How you used to go back to Glenbuck. Every summer. How you used to spend your days running across the fields and up the hills. Every day. Then how you spent your nights playing football with the men from the village. Every night.
Aye, said Bill Shankly. It was no holiday. No summer holiday. But my mother never believed in holidays. She used to say, Every day you wake up and you can get up and you can do your work, then that is a holiday. That is what she believed. That is how she raised us.
Bob Paisley smiled. And Bob Paisley said, Not many that believe that now, Boss. Not many that were raised that way. Not these days, Boss. Not in our team. Not this lot, Boss. They’ll have been sat in their deckchairs. On the front. Or sat on their sofas. In front of their televisions. Eating chips, drinking beer. Getting fat, getting lazy. That’s how this lot’ll have spent their sodding summers.
Aye, said Bill Shankly again. Aye. You’re right there, Bob.
Bob Paisley nodded. And Bob Paisley said, But you were right, too, Boss. Right to ease them back in. No good giving them bloody heart attacks on their first day back. No good at all.
Aye, said Bill Shankly. But we need to pick up the pace now.
Bob Paisley nodded again. And Bob Paisley said, Yes, Boss. We need to pick up the pace. We need to make them sweat.
Bill Shankly sprang forward on the upturned beer crate. Bill Shankly took out a book from his jacket pocket. A notebook. Bill Shankly flicked through the pages. The pages of notes. And then Bill Shankly stopped. Bill Shankly thrust the open book at Bob Paisley –
Look at that, said Bill Shankly. Look at that, Bob! It might just be the answer. It might just be what we need, Bob.
Bob Paisley took the book from Bill Shankly. Bob Paisley stared down at the lines on the page. The lines of a sketch, the lines of a diagram. And Bob Paisley said, What is it, Boss? What is it?
It’s a box, said Bill Shankly. It’s a box, Bob!
What kind of box, Boss?
A box to make them sweat, Bob. A box to make them sweat.
Bob Paisley looked back down at the lines on the page. The lines of a sketch, the lines of a diagram. The lines of a box. Bob Paisley nodded. And Bob Paisley said, Then what are we waiting for?
We’ll need some wood, said Bill Shankly. Plenty of wood, Bob.
Bob Paisley said, I can get us the wood, Boss. Plenty of wood.
And we’ll need some hammers, Bob. And some nails.
I’ve got the hammers, Boss. And I’ve got the nails.
And in the night, back out at Melwood. Bill Shankly and BobPaisley built the box. Out of wood, with hammers. And with nails. Four large boards, eight feet high. Ten yards apart. That was the box, the box for the players. The box to make the players sweat, the box to make the players work. Two players in the box. And a ball over the top into the box. The first player shoots against one board. First time. The other player hits 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. Into the box. Then for two minutes. Ball after ball. Into the box. Then for three minutes. Ball after ball. Into the box. Again and again. Ball after ball. Into the box. Every second. Shot after shot. Every second. Inside the box. Every player. Player after player. Into the box, inside the box. The players working in the box, the box working on the players. Because the box worked –
The box bloody worked.
…
In September, 1960, Liverpool Football Club beat Scunthorpe United and they beat Leyton Orient. In October, 1960, Liverpool Football Club beat Derby County and they beat Lincoln City. And they drew with Portsmouth Football Club. They beat Huddersfield Town and they drew with Sunderland Football Club. But in November, 1960, Liverpool Football Club beat Plymouth Argyle. They beat Norwich City and they beat Charlton Athletic.
On Saturday 26 November, 1960, Sheffield United came to Anfield, Liverpool. That afternoon,
Aye, said Bill Shankly. It was no holiday. No summer holiday. But my mother never believed in holidays. She used to say, Every day you wake up and you can get up and you can do your work, then that is a holiday. That is what she believed. That is how she raised us.
Bob Paisley smiled. And Bob Paisley said, Not many that believe that now, Boss. Not many that were raised that way. Not these days, Boss. Not in our team. Not this lot, Boss. They’ll have been sat in their deckchairs. On the front. Or sat on their sofas. In front of their televisions. Eating chips, drinking beer. Getting fat, getting lazy. That’s how this lot’ll have spent their sodding summers.
Aye, said Bill Shankly again. Aye. You’re right there, Bob.
Bob Paisley nodded. And Bob Paisley said, But you were right, too, Boss. Right to ease them back in. No good giving them bloody heart attacks on their first day back. No good at all.
Aye, said Bill Shankly. But we need to pick up the pace now.
Bob Paisley nodded again. And Bob Paisley said, Yes, Boss. We need to pick up the pace. We need to make them sweat.
Bill Shankly sprang forward on the upturned beer crate. Bill Shankly took out a book from his jacket pocket. A notebook. Bill Shankly flicked through the pages. The pages of notes. And then Bill Shankly stopped. Bill Shankly thrust the open book at Bob Paisley –
Look at that, said Bill Shankly. Look at that, Bob! It might just be the answer. It might just be what we need, Bob.
Bob Paisley took the book from Bill Shankly. Bob Paisley stared down at the lines on the page. The lines of a sketch, the lines of a diagram. And Bob Paisley said, What is it, Boss? What is it?
It’s a box, said Bill Shankly. It’s a box, Bob!
What kind of box, Boss?
A box to make them sweat, Bob. A box to make them sweat.
Bob Paisley looked back down at the lines on the page. The lines of a sketch, the lines of a diagram. The lines of a box. Bob Paisley nodded. And Bob Paisley said, Then what are we waiting for?
We’ll need some wood, said Bill Shankly. Plenty of wood, Bob.
Bob Paisley said, I can get us the wood, Boss. Plenty of wood.
And we’ll need some hammers, Bob. And some nails.
I’ve got the hammers, Boss. And I’ve got the nails.
And in the night, back out at Melwood. Bill Shankly and BobPaisley built the box. Out of wood, with hammers. And with nails. Four large boards, eight feet high. Ten yards apart. That was the box, the box for the players. The box to make the players sweat, the box to make the players work. Two players in the box. And a ball over the top into the box. The first player shoots against one board. First time. The other player hits 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. Into the box. Then for two minutes. Ball after ball. Into the box. Then for three minutes. Ball after ball. Into the box. Again and again. Ball after ball. Into the box. Every second. Shot after shot. Every second. Inside the box. Every player. Player after player. Into the box, inside the box. The players working in the box, the box working on the players. Because the box worked –
The box bloody worked.
…
In September, 1960, Liverpool Football Club beat Scunthorpe United and they beat Leyton Orient. In October, 1960, Liverpool Football Club beat Derby County and they beat Lincoln City. And they drew with Portsmouth Football Club. They beat Huddersfield Town and they drew with Sunderland Football Club. But in November, 1960, Liverpool Football Club beat Plymouth Argyle. They beat Norwich City and they beat Charlton Athletic.
On Saturday 26 November, 1960, Sheffield United came to Anfield, Liverpool. That afternoon,
Similar Books
