The 50th anniversary of Bill Shankly's appointment as Liverpool manager did not go unnoticed but the day he officially took control was largely overlooked.
However, a half-century to the exact day the great Scot set foot inside a dilapidated Anfield and equally derelict Melwood, some of the people who knew him best took to the stage at the Liverpool Empire for a one-off performance of The Bill Shankly Story.
Long-standing Merseyside journalist John Keith scripted the show which charts Shankly's life from a football-mad youngster in Glenbuck, to his playing days at Preston North End and, most prominently, his tenure in the managerial hot seat at Anfield.
Actor Steve Hazelhurst narrated the story with Keith, a Shankly biographer who interviewed the legendary manager on numerous occasions during and after his 15-year reign at Liverpool had ended, offering his best Highland voice when reading quotes from Shanks. Some would call it a poor impression but, unlike other artists, Keith has insisted that he does not attempt to emulate that unique Ayrshire accent.
Beneath a large red banner, bearing Shanks' image, Kop idols Ian Callaghan, Chris Lawler, Ian St John and Ron Yeats offered a whole host of anecdotes that generated a rightful amount of laughter and applause from an audience of sons of Shankly and younger generations who have seen the fruits of his labour reaped down the years.
The audience were also highly appreciative of the presence of two legendary figures of the Shankly dynasty at Anfield; Gerry Byrne, considered by some as the original Anfield hard man after playing through the 1965 FA Cup final with a broken collarbone, and former Reds chief executive Peter Robinson both received a warm round of applause when they were confirmed as present onlookers.
On stage, stories of cup finals, European escapades and day-to-day life at Melwood under a man who ate, slept and breathed football left the sell-out crowd spellbound, despite running around half an hour over its approximate schedule. This is a must-see for any football fan, Liverpool or not.
Local musician Gerry Murphy closed the show with his specially written ‘Shankly’s Song’ which was followed by an emotional rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone as the people of Liverpool and beyond paid tribute to the man who gave them a team they could be proud of.
