John Ritchie sits down with a copy of Jonathan Wilson and Scott Murray’s ‘The Anatomy of Liverpool’ (Orion Books).
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It was with some trepidation that I picked up the Anatomy of Liverpool by Jonathan Wilson.
The book is described as a history in ten matches which lie on the fault lines of history; matches which maybe mark the end of one era, or the beginning of another. All sounds great right?
Well yes in one way, after all I love reading about the history of Liverpool. I’m a self-confessed addict. Yet on the other hand, how can you sum up such a great club by just looking at the Liverpool FC through the singular lens of football?
A football club has its own DNA, culture, traditions and footprint which attracts fans in the first place.
How many of our eyes have been opened to its beauty for the first time as we entered Anfield to witness the majestic sight of the KOP in full voice, with the smell of Bovril and grass swirling around your head, that aroma which gives you the heady sensation that this for some is nirvana, our place of worship.
Yes, I did start to read with fear, fear that that the author had ignored very essence of Liverpool often ignored by the wider media outlets and modern day pundit. However those fears were soon put to rest.
Wilson’s book was a refreshing surprise as he takes us on a journey back to the clubs embryonic stage of Liverpool’s story. You can almost taste the atmosphere as he describes the walk to Villa Park in 1899.
Liverpool would battle it out for the league title, only to be beaten 5-0 simply undone by a far superior side.
It’s worth noting that this club was not always majestic, it’s apt that in a time of another phase in our history this book reminds us sometimes you experience the hard times before the good.
Indeed we learn about the formation of the club and that’s the essence of the book. Within two years, Liverpool would be league champions; but it’s the lessons learned that Wilson portrays as the building blocks that would lead to the league championship due to a late charge in the league.
The same charge that would become a ‘template’, the very model forged all those years ago which became a pattern for repeating the future successes throughout the clubs more glorious years in the 70’s and 80’s.
One of the most enjoyable chapters in the book is the build-up to the FA Cup final in May 1965. For fans who wonder why Shankly is oft remembered as the father of the club, I assure you you’ll read no better account.
Shankly the man is explored in as much detail as Shankly the manager. The man with a utopian view that football could liberate the world, his appreciation for the release it gave people, his kind gestures in inviting a stranger into his home for a cuppa, or paying the fares for fans who couldn’t afford to get home after a game.
Indeed, Wilson manages to set the scene perfectly as Bob Paisley attempts to chase down a police motorcycle to help the team reach Wembley on time.
One is taken into the coach as the players listen to a Shankly interview talking about his love of Celtic songs and books which he would take with him on a desert Island. His luxury item was of course a football. I had to smile reading that.
It’s at this stage Wilson explores the DNA of a Liverpool fan, who they are and the passion. He talks about how Shankly’s genius was to capitalise on the culture of Liverpool at the time which seemed to sweep the nation.
Shankly wasn’t just building a football club, he was building a “socialistic paradise, a movement of the workers and people of Liverpool”. Shankly connected music to football and the results were staggering.
As we pass throughout more glorious memories we arrive when Liverpool and Everton meet for an FA cup reply.
Indeed, the match itself is but a pre-curser to the eventual downfall of Liverpool taking us to the doorstep of the Graeme Souness era.
It’s one of things I think about often as a fan who grew up with Souness as my weekly penance. As much as he talked a good game, he never delivered on his promise.
Fans could do well to look at how managers talk, and how much to read into it in an age of self-imploding on twitter due to the latest press release which some may say is not the language of a big club. It’s results and actions which speak louder than words.
The journey ends in Istanbul, but we begin the chapter by looking at Houllier and how his reign eventually crumbled.
A funny anecdote Wilson recalled was Robbie Fowler’s famous fall out which was worsened with Fowler inadvertently hitting Phil Thompson with a ball at Melwood.
Picture the scene, two legends of the club with well over twenty major honours between them arguing over a ball mistakenly hitting someone. Thompson was famous for his bust up’s and this was a pre-cursor to ‘God’ eventually being sold.
It’s a wonderfully written book which captures the true highs and lows. A lot of the time we wonder if it all might have been very different, and with hindsight, that’s the aim.
It’s an anatomy which manages to capture the very essence of what the club is about, whilst reminding us of the very human side of the game.
Personality, luck, hard work, fortune good and bad; Wilson’s work is a triumph that rebuilds those forgotten memories and helps educate fans of a history that helps set’s the context for what many describe as the ‘Liverpool Way’.
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petikan dari Liverpool FC, This is Anfield, Teamtalk
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