<P> Shankly had just reached his 26th birthday when the Second World War began and the war claimed the peak years of his playing career . He joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) and managed to play in numerous wartime league, cup and exhibition matches for Norwich City, Arsenal, Luton Town and Partick Thistle, depending on where he was stationed . On 30 May 1942, he played a single game for Liverpool in a 4--1 win over Everton at Anfield . Shankly was keen on boxing and fought as a middleweight in the RAF, winning a trophy when he was stationed in Manchester . He confirmed in his autobiography that his weight as an RAF boxer was 159 pounds (72 kg) and he was only six pounds (2.7 kg) heavier than that in 1976 . Shankly met his wife, Nessie, in the RAF (she was in the WAAF and stationed at the same camp) and they married in 1944 . </P> <P> With the resumption of full League football again in the 1946--47 season, Shankly returned to Preston who held his registration, but he was now 33 and coming to the end of his playing days . By 1949, he was Preston's club captain but had lost his place in the first team, which was struggling against relegation despite having Tom Finney in the side . Shankly was a qualified masseur and had decided he wanted to become a coach so, when Carlisle United asked him to become their manager in March of that year, he retired as a player and accepted the job . Shankly's departure from Preston was resented by some at the club and he was refused a benefit match, to which he felt entitled . He described Preston's attitude as "the biggest let - down of my life in football". </P> <P> Shankly had enormous admiration for Tom Finney and devotes more than three pages of his autobiography to Finney's prowess as a footballer . In the 1970s, Shankly was asked how a current star compared to Finney and Shankly replied: "Aye, he's as good as Tommy--but then Tommy's nearly 60 now". Another Preston player admired by Shankly was his Scottish international teammate Andy Beattie, with whom he would later work in management . Shankly was succeeded in the Preston team by Tommy Docherty and Shankly told Docherty that he should "just put the number - four shirt on and let it run round, it knows where to go". </P> <P> Shankly played for Scotland 12 times from 1938 to 1943 in five full and seven wartime internationals . He spoke of his "unbelievable pride" when playing for Scotland against England and how, when confronted by the "Auld Enemy", the Scottish players would become William Wallace or Robert the Bruce for 90 minutes after pulling on the blue jersey . Shankly himself certainly had that spirit when playing for Scotland as confirmed by Alex James: "He is a real Scotland player who will fight until he drops". </P>

Who said football is a matter of life and death