MELWOOD... MORE LIKE SMELLWOOD!

‘There was a pigsty in one of the corners and the aroma drifted across’ ‘Shankly’s training games would often go on for ages... until his team won’

LIVERPOOL’S move to their £50million state-ofthe-art Kirkby training complex will leave the ghosts of Shankly, Paisley, Fagan and Dalglish behind.

For more than 70 years Melwood has been the hub of Liverpool’s development as one of Europe’s major football forces.

But during the international break, following today’s trip to title-rivals Manchester City, the switch to a redeveloped youth academy also housing Jurgen Klopp’s first- team squad will take place.

It’s a far cry from the training facilities a bemused Bill Shankly discovered when he joined the club as manager back in 1959.

“It was a sorry wilderness. One pitch looked like a couple of bombs had been dropped on it, while on another the grass was long enough for Jimmy Melia ( a 5ft 7in forward) to hide in, standing up,” he recalled in his autobiography My Story.

Not that a much-needed facelift, ordered by Shankly, elevated it to the impressive facilities of recent years.

Ian Callaghan, who holds the record for the most appearances for the club, revealed: “There used to be a pigsty in one of the corners of Melwood. We would be training and the smell of it would drift across.

“Shanks brought in what became known as the sweat box, which had boards about 30 yards apart.

“You had to play the ball off one wall, control it, turn and then play it off the other board. Your legs would be like jelly.

“But it was great because you were working on your control and stamina at the same time.”

Today’s Melwood encom

TRAInInG lEGEndS Liverpool boss Bill Shankly prepares for a pre-season session in 1972 and, inset, Cilla Black visited Shanks & Co at Melwood in 1971 passes a swimming pool. Laughing, Callaghan said: “The nearest thing we had to that was the communal bath at Anfield. After winning the title, everyone would be in the bath with the champagne. That was our pool.”

Those years at Melwood also became famous for games between the players and a Shankly side containing most of his backroom staff.

Anfield favourite Jimmy Case explained: “Bob Paisley would be in goal, Shanks played at the back, directing things, and you would have Reuben Bennett, Ronnie Moran and Joe Fagan in there as well.

“The games would often go on for ages, especially if Shanks’s side were losing. He would then blow up for full time once they had taken the lead.”

For many years, the players would get changed at Anfield and be bussed to Melwood, returning to the ground for a shower and their meals.

Shankly believed that gave them the chance to warm down properly.

Terry McDermott said: “The problem was that, if some of us had been having a few drinks the night before, there was a chance there would be a few beer fumes on the coach so you tried to keep your mouth shut.

“They weren’t the best facilities, but Melwood holds some great memories and it didn’t stop us winning things.

“You can’t stop progress and Kirkby looks fantastic. Ironically, I used to live just 500 yards away from the new training centre when I first joined Liverpool.”

Klopp, a keen student of Liverpool’s history, is aware of the part Melwood has played in fashioning one of English football’s most successful club.

“I really love Melwood, but football changes,” he said. “We can’t stay like we always were. Sometimes you have to set the standards. Twenty five years ago, Melwood set the level.”

The new base is around five times bigger in terms of space and Klopp is delighted that the academy players will be working adjacent to the area reserved for the first- team squad.

Klopp added: “Bringing the academy and the first team together is a great point. It’s all good for the club.”