Footballing Greats: William 'Bill' Shankly - Management

“I'm a people's man - only the people matter.”

Bill Shankly’s first taste of management came at Third Division North side, Carlisle United; incidentally, the same side where he began his playing career. Shankly is quoted as saying that he had ‘long prepared for the day he would become a football manager.’ Shanks’ arrival at the Cumbrian team, with his disciplined work ethic and continuous improvement, saw them transform from being league strugglers in the 1948-49 season, to narrowly missing out on a deserved promotion in 1951.

Being a mentally tough individual, Shankly wasn’t afraid to use the human psyche to get into the heads of his opponents. During one of the games, Shanks claimed that his side is going against a squad that had a ‘very tiring journey and were not fit enough to play.’ After describing Brunton Park as ‘falling to pieces with terraces derelict’, he urged the local population to follow their team and notoriously, took advantage of the public address system to inform residents of any changes to his team and how his method was going to win them the game - a sign of his commitment and his distinctive style. He also used the psyche to boost the morale of the supporters by personally informing them about his team; almost like an interview with the whole crowd.

A famous tale recounts how Shankly once burnt the team’s kit en route to an away fixture at Lincoln City. He spotted a sportswear shop on the way and he bought a full set of kit for his side to play in.

The year 1951 saw William Shankly leave Brunton Park for good after accusing the club’s board of reneging on a bonus promise for the players should the team finish in the top three. He resigned with a record of 42 victories and 22 defeats from 95 matches. With the loss of their top figure, Carlisle slipped backwards again.

The Scotsman made his intentions of moving up the footballing ladder and after failing an interview to secure a place as boss of Liverpool, he took on the role at Grimsby Town. In his debut season as coach, The Mariners finished just three points off the top spot. Shanks insisted that Grimsby were

“Pound for pound, and class for class, the best football team I have seen in England since the war. In the league they were in, they played football nobody else could play. Everything was measured, planned and perfected and you could not wish to see more entertaining football”

Shankly’s loyalty toward his senior players would see him come to blows again with  the club’s board after they refused to provide him with funds to purchase new recruits. Following a dismal season in which Grimsby ended in 5^th, Shankly resigned in January 1954. He claimed the main reason for his departure was the club’s lack of ambition but in his autobiography, Shankly also cites the excuse that he and his wife felt homesick in the town. When a move to Workington came knocking, he found the offer too provoking to decline. He finished with another impressive record at Blundell Park – 62 triumphs and just 35 defeats in 118 games; this saw him written into Grimsby Town folklore.

In just over a year in charge of Workington, Shankly oversaw one of the club’s most successful seasons – they rose from 18^th to 8^th in the Third Division North despite Shankly having other occupations wavering over his head. He was forced into completing much of the business’ administration himself as the club operated on a shoestring budget. Due to budget constraints, the pitch was shared with the local rugby club; Shanks deemed this inappropriate as he claims they were ruining the surface – brewing up many arguments with the Directors. Shankly once again opted to resign from his third club on November 15^th 1955 to take up a promising role as Huddersfield Town’s assistant boss. Overall, Shankly masterminded 35 wins and 27 losses in 85 matches. This loss record produced a slight blemish on his time at Workington.

He spent just over four years at Huddersfield Town, beginning as Assistant Manager to old friend, Andy Beattie. Beattie resigned at the end of Shankly’s first season at Leeds Road after the side was relegated to the second division after the 1955-56 campaign. Shanks succeeded his acquaintance on 5^th November 1956.

In December the following year, Huddersfield lost 7-6 to Charlton Athletic, a side who played majority of the game one man down. Shankly’s side were leading 5-1 with just 27 minutes remaining, and after the enthralling encounter, he described it as,

“One of the most amazing games I’ve ever seen”

Soon after, Shanks’ side demolished Liverpool with a score of 5-0 with only ten men; Shankly went on the recall,

“The Liverpool directors left the ground in a single file like a funeral procession”

It is said that this was a major turning point in Liverpool becoming interested in acquiring the Scotsman. They made a tentative approach for his services in November 1959, an occurrence that thrilled Shankly. He felt betrayed by the board after Huddersfield lost their star assets and the club refused to offer him funds for replacements; he felt disillusioned and again cited the club’s lack of ambition as a primary reason for resigning on 1^st December 1959.

Bill Shankly recounted how the Liverpool Chairman at the time, Tom Williams, advanced on him and enquired if he would like to,

“Manage the best team in the Country”

To which the former Grimsby boss replied,

“Why, is Matt Busby packing up?”

Shankly felt he had to consider the offer carefully and after his side defeated Liverpool once again on 28^th November, Shanks decided to take charge at Anfield. His fairytale journey was about to begin. Shankly finished his career at Huddersfield with 49 victories and 47 defeats in 129 games. He resigned on 1^st December to take charge in Merseyside.  Shankly’s historic tenure as chief of one of the footballing world’s most iconic clubs, was about to begin.

For Part III - Liverpool FC, visit http://lewisdunwoody.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/footballing-legends-bill-shankly.html