Source: Liverpool_Echo
Liverpool FC fan Arthur Milton: The day Bill Shankly brought me to tears
IF a picture says a thousand words, this one spoke on behalf of hundreds of thousands of Liverpool supporters.[LNB]This is the moment when Reds fan, Arthur Milton, shared an emotional embrace with Bill Shankly to plead with him to reconsider his decision to quit Anfield.[LNB]The now iconic image of Milton and Shankly was captured by Echo photographer, Stephen Shakeshaft, at Wembley following the 1974 Charity Shield against Leeds.[LNB]A 1-1 draw that saw both Billy Bremner and Kevin Keegan sent off before Liverpool won 6-5 on penalties dominated the headlines after the fiery encounter.[LNB]It is this photograph that has stood the test of time, however.[LNB]'The expression on my face is clear,' says Milton. 'I loved that man from the bottom of my heart.[LNB]'I thought so much of him to run on to the pitch and hug him like that. Those are real tears.'[LNB]A couple of pre-match jars in the Torch pub on Wembley Way helped soften him up. Otherwise, it was a spontaneous act of heart ruling head as the distraught Kopite tried to persuade Shanks to stay.[LNB]'Although I was devastated when Shankly announced his retirement, I had no intention of going on the pitch like that,' recalls Milton from his home in Dongen, Holland, where he's lived for over 30 years.[LNB]'I remember seeing him coming round the pitch, waving to the fans at the end of the game. That was it. I don't know what came over me. The next thing I knew I was on the pitch with my arms around him saying 'don't go Billy. Please, don't go!'' Don't worry, lad,' he said to me. 'I'm still in Liverpool.'[LNB]Milton was 28, a full-bearded man reduced to tears before a 67,000 Wembley crowd.[LNB]What made the scene even more striking was his off-the-wall outfit. With white jumpsuits 'borrowed' from the Thorns Colour Tubes factory in Skelmersdale where he was employed at the time, Milton and a couple of fellow Reds, Ray Buck and Harry Thomas, set about designing their special Reds regalia, complete with home-made top hats.
