Bill stammered, Bill stuttered. And Bill said, You what? Are you mental, son? Are you insane? That stuff will make you fat, that stuff will make you lazy. Make you stupid, son! A glass of orange juice and a slice of toast. That’s all you need for your breakfast, son. A glass of orange and a slice of toast. To keep you lean, to keep you hungry. When you play for Liverpool Football Club, when you play for the greatest football club there is, you need to be lean, you need to be hungry, son. Now pass this phone to that woman, son. Let me speak to her now. I want you lean, son. I want you hungry. Lean and hungry for Liverpool Football Club, son.
…
In the front room, in his chair. Bill dropped the newspaper. As soon as he had read the headline. Bill put on his coat, Bill put on his hat. As quickly as he could. Bill drove to Filbert Street, Leicester. As fast as he could. Bill met the directors of Leicester City Football Club. As soon as they could. Bill talked with the directors of Leicester City Football Club. Bill shook hands with the directors of Leicester City Football Club. Bill met Gordon Banks. As soon as he could. Bill talked with Gordon Banks. Bill shook hands with Gordon Banks. Bill travelled back to Anfield, Liverpool. As fast as he could. Bill met the directors of Liverpool Football Club. As soon as they could. And Bill said, I have met the directors of Leicester City Football Club. I have talked with the directors of Leicester City Football Club. I have shaken hands with the directors of Leicester City Football Club. I have met Gordon Banks. I have talked with Gordon Banks. I have shaken hands with Gordon Banks. And so the deal is done. The feat accomplished.
In the boardroom, the Anfield boardroom. The directors of Liverpool Football Club looked down the long table at Bill –
But how much do Leicester City want for Banks, Mr Shankly? How much must we pay for Gordon Banks?
Just sixty thousand pounds.
Sixty thousand pounds, repeated the directors of Liverpool Football Club. Just sixty thousand pounds? For a goalkeeper?
Bill nodded. And Bill said, Yes. Just sixty thousand pounds. But not just sixty thousand pounds for just any old goalkeeper. No. For the best goalkeeper in the country. The best goalkeeper in the world …
But you are always saying we already have the best goalkeeper in the country, Mr Shankly. You are always saying Tommy Lawrence is the best goalkeeper in the world …
Bill nodded again. And Bill said, Yes. Tommy Lawrence was the best goalkeeper in the country. But Tommy Lawrence is not the best goalkeeper in the country any more. Gordon Banks is the best goalkeeper in the country now. And not only in the country. In the world. You all know Gordon Banks has a World Cup winner’s medal. A World Cup winner’s medal!
Yes, we all know Gordon Banks has a World Cup winner’s medal, Mr Shankly. But sixty thousand pounds is still a lot of money for a goalkeeper. No football club has ever paid sixty thousand pounds for a goalkeeper …
Bill shook his head. And Bill said, But this is not just any goalkeeper. This is the best goalkeeper in the country we are talking about. This is the best goalkeeper in the world. With Gordon Banks in our side, with Gordon Banks in this Liverpool team, we will save twenty goals a season, at least twenty goals a season. And if we can save twenty goals a season, if Gordon Banks saves us twenty goals a season, then there will no stopping us, no stopping Liverpool Football Club. Sixty grand is a bargain. An absolute bargain!
Sixty thousand pounds is not a bargain, said the directors of Liverpool Football Club. Not for a goalkeeper. We think sixty thousand pounds is robbery, Mr Shankly. For a goalkeeper. It’s absolute robbery, Mr Shankly …
Bill stammered, Bill stuttered. And Bill said, You what? Are you all mental? Are you all insane? Sheffield Wednesday paid Stoke City seventy-five thousand pounds for John Ritchie. Tottenham Hotspur paid Blackburn Rovers ninety-five thousand pounds for Mike England. Chelsea paid Aston Villa one hundred thousand pounds for Tony Hateley. And need I remind you, that mob across the park, they paid one hundred and twelve thousand pounds for Alan Ball. One hundred and twelve thousand pounds! And so how on earth, how in God’s name, is sixty thousand pounds robbery for Gordon Banks? For the best goalkeeper in the world? How is that robbery?
John Ritchie is not a goalkeeper, said the directors of Liverpool Football Club. John Ritchie is a striker. Mike England is not a goalkeeper, Mike England is a defender. Tony Hateley is not a goalkeeper, Tony Hateley is a striker. And Alan Ball is not a goalkeeper, Alan Ball is a midfielder. But Gordon Banks is a goalkeeper. Just a goalkeeper. And we will not pay sixty thousand pounds for a goalkeeper, Mr Shankly. We simply will not pay.
Bill looked down the long table at the directors of Liverpool Football Club. Bill shook his head. And Bill said, Well, I will tell you this. Without a better goalkeeper, without Gordon Banks, Liverpool Football Club will not win the League again. And so Liverpool Football Club will not play in the European Cup again. And so Liverpool Football Club will not win the European Cup. Not ever. Not without a better keeper. Not without Gordon Banks.
…
On the bench, their bench at Goodison Park. Bill was watching, watching with the sixty-four thousand, eight hundred and fifty-one folk inside Goodison Park, watching with the forty thousand, one hundred and forty-nine folk inside Anfield, the forty thousand, one hundred and forty-nine folk watching on closed-circuit television, on eight giant screens, inside Anfield –
Watching, watching –
On the bench, their bench at Goodison Park. In a gale of paper, in a tunnel of noise. Bill watched Everton Football Club harry Liverpool Football Club, Bill watched Everton Football Cub hound Liverpool Football Club. And in the last minute of the first half, Bill watched Yeats fail to clear. Bill watched Milne pass back to Lawrence, Husband harrying Lawrence. Bill watched Lawrence fail to collect the ball, Husband hounding Lawrence. Bill watched Lawrence fail to gather the ball, Alan Ball collecting the ball on the byline, Alan Ball gathering the ball on the byline. And from the byline, from the most difficult of angles, Bill watched Alan Ball hook the ball over Tommy Lawrence and into the net, into a goal. The only goal, the only difference. In a gale of paper, in a tunnel of noise. Bill knew Alan Ball was the difference between Everton Football Club and Liverpool Football Club. The only difference and the only reason. In a gale of paper, in a tunnel of noise. Bill knew Alan Ball was the reason Everton Football Club beat Liverpool Football Club one — nil in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup. In a gale of paper, in a tunnel of noise. The only reason Liverpool Football Club were out of the FA Cup. Out of another cup. Out, out –
Again.
…
In the boardroom, the Anfield boardroom. Bill looked down the long table at the directors of Liverpool Football Club. And Bill said, You would not give me the money to buy Alan Ball from Blackpool. Everton bought Alan Ball from Blackpool. You would not give me the money to buy Howard Kendall from Preston North End. Everton bought Howard Kendall from Preston. You would not give me the money to buy Gordon Banks from Leicester City. Stoke City bought Gordon Banks from Leicester. But today I hope you will give me the money to buy Emlyn Hughes from Blackpool Football Club.
And how much do the directors of Blackpool Football Club want for Hughes, asked the directors of Liverpool Football Club.
Bill said, Sixty-five thousand pounds. But Emlyn Hughes is not a goalkeeper. Emlyn Hughes is a defender. But Emlyn Hughes could also be a midfielder. He is versatile and he is talented. Very, very versatile and very, very talented. And I tell you this. I believe he will play for England. I believe he will be the captain of England. I believe he can be the captain of Liverpool Football Club. I believe he can be a rock for Liverpool Football Club. A great, great captain and a great, great rock. A rock on which we can build. For a great future and for great success. With this boy in our side, with this boy in our team.