In the hotel in Ploieşti, Prahova County, Romania. In the room, on the threadbare carpet. Bill put down his suitcase. Bill walked over to the bed. Bill pulled back the covers on the bed. Bill picked up the pillow. Bill looked under the pillow. Bill knelt down on the carpet. Bill looked under the bed. Bill went over to the desk and the chair. Bill picked up the chair. Bill carried the chair to the centre of the room. Bill took off his shoes. Bill stood on the chair. Bill stared up at the light bulb hanging from the ceiling. And on the chair, in his socks. Bill whispered to the ceiling, I know you are listening. I know you are watching. Don’t think I don’t know, don’t think I don’t know …
In the hotel, in the dining room. Bill looked around the room. From Lawrence to Lawler, Lawler to Milne, Milne to Smith, Smith to Yeats, Yeats to Stevenson, Stevenson to Callaghan, Callaghan to Hunt, Hunt to St John, St John to Strong and from Strong to Thompson. Bill looked at the plates of food on the table in front of them. Bill looked at the glasses of water in front of them. The forks in their hands, the glasses at their lips. And Bill shouted, Stop, boys. Stop! Put down your forks, put down your glasses. Do not eat a morsel! Do not drink a mouthful! That stuff is contaminated –
That stuff is poisoned!
Bill turned to the waiter. Bill asked for the hotel manager. The manager appeared. Bill walked up to the manager. Bill stared into his eyes. And Bill said, Where are the cans of baked beans I gave you? Where are the bottles of Coca-Cola I ordered from you?
We have cooked the baked beans, said the manager. And your players have eaten them. But I’m sorry, sir. We have no Coca-Cola. This is Romania, sir. This is not America. We have no Coca-Cola.
Bill’s eyes were locked on the manager’s eyes. And Bill said, I do not believe you. Not a word you are saying, sir!
The manager shifted his weight from foot to foot. Right to left. The manager shifted his eyes. Left to right –
I’m sorry, said the manager again. But we have no Coca-Cola.
Bill turned. Bill walked out of the dining room. Down a corridor, into the kitchen. Bill opened cupboards, Bill opened doors. And Bill found a tray of Coca-Cola. A tray of Coca-Cola all wrapped in plastic. Bill picked up the tray. Bill marched out of the kitchen. Down the corridor, into the dining room. Bill put down the tray of Coca-Cola on the dining-room table. Bill ripped off the plastic. Bill went from table to table. Bill went from player to player. A bottle of Coca-Cola for every Liverpool player. And Bill said, There you are, boys. There you go. Go on, boys. Go on. Drink up, boys. Drink up!
Bill turned again. Bill spied the manager. The hotel manager walking backwards out of the dining room. Bill caught the manager. And Bill said, And where do you think you are going? You are a cheat and you are a liar. Telling my boys, telling me, there was no Coca-Cola. When we had ordered Coca-Cola and we had paid for Coca-Cola. You should be ashamed of yourself. You are a disgrace to International Socialism. You are a disgrace to your party. An absolute disgrace. And I am going to report you. Report you to the Kremlin, sir!
Bill turned back to the players. And Bill said, This is abroad, boys. This is Europe. Never forget that, always remember that. So it is always a conspiracy, boys. Always a war of nerves …
In the car park of the Ploieşti Municipal Stadium in Ploieşti, in Prahova County, in Romania. Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club got off their bus. Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club went inside the Ploieşti Municipal Stadium. Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club walked into the dressing room at the Ploieşti Municipal Stadium, the away dressing room. Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club looked around the dressing room at the Ploieşti Municipal Stadium, the away dressing room. Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club saw the mud and the puddles on the floor of the dressing room. Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club saw the bloody bandages and the soiled towels on the benches of the dressing room. The old strips of Elastoplast, the cold cups of tea. Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club opened the door to the toilets in the dressing room at the Ploieşti Municipal Stadium. Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club smelt the piss and the shit. Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club saw the piss on the floor and the shit in the toilets. And Bill told the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club to go back out to their bus in the car park of the Ploieşti Municipal Stadium. And then Bill found the officials of Fotbal Club Petrolul Ploieşti. And Bill said, The toilets have not been cleaned. The dressing room has not been cleaned. It is a disgrace. And it is degrading. And if the dressing room is not cleaned, if the toilets are not disinfected, then we will go back to Liverpool. We will go back home. And we will report you, report Fotbal Club Petrolul Ploieşti, report you to UEFA and to FIFA and to the world …
Fifteen minutes later, Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club got back off their bus again. Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club went back into the dressing room, the away dressing room again. The clean dressing room, the disinfected toilets. And now the players of Liverpool Football Club changed into their kits and into their boots. And then the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club sat down on the benches in the dressing room, the away dressing room.
Ten minutes before kick-off, the lights went out in the dressing room, the away dressing room. For ten minutes, Bill and the players and the staff of Liverpool Football Club sat in the dark and waited for the kick-off. And waited –
After thirty-six minutes, in a vicious game, Moldoveanu scored. After fifty minutes, in a vicious game, Roger Hunt equalised. After fifty-nine minutes, in a vicious game, Boc scored. And then Dridea scored. And after eighty-nine minutes, in a vicious game, Dridea was through again, certain to score again. But in the eighty-ninth minute, in this vicious game, Yeats tackled Dridea. And Dridea did not score again. But on Wednesday 12 October, 1966, at the Ploieşti Municipal Stadium, in a vicious game, Fotbal Club Petrolul Ploieşti beat Liverpool Football Club three — one. In the First Round of the European Cup, Fotbal Club Petrolul Ploieşti and Liverpool Football Club had drawn the tie three-all. In the European Cup, away goals did not count double. In the First Round of the European Cup, Fotbal Club Petrolul Ploieşti and Liverpool Football Club would have to play another match, another game. At a neutral ground,
on foreign soil. On the bench, their bench at the Heysel Stadium, in Brussels, in Belgium. Bill watched and Bill waited. And after thirteen minutes, Roger Hunt put Ian St John through. And St John scored. And after forty-three minutes, Peter Thompson beat three men. Thompson passed to St John. St John passed to Geoff Strong. Strong shot. And the ball rebounded off a defender. But Thompson got to the ball first. Thompson shot. And Thompson scored. And at a neutral ground, on foreign soil, Liverpool Football Club beat Fotbal Club Petrolul Ploieşti two — nil in the First Round play-off of the European Cup. And Liverpool Football Club were through to the Second Round of the European Cup.
…
Before the house, on their doorstep. In the night and in the silence. Bill unlocked the front door. In the night and in the silence. Bill opened the door. In the night and in the silence. Bill stepped into the house. In the dark and in the silence. Bill closed the door. In the dark and in the silence. Bill put down his suitcase in the hallway. In the dark and in the silence. Bill walked down the hallway to the kitchen. In the dark and in the silence. Bill switched on the light. In the kitchen, at their table. Bill sat down. In the kitchen, at their table. Bill looked around the room. In the kitchen, at their table. Bill saw the cooker and the fridge. In the kitchen, at their table. Bill saw the kettle and the pans. In the kitchen, at their table. Bill saw the cups and the plates. In the kitchen, at their table. Bill smelt the air, Bill felt the warmth. The air of their house, the warmth of their home. And Bill smiled. Bill smiled.