Shankly's Village: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Glenbuck and its Famous Sons

by Adam Powley

Glenbuck is a name that resonates through the history of football in Britain. Once a tiny village in the Ayrshire coalfields, it produced an unprecedented roll call of professional players. Its most famous son, Bill Shankly, shaped not just Liverpool's destiny but exerted a huge influence on the evolution of the modern game. And yet virtually all that remains of 'Shanks's' birthplace is his granite memorial. Glenbuck has not only been physically erased by de-industrialisation, but from football's consciousness. The pitch which once rang with the shouts of players and partisan fans is now a boggy, neglected field. It is eerily, unforgivably silent. Shankly's Village brings back to vivid life the birthplace of Shankly and the exploits of 49 other wonderful characters. Glenbuck's sons range from stars of English and Scottish football to more parochial heroes, all combining to form a compelling story of the British game across the divisions.

252 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Tim Roast · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glenbuck was "the village of football". A village in Ayrshire its rise and decline followed the same trajectory as the rise and decline of the British coal mining industry upon which it was built. The village, now demolished, produced a half-century of footballers. "Over a period of roughly 50 years the village produced four English FA Cup winners, five full internationals, and 50 professionals out of a population that never exceeded 1,700." "Such a rich concentration of quality has never been equalled." This book covers the village's story plus profiles of its footballers, including its most famous son Bill Shankly.

"Football and Glenbuck were an irresistible, passionate and long-lasting marriage." Football provided a release from the mines, and for some an escape altogether. Glenbuck had its own Junior League club Glenbuck Athletic latterly known as Glenbuck Cherrypickers and it is through them that many of their footballers passed through. Players such as Terrible Tait, Bogey Brown and Wee Wallace.

I think this book would be of interest of people interested in the history of Scottish coal mining in the Ayrshire area. As for the football a lot of the profiles of the players are no more than a paragraph, plus some of them never even played a first team match for their professional teams, or only played a handful of games. Also these players have been written about before in "The Cherrypickers: Glenbuck, nursery of footballers", although that was a generation ago.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bill Shankly hailed from the Ayrshire mining village of Glenbuck, a village which no longer exists. Despite its obscurity the village managed to produce over 50 men who went on to become professional football players. This book tells the story of the village and of some of these men, a story which illuminates the earliest origins of professional football. Their tales overlap with the stories of teams such as Tottenham Hotspur, Burnley and Preston North End finding their feet. The later chapters of the book focus on the most famous son of Glenbuck, Bill Shankly, who led Liverpool FC to great acclaim.

I would heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the early days of professional football, social history, Liverpool, Spurs or just random nuggets of sports trivia. Well researched, well presented and very illuminating.