Some people believe football is a matter of life and death... The wit and wisdom of Bill Shankly

By Mirror Football in Mirror Football Blog

Published 11:09 02/09/10

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Liverpool legend Bill Shankly was born 97 years ago today.

To celebrate one of the all-time greats, Empire of the Kop has put together an excellent list of the manager's best quotes, the pick of which are below ( click here to see the full list ).

And after you've read this, why not check out our amazing archive collection of previously unseen Bill Shankly pictures ?

The wit and wisdom of Bill Shankly
* “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”

* “Brian Clough’s worse than the rain in Manchester. At least God stops that occasionally”

* “If Everton were playing down the bottom of my garden, I’d draw the curtains.”

* “The difference between Everton and the Queen Mary is that Everton carry more passengers!”

* “We absolutely annihilated England. It was a massacre. We beat them 5-4.”

* “My idea was to build Liverpool into a bastion of invincibility. Had Napoleon had that idea he would have conquered the bloody world. I wanted Liverpool to be untouchable. My idea was to build Liverpool up and up until eventually everyone would have to submit and give in.”

* “My life is my work. My work is my life.”

* “I was only in the game for the love of football – and I wanted to bring back happiness to the people of Liverpool.”

* “Above all, I would like to be remembered as a man who was selfless, who strove and worried so that others could share the glory, and who built up a family of people who could hold their heads up high and say “We’re Liverpool.”

* “When you get the ball, I want you to beat a couple of men and smash the ball into the net, just the same way you used to at Bury,” said Shankly. Lindsay replied: “But, boss, that wasn’t me, it was Jimmy Kerr.” Shankly turned to Bob Paisley and said: “Christ, Bob, we’ve signed the wrong player.”

* “A football team is like a piano. You need eight men to carry it and three who can play the damn thing.”

* “For a player to be good enough to play for Liverpool, he must be prepared to run through a brick wall for me then come out fighting on the other side.”

* “I’ve been a slave to football. It follows you home, it follows you everywhere, and eats into your family life. But every working man misses out on some things because of his job.”

* “If you are first you are first. If you are second you are nothing.”

* “At a football club, there’s a holy trinity – the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors don’t come into it. They are only there to sign the cheques”

* “Although I’m a Scot, I’d be proud to be called a Scouser.”

* “Chairman Mao has never seen a greater show of red strength.”

* “Liverpool was made for me and I was made for Liverpool.”

* “If you can’t make decisions in life, you’re a bloody menace. You’d be better becoming an MP!”

* “Sickness would not have kept me away from this one. If I’d been dead, I would have had them bring the casket to the ground, prop it up in the stands and cut a hole in the lid.” after beating Everton in the 1971 FA Cup semi-final.

* “He has football in his blood,” the disappointed scout complained. “You may be right,” Shankly said, “but it hasn’t reached his legs yet.”

* “A hundred thousand wouldn’t buy him,” Tommy Docherty said. “And I’m one of the of the hundred thousand,” replied Shankly.

* “But that’s where I live!” To the Brussels hotel receptionist who queried his signing “Anfield” as his address on the hotel register.

* “Anything off the top?”, asked a barber. “Aye, Everton,” replied Shankly.

* “What can you do, playing against eleven goalposts?” After a 0-0 draw at Anfield

* “I told this player, ‘Listen Son, you haven’t broken your leg. It’s all in the mind.’”

* “The best side drew.” After a hard fought 1-1 draw

* “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.”

* “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.”

* “If a player is not interfering with play or seeking to gain an advantage, then he should be.” on the off side rule.

* “No one was asked to do more than anyone else…we were a team. We shared the ball, we shared the game, we shared the worries.”

* “The problem with you, son, is that all your brains are in your head.”

* “I’m just one of the people who stands on the Kop. They think the same as I do, and I think the same as they do. It’s a kind of marriage of people who like each other.”

* Tommy Lawrence, the Liverpool keeper, let the ball go through his legs. “Sorry, boss, I should have kept my legs together,” said Lawrence. “No, Tommy, your mother should have kept her legs together!,” replied Shankly.

* “We murdered them 0-0.”

* “Son, you’ll do well here as long as you remember two things. Don’t over-eat and don’t lose your accent.” to Ian St John

* “The trouble with referees is that they know the rules, but they do not know the game.”

* “Football is a simple game based on the giving and taking of passes, of controlling the ball and of making yourself available to receive a pass. It is terribly simple.”

* “If you’re not sure what to do with the ball, just pop it in the net and we’ll discuss your options afterwards.”

* “Just go out and drop a few hand grenades all over the place son.” to Kevin Keegan

* To Tommy Smith, “You son, you could start a riot in a graveyard.”

* “Aim for the sky and you’ll reach the ceiling. Aim for the ceiling and you’ll stay on the floor.”

* “I only wanted him for the reserves anyway.” After Lou Macari signed for United.

* “This city has two great teams – Liverpool and Liverpool reserves.”

* “I’m a people’s man – only the people matter.”

* “It’s there to remind our lads who they’re playing for, and to remind the opposition who they’re playing against.” about the ‘This is Anfield’ sign.

* “When I’ve got nothing better to do, I look down the league table to see how Everton are getting along.”

* “Of course I didn’t take my wife to see Rochdale as an anniversary present. It was her birthday. Would I have got married in the football season? Anyway, it was Rochdale reserves.”

* “It was the most difficult thing in the world, when I went to tell the chairman. It was like walking to the electric chair. That’s the way it felt.” when he resigned.

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