Inside mind of Shanks

Another month, another anniversary, but one that won’t be overlooked on Merseyside in a few weeks will be the birthday — September 2, 1913 — of the man who, in the broad church of football, is revered as a saint.

Some on the Liverpool FC side of the city’s tribal chasm would put William “Bill” Shankly one rung higher on the ladder in soccer heaven.

There cannot be a serious student of the game — someone whose interest focuses on its craft, heroes and legends, not David Beckham’s latest brand extension or Wayne Rooney’s sex life — unfamiliar with Shankly’s story.