Photo. The statue of Bill Shankly outside Anfield Road in Liverpool. © Travel Explorations.
A Shankly quote is displayed on the cover of the The Liverpool FC - 100 Greatest Moments Of The Kop DVD: "The fans here are the greatest in the land. They know the game and they know what they want to see. The people on the Kop make you feel great - yet humble."
Bill Shankly, died on Tuesday 29th September 1981 after suffering from a heart attack. He really appreciated the supporters. They are the 12th man for the Liverpool team, and always make the players perform far beyond normal.
Some of Bill Shankly's quotes about football and life in general have become legendary as the person himself. Once, when Shankly talked about the Liverpool fans, he said: "I'm just one of the people who stand on the kop. They think the same as I do, and I think the same as they do. It's a kind of marriage of people who like each other."
Another time Bill Shankly famously said: “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”
Today it`s the big clash between Liverpool and Manchester United. Shankly made also a directly hard "kick" to the clubs in Manchester: '"There's Man. Utd and Man. City at the bottom of Division 1, and by God they'll take some shifting."
The match between Liverpool and Manchester United is considered to be one of the greatest football rivalries on earth, The Red Rivalry. It’s only 60-70 kilometres between these to great clubs. This rivalry goes far beyond football. It’s also about history, politic, ideologies, economies, cultures, music and many other things that is associated with prestige.
The Liverpool supporters represent the "the collective power of the crowd". When you hear they sing You`ll Never Walk Alone you can really hear and feel the united power of this song. The DVD movie Liverpool FC - 100 Greatest Moments Of The Kop tells an amazing story of the legendary Kop section of Liverpool's legendary Anfield stadium, which celebrated its 100th birthday in 2006.
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Image. The cover of the DVD movie about the Kop.
The Kop, famous for the incredible amount of noise and atmosphere it generates, was named in memory of the men who died fighting in the Battle of Spion Kop in South Africa during the Second Boer War.
Since it was built, the Kop has been the home of Liverpool's biggest and most loyal supporters.
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In the good old days (in the 60s) around 27,000 fans stood together on the Kop, and this part of Anfield Road is often credited for the birth of football chanting.
As mentioned a Shankly quote is on the cover of the The Liverpool FC - 100 Greatest Moments Of The Kop DVD: The fans here are the greatest in the land. They know the game and they know what they want to see. The people on the Kop make you feel great - yet humble. Liverpool supporters still live up to this - in the spirit of Bill Shankly, and make them to one of the greatest supporters in the world. Probably the greatest!
Some links for deeper insight for information, inspirations and explainations:
- Read about what Bill Shankly answered when he was asked how he would like to be remembered: LFCHistory.net.
- Get access to Liverpool songs on Footballchantgs.org, which is a guide to football chants: 391 Liverpool chants.
- Read more about the matches between Liverpool and Manchester United on the Greatest Footballing Rivalries: Liverpool vs Manchester United.
Stein Morten Lund, 15th February 2011
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