Bob Paisley - The Quiet Genius

Part 1 - 1974-1979

Where do you even start trying to assess Bob Paisley as a manager?

Perhaps with a bald statement of the facts: Paisley led Liverpool to 6 League Championships between 1976 and 1983, 3 European Cups between 1977 (the first of his 3) and 1981, the UEFA Cup in 1976, and the League Cup for three consecutive years in 1981, 1982 and 1983. That’s 13 major trophies in just 9 seasons. If you choose to also count the European Super Cup and 6 Charity Shields, that’s 20 trophies in total. He also won Manager of The Year 6 times in those 9 years. He also got an OBE, though by all precedent and all that has happened subsequently, and by all known measurements of achievement, it’s as blatant as a concocted VAR excuse for refusing Liverpool a penalty that he should be Sir Bob. It’s not even worth debating.

Just take that record in for a moment ...

“Ah but it was Shankly’s team”, say some, mostly fans of rival clubs in a forlorn attempt to diminish that staggering record.

Except it wasn’t. Although Shankly was undoubtedly the architect of the modern Liverpool, and Paisley did inherit a good squad, his great teams were his own, certainly in the ‘80s but later in the ‘70s too.

It was Paisley who replaced an outgoing legend, Kevin Keegan, with an all-time club great, Kenny Dalglish. It was he who converted Shankly’s last signing, Ray Kennedy, a striker from Arsenal, into a great goalscoring left-sided midfielder. It was he who brought in Graeme Souness, who became the conductor of the Liverpool orchestra. Other notable arrivals under Paisley were bargains like Alan Hansen from Partick Thistle and Phil Neal from Northampton Town. He brought in Terry McDermott and Alan Kennedy from Newcastle United, Mark Lawrenson, Steve Nicol, Ronnie Whelan, Bruce Grobbelaar and Craig Johnston. Not to mention a certain Ian Rush from Chester for just £300,000.

“You’re killing football paying that much for an unheard of teenager”, said a mate who doesn’t support Liverpool. Remind me how that turned out. And Chester did OK out of it too. It was a lot of money for an unheard-of teenager for them too.

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