Kevin Keegan got off the dustbin. Kevin Keegan followed Bill across the car park. Through the building work, through the scaffolding. Kevin Keegan got into Bill’s car. And Bill drove this boy Keegan to the surgery of the doctor of Liverpool Football Club. Bill not looking at the road, Bill looking at this boy Keegan. Bill saying, You’ll like it here, son. You’ll love it here. The best club in the country, the best supporters in the land, son. The players we have, the Kop we have. The best in the world, son …
At the doctor’s, in the surgery. Bill watched this boy Keegan have his medical. Bill watched this boy Keegan pass his medical. And then Bill said, Right, back to Anfield. Back to my office, son. So you can sign your contract. So you can join Liverpool Football Club.
In the temporary office. Bill looked across his desk at this boy Keegan. And Bill said, We can offer you forty-five pounds a week, son.
Kevin Keegan looked down at the contract on the desk. Kevin Keegan looked down at the pen on the contract on the desk. And Kevin Keegan looked away. Kevin Keegan shifted in his seat.
Is something wrong, son? Something on your mind?
Well, to be honest with you, said Kevin Keegan, I’m on thirty-five pounds a week now at Scunthorpe, sir. And so I was hoping for a little bit more. But I hope you don’t think I’m being cheeky or greedy, sir. I hope you don’t think I’m being ungrateful. But my father always tells me I should try to better myself, sir. If I can, whenever I can.
And what does your father do, son? What’s his job?
He was a miner, said Kevin Keegan. But he cannot work now. Because of his bronchitis. Because of the dust.
Bill looked at this boy Keegan. And Bill nodded. And Bill said, Well, you do right to listen to him, son. Because that man knows graft. That man knows work, son. And so I can offer you fifty pounds.
Kevin Keegan smiled. Kevin Keegan picked up the pen –
Thank you, sir. Thank you very, very much.
Bill leant across the desk. Bill put his hand on the contract. And Bill said, But remember this, son. If you do it for Liverpool Football Club, if you do it for the supporters of Liverpool Football Club. Then you will never have to ask me for another rise again.
Kevin Keegan nodded. Kevin Keegan signed the contract. Kevin Keegan shook hands with Bill. And Bill gave Kevin Keegan a list of landladies and digs. Bill told Kevin Keegan to report for training tomorrow. And Bill told Kevin Keegan he’d be travelling with Liverpool Football Club to Wembley. To watch the Cup Final. And then Bill gave Kevin Keegan two tickets for the Cup Final. For his family. His father. And Bill said, But don’t lose them, son. These tickets are like gold. And so don’t be selling them either!
Bill watched Kevin Keegan bounce out of his office, his temporary office. And Bill walked over to the filing cabinet. Bill switched on the radio. Bill walked back over to his desk. Bill sat back down at his desk. And Bill began to answer letters from the bags and bags of mail. The mountain of bags and bags of mail. And Bill listened to the match on the radio as he typed. The match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal Football Club. And Bill listened to Arsenal Football Club beat Tottenham Hotspur one — nil. Bill listened to Arsenal Football Club become Champions of England. For a record eighth time. And Bill stopped typing. Bill picked up the telephone on his desk. The telephone which had been lying on his desk, off the hook. And Bill dialled White Hart Lane, London. And Bill asked to be put through to the dressing room. The away dressing room, the Arsenal dressing room. And Bill said, Hello, Bertram. It’s only me. It’s only Bill. Just to say congratulations, Bertram. Just to say well done. Very well done indeed. I could not be more happy for you, Bertram. More pleased …
Thank you, said Bertie Mee. Thank you very much, Bill. It’s the greatest moment of my life. And to win it with a goal, Bill. And not a draw. It’s just the best feeling in the world, Bill. And I know the North did not think we could do it. But we showed you, Bill. We showed the North. And this is just what we needed, Bill. Before Saturday. The very thing we needed. Before the final, Bill …
Bill smiled. And Bill said, Well, enjoy it, Bertie. Enjoy it while it lasts. Because you’ll get a much tougher game on Saturday, Bertie. I can promise you that. I promise you that.
…
On their bus, their Liverpool bus. On their way, up Wembley Way. With a bus behind them, an empty bus behind them. Just in case. Just like before. Nothing left to chance. No shocks and no surprises. Everything planned, everything prepared. On their bus, their Liverpool bus. On their way, up Wembley Way. At the front of their bus, in his seat. Bill looked out through the window. Into a sea of red, into a world of red. Just like before. Red scarves and red flags, red banners and red songs. Everywhere Bill looked, everywhere Bill turned. Just like before. A Red Sea, a Red World. Just like before.
And on their bus, their Liverpool bus. On their way, up Wembley Way. Bill stood up at the front. Bill put on a cassette tape. Bill turned up the volume. So everyone on their bus, their Liverpool bus, could hear the cassette tape. The cassette tape of Bill on the radio. On Desert Island Discs, six years before. And Bill stood in the centre of the bus. In the middle of the aisle. And Bill said, Just listen to these songs, boys. These are all great songs. Great, great Scottish songs, boys. And great, great Liverpool songs …
And on their bus, their Liverpool bus. The players of Liverpool Football Club listened. The young players of Liverpool Football Club listened to the songs on the tape. And the players of Liverpool Football Club smiled. The young players of Liverpool Football Club smiled at Bill Shankly. As Bill stood in the centre of the bus. In the middle of the aisle. His lips moving and his arms moving. And when the cassette tape came to the last song, Bill turned up the volume as high as it would go. So everyone on their bus, their Liverpool bus, could hear the last song on the cassette tape. So everyone outside their bus, out on Wembley Way, could hear this last song. And Bill sang along to this last song on the cassette tape. And the players of Liverpool Football Club sang along to this last song on the cassette tape. The young players and the old players. Bill waving his arms, Bill shouting, Come on, boys. Come on! I can’t hear you, boys. I can’t hear you! And the players of Liverpool Football Club raised their voices. In chorus, as one. All the players of Liverpool Football Club singing –
You’ll never walk alone …
In their dressing room, their Wembley dressing room. Bill looked from player to player. From Ray Clemence to Chris Lawler. From Chris to Alec Lindsay. From Alec to Tommy Smith. From Tommy to Larry Lloyd. From Larry to Emlyn Hughes. From Emlyn to Ian Callaghan. From Cally to Alun Evans. From Alun to Steve Heighway. From Steve to John Toshack. From John to Brian Hall. And from Brian to Peter Thompson. Peter in the number-twelve shirt. And Bill smiled. And then Bill said, Six years ago, Tommy and Chris and Cally and Peter were sat here in this dressing room, waiting to play in the Cup Final. For the first time. And I’ve sat in here twice myself as a player, waiting to play in the Cup Final. And so those of us who’ve been here before, who’ve sat in here before, waiting to play in the final, we know what it’s like the first time you sit in here, waiting to play in the final. And we know it’s the worst part. The waiting. It’s hell. We know. But we also know it’s worth it. The waiting. This hell. Because once you get out there, boys. Onto that pitch, onto that turf. It’s heaven, boys. It’s paradise. It’s everything you’ve ever dreamt of, boys. Everything you’ve worked for. This is it, boys. The chance to win the Cup. The opportunity to make history, boys. And to make the supporters of Liverpool Football Club happy. So enjoy it, boys. Enjoy it. Because you’re going to experience heaven on earth, boys. You are going to know paradise on earth. So let’s get going, boys …