Bill Shankly

Shankly got married to Agnes ‘Nessie’ Fischer on 29th June, 1944. He met her when he was serving in the RAF while she was recruited by the WAAF and both were stationed at the same camp.

The 15 foot, cast-iron ‘Shankly Gates’ was a tribute to him from Liverpool. It was constructed in his honour and put up at the entrance at the Anfield road side at the stadium, and was inaugurated by his wife Nessie.

A bronze statue of Shankly, created by Tom Murphy, was unveiled at the new Visitor’s Centre, in front of the Kop, at Anfield. Standing over eight feet tall, the statue shows Shankly in a striking pose, taking the applause from adoring fans.

Shankly was was born in the mining village of Glenbuck, Scotland, to Barbara and John Shankly. His four brothers were John, Bobby, Jimmy, and Alec; his five sisters were Netta, Elizabeth, Isobel, Barbara, and Jean.

Bill’s father was a tailor and also a strong trade unionist, which inculcated socialist beliefs in young Bill. His mother had keen interest in football as two of her brothers played professionally, and had moved to England.

He attended the local village school that hardly had any infrastructure. He played football with his school friends in the narrow strip of land that doubled as playground, often hurting themselves on the hard ground.

In 1928, at the age of 14, Shankly left school and started to work at the colliery for meagre wages. He worked at the pit top for six months, after which he was sent to work at the pit bottom where heavier work awaited him.

At 20, Bill Shankly was a swarthy, energetic and dedicated player at Carlisle United, and was a non-smoker, teetotaller and fitness freak. In 1933, he was transferred to Preston North End for �500 where his career blossomed well.

He formed a great partnership with fellow footballer Robert Kelly, who was also an international player. Together, they revived the club’s performance, and raised it to the status of first division.

In the 1933-34 season, he made his debut and was assessed as a player with tenacity and boundless energy. He was praised for his dedicated play and was adjudged as a player who was full of new ideas for good football.

In the season 1936-37, Preston North End club reached the finals of the ‘FA Cup’ but was defeated. However, Shankly’s team recovered and came back with a bang in the next year’s session and won the cup, and finished third in the league, putting him at the pinnacle of his career.

In the period 1938-43, he also represented his country, Scotland, in twelve matches. He played with utmost dedication, and his best and his only goal for Scotland came at Wembley stadium where he made a 50 yard shot to the goal.

Bill Shankly received the ‘Order of the British Empire’ in 1974, four months after his retirement from Liverpool. This award was for his outstanding contribution to the game of football, both as player and manager.

He was conferred with the ‘Manager of the Year’ award in the season 1972-73. The ‘League Managers Association’ award is decided by voting by other league managers.

Winning the FA Cup in 1938 is regarded as the highlight of Shankly’s career as a football player. The only goal scored by Preston North End in that match was due of Shankly’s tireless efforts to break the deadlock in the game.

Shankly has the honour of being the Inaugural Inductee to the ‘English Football Hall of Fame’ and the ‘Scottish Football Hall of Fame’. The Halls celebrate the achievements of football players and managers for their significant contributions to the game of football.