The Bill Shankly Story, Part 4

Shankly's New Team and a New Era of Success

No trophy and not much sign of one since 1966. But following that Watford FA Cup quarter-final trauma, Shankly had finally come to realise that his ‘60s team of legends had to be dismantled, and a new team built. By the beginning of the 1972/3 season, the team was almost entirely new, apart from Lawler, Smith, Hughes and Callaghan.

The season began with two home games against Manchester opposition, both won 2-0. The team for the opening game was:

Clemence

Lawler Lloyd Smith Lindsay

Hall Callaghan Hughes

Keegan Toshack Heighway

Other squad members - Peter Cormack (injured for the opening games) Peter Thompson Phil Boersma Trevor Storton Frank Lane

Two defeats in the East Midlands, at Leicester and Derby, slowed Liverpool up, but they made steady progress, until the title - the club’s 8th - was all but clinched with a 2-0 win over Leeds at Anfield.

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