Shanks was spy chief.. not Bielsa

IF Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley were looking down from the great Boot Room in the sky at the Leeds spy row they would surely have had a hearty chuckle.

The legendary Liverpool duo were masters of managerial espionage long before Marcelo Bielsa’s football career began.

Back in the 1960s Shankly (right) was obsessive about obtaining every scrap of info possible on future opponents. He viewed secretly surveying rivals’ training sessions as fair game.

But 60 or so years on Bielsa (right) may find the FA take a more robust view.

A tale I first heard from Paisley, Shankly’s Anfield successor, revealed how the wily Scot spied on an Everton training session before a 1965 Merseyside derby.

Shankly, whose house faced the Toffees’ training ground, admitted he’d snooped on his rivals’ sessions and was amazed by the amount of laps Everton boss Harry Catterick made his players run. “They’ll be shattered by Saturday, especially in the second half,” Shanks told assistant. “Make sure our lads are fitter and stronger. We’re certainties to win, so let’s get a few quid on it.” Shankly was spot on.

Liverpool ran riot, scoring four after the break in a 5-0 rout at Anfield and Shanks and Paisley (left) duly shared their winnings.

Securityconscious Shankly was also a strict guardian of the Anfield Boot Room’s training and coaching secrets. When star man Ian St John told his boss he had enrolled on a coaching course, Shankly famously warned: “Tell them nothing”.

European away games would sometimes see Shankly search hotel and dressing rooms for hidden microphones.

When it comes to the dark arts, Bielsa’s still learning compared to those crafty old-school pros Shankly and Paisley.