THE MAN WHO wrote ‘The Damned United’, David Peace, will pen a new novel about legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly, it has been announced.
Peace’s fictional portrayal of Brian Clough’s short-lived stint in charge of Leeds United, released in 2006, received critical acclaim but was branded “rubbish” by Ireland great John Giles, who won a court case to have sections of the book altered.
In 2009, it was adapted into a film with Michael Sheen starring in the lead role as Cough.
Now the English author has revealed that his next work, entitled ‘Red or Dead’ will focus on Liverpool’s rise from the Second Division to winning three league titles, two FA Cups and a UEFA Cup under Shankly. The novel will also cover life after his shock retirement in 1974 and its release coincides with the centenary of Shankly’s birth, which is September 2, 2013.
“I have written about corruption, I’ve written about crime, I’ve written about bad men and I’ve written about the demons,” Peace said in a statement released by publishers Faber & Faber. “But now I’ve had enough of the bad men and the demons. Now I want to write about a good man. And a saint. A Red Saint.
Bill Shankly was not just a great football manager. Bill Shankly was one of the greatest men who ever lived. And the supporters of Liverpool Football Club, and the people of Liverpool the city, know that and remember him.
“But many people outside of football, outside of Liverpool, do not know or do not remember him. And now – more than ever – it’s time everybody knew about Bill Shankly. About what he achieved, about what he believed. And how he led his life. Not for himself, for other people.”
