50 years since Bill Shankly was made LFC manager

By Laura Davis on Dec 1, 09 08:00 AM

IT'S 50 years today since Bill Shankly was appointed as Liverpool FC manager. BBC Liverpool has uncovered a video of him telling sculptor Arthur Dooley about the passion of LFC fans' passion. It's really worth a watch.

Shankly was first interviewed the job eight years earlier in 1951. In a later interview he recalled the experience, as reported on Shankly.com:

"In 1951, when I was the manager of Carlisle United, I got a telephone call from Liverpool and was asked if I'd like to be interviewed for the manager's job. George Kay had just resigned. I stayed in Southport on the Sunday night and went to meet the Liverpool board the next day.

"The big snag had cropped up when the Liverpool board had said the manager could put down his team for matches and the directors would scrutinize it and alter it if they wanted to. So I just said, "If I don't pick the team, what am I manager of?" And that was that.

"I was just over 36 years old then. I had not long finished playing and I was young and fit and ambitious. Liverpool were in the First Division. They were struggling, but there were a lot of young players knocking about the game.

"I could have started the job eight years earlier than I did! God Almighty, what I would have done for Liverpool then! But a manager must be a manager. He is in charge of the players and the training staff. He organizes the training and the coaching, lays down the law - and picks the team. Without that he is nothing."