Liverpool have a proud history of housing some of the greatest players in world football and this was something that on ex-Red had confirmed to him.
Speaking on The Football Historian Podcast, George Scott recalled a meeting with Bill Shankly: “I went to see Bill and I go in his office and he’s fantastic, takes me around, sits me down and I said: ‘What’s this?’
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“And he said, ‘Aye son, you see, there’s five reasons why you should leave this club now.’ ‘What are they?’
“‘Callaghan, Hunt, St John, Smith, Thompson. They’re all internationals, George, every one of them and they’re going nowhere. You need first team football, son and I want you to think of yourself as the 12th best player in the world.’
“And I went, ‘What!?’ ‘The first team’s just won the cup, son and they’ve won the league and you’re the leading scorer on the reserves, so you think of yourself as the 12th best player in the world.”
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It’s testament to the type of manager that the legendary Scot was that, even when he was getting rid of a player, he made them feel 10 feet tall.
To be able to deliver bad news but still inspire the individual you give it to, is a skill that not many possess.
You can view Scott’s tale of Shankly’s Liverpool comments (from 15:03) via The Football Historian Podcast on YouTube:
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