20 May 2019 18:11:31
I've been watching some Bill Shankly interviews recently, I'm becoming absolutely obsessed with the man. I'm only 30 so I don't know what his teams were like, I just know he was extremely successful.

Question though, why did he retire from management when he did, and do you think it was to early? From what I saw he still seemed hungry and young enough to do another 5 years. I felt like in a couple of interviews he regrets leaving when he did. I was also surprised on how forward thinking he was in terms of resting young players and not burning players out.

{Ed001's Note - he didn't retire, he just never wanted to work for anyone but Liverpool after his time with us. He used to regularly quit in order to get his way with the board, and I do mean regularly, he just used it once too often and they accepted his resignation. It nearly broke him.}


1.) 20 May 2019
20 May 2019 21:31:19
Wow I didn't know that, that's extremely sad considering how highly he spoke of the club, I can only imagine how much that broke him. Do you feel he was right with his demands or was the board correct in not being held ransom? I remember Kevin K doing the same at Newcastle, at the time I saw it as petulance and a bit of a tantrum.


2.) 20 May 2019
20 May 2019 22:33:49
Jesus Eds001, every day I learn something new.


3.) 20 May 2019
20 May 2019 22:52:27
He was right in his demands but he went about it the wrong way. It is ok threatening to resign one or twice, but he was doing it much more often and it loses its value when you do that.


4.) 20 May 2019
20 May 2019 23:07:57
Wow, Ed01. The fact that Shanks could not work for us anymore nearly broke him? That sounds horrifying.

{Ed001's Note - he was lost mate. He even ended up going to watch Everton things were so bad.}


5.) 21 May 2019
21 May 2019 00:39:52
He would still go to Training when he first retired, but because the players still called him gaffa the board asked him to stop attending as it was undermining Paisley. He had upset the board with his comments that the club was about the fans, the players, the manager and that the board was only there to sign the cheques. He was expecting a seat on the board like Busby got at United, but they were frightened of him interfering
They did treat him bad though the only away game he was invited to was the 76 uefa cup final and they made him stay in a different hotel. He did help Toshack at Swansea and Ron Yeats at Tranmere and Wrexham and he use to commentate on the radio. Tommy Smith said it was Nessie that begged him to give up the job and he retired at 60 because he was tired and devoted to his wife, He also said the directors had become fed up with his demands and only Peter Robinson had tried to change his mind. We announced his departure on the same day we signed Ray Kennady so they expected him to stay but he had promised his wife he would leave and he did.


6.) 21 May 2019
21 May 2019 07:34:10
There’s an old Johnny Giles radio interview on YouTube somewhere where he describes seeing Shankly around after he’d left Liverpool that bears Ed001 out.
Very sad really.


7.) 21 May 2019
21 May 2019 12:22:48
this is fascinating. thanks for the knowledge. many of us who are not in England had no idea about all of this. that's why i love this site so much.


8.) 21 May 2019
21 May 2019 16:27:40
I remember seeing video footage from match of the day from back then and they were asking Liverpool fans what they thought of shanks resigning and they were all in shock, but on the plus side his successer didn't do too bad a job now did he.


9.) 21 May 2019
21 May 2019 18:40:34
My heart truly weeps for Shanks, Ed01. That is like I said, just horrifying for him.