BILL Shankly felt soccer was more important than life and death, and fans around the world agreed with the former Liverpool manager yesterday.


Scotsman Shankly, who died of a heart attack in 1981, beat former Manchester United and France forward Eric Cantona in a poll organized by the Plain English Campaign to pick soccer's most memorable quote.


Shankly struck a chord when he said:

"Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I'm very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that."

Campaign spokesman Dave Smith said:

"We surveyed 10,000 supporters in 80 countries. They really liked the power of the Shankly quote.
"Votes for him peaked after England went out to Portugal in the quarter-finals (of the World Cup). It described their passion for football. We got votes from all over, from Australia, America, all English-speaking countries."

Shankly's passionate commitment to the game gave him top spot above Cantona, who once bewildered fans by saying:

"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea."

Third place went to ex-England midfielder Paul Gascoigne for saying:

"I never predict anything and I never will."

Commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme's much-repeated "They think it's all over... it is now" took fourth place and former England manager Graham Taylor's "Do I not like that" came in fifth.


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