GREETINGS readers and welcome to OTFD for another stroll down the back streets of football’s past. We hope you enjoyed the bank holiday weekend, and aren’t feeling too depressed at being back at work this morning, but remember: only four days until the weekend!

Just a short nugget today folks. We could have told you about Hernan Crespo signing for Chelsea, for that happened on this day in 2003, but we have had enough of Chelsea’s vulgar cash splurging so instead we are going back to Mereryside in 1982.

In September 1981 Liverpool fans were mourning the death of their legendary manager Bill Shankly, the man who had, quite simply, transformed them from a Second Division outfit into the most successful club in the country.

We have already told you about Shanks’ shock retirement in 1974 which brought the city to a standstill, but kopites never stopped loving him, despite his successor Bob Paisley actually winning more trophies than he did.



When he died of a heart attack he was just 68 years old. A year after his death, the club commemorated their former manager with a new set of gates at Anfield. Called the Shankly Gates, they had the words to the Gerry and the Pacemakers kop anthem ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ written across the top of them.

Today in 1982, Bill’s widow Nessie officially opened the gates for the first time.

After the Hillsborough disaster the club erected a memorial alongside the gates to remember the 96 people who lost their lives in the tragedy.

Shanks himself was further immortalised by a bronze statue of him outside Anfield which was unveiled in 1997.

We will have more tomorrow, but click here to see what else happened on this day, and see the clip below of kopites remembering the great man.

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