop in the red shirt of Liverpool as the Reds thrashed Merseyside rivals Everton 4-1.
In 1944, Shankly got married to wife Nessie during which he was memorably quoted,
After the resumption of the football league, Preston began to struggle despite the presence of footballing legend, Sir Tom Finney, in their side. At the age of just 33, Shankly decided to call time off his playing days and hang up the old boots. His exit from Preston caused great uproar amongst fans and Shanks was denied a benefit match to which he felt he was entitled. He went on to describe Preston’s attitude as being, “The biggest let-down of my life in football.”
"Of course I didn’t take my wife to see Rochdale as an anniversary present. It was her birthday and would I have got married during the football season? Anyway, it was Rochdale reserves.”
Shanks made public his admiration for the great Tom Finney, devoting three pages in his autobiography to the ‘Preston Plumber,’ when asked to compare any current star to Finney, he duly replied with, “Aye, he’s as good as Tommy – but then Tommy’s nearly 60 now.”
Tommy Docherty replaced Shankly in the Preston side with the number four shirt and Shankly educated him,
"Just put the number 4 shirt on and let it run round, it knows where to go”
Shankly’s tenacity as a player could have been influenced by his upbringing. His style of play is gritty and persistent, brought about by his childhood. He played football whenever he could – on the school yard or on the road, almost certainly because it was the simplest sport he could do in harsh times. He manipulated the ‘never say die’ attitude and found ways around problems, two of the attributes that Shanks is known for. His close relationship with his brothers also played a major role in shaping Bill Shankly – he would never argue with referees on advice from his siblings and each of them were there when he needed a helping hand.Shanks became synonymous with the art of tackling. He claimed the art in a tackle is ‘the timing and sole objective to win the ball’. His philosophy being ‘hard but fair’, something he carried with him into his management career.
Shankly claimed he knew the essential criteria for management: “I could speak common sense about the game and I could spot a player.” True enough, during his management years, he applied the same ‘basic formula’ – the players must be courageous as well as have clear ability – encapsulating Shankly as a player. Other necessary attributes were determination, willingness and the pride to continue to work when all the odds are stacked against them. Shankly, in a subtle way, attempted to mold a team around how he was as a player: brave, willing, and most importantly, worked until he dropped. He was very encouraging as a player, a born leader. He was destined to pilot a club to supremacy, maybe not as a player but as a manager.
For Part II - Management, visit http://lewisdunwoody.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/footballing-greats-william-bill-shankly_6699.html
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