Go find Geoff, said Bill Shankly. And go find Willie. Get them back here, Tommy. Get them back here now. It’s time for a meeting, Tommy. Time for a little team meeting …
In the fog, the heavy, wet fog. Tommy Smith ran off to find Geoff Strong and Willie Stevenson. And in the fog, the heavy, wet fog. Tommy Smith came back with Geoff Strong and Willie Stevenson –
Jesus Christ, said Bill Shankly. You’re playing like lunatics. Like madmen, boys. There’s another game to come. Another match at Anfield. Jesus Christ, boys. It’s not even half-time. And we’re losing two — nil. So let’s just take two — nil, boys. Let’s take that back home. So batten down them hatches. And don’t go giving away any more goals!
In the fog, in the heavy, wet fog. Bill Shankly walked back off the pitch. Bill Shankly crossed back over the line. Bill Shankly went back to the bench. Bill Shankly sat back down on the bench. But in the fog, the heavy, wet fog. Bill Shankly still could barely see the halfway line on the pitch before him. But in the thirty-eighth minute, Bill Shankly saw the ghosts again. Out of the fog, the heavy, wet fog. Cruyff saw the ball, Cruyff took the ball. Yeats saw Cruyff, Yeats took Cruyff. Swart took the free kick. The ball rebounded off the Liverpool defenders. Cruyff saw the ball, Cruyff shot. The ball rebounded off the Liverpool defenders. Nuninga saw the ball, Nuninga saw the net. And Nuninga shot. Into the net, into a goal. And on the bench, their bench in the Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam. Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Reuben Bennett heard the clapping. They heard the cheering. And now they heard the chanting. Ha-ha, Liverpool! Ha-ha, Liverpool! Ha-ha, Liverpool! But in the forty-second minute, the ghosts were not finished. In the fog, the heavy, wet fog. Nuninga saw the ball again, Nuninga saw the goal again. And Nuninga shot. Into the net again, into a goal again. And in the fog, the heavy, wet fog. On the bench, their bench in the Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam. Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Reuben Bennett heard the clapping. They heard the cheering and they heard the chanting. The chanting and the laughing. Ha-ha, Liverpool! Ha-ha, Liverpool! Ha-ha, Liverpool! And in the seventy-sixth minute, still the ghosts would not rest. In the fog, the heavy, wet fog. Groot won a free kick. Another free kick. Groot saw the net. Groot hit the free kick into the net. And on the bench, their bench in the Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam. Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Reuben Bennett heard only laughter. Ha-ha! Ha-ha! Ha-ha! Only laughter in the fog, the heavy wet, fog. The heavy, wet laughter. Ha-ha! Ha-ha! Ha-ha! In the last minute, the very last minute. Lawler scored for Liverpool Football Club. But in the fog, the heavy, wet fog. In the fog and in the laughter. Ha-ha! Ha-ha! Ha-ha! Liverpool Football Club had lost five — one to Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax NV. Ha-ha! Ha-ha! Ha-ha! One, two, three, four, five — one.
After the whistle, the final whistle. Back down the tunnel, behind the wire. Back in the dressing room, their away dressing room. Out of the fog, the heavy, wet fog. The fog and the laughter. Bill Shankly shook his head again. And Bill Shankly cursed –
Haphazard play, boys. Very haphazard. That’s what that was, boys. And that has cost us dear. Very, very dear, boys. But that’s not to say they are not much better than I’d heard. Much, much better than I’d heard. They are a good side, boys. A very good team. And that wee lad, Cruyff. He is some player, boys. He is a real class act. So let’s be under no illusions, boys. Let’s make no mistake. We have a job on our hands next week, boys. A very tough task. But we can turn it around, boys. And we will turn it around. When they come to Anfield, boys. Where there will be no fog. And where there’ll be no hiding place, boys. No hiding place. For them or for us, boys.
…
Three days afterwards, on Saturday 10 December, 1966, Liverpool Football Club travelled to Old Trafford, Manchester. That afternoon, sixty-five thousand, two hundred folk came, too. Manchester folk and Liverpool folk. For the first time, there were closed-circuit television cameras with zoom lenses trained on the terraces behind both goals of Old Trafford, Manchester. On Manchester folk and on Liverpool folk. For the first time, police worked from screens at a central control point and kept in contact by radio with constables on the ground. But that afternoon, there were no causes for alarm. There were no outbreaks of disturbance at Old Trafford, Manchester. When the reigning League Champions played the present League leaders, there was only virtuosity playing method. The virtuosity of Best versus the method of Milne. In the fifteenth minute, Milne saw St John drifting to the left. Milne passed to St John drifting to the left. St John shot. And St John scored. In the twentieth minute, Best had the ball. Under severe pressure, Best floated free. All balance and all control. Best shot. And Best scored. In the thirtieth minute, Yeats hooked up Ryan in the penalty area. Best put the ball on the penalty spot. Best shot. And Best scored again. In the forty-fifth minute, Milne saw Lawler. Milne passed to Lawler. Lawler passed to Strong. Strong passed to St John. St John passed to Hunt. The ball went out for a corner. Callaghan took the corner. St John took down the ball. His back to the goal. St John swivelled, St John turned. St John shot. And St John scored again. And that afternoon, the reigning League Champions and the present League leaders drew two-all at Old Trafford, Manchester. Method drew with virtuosity. Virtuosity first in the First Division, method third in the First Division.
After the whistle, the final whistle. Matt Busby walked down the touchline at Old Trafford. Matt Busby shook Bill Shankly’s hand. And Matt Busby said, That must have been quite some game in Amsterdam, Bill. They must be quite some side, must this Ajax of Amsterdam. You’ll have your work cut out for you on Wednesday night, Bill. To beat this Ajax of Amsterdam.
Bill Shankly shook his head –
No, Matt. No. We were beaten by the fog in Amsterdam, Matt. We were never beaten by Ajax in Amsterdam. They are used to playing in the fog, Matt. And so that helped them to win. But there’ll be no fog at Anfield on Wednesday night, Matt. And so this tie is by no means over. Because I know we’ll score four on Wednesday night, Matt. I know that for a fact. In fact, I think we might even score eight.