Product Description

Following Shankly's shock resignation in 1974, Evans was given the opportunity to rejuvenate his ailing career as a member of the backroom staff. It was here that he really made his mark, taking the reserve team to seven Central League titles in nine years and coming of age as a coach and trainer, emerging as an invaluable member of the legendary 'Boot Room'. The disasters of the 1980s and the associated decline in the club's fortunes meant that the resignation of manager Graeme Souness in 1994 left the incoming manager facing an exciting challenge - to return the club to its glory days. Roy Evans, 'the last of the Shankly lads', was handed his date with destiny. While the Reds did not win another League Championship under Evans' charge, neither did they finish any lower than fourth, and Evans' commitment to developing future Liverpool stars such as Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman and Michael Owen ensured that he would not become another 'ghost on the wall' at Anfield. In this engrossing account, Evans reveals the inside story of life as a member of Liverpool's famous Boot Room. He recollects his close working relationships with Reds legends from Shankly to Houllier and provides a vivid portrait of operations at the celebrated club over four action-packed decades.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #81778 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

From the Publisher
Ghost on the Wall is the official biography of one of Liverpool Football Club's greatest ever servants, Roy Evans. Born in Bootle in 1948, Evans attracted the attention of many First Division club managers while playing for England's schoolboys team in the early 1960s. In 1964, legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly stepped in to sign him. While the '60s were an exciting time to play for Liverpool, they were also very challenging and Evans found it hard to break into the first team on a regular basis, managing only 11 sporadic appearances before his playing career stuttered to a halt.

About the Author
Roy Evans played at left-back for Liverpool before becoming a revered member of the backroom staff at the club. He was appointed manager in 1994 and held this position until stepping down in 1998. Derek Dohren was born in Liverpool but now lives and works in Lanarkshire. He edits a suite of websites devoted to his Boot Room heroes and runs a bookshop with his wife in the Clyde Valley.

Customer Reviews

Interesting insights
This book undoubtedly fills a gap that has existed for far too long. For the dedicated Liverpool fan this book's discussion of the "boot-room" provides a much needed insight into what made Liverpool Footbal Club so great for so many years. It was not based on systems, or regimes, or even mythology. It was based on the coming together, in one place, of a group of real people who really knew about football. Sadly they all went within a very short space of time and there was nobody else to fill the gap. To criticise the book, and thus the author, for not dealing with particular questions is, I think, very unfair. Firstly consider the author Derek Dohren. He is without doubt a true and dedicated Red. Just go to his Boot-room web site for the proof of this. Thus I'm sure Mr Dohren wanted to get the answers to the very same questions and that he would have asked Roy about them. The fact of the matter is that they are not answered and therefore we have to conclude that Roy declined to answer them. On this point we must remember that Roy Evans is "old school boot-room". This means that it is not in his nature to "spill the beans", let alone give any sensationalist gossip about what happened within the club. Also remember that Houllier was still manger of Liverpool when this book was being written. Roy's own personal dignity would never let him say or do anything to knock the current manager regardless of what he may privately think. So let us be thankful. Rather than some parading of trivia or sordid gossip what we have instead is a book which tries, with honesty, to answer some questions and to present the history of a man within the context of a great footclub.

Boring details!
I have been waiting so long for a book of Roy Evans, but instead of an in-depth personal tale of 30 years behind the scenes at Anfield and his real thoughts about Houllier, all we get are a few quotes surrounded by masses of boring details about match results. Half of the book is about other people: players and managers and their achievements. Probably the only thing that was new in this read was Roy's own facsinating playing years where the author seems to conclude that Evans was a player before his time or a talent that got lost in his 20s, only to accidentally become a coach. Before this great legend dies off like Shankly, Paisley, Fagan, Bennett, Saunders and Twentymen, I wish he would write a frank autobiography and really tell us what he learned as an understudy at Liverpool, and what he really felt about the players under him as manager, plus an outline of practices and why, with a concluding chapter about him and Houllier and what he really felt the Frenchman did at Anfield for 5 years after Roy resigned. Finally, if Mr Peter Robinson is reading, please would you write about days at Anfield and give us an insight into how the board and club operated for 30 something years and how it has changed in the new millenium.

Please don't waste your money
Similar to one of the other reviews, I too was greatly looking forward to a book detailing Evans' management career at Liverpool. To sat I was disapointed would be an understatement.

There are only a few chapters on his time as manager yet more pages devoted solely to recounting Shankly and Paisley stories.

Was expecting a chapter on Collymore and the problems Evans had with him but there is about 2 pages!