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Bill ShanklyFootball player, football manager
Date of Birth: 02.09.1913
Country:  Great Britain |
Biography of Bill Shankly
Footballer, football managerBill Shankly was one of the most outstanding English football managers and a decent player himself. He was born in the mining village of Glenbuck in Ayrshire, Scotland. Bill was one of five brothers who decided to pursue a career in the world of sports; by the way, his brother Bob also eventually became a successful manager. His difficult and fairly poor childhood (Bill joked that he took his first bath at the age of 15) left a lasting impression on Shankly's character; even after achieving success, he spent a lot of time on charitable projects. Football was one of the few ways to escape the hardships of coal mining life; it all started for the Shankly brothers with regular friendly matches on the weekends. All five brothers were part of the "Glenbuck Cherrypickers" team, which became the starting point for the successful careers of 49 English football players. Bill was the youngest of the brothers and never played in the first team – however, this did not prevent him from seizing the opportunity to move up to a higher level. Overall, Shankly proved to be a capable player; unfortunately, his sporting career was hindered by the almost insurmountable circumstances of the Second World War. Bill managed to play almost 300 matches and represented Scotland national team 7 times. He finally hung up his football boots in March 1949; in the same month, he managed to secure a position as a manager at Carlisle United. Interestingly, it was in this same team that Shankly's playing career started. He thanked his hometown team by leading them from 15th place to 3rd place in the division. Unfortunately, in the same year, Bill was forced to leave the team as he could not reach an agreement with the club's management regarding payment issues. Sadly, for the next 10 years, Shankly frequently encountered stubborn directors; however, this did not prevent him from having a significant impact on the careers of several well-known British players, such as Ivor Broadis. Bill's real fame as a manager came from his work with Liverpool. He first applied for the position in 1951; even then, he managed to seriously interest the club chairman, T.V. Williams. Shankly became the manager of the team in December 1959. He faced a fairly difficult task – the Liverpool team was clearly going through tough times. A crumbling stadium, poor facilities, and untalented players – it was no wonder that the team was on the verge of relegation to the second division. Shankly got rid of 24 of the most useless players, turned a warehouse into a "tactical headquarters," and began systematically rebuilding the team. Under Shankly's leadership, the club won three league championships, two FA Cups, and the UEFA Cup in 15 years. After winning the FA Cup in 1974, Bill unexpectedly left the team and retired; he later admitted that he decided to devote more time to his family. In retirement, Bill missed football greatly and often visited his old team's training sessions. On September 26, 1981, Shankly was admitted to the local hospital with a heart attack. Initially, it seemed that his condition was improving, and he would soon recover; unfortunately, on September 28, he suffered a second attack – and on September 29, Shankly passed away. His body was cremated, and his ashes were interred in the columbarium of the local crematorium on October 2, 1981.
