There are some people who leave a football club.
And then there are people who become part of its identity.
Bill Shankly is firmly in the second category.
Today marks 45 years since the Liverpool legend passed away, but his name is still everywhere around Anfield.
The statue outside the Kop, the Shankly Gates, the stories passed down through generations of supporters and, of course, the famous words that have become part of Liverpool’s history.
Shankly didn’t just manage Liverpool.
He changed the club.
When the Scot arrived at Anfield in December 1959, Liverpool were in the old Second Division. The club had poor facilities and had been nowhere near the force they would eventually become.
Shankly saw something that others perhaps couldn’t.
He saw what Liverpool could become.
And he wasn’t prepared to settle for anything less.
Shankly built Liverpool from the ground up
One of the biggest things Shankly did was change the mentality around the club.
He brought in players who matched his attitude and helped create a team built around hard work, discipline and, perhaps most importantly, playing football the right way.
The famous Boot Room became central to everything.
Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Reuben Bennett worked alongside Shankly, helping to create the foundations for what would eventually become one of the greatest periods in Liverpool’s history.
But first, Shankly had to get Liverpool back where he believed they belonged.
Promotion arrived in 1962 after Liverpool won the Second Division title.
It didn’t take long for Shankly to make his mark in the top flight.
Liverpool won the First Division title in 1963-64, just two years after promotion.
The following season brought another piece of history.
Liverpool won the FA Cup for the first time, beating Leeds United 2-1 after extra time at Wembley.
A second league title followed in 1965-66.
Liverpool were no longer a club hoping to compete.
They were becoming a club expected to win.
He understood Liverpool supporters
This is probably the part of Shankly’s legacy that means the most to me.
He understood what Liverpool Football Club meant to its supporters.
He knew football wasn’t simply about what happened for 90 minutes on a Saturday afternoon.
It mattered to people.
It gave them something to believe in.
Shankly famously spoke about being one of the people on the Kop, and that connection between the manager, the players and the supporters became a huge part of Liverpool’s identity.
You can still see that connection today.
Every generation of Liverpool supporter has heard the Shankly stories.
Some of us grew up watching the footage.
Others heard their parents or grandparents talking about him.
And even supporters who weren’t born until long after Shankly’s time know exactly who he was.
That’s some legacy.
He wasn’t finished after winning trophies
What I find particularly impressive about Shankly is that he didn’t simply build one successful team and leave it at that.
He rebuilt.
Players such as Roger Hunt, Ron Yeats and Ian St John eventually moved on, while a new generation arrived.
Kevin Keegan, Steve Heighway, Ray Clemence and others became part of another Liverpool side.
That rebuilding eventually produced more success.
Liverpool won the UEFA Cup and another league title in 1972-73.
Then came another FA Cup triumph in 1974, when Liverpool beat Newcastle United 3-0 at Wembley.
By then, Shankly had completely transformed the club.
Liverpool had gone from a Second Division side to champions of England and European trophy winners.
His official Liverpool record was three league titles, two FA Cups, the UEFA Cup and the Second Division title during his 15 years in charge.
Then came the decision nobody wanted
In July 1974, Shankly shocked everyone by resigning.
He wanted to spend more time with his wife Ness and his family.
It must have been an incredibly difficult moment for Liverpool supporters.
But perhaps the greatest compliment you can pay Shankly is what happened after he left.
Bob Paisley took over.
And Liverpool went on to dominate English and European football.
Paisley had been part of the foundations Shankly had helped build, and the success that followed showed just how important those foundations had been.
Shankly had created something much bigger than one team.
He had created a culture.
45 years later, he is still part of Liverpool
Shankly died on September 29, 1981.
He was only 68.
The football world lost one of its most recognisable characters, but Liverpool supporters never allowed his memory to disappear.
In fact, it seems to have grown stronger with every generation.
His name is still sung.
His quotes are still repeated.
His statue still stands proudly outside Anfield.
And the Shankly Gates remain one of the most recognisable sights around the stadium.
Liverpool’s own history describes Shankly as the man who helped lay the foundations for the club’s later success, and it’s difficult to argue with that assessment.
When you look at what Liverpool became after Shankly, it is remarkable to think about where the club was when he arrived.
He didn’t have the resources or facilities that modern managers have.
He didn’t have the huge transfer budgets.
What he had was belief.
He believed Liverpool could become great.
Then he went about making it happen.
That’s why, 45 years after his death, Bill Shankly is still remembered at Anfield.
Not simply as a former manager.
Not simply as a man who won trophies.
But as the man who helped change the entire identity of Liverpool Football Club.
Shankly Lives Forever.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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