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William "Bill" Shankly, OBE (September 2, 1913 – September 29, 1981) was one of the most successful and respected football managers.
Background
Born in Glenbuck, East Ayrshire, Scotland, he was one of five brothers who played professional football. His brother Bob was also a successful manager, guiding Dundee F.C. to victory in the Scottish championship in 1962. All five Shankly brothers were members of the Glenbuck Cherrypickers - a team famous at the time for producing extraordinary numbers of professional footballers - although Bill, the youngest, never played for their first eleven.
Player career
Bill Shankly's playing career began in Scottish Junior Football, where he played for the now defunct Cronberry Eglinton. In 1932 he caught the eye of scouts and was signed to play for Carlisle United making his debut on 31st December 1932 against Rochdale. In the summer of 1933 he signed for Preston North End for a fee of 500 pounds (he also played for Partick Thistle during the Second World War) and won the FA Cup with Preston in 1938. He also won seven Scottish caps.
Honours
- 1934 Second Division runners-up (with Preston North End)
- 1937 FA Cup finalists. (with Preston North End)
- 1938 FA Cup winners. (with Preston North End)
Managerial career
He was appointed the manager of Carlisle in 1949. Later he moved to Grimsby in 1951, Workington in 1953 and Huddersfield in 1956.
Shankly became the manager of Liverpool in December 1959.
Honours
1962 Second Division champions1964 First Division champions
1965 FA Cup Winners, European Champions' Cup semi-finalists.
1966 First Division champions, European Cup Winners Cup beaten finalists.
1969 First Division runners-up.
1971 FA Cup beaten finalists, Inter-Cities Fairs Cup semi-finalists.
1973 First Division champions, UEFA Cup winners.
1974 FA Cup winners, First Division runners-up.
Shankly retired in July 1974 season and was awarded the OBE in November that year.
Managerial Statistics
| Team | From | To | Games | Won | Lost | Drawn | Liverpool | 01-12-1959 | 12-07-1974 | 753 | 393 | 175 | 185 | Huddersfield | 01-11-1956 | 01-11-1959 | 134 | 49 | 50 | 35 | Grimsby | 01-07-1951 | 31-01-1953 | 80 | 47 | 17 | 16 | Carlisle | 01-03-1949 | 01-07-1951 | 108 | 48 | 27 | 33 |
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Shankly is remembered by many Liverpool fans as their greatest ever manager. His record of honours (in itself notable) pales compared to some of his successors (including the man that immediately followed, Bob Paisley) but he is credited with establishing the club's reputation and setting the scene for subsequent successes.
He died aged 68 of an heart attack early on 29 September 1981. Shankly was made an Inaugural Inductee of the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002 in recognition of his impact on the English game as a manager.
He was rumored to of died a Evertonian as Liverpool FC treated him with disrespect after he left the club.
Quotations
- An interview on a Granada Television chat-show hosted by Shelley Rohde in 1981 produced arguably Shankly's most famous (and most often misquoted) quote - "Someone said 'football is more important than life and death to you' and I said 'Listen, it's more important than that'."
- Shankly famously said about the offside law, "If a player is not interfering with play or seeking to gain an advantage, then he should be."
- When asked what he thought about the team on the other side of Stanley Park he replied "There are only two teams in Liverpool; Liverpool and Liverpool Reserves.
External links
- LFC Online profile
- English Football Hall of Fame Profile
- A site dedicated to the life and times of Bill Shankly
1913 births | 1981 deaths | Brothers in English Football | Grimsby Town F.C. managers | Liverpool F.C. managers | Scottish Sports Hall of Fame | Scottish footballers | Scottish football managers | Natives of East Ayrshire | Officers of the Order of the British Empire
"Bill Shankly"