A very special tribute to an icon

Memories of a football lifetime will come flooding back for Chris Lawler when he walks on stage at the Liverpool Empire on the exact 50th anniversary of Bill Shankly's first day in charge of Liverpool.

A very special production of the highly acclaimed 'The Bill Shankly Story' takes place at the Empire on Monday, December 14 - 50 years since the great man took charge.
 
Also appearing on the night will be the Colossus Ron Yeats, Shankly's first great captain, and his fellow Scot and legend of the Kop, Ian St John.
 
Acclaimed journalist and local author John Keith, who wrote 'The Bill Shankly story' will speak the great man's words alongside narrator Steve Hazlehurst.
 
The Silent Knight will emotionally recall that Monday morning in December 1959 when he accidentally encountered the new manager in what was to prove a career-shaping moment.
 
Lawler, whose 61 Liverpool goals without the aid of penalties or free-kicks is a record for a top-flight full back, is a member of the cast of The Bill Shankly Story.
 
"I had just turned 16 and was on the club's ground staff, doing odd jobs like cleaning, painting and brushing up, when I bumped into Bill Shankly in the corridor," Lawler recalls. "It was his first day in the job and people were scared of him.
 
"But when I told him my name he knew who I was. Considering he'd only just come to Anfield it made me realise right away how incredibly thorough he was. He asked me how often I trained. I told him I did two nights a week training with the amateurs. 'Right, son,' he said. ' From now on you train with the seniors every day.'
 
"I made my debut in 1962-63, the club's first season back in the top flight. I started as a centre half but after Ron Yeats arrived it meant that I switched to full back. From then on I was proud to be part of Liverpool's great success under Bill Shankly and, later, under Bob Paisley.
 
"I can't quite believe that we'll be doing the Empire show exactly 50 years since Shanks arrived at Anfield.
 
"It's going to be an emotional night for Ian, Ron and myself and, knowing the people of Merseyside, I'm sure the atmosphere will be amazing.
 
"Ian and Ron were great signings by Shanks because they were bedrocks of the success we had. Shanks laid the foundation for all that followed at Liverpool. Without him the club wouldn't have the stature it has today."
 
The two-and-a-half hour stage show,which premiered in 2006 and has played to packed venues at home and abroad, captures the essence of Shankly and opens with singer Gerry Murphy's live rendition of his own composition Shankly's Song.
 
The recollections and anecdotes of Lawler, Yeats and St John, weaved into a narrative of Shankly's life and career, provide a unique insight into the most charismatic manager English football has known.
 
Tickets, priced £15 with £10 concessions, are available from the Liverpool Empire box office in person or by telephone on 0844 847 2525.
 
They can also be obtained via the website: www.LiverpoolEmpire.org.uk