I had rarely been exposed to seeing grown men cry at so young an age, so it was immediately apparent on January 29, 1981, that something was amiss. People were weeping, and, looking back, there was more than a hint of emotion etched on the face of the newsreader, in a way that I had seen only once previously, the day in December 1980 on which my grandmother told me of the death of a singer, of whom I had never heard.

Simply speaking, born in 1974, I was an infant of the 70s, but would be a child of the 80s. The names Bill Shankly and John Lennon had not registered on my radar, although they would later become huge influences as the child grew into a man.

I was introduced to Liverpool Football Club at a very young age, my mum having supported them as a Second Division club when she was growing up back in Guyana … I think we can say that she still hasn’t acquired the art of glory hunting! Furthermore, at the age of 4, I met Terry McDermott, amongst others, at a charity cricket match in which my old man was playing up in Wallasey.

I had my first Liverpool shirt some few weeks later, although was rather miffed at why the one on Match of the Day didn’t say Hitachi on it!! As a total aside, I still favour Hitachi electronic equipment to this day as a result.

I was born four weeks to the day after William Shankly took his final bow, presiding over the 1974 FA Cup Final victory against Newcastle. In my Liverpool, however, there was only one king, and his name was Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish. My memories are lucid of so many matches, even so far back, watching Paisley’s Liverpool side dominate English and European football.

It was impossible to understand, back then, the emotions around the loss of Shanks, but as the song goes, ‘I wish I knew then what I know now.’ It was only as a teenager on the Kop that I began to comprehend the legend of Bill Shankly as the older supporters would regale stories of the man. It was the greatest of all educations on the glorious history of Liverpool Football Club.

It was difficult to believe that he had inherited a club that was marooned in the lower echelons of the old Football League Division 2, and had left a legacy, in my opinion, unsurpassed in the annals of British Football. He took history, and not only penned new chapters, he wrote the book.

The glorious quotes, the comical stories of transfer dealings, the iconic image of Shanks with arms aloft in front of the Kop, the latter immortalised by the statue in his honour – these are but a part of the legacy that Shankly bequeathed to Liverpool and its supporters. This was a man who mobilised a sleeping giant, and like Napoleon, turned it into a force to ‘conquer the bloody world’. And as Shanks loved Liverpool with every sinew, so Liverpool loved him back.

I wish that I was old enough to have seen the man in his pomp, yet I have a lifetime of his memories because of everything that he meant to this club, and because of everything that he meant to my teachers on the Kop.

It seems that Shankly had that effect on all around him within the club. Supporters, staff and players were all driven by the man’s dedication and passion, and devoted to his cause. This was never in any doubt, but the gesture of John Toshack, then manager of Swansea, in wearing his Liverpool shirt during the minute’s silence following Shanks’ passing, illustrated it perfectly. The players would run through brick walls for Shanks, and the Kop responded.

I fear, sometimes, that this is the biggest source of frustration for the contemporary supporter. In this current state of crisis and uncertainty, the one thing that can be reasonably expected is for the players to give their complete heart and soul to the cause for which we are all fighting. I have no doubt that all of the current squad are trying, but when you look around for that unyielding commitment and sacrifice, is it more than just irony that the two local lads with numbers 8 and 23 on their backs stand out?

I know that Bill Shankly would not have stood for the commotion and mismanagement of Liverpool Football Club today, but his spirit lives on for each and every visitor and Koppite that walks through the Shankly Gates, and also in the fight to safeguard the future of the Club, in the aptly named Spirit of Shankly movement.

I did not see Bill Shankly’s Liverpool play, but they are the cornerstone upon which the club is built. Long after the mercenaries have been defeated in their attempts to destroy Liverpool Football Club, the legacy of Bill Shankly will remain.

The Angels came, took Shanks away
But from above, I heard him say
Give me the men, whose hearts have bled
Make them proud to wear the RED

Rohan Kallicharan

I am the editor of hetoreahamstring.co.uk and also have a personal site at rohankallicharan.co.uk. I am passionate about all sports and would probably pay over the odds from a tout to watch the world tiddlywinks final. I was fortunate to grow up inside the dressing room of the legendary West Indian cricket team of the 1970/80s - this has, I hope, given me a real insight into sport as a whole and the mindset of successful sportsmen. I played cricket and rugby at representative level as a youth, and also have a UK College Bowl winning medal in American Football! My real passions are West Indian cricket and Liverpool Football Club but I will write about much more! I hope you enjoy the site.

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