100+ Bill Shankly Quotes

Football, a universe ruled by impactful tales and legendary heroes. Among these, hovers the spirit of Bill Shankly, a name that echoes grandeur, passion, and indomitable spirit which altered the landscape of Liverpool Football Club forever. House hold name in the alleys of Liverpool, Shankly’s legacy looms large in the wider world of football too.

Shankly embarked on a mission that converted a tottering club on the brink into an unstoppable force in English and European football. His charismatic leadership, relentless passion, and unwavering commitment towards fostering a winning team made him an enduring icon of Liverpool FC and the beautiful game itself.

Early Life and Footballing Beginnings

Born in the pit village of Glenbuck, Ayrshire, Scotland, Shankly’s first encounter with the game was molded amidst coal, grit, and a communal love for football. His early playing career kickstarted with prominent clubs such as Ayr United, Falkirk, and Preston North End, where he picked up the skills and leadership traits that would later define his managerial career.

Shankly transitioned seamlessly into management, taking up the reins at Carlisle United, Grimsby Town, Workington, and Huddersfield Town. Each stint further seasoned his leadership and gave form to a managerial philosophy that was soon to rule the footballing realm.

Arrival at Liverpool FC: A New Era Begins

1959 marked a groundbreaking chapter for Liverpool FC, as Bill Shankly took the helm. Taking a keen evaluation of the onground realities, he envisioned a rejuvenated Liverpool powered by youthful talent, cutting-edge tactics, and an unquenchable thirst for victory. The Shankly stamp was to be embedded deep and indelible.

His innovative approach led to a revolution in training habits, emphasizing enhanced fitness, cohesive teamwork, and crafting a unique playing style that came to define the Liverpool ethos.

Building a Winning Team and Club Culture

Shankly’s keen eye for talent led him to handpick gems like Ian St John, Ron Yeats, Kevin Keegan, cementing the core of a robust team that would dominate England. Alongside, he prioritized youth development to ensure a constant supply of homegrown talents.

Above all, Shankly believed in creating a powerful club culture revolving around unity, resilience, and unwavering dedication. This endured long after his departure and stands firm as Liverpool FC’s backbone today.

Domestic and European Success: Legacy of Excellence

Shankly’s tenure was adorned with glittering silverware – three First Division titles, two FA Cups, and one UEFA Cup, setting Liverpool FC as the benchmark for excellence. He established Liverpool as a frontrunner on the European stage and laid the foundation for a legacy of dominance that the club enjoys till date.

Leadership Style and Influence

Shankly led with an unparalleled passion that infused his team with indomitable spirit, coaxed peak performances, and instilled a never-die attitude in them. Anfield breathed unity, owing largely to Shankly’s efforts to bridge the gap between players and fans, turning the stadium into a fortress.

His transformative tactics and emphasis on physical fitness challenged conventions and set new standards in football management which continue to inspire to this day.

Legacy and Enduring Impact

Bill Shankly left the world in 1981 but remains immortal in the annals of football and particularly Liverpool FC. Remembered as one of the greatest managers of all time, he reigns supreme in hearts of The Kop and across footballing universe.

Shankly took Liverpool from the doldrums of second division to the pinnacles of glory, making it not just a football club, but a way of life for its faithful.

Shankly’s mantra of unity, tenacity, and an enveloping love for football, continue to inspire countless managers, players, and fans, proving that his impact on the game remains enduring and unchallenged.

In the football pantheon, Shankly stands as a figure of immense stature. In Liverpool, he’s eternal. A man of the people who made people happy, who transformed a club in disarray into a bastion of invincibility — Bill Shankly, the transformational figure, the visionary leader, the legend.

”A football team is like a piano. You need eight men to carry it and three who can play the damn thing.”-Bill Shankly


 ”Football is a simple game based on the giving and taking of passes, of controlling the ball and of making yourself available to receive a pass. It is terribly simple.”-Bill Shankly


The trouble with referees is that they know the rules, but they don’t know the game.”-Bill Shankly


If you’ve got three Scots in your side, you’ve got a chance of winning something. If you’ve got any more, you’re in trouble.”-Bill Shankly


If a player is not interfering with play or seeking to gain an advantage, then he should be.”-Bill Shankly


At a football club, there’s a holy trinity: the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors don’t come into it. They are only there to sign the cheques.”-Bill Shankly


If you are first you are first. If you are second you are nothing.”-Bill Shankly


Pressure is working down the pit. Pressure is having no work at all. Pressure is trying to escape relegation on 50 shillings a week.”-Bill Shankly


”Pressure is not the European Cup or the Championship or the Cup Final. That’s the reward.”-Bill Shankly


 ”I want to build a team that’s invincible, so that they have to send a team from bloody Mars to beat us.”-Bill Shankly


 ”This is to remind our lads who they’re playing for, and to remind the opposition who they’re playing against.” (About the “This is Anfield” plaque.)-Bill Shankly


 ”Bob [Paisley] and I never had any rows. We didn’t have any time for that. We had to plan where we were going to keep all the cups we won.”-Bill Shankly


 

A lot of football success is in the mind. You must believe you are the best and then make sure that you are. In my time at Anfield we always said we had the best two teams on Merseyside, Liverpool and Liverpool reserves.”-Bill Shankly


 ”If you can’t make decisions in life, you’re a bloody menace. You’d be better becoming an MP.”-Bill Shankly


For a player to be good enough to play for Liverpool, he must be prepared to run through a brick wall for me then come out fighting on the other side.”-Bill Shankly


 

Yes Roger Hunt misses a few, but he gets in the right place to miss them.”-Bill Shankly


Tommy Smith wasn’t born, he was quarried.”-Bill Shankly


 ”He’s not just the best centre-forward in the British Isles, but the only one.” (On Ian St. John.)-Bill Shankly


If you’re not sure what to do with the ball, just pop it in the net and we’ll discuss your options afterwards.”-Bill Shankly


”Shankly saved some of his best lines for poking fun at Liverpool’s Merseyside rivals, Everton, but the jokes belied a great respect for the city’s other team.”-Bill Shankly


 ”When I’ve nothing better to do, I look down the league table to see how Everton are getting along.”-Bill Shankly


If Everton were playing at the bottom of the garden, I’d pull the curtains.”-Bill Shankly


 ”Sickness would not have kept me away from this one. If I’d been dead, I would have had them bring the casket to the ground, prop it up in the stands, and cut a hole in the lid.” (After Liverpool beat Everton in the 1971 FA Cup semi-final)-Bill Shankly


Never mind Alan, at least you’ll be able to play next to a great team.” (To Alan Ball, who had just signed for Everton)-Bill Shankly


The difference between Everton and the Queen Mary is that Everton carry more passengers”.-Bill Shankly


 ”Liverpool was made for me and I was made for Liverpool.”-Bill Shankly


 ”Of course I didn’t take my wife to see Rochdale as an anniversary present. It was her birthday. Would I have got married in the football season? Anyway, it was Rochdale reserves.”-Bill Shankly


 

Forget the Beatles and all the rest. This is the real Liverpool sound. It’s real singing, and it’s what the Kop is all about.”-Bill Shankly


 ”Although I’m a Scot, I’d be proud to be called a Scouser.”-Bill Shankly


I was only in the game for the love of football – and I wanted to bring back happiness to the people of Liverpool.”-Bill Shankly


But that’s where I live! (To a Brussels hotel clerk who said Shankly couldn’t just put “Anfield” as his address.)”-Bill Shankly


It was the most difficult thing in the world, when I went to tell the chairman. It was like walking to the electric chair. That’s the way it felt. (On resigning in 1974.)”-Bill Shankly


“In my time at Anfield, we always said we had the best two teams on Merseyside – Liverpool and Liverpool Reserves.”-Bill Shankly


“My idea was to build Liverpool into a bastion of invincibility. You know, Napoleon had that idea and he conquered the bloody world.”-Bill Shankly


“And that’s what I want – for Liverpool to be untouchable. My idea was to build Liverpool up, and up, and up. Until eventually, everyone would have to submit, and give in.”-Bill Shankly


“At a football club, there’s a holy trinity – the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors don’t come into it. They are only there to sign the cheques.”-Bill Shankly


“It’s there to remind our lads who they’re playing for and to remind the opposition who they’re playing against!”-Bill Shankly


“If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, I’d shut the curtains.”-Bill Shankly


“The socialism I believe in is everyone working for each other, everyone having a share of the rewards. It’s the way I see football, the way I see life.”-Bill Shankly


“For a player to be good enough to play for Liverpool, he must be prepared to run through a brick wall for me then come out fighting on the other side.”-Bill Shankly


“Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”-Bill Shankly


“If you’re not sure what to do with the ball, just pop it in the net and we’ll discuss your options afterwards.”-Bill Shankly


“Liverpool was made for me and I was made for Liverpool.”-Bill Shankly

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