Shanks, Yanks and Jurgen: The Men Behind Liverpool's Rise, Slip and Rise Again

by Bob Holmes

What would the late, great Bill Shankly have made of the current Liverpool side? There's a great deal he would have hated about the modern game, but there's a lot about today's Liverpool he would have liked. With Jurgen Klopp instilling a team ethic and re-engaging the fans, the Reds have restored something of 'Shanks's Holy Trinity' - that union between players, manager and supporters - at least as much as a 21st-century conglomerate will allow. Although he grew up as a socialist during the Great Depression, Shanks was never shy to spend big and used methods ahead of his time. Shanks, Yanks and Jurgen shows how the values he acquired from his pit-village background formed key elements of the Liverpool way. When wounded by tragedies and tricked by con men, the club briefly lost direction. Recovery was started by Liverpool's astute new owners and completed by an inspirational manager, but also by returning to aspects of Shankly's template - albeit in a modern context. Bob Holmes explains how Shanks's philosophies still resonate today.

Genres: Sports

223 pages, Paperback

Published August 21, 2019

Reviews

[Boone · Rating 4 out of 5]

This certainly one for the fans, especially the ones born after the Shankly era. All true fans are acquainted with Shanks but while many are aware of his greatness, not all are acquainted with the details behind his role in Liverpool’s rise from the Second Division of the Football League to one of the finest teams in English and European football. Bookended by stories of both Shanks and Klopp, the book provides a good insight into the ownership saga starting with the protracted hot and cold interest from the DIC, the dark period under Gillette and Hicks that followed, and finally salvation by the FSG.

I enjoyed the many anecdotes with my particular favourite being the one where during a pre-game pep talk against Manchester United, Shanks went through United team putting down each of them, saying they are not good or to that effect. When one of the Liverpool players asked what about Denis Law, George Best and Bobby Charlton, Shanks’ retort was; can’t Liverpool beat a United team with only three players in it?

Written by a self-confessed Nottingham Forest fan, his narrative provides a brief but compelling feel-good read for any Liverpool fan.