By Kate7
March 16 2005

The upcoming derby with the bluenoses promises to be a hard fought affair with Everton sitting in fourth place and Liverpool hoping to take it from them. The self christened ‘peoples club’ have done very well this season and there’s no-one I’d rather be in contention with, but the ‘peoples club’? Shanks called us the peoples club long before David Moyes used the Kenwright induced phrase. There are many great quotes from Shanks and thanks to .tv here are a few of them in relation to Liverpool.

No Reds manager has been loved more than Shanks and it was not just because of his remarkable managerial achievements at Anfield.

Off the pitch he was one of us, the ultimate people's man and here a just a few of the many reasons why...

When arriving at the stadium in Bruges to co-commentate on the second leg of the 1976 UEFA Cup Final he meets some fans who have hitched a lift from Liverpool to Belgium and without hesitation takes out his wallet and gives them £60.

Regularly inviting fans into his home on Bellefield Avenue for a cup of tea and a chat after they had plucked up the courage to knock and ask for an autograph.

His response to the meagre allocation of tickets for the 1965 FA Cup Final: "What can you do with 15,000 Cup Final tickets in a place like Liverpool? They'd eat them for tea and not notice. Any tickets I have are going to the boys on the Kop."

Scolding a police officer in front of the Kop for standing on a Liverpool scarf as the players embarked on a victorious lap of honour after clinching the 1972/73 League title. "That's somebody's life son," he told him in no uncertain terms.

Saving three young Liverpudlians from being thrown off a train by an inspector after they'd bunked into first class on a journey home from watching the Reds in London. On overhearing the conversation he offered to pay their fares and then dropped them off home in a taxi after returning to Lime Street.

It's a hot summers day in West Derby and a group of local kids are out on the field playing football. Suddenly, Shankly arrives on the scene and proceeds to engage in an hour long kick-about with the star-struck youngsters. Apparently this was a common occurrence on the playing field that was later renamed in his honour.

Standing on the Kop alongside his adoring fans shortly after his retirement as Liverpool manager. This is where he felt he belonged.
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"I'm a people's man - only the people matter" Bill Shankly

(At Dixie Dean's funeral) "I know this is a sad occasion but I think that Dixie would be amazed to know that even in death he could draw a bigger crowd than Everton can on a Saturday Afternoon." Bill Shankly

"I was the best manager in Britain because I was never devious or cheated anyone. I'd break my wife's legs if I played against her, but I'd never cheat her." Bill Shankly.

"Liverpool was made for me and I was made for Liverpool." Bill Shankly

"The fans here are the greatest in the land. They know the game and they know what they want to see. The people on the Kop make you feel great - yet humble." Bill Shankly.

"Adidas wanted to present him with a Golden Boot in recognition of what he'd done. Bob ( Paisley ) took the call and said, 'They want to know what shoe size you take'. Shanks shouted back, 'If it's gold, I'm a 28.' "

Peter Thompson, wiger of the 60’s and 70’s "It was a quarter to three on match day at Anfield and there was no sign of Shanks. Suddenly, he came in. His shirt's torn, tie undone, jacket hanging off, hair all over the place. 'What's happened boss ?' 'I've just been in the Kop with the boys.' He'd gone in with 28,000 of them and they'd been lifting him shoulder high, passing him round, and he loved that.

Ray Wilson, former Huddersfield player, "When I signed for Everton I hadn't realised how intense the Liverpool-Everton rivalry is. It took me a couple of years to realise that feeling bordering on hatred they have there. I'd be talking to Bill as I remembered him at Huddersfield and he'd be telling me that it was a disgrace I'd got picked for England. I was the worst full-back ever !

Ron Yeats, Shanks captain in the 60’s, "I remember he said to Tommy Lawrence after we had just won the League but still had a few games to play out the season. 'Tom, wouldn't it be great if we could put a deck chair in the middle of the goal, you sitting in it, cigar in your mouth, and when the ball comes, you get out of your deck chair and catch it and say 'It's a lovely day to play football, isn't it.' ' "

Joe Mercer, former Man City manager, "From the moment he arrived there's been only one way... up. And this endless success was mirrored in that amazing relationship with the Kop. When he was at Anfield he was the city of Liverpool's answer to vandalism and hooliganism, because the kids came to see Liverpool. They came to see those red shirts and Shankly was their man, their hero, their football god. He belongs to the Kop, he's one of them. If he hadn't managed Liverpool I'm sure he'd have been on the Kop dressed in red, singing and chanting 'Liverpool, Liverpool.' "


There are so many Shankly quotes that I could be here all night but suffice to say that he was the manager of the real ‘peoples club’. Hope this provided you with a smile before we meet the imposters.