For a player whose reputation was made as a title-winning rottweiler with Everton, Johnny Morrissey holds a significant place in Liverpool Football Club’s emergence as a footballing super power.
It was as a result of his controversial transfer in 1962 that Bill Shankly became the Anfield autocrat who founded a footballing empire.
And that experience has a relevance with what’s gone on at Anfield this week.
But first, a history lesson. In 1962 Morrissey was sold to deadly rivals Everton, without Bill Shankly’s knowledge.
Shankly was incandescent with rage.
So outraged was he by the slight to his authority that he hastily typed out his resignation.
If it was the moment Liverpool came closest to losing their trophy winning creator, it was also the moment he gained full control of Liverpool Football Club.
Historically, the buying and selling of footballers at Liverpool had been carried out by directors.
And that rankled with a man who was, perhaps, the original footballing control freak.
A dog-eared copy of Shankly’s autobiography sits on my bookshelf at home.
His philosophy is always refreshingly simple and direct.
And the battles he endured with the hierarchy at Anfield are illuminating.
“I used to fight and argue and fight and argue and fight and argue until I thought ‘Is it all worthwhile, all this fighting and arguing?” he wrote.
“It is bad enough fighting against the opposition to win points, but the internal fights to make people realise what we were working for took me close to leaving many times.”
Then he added his own managerial philosophy which – short of the words ‘this is my idea’ – might have come from Rafael Benitez himself.
“The manager is his own man,” he declared. “When he goes to a club he takes charge of the players and it is up to him to recommend the players to be bought and the players to be sold.
“If a manager is weak and makes mistakes then he will lose his authority and be kicked out.
“But even good managers have difficulties when they come up against businessmen with set ideas about how a club should be run.”
For Shankly, the Morrissey transfer was clearly a turning point.
After bashing out his resignation on the battered old typewriter which sat on his Melwood desk, he stormed out – and bumped into coaches Bob Paisley and Tom Bush.
Tom Bush’s son, Alan, recalled: “Bill told them he had resigned and they were shocked.
“They made him go back into the club and they persuaded him not to resign. My father removed the letter and destroyed it.
“They then spoke to the club secretary the following day, and TV Williams effectively relinquished his power. He never bought or sold another player.
“That was the moment that managers began really to manage, and it was because of the stand that Bill took.”
Shankly’s intentions that day were undoubtedly sincere.
But, maybe, just maybe, the master manipulator also spotted a way to gain the control of the club he felt was necessary to mould it in the way he saw fit.
Fast forward 47 years – and for Johnny Morrissey, read Gareth Barry.
Rafa Benitez wanted the Aston Villa skipper almost as badly as Shankly wanted Morrissey.
But behind the scenes machinations meant he ended up with Robbie Keane.
The Liverpool manager now has a computer screen rather than a typewriter on his Melwood desk, but while Benitez didn’t rush and rattle out an e-mail offering his instant resignation, he did the next best thing. He had a contract offer on his table. But he stalled, and stalled, then stalled some more – whilst demanding the control he feels is necessary to mould the club into a trophy winning vehicle.
Signing his contract this week suggests he now has the control of the club he desires.
He will control who is bought, he will dictate to the youth academy and he will decide who is sold – and that is how it should be with any successful football club.
Can he achieve the success of the deified Bill Shankly?
That’s highly unlikely, but there can be no excuses any more, and that’s just how Rafa Benitez wants it.
If Gareth Barry never kicks a ball for Liverpool Football Club, he might still have played a major part in their future.
It was as a result of his controversial transfer in 1962 that Bill Shankly became the Anfield autocrat who founded a footballing empire.
And that experience has a relevance with what’s gone on at Anfield this week.
But first, a history lesson. In 1962 Morrissey was sold to deadly rivals Everton, without Bill Shankly’s knowledge.
Shankly was incandescent with rage.
So outraged was he by the slight to his authority that he hastily typed out his resignation.
If it was the moment Liverpool came closest to losing their trophy winning creator, it was also the moment he gained full control of Liverpool Football Club.
Historically, the buying and selling of footballers at Liverpool had been carried out by directors.
And that rankled with a man who was, perhaps, the original footballing control freak.
A dog-eared copy of Shankly’s autobiography sits on my bookshelf at home.
His philosophy is always refreshingly simple and direct.
And the battles he endured with the hierarchy at Anfield are illuminating.
“I used to fight and argue and fight and argue and fight and argue until I thought ‘Is it all worthwhile, all this fighting and arguing?” he wrote.
“It is bad enough fighting against the opposition to win points, but the internal fights to make people realise what we were working for took me close to leaving many times.”
Then he added his own managerial philosophy which – short of the words ‘this is my idea’ – might have come from Rafael Benitez himself.
“The manager is his own man,” he declared. “When he goes to a club he takes charge of the players and it is up to him to recommend the players to be bought and the players to be sold.
“If a manager is weak and makes mistakes then he will lose his authority and be kicked out.
“But even good managers have difficulties when they come up against businessmen with set ideas about how a club should be run.”
For Shankly, the Morrissey transfer was clearly a turning point.
After bashing out his resignation on the battered old typewriter which sat on his Melwood desk, he stormed out – and bumped into coaches Bob Paisley and Tom Bush.
Tom Bush’s son, Alan, recalled: “Bill told them he had resigned and they were shocked.
“They made him go back into the club and they persuaded him not to resign. My father removed the letter and destroyed it.
“They then spoke to the club secretary the following day, and TV Williams effectively relinquished his power. He never bought or sold another player.
“That was the moment that managers began really to manage, and it was because of the stand that Bill took.”
Shankly’s intentions that day were undoubtedly sincere.
But, maybe, just maybe, the master manipulator also spotted a way to gain the control of the club he felt was necessary to mould it in the way he saw fit.
Fast forward 47 years – and for Johnny Morrissey, read Gareth Barry.
Rafa Benitez wanted the Aston Villa skipper almost as badly as Shankly wanted Morrissey.
But behind the scenes machinations meant he ended up with Robbie Keane.
The Liverpool manager now has a computer screen rather than a typewriter on his Melwood desk, but while Benitez didn’t rush and rattle out an e-mail offering his instant resignation, he did the next best thing. He had a contract offer on his table. But he stalled, and stalled, then stalled some more – whilst demanding the control he feels is necessary to mould the club into a trophy winning vehicle.
Signing his contract this week suggests he now has the control of the club he desires.
He will control who is bought, he will dictate to the youth academy and he will decide who is sold – and that is how it should be with any successful football club.
Can he achieve the success of the deified Bill Shankly?
That’s highly unlikely, but there can be no excuses any more, and that’s just how Rafa Benitez wants it.
If Gareth Barry never kicks a ball for Liverpool Football Club, he might still have played a major part in their future.
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