Bill Shankly’s arrival as manager in December 1959 was the catalyst for establishing a legendary lineage of Liverpool coaches and managers: Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan, Ronnie Moran, Kenny Dalglish, Roy Evans: just some of the names to pass through the four walls of the now-famous Anfield boot room, a small meeting place underneath the main stand that served as the epicentre of Liverpool’s dominance in the latter half of the 20th century.
When Shankly took charge, a struggling Liverpool side were embarking on their sixth consecutive campaign in the Second Division and who, less than a year earlier, had been dumped out of the FA Cup by non-league Worcester City. Unbeknownst to the club, the fans, and the city of Liverpool, the history of football would be changed forever.
The Boot Room Boys explores how Shankly and his successors created the backbone of Liverpool’s success and established the club as one of the most prestigious names in world football, with contributions from the likes of Evans, Dalglish, Phil Thompson, Ian Rush, Sammy Lee and Willie Stevenson. Although the line of boot room descendants was broken in 1998, its legacy lives on: exclusive interviews in the film with Jürgen Klopp, Peter Krawietz and Pep Lijnders reveal how the institution continues to shape Anfield today.
Sally Brown, BT Sport Films Executive Producer and Commissioning Editor, said:
“The Boot Room Boys is a fitting a tribute to the legacy and influence of the Shankly dynasty, not just on Liverpool Football Club, but on the English game as a whole, and provides a fascinating insight into football management.”
This is an in-house production produced and directed by BT Sport’s Tom Boswell with Sally Brown as executive producer. The film - an adaption of The Boot Room Boys book written by Peter Hooton - is the latest in the award-winning BT Sport Films series.
The Boot Room Boys will premiere on BT Sport 3 at 10.30pm on 5 April and is available to watch via the BT Sport App and website at any time thereafter.
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