Bill Shankly: It's Much More Important Than That

by Stephen F. Kelly

'Football is not just a matter of life and death: it's much more important than that' - Bill Shankly

Bill Shankly was without doubt among the greatest football managers of the post-war era and his life story is an inspiring read for anyone interested in the sport. To football fans everywhere, Bill Shankly was far more than just a manager: he was a folk hero whose legend still dominates the game.

Shankly took Liverpool FC from Second Division obscurity and helped create the legend that became the Anfield of Keegan, Hughes, Toshack and Heighway. With his impertinent questions, blunt observations and appreciation of life, Bill Shankly's wit, down-to-earth wisdom and sheer determination set a standard that holds good to this day. This full and frank biography tells his larger-than-life story and is an inspiring tribute to one of football's most enduring heroes.

Genres: Football, Autobiography, Nonfiction, Biography

Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Stephen F. Kelly is an English author and broadcaster, born in Liverpool, England in June 1946. He is the author of many books, mostly on football and in particular on Liverpool Football Club. He has written a number of biographies of football managers including Bill Shankly, Sir Alex Ferguson, Kenny Dalglish and Gerard Houllier as well as an oral history of Liverpool Football Club. He was one of the first writers in Britain to explore sport through oral history, not only with The Kop but also with his oral history of Manchester United Football Club, Red Voices, and a further book on Liverpool, The Bootroom Boys.

Reviews

[Johan Larsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply a brilliant book abiur a hero from my younger days.

[Pia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative and colorful. goes into great detail about games and players.

[Leandro Cordobez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un racconto interesante de un gran personaje. No profundiza tanto en algunos aspectos claves a mi entender (lo meramente táctico y estratégico), pero panea el momento de forma correcta

[Gary K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a Liverpool fan myself but I really enjoyed this , especially the early years at lower clubs before he got to Anfield.

[Katie Grainger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This biography concerns Bill Shankly arguably one of the best managers to grace the pitch at Anfield. Being married to a massive Liverpool fan means that I felt like it was time to learn some history of the club. I started where I was recommended with the manager who was legendary in shaping Liverpool.

This is a good biography which has some great stories about Bill Shankly and gave a good history of the club. This biography is a little dry in places but this was to be expected I think as the nature of managing is to talk about results. A good read however and it taught me much about the history of Liverpool football club.

[Lawrence Roberts]

I picked up this book to learn more about the history of one of my newer passions -- Liverpool "football". I am now excited that the club has been taken over by the owners of the Boston Red Sox. The owners brought new glory to a storied baseball franchise. Now they can do the same in Liverpool. Bill Shankly was the manager who got it all started for Liverpool. A working class guy who made good and never forgot his values or the importance of his team's fans.