Fc Liverpool Blog

Liverpool Football Club is one of the most successful clubs in England and the world. Since the club was founded in 1892, the club has won 5 European Cups, 3 UEFA Cups, 3 UEFA Super Cups, 18 League titles, 7 FA Cups, 8 League Cups, and 15 FA Community Shields.These achievements show that there is a history of winning and success ingrained in the club. Although it has been a few seasons since Liverpool last won a trophy, the Merseyside club are usually favourites when it comes to football betting odds on Paddy Power due to their stature and historic achievements.
Throughout the clubs history there have been a number of managers who have had various levels of success.

The majority of football clubs usually only have a couple of ‘top’ managers, but due to the success Liverpool have had since their inception, the following managers are some of Liverpool’s (and football’s) finest.

BILL SHANKLEY
Bill Shankley is probably one of the most influential figures in Liverpool’s history. Before his arrival at the club, Liverpool weren’t the most successful club, only winning the First Division five times and occasionally dropping to the Second Division.Shortly after Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat to non-league Worcester City, Shankley was brought into the club. He wasted no time in making his mark on the club as he released 24 players and converted an old boot room into the infamous ‘Boot Room’. His rebuilding work paid off in 1962 when he managed to get Liverpool back into the First Division which he eventually won just two years later.

Shankley then managed to help Liverpool through a period of stability, something they had lacked through the majority of their history. It was the early 70s when Liverpool turned into a powerhouse when Shankley rebuilt the team and added some young talent. This move paid off in 1972/73 when Liverpool won their first even European Cup.

Without Shankley, Liverpool wouldn’t be the club that they are today.

BOB PAISLEY
Following the resignation of Shankley, his assistant Bob Paisley was promoted to the manager of the first team. Paisley continued to build and Shankley’s squad and gave the club even more success. Apart from his first year as manager, Paisley managed to win at least one trophy in his nine seasons at the club and lead Liverpool through a period of English and European dominance. Whilst being manager of the club, Paisley won six First Division titles, three League Cups, one UEFA Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, six Charity Shields and, most significantly, three European Cups.

JOE FAGAN
After Paisley resigned from the managerial role, Joe Fagan was promoted from assistant manager to first team manager. Although he only spent two seasons at the club, his first one was very successful. During his first season, the team won the European Cup, the League Championship and the League Cup and so Fagan was the first manager of an English club to win three major trophies in a single season.

KENNY DALGLISH
Kenny Dalglish followed Joe Fagan in the managerial dugout as he was given the role of player-manager. During his first tenure at the club, Liverpool managed to win another three League Championships and two FA Cups. Despite resigning from the role in 1991, Dalglish returned to the club as manager in 2011 where he managed to win a League Cup. Although he was sacked as manager at the end of the season, Dalglish is now a non-executive director and has a stand named after him.

RAFAEL BENÍTEZ
Since the formation of the Premier League, Liverpool haven’t reached the heights they did in the 1970s. However during the reign of Rafa Benitez, Liverpool managed to win a few extra trophies. The most notable example is when Benitez managed to win Liverpool their fifth European Cup in the iconic 2005 Champions League final where Liverpool came from 3-0 down to win the cup on penalties. He also managed to win a FA Cup, FA Community Shield, and UEFA Super Cup during his time at the club

Despite confrontations with owners and decline near the end of his time at the club, Benitez is still a fan favourite at Anfield.

WILLIAM EDWARD BARCLAY AND JOHN MCKENNA
Although Barclay and McKenna aren’t the most successful managers the club has ever seen, they were the first of many managers to take control of the club. Despite the two fact they were joint managers, Barclay acted as secretary-manager, overseeing the administrative side of the club, while McKenna took charge of matters on the field. The club managed to win the Lancashire Division and the Second Division in the first two seasons during their time at the club. After getting relegated from the First Division, McKenna hired Tom Watson to take over as manager.

TOM WATSON
Tom Watson may not be a very familiar name for football fans, but he was Liverpool’s longest manager between 1896 and 1915. His time at Liverpool might not have been full of trophies like other managers, however he gave the club their first taste of success, winning the First Division championship in 1901 and 1906. He also led the club to an FA Cup final in 1914, but Liverpool lost to Burnley. Watson could have led Liverpool to even more success, but unfortunately he died suddenly of pneumonia in 1915 after the outbreak of the First World War.

GÉRARD HOULLIER
Gérard Houllier isn’t the first manager that comes to mind when it comes to top Liverpool managers, but he was fairly successful during his time at the club. His reign didn’t get off to the best start with early exits in the UEFA and FA Cup. The highlight of Houllier’s reign was in 2001 when he won the unique treble of the FA Cup, League Cup, and the UEFA Cup. This was the highlight of his reign as the club failed to perform in the league and had very little success in the cups in other seasons. Although it wasn’t the greatest reign a manager has had during his time at Liverpool, he did manage to pick up a few trophies.

JÜRGEN KLOPP
The final man on this list is JürgenKlopp. Although Klopp has yet to win anything during his time at Anfield, there is a feeling around the club that Klopp could be the man to bring trophies back to Anfield. The German has already taken them to two finals, but they have yet to record a victory in them. However with the signings that have been made, Liverpool feel like they are in contention to win trophies.

Could Klopp be the man to bring Liverpool their first Premier League title since the league was formed?