SIXTIES

Bill Shankly entered Anfield Road on the 1st December 1959: what he found was a football club in a big mess. The ground was a shambles; training facilities were equated to that of an amateur club, the board had no ambition and certainly no intention of spending money, and worst of all, the players were content to just 'survive' in the second division. Bill Shankly had different ideas! For eighteen months he fought with the Anfield board to get them to invest but to no avail. So, he concentrated on improving training facilities and techniques, selling under-par players and rearing home talent; but most importantly keeping and spreading the belief that the club was going to be the best not only in England but in Europe. After all, Liverpool FC had the most devoted and knowledgable fans in the world, so the least they deserved was to have the best football team as well, said Shankly.

Bill, and Liverpool Football Club got their break in 1961 through the newly appointed and ambitious accountant, Eric Sawyer (Littlewoods catalogue). Shankly, made two massive signings for the club - Ian St John and Ron Yeats; added to Gordon Milne, Ian Callaghan and the unfolding talent of Roger Hunt were to be the core of the 1960's team. The new arrivals proved themselves by steering Liverpool back into the First Division in 1962 as Division Two Champions (after two frustrating third places in the previous seasons).

The following 1962-63 season saw reinforcements to the team, most notably in Tommy Lawrence, who kept Liverpools 'goal' for the next eight years, until 1970. Shankly's boys' finished a respectable seventh in the league and reached the F.A. Cup Quarter-Finals. However, a most significant and influential factor of this year was the emergence of the 'singing supporters' from the now notorious Spion Kop - Bill Shankly the 'Scouser' had been born! Remarkably, the following season 1963-64, Liverpool were crowned Champions of England after a 17 year lapse. And 1965 saw the coveted F.A. Cup in the trophy cabinet for the first time in Liverpool's 73 year history. Champions again in 1965-66 in an extremely competetive league, established Liverpool as a force to be reckoned with.