Red or Dead by David Peace Page B

Liverpool Football Club beat Brighton and Hove Albion with two goals from Jimmy Harrower. Four days later, Liverpool Football Club drew two-all with Luton Town. Then Liverpool Football Club lost one–nil at Ipswich Town and two–one at Luton Town. Liverpool Football Club had played eight games this season. But Liverpool Football Club had won just twice this season. Liverpool Football Club had only six points from a possible sixteen. Liverpool Football Club were seventeenth in the Second Division. Liverpool Football Club were going backwards, Liverpool Football Club were falling. And their gates were falling, too. Forty-three thousand and forty-one folk had come to Anfield for the first game of the season. Thirty-seven thousand, six hundred and four folk for the next home match. The match Liverpool Football Club had lost one–nil to Southampton Football Club. Only twenty-seven thousand, three hundred and thirty-nine folk had come to Anfield for the game against Luton Town. In the pubs and in the clubs of Liverpool, folk began to question Bill Shankly. Folk began to ask if Bill Shankly was the right man to manage Liverpool Football Club. Folk began to ask what exactly were Bill Shankly’s qualifications for the job. What had Bill Shankly ever done? What had Bill Shankly ever won?
    ...
    After the game at Kenilworth Road, the defeat to Luton Town. After Liverpool Football Club had come back home, home to Anfield. Bob Paisley had gone into the ground, Bob Paisley had gone under the stands. Among the piles of dirty boots, on an upturned beer crate. Bob Paisley took out his copy of the
Sporting Life
, Bob Paisley looked down at his copy of the
Sporting Life
. And then Bob Paisley heard footsteps in the corridor. Fast steps, heavy steps. Bob Paisley looked up from his copy of the
Sporting Life
. Bob Paisley saw Bill Shankly. In the doorway to the boot room. And Bob Paisley said, Hello, Boss.
    Hello, Bob. Hello, said Bill Shankly. Are you busy, Bob? Ordo you have the time? The time for a chat, Bob?
    Bob Paisley smiled. And Bob Paisley said, I’ve always the time, Boss. Come in. Have a seat, Boss.
    Thank you, Bob, said Bill Shankly. And Bill Shankly walked into the boot room. Bill Shankly sat down on an upturned beer crate.
    Bob Paisley smiled again. And Bob Paisley said, Now what’s on your mind, Boss? What’s on your mind?
    No doubt the same as what’s on yours, said Bill Shankly.
    Bob Paisley nodded. And Bob Paisley said, Aye, Boss. Aye. It’s been a bad start, Boss. A very bad start.
    I keep going over things in my mind, said Bill Shankly. Over the things I’ve done, Bob. All the things I’ve done. Over and over, round and round, Bob. In my mind. Over and over, round and round, Bob. Wondering where I’ve gone wrong. Where I’m going wrong, Bob. And how to put it right. How to bloody fix it, Bob.
    Bob Paisley nodded again. And Bob Paisley said, Aye, Boss. I’m the same. It’s the same with me, Boss.
    But I know it’s me, Bob. It must be me. It’s my fault, Bob.
    Bob Paisley shook his head. And Bob Paisley said, No, Boss. No. It’s not you, Boss. It’s not you. It’s never one man, Boss. It’s all of us. It’s every one of us, Boss.
    Thank you, said Bill Shankly. Thank you, Bob. But Albert was right. You were all right, Bob. The players were not fit enough. The players
are
not fit enough. They were used to the road-work. They were used to the running. I should have listened to you, listened to you all.
    Bob Paisley shook his head again. And Bob Paisley said, No, Boss. No. You were right, Boss. You were right. The players do their playing on the grass. So they should do their running on the grass. You were right, Boss. And you are still right. Still right, Boss.
    But the players are just not fit enough, said Bill Shankly. I know that and you know that, Bob. We can see that.
    Bob Paisley nodded. And Bob Paisley said, You remember you told us how you used to spend your summers? When you were a player yourself, Boss?