cursed and Bill said, It’s always the same. Fight and argue. That is all I ever do. It’s always the same. And I’ve had enough, Matt. I’m going to quit, I’m going to resign. I swear to you, Matt.
Matt Busby stopped stirring his tea. He put the teaspoon down in the saucer. He looked up from his cup. And Matt Busby smiled –
You’re not a quitter, Bill. You’re not going to resign ...
I am, Matt. I am. I’ve had enough, Matt. Enough.
Matt Busby picked up his cup. He took a sip of tea. He put the cup back down in the saucer. And Matt Busby looked at Bill –
So you’ve another job to go to then, Bill? Something else lined up, have you? Lined up just waiting for you, Bill?
No, Matt. No. But I don’t care, Matt. I don’t care any more.
Matt Busby took another sip of tea. He put the cup down again. He looked at Bill again. And Matt Busby sighed –
But then what about Nessie and the girls, Bill? You can’t just quit, you can’t just walk away. Think of your family, Bill ...
But I don’t care, Matt. I really don’t care.
Matt Busby shook his head –
If you had another job to go to, if you had a better opportunity, then that would be one thing, and then things would be different. But you haven’t, Bill. You haven’t. You’ve nothing, Bill. Nothing. And I honestly don’t think you’ll find anything better than this, a betteropportunity than this one you have now, Bill. I really don’t think so. I really don’t, Bill. And I also don’t think you want to be sat at home all day now, do you? Under Nessie’s feet all day, Bill. Now that wouldn’t be for you, would it? That wouldn’t be for you at all, Bill.
I don’t care, Matt. I really don’t care.
But you do care, Bill. I know you care. I know you do, Bill.
Bill shook his head. And Bill said, But you don’t know what it’s like, Matt. You don’t know what it’s like. It’s hard enough trying to win the battles on the pitch, Matt. You know that. But then I’ve got all these constant bloody battles off the pitch, Matt. Just trying to make them realise what it is we’re working for ...
But I do know, Bill. I do know. And you know I know. And you also know it’s always hard work. You knew that when you took the job, Bill. That it would be a hard job. That it’s always a hard job. Always. It was the same for me. And it’s
still
the same for me. It’s still hard work, Bill. Always hard work.
I know that, Matt. I do know that. But at Grimsby, at Huddersfield, I knew the limitations. And so I knew I had taken them as far as I could. I knew I’d reached the limits of their ambitions. And so I knew that it was pointless to stay on. But I thought it would be different at Liverpool. I thought there would be more ambition. More ambition and more potential. Ambition and potential to succeed.
And there is, Bill. There is. You were right.
Bill shook his head again. And Bill said, But I tell them we need a goalkeeper. And they say the one we have got is good enough. But what they really mean is, he’s good enough to keep them in the top half of the Second Division. In the top half of the Second Division, with gates of just over twenty thousand. That’s all they want. Top half of the Second Division. With gates over twenty thousand. That’s good enough for them, Matt. That’s all they want.
But it’s not good enough for you, said Matt Busby. It’s not what you want, Bill. I know that, I know that. And that’s also why I know you should not quit, Bill. Why I know you should not walk away now. Because Liverpool do have the potential. And no other club has that same potential. But only you have the ambition. No other manager has that same ambition. And so if you stick with it, things are bound to break for you, Bill. They are bound to break. I promise you, Bill. Butnot if you quit. Not if you walk away now, Bill. Before you have hardly begun, before you have hardly started.
5. THE HAMMER AND THE NAILS
On Saturday 3 September, 1960,
Matt Busby stopped stirring his tea. He put the teaspoon down in the saucer. He looked up from his cup. And Matt Busby smiled –
You’re not a quitter, Bill. You’re not going to resign ...
I am, Matt. I am. I’ve had enough, Matt. Enough.
Matt Busby picked up his cup. He took a sip of tea. He put the cup back down in the saucer. And Matt Busby looked at Bill –
So you’ve another job to go to then, Bill? Something else lined up, have you? Lined up just waiting for you, Bill?
No, Matt. No. But I don’t care, Matt. I don’t care any more.
Matt Busby took another sip of tea. He put the cup down again. He looked at Bill again. And Matt Busby sighed –
But then what about Nessie and the girls, Bill? You can’t just quit, you can’t just walk away. Think of your family, Bill ...
But I don’t care, Matt. I really don’t care.
Matt Busby shook his head –
If you had another job to go to, if you had a better opportunity, then that would be one thing, and then things would be different. But you haven’t, Bill. You haven’t. You’ve nothing, Bill. Nothing. And I honestly don’t think you’ll find anything better than this, a betteropportunity than this one you have now, Bill. I really don’t think so. I really don’t, Bill. And I also don’t think you want to be sat at home all day now, do you? Under Nessie’s feet all day, Bill. Now that wouldn’t be for you, would it? That wouldn’t be for you at all, Bill.
I don’t care, Matt. I really don’t care.
But you do care, Bill. I know you care. I know you do, Bill.
Bill shook his head. And Bill said, But you don’t know what it’s like, Matt. You don’t know what it’s like. It’s hard enough trying to win the battles on the pitch, Matt. You know that. But then I’ve got all these constant bloody battles off the pitch, Matt. Just trying to make them realise what it is we’re working for ...
But I do know, Bill. I do know. And you know I know. And you also know it’s always hard work. You knew that when you took the job, Bill. That it would be a hard job. That it’s always a hard job. Always. It was the same for me. And it’s
still
the same for me. It’s still hard work, Bill. Always hard work.
I know that, Matt. I do know that. But at Grimsby, at Huddersfield, I knew the limitations. And so I knew I had taken them as far as I could. I knew I’d reached the limits of their ambitions. And so I knew that it was pointless to stay on. But I thought it would be different at Liverpool. I thought there would be more ambition. More ambition and more potential. Ambition and potential to succeed.
And there is, Bill. There is. You were right.
Bill shook his head again. And Bill said, But I tell them we need a goalkeeper. And they say the one we have got is good enough. But what they really mean is, he’s good enough to keep them in the top half of the Second Division. In the top half of the Second Division, with gates of just over twenty thousand. That’s all they want. Top half of the Second Division. With gates over twenty thousand. That’s good enough for them, Matt. That’s all they want.
But it’s not good enough for you, said Matt Busby. It’s not what you want, Bill. I know that, I know that. And that’s also why I know you should not quit, Bill. Why I know you should not walk away now. Because Liverpool do have the potential. And no other club has that same potential. But only you have the ambition. No other manager has that same ambition. And so if you stick with it, things are bound to break for you, Bill. They are bound to break. I promise you, Bill. Butnot if you quit. Not if you walk away now, Bill. Before you have hardly begun, before you have hardly started.
5. THE HAMMER AND THE NAILS
On Saturday 3 September, 1960,
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