In his nine years as manager of Liverpool Bob Paisley amassed an incredible 13 major trophies making him not only the club’s greatest manager but one of the most successful in the history of English football; not bad for a man who found communication with the world outside Anfield so excruciatingly difficult.
Born on January 23, 1919 Paisley grew up in a small Durham mining community and played for Bishop Auckland before signing for Liverpool in 1939 where he would be introduced to fellow managerial great Matt Busby who was also at Anfield.
But he would have to wait until 1946 to make his Reds debut due to the outbreak of World War II as he served with the Desert Rats in North Africa while also playing a significant role in the liberation of Italy in June 1944; riding into the capital on the back of a tank as it was seized back from Nazi occupation.
He was a member of the Liverpool team that won the First Division title for the first time in 24 years in 1947 and was soon made club captain, remaining with Liverpool until he hung up his boots in 1954.
After his playing days Paisley stayed with Liverpool and took on not just the role of reserve team coach but also that of physiotherapist at a club which by now had been relegated to the Second Division, though that would soon change thanks to the arrival of an individual who would have a huge impact on both the club and Paisley too.
In December 1959, Bill Shankly was appointed Liverpool manager and on seeing his wealth of knowledge and impressive tactical prowess, along with the remarkable working relationship he had with his players, quickly promoted Paisley to work alongside him as his assistant.
Thanks to Shankly’s remarkable leadership and Paisley’s prowess on the training field Liverpool gained promotion back to the First Division in 1961 and so would begin one of the most potent double acts in the history of the game.
Under Shankly, with Paisley by his side, Liverpool won no fewer than three league titles, two FA Cups and a UEFA Cup in one of the most exciting periods of the club’s history, so when Shankly resigned to the astonishment of everyone at the end of the 1973/74 season there was little argument when it came to who would replace him as manager of Liverpool.
Despite his reluctance to fill the role the decision to promote Bob Paisley turned out to be an inspired one and apart from his first campaign in charge he went on to win at least one major trophy in each of his nine years as manager.
Paisley was often seen as the nice guy of football due to his grandfather looks, a slight limp from an old ankle injury which would mean he often wore slippers around the club and the dulcet tones which he addressed those who met him. He also found it extremely difficult expressing himself due to an overpowering awkwardness when it came to speaking in public; preferring to let his team do the talking on the pitch
When he was finally persuaded to take the role, against his will, of Shankly’s replacement he called together a number of local journalists and reporters and told them: “I’m not good at this. I can’t finish my sentences. You’ll have to finish them for me.”
But despite the placid demeanour, as with all great managers, there was a ruthless streak to him and when it came to selecting his team and building sides for the future he was often unremittingly brutal; not afraid to let players go before their prime for the better of the squad in the same way that Alex Ferguson did some two decades or so later.
No better example of this was when he let Kevin Keegan move to Hamburg just weeks after winning the European Cup in 1977 only to replace him with a man who would arguably go on to become the club’s greatest ever player – Kenny Dalglish.
In his time at Anfield Paisley was also responsible for bringing Alan Hansen, Bruce Grobbelaar and Graeme Souness to the club to name just a few as he sourced talented players from wherever he could find them which he knew would combine to maintain the values that had been instilled into the club during the days of Shankly.
Under Paisley Liverpool would go on to dominate not just at home but abroad too, as his team became one of the most successful sides on the continent shaping the reputation of the club for future generations to come while setting the standard for future managers who arrived Anfield.
In his nine years as manager Bob Paisley won an astonishing six league titles, finishing second twice, as well as winning three League Cups, and the UEFA Cup; not to mention a hat-trick of European Cups in 1977, 1978 and 1981.
In doing so he became the first man in history to manage three European Cup-winning sides and still remains the only British manager to do so or achieve the incredible feat with the same club for that matter.
Paisley eventually retired at the end of the 1982/83 season after guiding Liverpool to yet another league title and handed the reins to a fellow graduate of the Anfield boot room, Joe Fagan, after 44 years with the club in various roles.
He continued to serve Liverpool as a director until he retired in 1992 having been diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease, something which had dogged the latter stages of his managerial career as he was often unable to remember his way home from Anfield after games.
To this day the debate still rages when it comes to just who is the greatest ever manager in English football and the competition is certainly keen, but what’s certain is that his incredible trophy haul over a relatively short period of time does little to harm Bob Paisley’s claim when it comes to that particular accolade.
No better example of this was when he let Kevin Keegan move to Hamburg just weeks after winning the European Cup in 1977 only to replace him with a man who would arguably go on to become the club’s greatest ever player – Kenny Dalglish.
