The 90s pop star and legion of football fans who made a pilgrimage to a tiny, abandoned Ayrshire mining village
. And to some fans he also represents an era of football which was less commercial and more rooted in community.
The Spirit of Shankly Group, including Peter Hooton of The Farm, travelled north to Glenbuck, the Ayrshire village where he was born and raised.
âThis is not just about football, this is more than thatâ
Liverpool fansâ pilgrimage to Bill Shanklyâs spiritual home of Glenbuck.
âIn Shanklyâs day, Robert Burns was a living traditionâ
The influence of the 18th century Scottish poet, Robert Burns, on Bill Shankly.
Coal and football
No-one lives in Glenbuck anymore.
This former mining village, whose population never rose above 1700 people, produced .
One former resident of Glenbuck, Sam Purdie, believes that there’s a number of reasons for this.
As coal mines were such dangerous places to work, .
Success also begat success.
As everyone knew everyone else, would-be professionals could turn to the older generation for advice and support on how to break through in the game.
The life and times of Liverpool FCâs legendary Scottish manager
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Gaining promotion from the old English second division, Shankly forged two great sides at Liverpool, winning numerous trophies along the way. A product of his working-class roots in Ayrshire, his career in management spanned a period when football was very much the peopleâs game.
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