Red or Dead (34 page)

If we win tonight, boys. Then we will overtake Manchester United. And then we will be the runners-up in the Football League.
We will finish second. And so we will be the second-best team in the Football League, boys. The second best …

On Wednesday 15 May, 1968, Manchester United came from three–one down at half-time to draw three–three with Real Madrid in the second leg of the semi-final of the European Cup. Manchester United had won the tie four–three on aggregate. Manchester United had reached the final of the European Cup. That night, in the
fifty-eighth
minute, Roger Hunt scored his thirtieth goal of the season. But that night, Liverpool Football Club lost two–one at Stoke City. That night, that season, after forty-two games, Liverpool Football Club finished third in the First Division –

Not first, not second –

Third best.

At the Estadio Insular, in the Canary Islands, Liverpool Football Club played UD Las Palmas in a post-season friendly. And Liverpool Football Club drew one-all with UD Las Palmas. That night, in the bar of their hotel in the Canary Islands, the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club watched the final of the European Cup on the television. That night, the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club watched Manchester United beat SL Benfica four–one after extra time. That night, the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club watched Manchester United become the first English team to win the European Cup. And that night, on the television in the bar of the hotel, Bill watched Matt on the pitch, the Wembley pitch. Bill watched Matt surrounded by his players on the pitch, the Wembley pitch. And Bill saw the look in Matt’s eyes. The memories in Matt’s eyes. And Bill knew what this meant to Matt. Bill knew Matt had set his heart on this. Bill wanted to call Matt, Bill wanted to congratulate Matt. And Bill tried to stand. Bill tried to get to his feet. His shirt stuck to his vest. His vest stuck to his skin. But in the bar, the hotel bar, Bill could not stand. Bill could not get to his feet. His shirt stuck to his vest. His vest stuck to his skin. Bill fought back tears. Bill struggled to breathe.

In his room, his hotel room. Not in his bed, his hotel bed. Bill
paced and Bill paced. Bill thinking and Bill thinking. Bill knew failure could become habitual, defeat become routine. Routine and familiar. Familiar and accepted. Accepted and permanent. Permanent and imprisoning. Imprisoning and suffocating. Bill knew failure carried chains. Chains to bind you. You and your dreams. To bind you and your dreams alive. Bill knew defeat carried spades. Spades to bury you. You and your hopes. To bury you and your hopes alive. Bill knew you had to fight against failure. With every bone in your body. Bill knew you had to struggle against defeat. With every drop of your blood. You had to fight against failure, you had to struggle against defeat. For your dreams and for your hopes. For you and for the people. To fight and to struggle. For the dreams of the people,

for the hopes of the people.

…

In the car park, the Anfield Road car park. In the sunshine, the July sunshine. On the first day of training. In his sweater and in his tracksuit bottoms. Bill waited for the players of Liverpool Football Club. In their kits, their training kits. Bill greeted every player. Bill shook their hands, Bill patted their backs. Bill asked after their families, Bill asked after their holidays. And then Bob, Joe, Reuben and Ronnie Moran joined Bill and the players in the car park at Anfield. And in the sunshine, the July sunshine. They all walked out to Melwood. Then Bill and the players jogged once around the training pitch. Then Bill and the players passed the ball back and forth, in pairs, back and forth to each other for twenty minutes. Then Bill and the players jogged once more around the training pitch. And then Bill, Bob, Joe, Reuben, Ronnie and the players all walked back to Anfield.

In the car park, the Anfield car park. In the sunshine, the July sunshine. On the second day of training. Bill, Bob, Joe, Reuben, Ronnie and the players all jogged out to Melwood. Then Bill and the players ran once around the training pitch. Then Bill and the players passed the ball back and forth, in threes, back and forth to each other for thirty minutes. Then Bill and the players ran once more around the training pitch. And then Bill, Bob, Joe, Reuben, Ronnie and the players all jogged back to Anfield.

In the car park, the Anfield car park. In the sunshine, the July sunshine. On the third day of training. Bill, Bob, Joe, Reuben, Ronnie
and the players all ran out to Melwood. Then Bill and the players ran twice around the training pitch. Then Bill and the players passed the ball back and forth, in fours, back and forth to each other for forty minutes. Then Reuben blew his whistle. And Bill gathered the players in the middle of the training pitch. Bill, Bob, Joe, Reuben and Ronnie divided the thirty players into six groups of five. And Bill said, Right, lads. Enough running. We’re going to play some football. We’re going to play some five-a-sides …

In the car park, the Anfield car park. In the sunshine, the July sunshine. In the second week of training. In his sweater and in his tracksuit bottoms. Bill waited for the players of Liverpool Football Club. In their kits, their training kits. Bill greeted every player. Bill shook their hands, Bill patted their backs. Bill asked after their families, Bill asked after their weekends. And then Bob, Joe, Reuben and Ronnie joined Bill and the players in the car park at Anfield. Then Bill, Bob, Joe, Reuben, Ronnie and the players all climbed on the bus to Melwood. And when the players arrived at Melwood, when the players got off the bus, the players saw the boxes on the training pitch. And the players groaned, the players laughed. And Bill and the players ran twice around the training pitch. Then Bill and the players passed the ball back and forth, in pairs, back and forth for twenty minutes. Then Bill and the players went into the boxes. In pairs. Balls came over the top into the boxes. One player tried to hit the ball first time, the other tried to hit the same ball on the rebound. First time. Ball after ball. Every second, another ball. Into the box. Every second for one minute. Ball after ball. Then for two minutes. Then for three minutes. Again and again. Ball after ball. Every second. Shot after shot. Every second. Inside the box. In pairs, in turn. Pair after pair, player after player. Then Reuben blew his whistle. Bill gathered the players in the middle of the training pitch. And Bill said, Right, lads. Enough exercises. We’re going to play some football. Some five-a-sides …

And that was the second week of training. And the third. And the fourth. And the fifth. They did not practise set pieces, they did not practise corners. And they did not practise free kicks. They practised passing. Always forward, always faster. Faster and faster, for five weeks. Always forward. And always to a red shirt,

always to a red shirt,

a red shirt. Bill training, always training. Bill playing, always playing. With hunger and with passion. In amongst the players, in amongst the team. Bill training, Bill playing. Bill watching and Bill listening. Watching for hunger and listening for passion. Hunger for the red shirt, passion for the red shirt –

The hunger and the passion –

For the shirt, the red shirt. And Bill watched Tommy Smith square up to Emlyn Hughes. Bill watched Bob pull them apart. Bill watched Ian St John square up to Tony Hateley. And Bill watched Bob pull them apart –

And Bill smiled.

…

At Maine Road, Manchester. In the stands, in his seat. Bill watched Manchester City play West Bromwich Albion in the 1968 Charity Shield. Manchester City were the Champions of the Football League. West Bromwich Albion were the winners of the FA Cup. In the stands, in his seat. Bill watched West Bromwich Albion try to keep the ball in the air. Bill watched Manchester City keep the ball on the ground. And Bill watched Manchester City beat West Bromwich Albion six–one in the 1968 Charity Shield. And in the stands, in his seat. Bill stood up. Bill left the ground. And Bill drove back to Anfield. Bill went into his office. Bill shut the door. Bill took off his hat, Bill took off his jacket. Bill sat down at his desk. And Bill took out his book. His book of names, his book of notes. Bill took out his pen. His red pen. And in the office, at his desk. Bill began to write in his book. His book of names, his book of notes. In the office, at his desk. Bill stopped writing. Bill put down his pen. His red pen. Bill took out his diary. His diary of dates, his diary of fixtures. And Bill stared down at the first date in his diary, the first fixture of the season. The new season. In the office, at his desk. Bill sat back in his chair. Bill closed his eyes. And then Bill opened his eyes. Bill leaned forward. Bill picked up his book. His book of names, his book of notes. Bill turned to the last page. The last page of names, the last page of notes. Bill picked up his pen. His red pen. Bill drew a line through one name on the page. The last name on the last page.
Hateley
. And then Bill wrote a name on the page. A new name on the last page.
Graham
. Bill put down his pen. His red pen. Bill closed his book. His book of names,
his book of notes. In his office, at his desk. Bill sat back in his chair again. Bill closed his eyes again. And Bill waited.

…

In the dressing room. The home dressing room. Bill looked from player to player. From Lawrence to Lawler, Lawler to Wall, Wall to Smith, Smith to Yeats, Yeats to Hughes, Hughes to Callaghan, Callaghan to Hunt, Hunt to Graham, Graham to St John and from St John to Thompson. And Bill said, Last season, on the first day of last season, we went to Maine Road and we drew nil–nil with this lot. And then, when they came here, we drew one-all. So last season, Manchester City took two points from us. Home and away. Last season, Manchester City finished with three points more than us. Just three points. But we finished third and they finished first. And they were the Champions and we were not. We were nothing, we were nowhere. So if you are thinking this is just the first game of the season. Just the first match of forty-two League matches this season. If you are thinking to drop a point today, to even lose two points today, it doesn’t matter. That there will be other games, forty-one other games. Well, if there is any man in this room thinking thoughts like that, then that man has no place in this room. No place in this team. Because a point dropped today is a point lost forever. And every point lost is a point that costs you. Because that point lost today could be the point that costs you the title. That gives them the title. That condemns you to second best. To third best. Or even worse. And that’s not good enough. That’s never good enough. Not for Liverpool Football Club. Not for the people who support Liverpool Football Club. The only thing that is good enough for Liverpool Football Club, for the people who support Liverpool Football Club, is to win every game, to take two points from every match. From all forty-two matches. And then to be Champions. Because that is the only thing good enough. For Liverpool Football Club. And for the people who support Liverpool Football Club –

To be Champions again.

On the bench, the Anfield bench. In the first game of the season, in the second minute of the match, Bill watched Manchester City score. But in the twenty-fourth minute of the first match of the season, Graham equalised. And in the seventy-third minute of the first match of the season, Thompson scored. And Liverpool Football Club
beat Manchester City two–one. At home, at Anfield. In the first match of the 1968–69 season –

On the bench, the bench at the Dell. In the second game of the season, Bill watched Southampton Football Club score. And score again. And Liverpool Football Club lost two–nil. Away from home, away from Anfield –

On the bench, the bench at Highbury. In the third game of the season, Bill watched the players of Liverpool Football Club harry and harry and harry. Run and run and run. But in the thirtieth minute of the third match of the season, Sammels sent Radford through. And Radford slotted the ball home. But still the players of Liverpool Football Club harried and harried and harried. Ran and ran and ran. And in the fiftieth minute of the third match of the season, Thompson dribbled through three players. Thompson passed inside to Hunt. And Hunt scored. But then on the bench, the bench at Highbury, Bill watched the sun disappear. And the sky turn black. With thunder and with lightning. And then the rain came. And the rain swept thousands from the terraces. And the rain turned the pitch into a cauldron. But still the players of Liverpool Football Club harried and harried and harried. Ran and ran and ran. Under a black sky, in the pouring rain. But then the whistle came, the final whistle. And the game was drawn, only drawn. And in that first week of the 1968–69 season, in the first three games of this new season, Liverpool Football Club had won once, drawn once and lost once. In the first week of the 1968–69 season, in the first three games of the new season, Liverpool Football Club had dropped three points. Three points lost forever. It was a bad start to the 1968–69 season, a very bad start to the new season –

The new season same as the old season.

…

In the house, in their bed. Bill heard Ness cough. In her sleep, in their bed. Bill opened his eyes. And Bill saw the darkness. Bill got out of the bed. Bill went down the stairs. Bill went into the front room. Bill switched on the light. Bill sat down in his armchair. Bill picked up his book. His book of names, his book of notes. And Bill turned the pages. The pages of names, the pages of notes. To the last page of names, to the last page of notes. And Bill picked up his pen. His red pen. And Bill drew a line through one name on the page. The last page.
Graham
. And then Bill wrote a name on the page. The last page.
Hateley
. And Bill put down his pen. His red pen. Bill closed his book. His book of names, his book of notes. In the front room, in his armchair. Bill heard Ness cough again upstairs. In their bed, in her sleep. And in the darkness. Bill waited for the dawn,

Bill waited for the light.

…

On the bench, the bench at Elland Road. In the sunshine, the late and rare Yorkshire sunshine. Bill watched Jackie Charlton and Ronnie Yeats cast long shadows, Mick Jones and Tony Hateley cast long shadows. And on the bench, the bench at Elland Road. In the thirtieth minute, Bill watched Billy Bremner strike a long, steepling pass towards the silhouettes of Mick Jones and Ronnie Yeats. And Ronnie Yeats came to meet the pass, to block the pass. Yeats kicking out towards the pass, towards the ball. But Yeats kicked out into the air, into the shadows. And Jones met the pass, Jones touched on the pass. Past Tommy Lawrence. Lawrence groping after the ball, Lawrence sprawling on the floor. And Jones touched the pass again. Jones struck the pass. And Jones scored. And in the sunshine, the late and rare Yorkshire sunshine. Leeds United were beating Liverpool Football Club one–nil. But in the sunshine, the late and rare Yorkshire sunshine, still Liverpool Football Club passed the ball long towards Hateley. Still Liverpool Football Club passed the ball high to Hateley. But Charlton met every ball, Charlton blocked every pass. And in the sunshine, the late and rare sunshine, Jackie Charlton put Tony Hateley’s head on the block. And in the sunshine, the late and rare Yorkshire sunshine. Liverpool Football Club lost one–nil to Leeds United. And that evening, Leeds United had eleven points and Arsenal Football Club had twelve points. Arsenal Football Club were first in the First Division. That evening, Liverpool Football Club had eight points. Liverpool Football Club seventh in the First Division. That evening, Liverpool Football Club were nowhere.