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About Bill Shankley’s immortal words | blogjou

David Sumpter

Soccermatics

p. 317
03 Feb 2023

About Bill Shankley's immortal words


It was the former Liverpool manager Bill Shankley who wpoke the immportal words, ‘Football is not a matter of life and death… I’s more important than that.’ These words are often interpreted as conveying how strongly fans feel about their team, or to explain the obsessions of players and managers. But they can be read in other ways. When Shankley spoke them in a TV interview in 1981, he was partly expressing regret that he was unable to properly enjoy life beyond football. He was describing an addiction to football that had clouded other parts of his life.