30th August:

Football fans of a certain vintage would probably agree that one of the greatest managers to have featured in the game over the last 50 years was Bill Shankley. Shankley is probably best known for his time managing Liverpool in the early 1970s and also for this oft-repeated quote:

"Someone said, 'Football is a matter of life and death' and I said, 'Listen, it's more important than that'."

Shankley’s success as a manager speaks for itself and his record demands our respect but this quote, whether offered earnestly or in jest, unfortunately tarnishes the man’s legacy and illustrates an unhealthy attitude that is still pervasive in society today.

Football used to largely be a working-class man’s game played by the working classes for the working classes. Poverty and depravation were widespread in Britain’s inner cities and it’s therefore understandable that any young boy growing up in the slums of Glasgow, Belfast, Manchester or Liverpool would dream of becoming the next George Best, Dennis Law, Ray Clemence or Geoff Strong. However sport is only sport. No matter how lucrative, it really is only a game and the idea of it being any more than that is a worrying prospect indeed.

I grew up in a part of Scotland where football was, and still remains, too important a part of the fabric of society. I’ve seen teeth and bones broken over allegiances to one team over another, and occasionally such differences even result in the loss of life. Which is utterly inexcusable and, to most intelligent people, inexplicable. The people involved in the recent violence between West Ham and Millwall supporters probably subscribe to Shankley’s philosophy. They define themselves by their football team. It denotes where they come from and where they belong. It’s their reason for being. It's pathetic.

Beware then, the man who owns his team’s home, away and third strips. Beware the man who thinks it is acceptable to travel abroad on holiday wearing his team colours. Beware the man who has purchased branded leisurewear and gift items from the club web site or, even more lamentably, has had the team crest tattooed on his left breast. These are the men who think that football is more important than life and death and you’d be well advised to cross the street and avoid them…