And Bill said, A football.
…
On the bus, the Liverpool bus. On their way, up Wembley Way. With a bus behind them, an empty bus behind them. Just in case. 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. Red scarves and red flags, red banners and red songs. Everywhere Bill looked, everywhere Bill turned. Bill saw red –
A Red Sea and a Red World.
And on the bus, the Liverpool bus. On their way, up Wembley Way. Bill stood up at the front, Bill turned up the radio. Bill on the radio, Bill on Desert Island Discs. And Bill shouted down the bus, Can you hear these songs, boys? These are all great songs. Great Scottish songs, boys. Great Liverpool songs –
Great red songs, boys …
In their dressing room, their Wembley dressing room. Bill saw the players of Liverpool Football Club smiling, listening to the songs of Frankie Vaughan. And Bill heard the players of Liverpool Football Club laughing, listening to the jokes of Jimmy Tarbuck. The players smiling, the players laughing. The players relaxed, the players ready. Ready for the game, ready for the final. The game now minutes away, the final now moments away. Bill walked into the centre of their dressing room, their Wembley dressing room. But Bill did not close the door, the dressing-room door. Bill stood with his back to the door, the open door. And Bill looked from player to player. From Tommy Lawrence to Chris Lawler. From Chris to Gerry Byrne. From Gerry to Geoff Strong. From Geoff to Ronnie Yeats. From Ronnie to Willie Stevenson. From Willie to Ian Callaghan. From Cally to Roger Hunt. From Roger to Ian St John. From the Saint to Tommy Smith. From Tommy to Peter Thompson. And Bill pointed out of the dressing room, the Liverpool dressing room, across the corridor, the Wembley corridor, to the other dressing room, the Leeds dressing room. And Bill said, Look, boys. Look! They have had their door shut for the past hour. And listen, boys. Listen! They are silent in there. Silent as the grave. Because they are frightened, boys. Frightened of this occasion. Frightened of this opportunity. But look at you, boys. Look at all of you. You are bouncing. You are smiling. Because you are enjoying this occasion. You are relishing this opportunity. Because this is what you were born to do. This is what you’ve worked your whole lives for. The opportunity to win the Cup. The opportunity to make history. And to make the supporters of Liverpool Football Club happy. So enjoy it, boys. Enjoy it! Because this will be the greatest day of your lives …
And then in their dressing room, their Wembley dressing room. Bill heard the buzzer, the Wembley buzzer. And Bill led the players of Liverpool Football Club down the tunnel, the Wembley tunnel, out onto the pitch, the Wembley pitch, and out into a sea of red, a world of red. LI–VER-POOL. A sea so deafening, a world so bright that the whole of London, the whole of England heard that sea and saw that world. LI–VER-POOL. On their radios and on their televisions. LI–VER-POOL. People might have read about the supporters of Liverpool Football Club, but today, on their televisions, live on their televisions, in black and white, now people saw the supporters of Liverpool Football Club. LI–VER-POOL. Their scarves and their flags, their banners and their songs. LI–VER-POOL. Now people saw the supporters of Liverpool Football Club and now people heard the supporters of Liverpool Football Club. LI–VER-POOL. This sea of red, this world of red. LI–VER-POOL. In black and white. LI–VER-POOL. And Bill knew people would never forget Liverpool Football Club. LI–VER-POOL. Their sea of red, their world of red. LI–VER-POOL. Not black, not white. LI–VER-POOL. But red, all in red. Their LI–VER-POOL, their LI–VER-POOL, their LI–VER-POOL …
In red, all in red. On the first of May –
On the bench, the Wembley bench. Bill looked out at the pitch, the Wembley pitch. Its damp turf, its holding turf. And Bill watched Gerry Byrne go into a challenge with Bobby Collins. Bobby Collins went over the top on Gerry Byrne. Gerry Byrne fell on the pitch, Gerry Byrne lay on the turf. And on their bench, their Wembley bench. Bill turned to Bob. Bob jumped up from his seat, Bob picked up his bag. And Bob ran onto the pitch, across the turf. Bob knelt down beside Gerry Byrne. On the pitch, on the turf. In agony, in pain. Gerry Byrne pointed to his ankle. Bob put his hand on the ankle of Gerry Byrne. Bob felt the ankle bones of Gerry Byrne. Bob opened up his bag, Bob took out a can. And Bob sprayed the ankle of Gerry Byrne with ice. Then Bob helped Gerry Byrne to his feet. In agony and in pain. Bob heard the shoulder bones of Gerry Byrne grind. In agony and in pain. Bob sprayed the right shoulder of Gerry Byrne with ice. And then Bob patted Gerry Byrne on his cheek. In agony and in pain. Gerry Byrne nodded. And Bob ran back across the turf, back off the pitch. Bob sat back down on the bench beside Bill. And Bill turned to Bob –
I could hear Gerry’s bones, whispered Bob. His bones, Boss. I think Gerry’s collarbone is gone. It’s gone, Boss …
His coat stuck to his jacket. His jacket stuck to his shirt. His shirt stuck to his vest. His vest stuck to his skin. Bill nodded. And Bill stared back out across the pitch, the Wembley pitch. Its damp turf, its holding turf. In the grey light now, in the slow rain now. For forty-five minutes. Forty-five dour minutes. Across the pitch, across the turf. In the grey-light and in the slow-rain. For ninety minutes. Ninety hard, hard minutes. On the Wembley pitch, on the Wembley turf. In the grey-light and in the slow-rain. Into extra time. On the damp turf, the holding turf. In the grey-light and in the slow-rain. In extra time. His coat stuck to his jacket. His jacket stuck to his shirt. His shirt stuck to his vest. His vest stuck to his skin. Bill watched Stevenson pass to Byrne. In agony and in pain. Byrne crossed to Hunt. Hunt headed the ball. And Hunt scored. In the grey-light, in the slow-rain. In the ninety-third minute. The players of Liverpool Football Club were winning. Ee-aye-addio, we’re going to win the Cup. And the supporters of Liverpool Football Club were singing. We’re going to win the Cup. In a sea of red, in a world of red. Ee-aye-addio, we’re going to win the Cup. But nine minutes later. On the damp turf, the holding turf. In the grey-light and in the slow-rain. His coat stuck to his jacket. His jacket stuck to his shirt. His shirt stuck to his vest. His vest stuck to his skin. Bill watched Bremner score for Leeds. The sea white now, the world white now. But in the grey-light, in the slow-rain. Bill could still hear the supporters of Liverpool Football Club. The supporters of Liverpool Football Club now singing. Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart. In the grey-light and in the slow-rain. And you’ll never walk alone. Smith passed to Callaghan. You’ll never walk alone. Callaghan crossed to St John. A-lone. St John headed the ball. You’ll never walk alone. And St John scored. LI–VER-POOL! The supporters of Liverpool Football Club turning the world red again. LI–VER-POOL! Forever red, forever LI–VER-POOL. Liverpool Football Club had beaten Leeds United two — one. LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL. In the grey-light and in the slow-rain. LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL, LI–VER-POOL! On the damp Wembley pitch, on the holding Wembley turf. Liverpool Football Club had won the FA Cup for the first time. On the first of May, nineteen sixty-five –