Liverpool FC Forum

[supersub]

I'm going to post tributes to the men that created one of the most famous football clubs in the world.I've been working on this for ages so you'll have to bare with me if it drags on a bit.
      November 1959:Phil Taylor resigns due to ill-health commenting 'that the strain of trying to win promotion has proved too much.'
      Bill Shankly was manager of Huddersfield Town when Liverpool stepped in with an offer.When he arrived at Anfield in December 1959 he was shocked at the state of the club and immediately began a rebuilding programme.Most of the players he inherited were transferred,new players were bought and even the club's training ground at Melwood was refurbished.Shankly's first masterstroke was to sign Ron Yeats and Ian St.John,who over the next decade formed the backbone of his side.Others such as Gordon Milne,Peter Thompson and Willie Stevenson were among his early signings while chances were given to youngsters such as Chris Lawler,Gerry Byrne,Tommy Smith and Roger Hunt.Shankly's first success came in 1962 as Liverpool lifted the 2nd division championship.Two years later we were league champions and followed that up in 1965 by winning the F.A.Cup for the first time in their history.Over the next nine years,as Shankly ruled supreme at Anfield,Liverpool lifted two more league titles as well as the F.A.Cup for the second time and the UEFA Cup.In 1974,following our F.A.Cup victory,Shankly shocked the footballing world by sesationally resigning.There had been no hint of it although he had threatened to resign over matters of principle in the past.This time he claimed he was tired and in need of a rest.But it was not long before he missed the game and he was soon taking on various consultancy roles.Sadly,he wasnever offered any other post at Anfield,nor even a directorship,and in later years he felt bitter about the way the club had treated him.He died on 29 September 1981,a few days after suffering a heart attack.The following Saturday Liverpool played host to Swansea City managed by, one of Shankly's signings,John Toshack.He paid his own tribute by stripping of his jacket to reveal a Liverpool shirt during the minute silence.Without doubt Bill Shankly was one of the great managers of the modern era-fanatical,loyal and always ready with a quip.He once said that he and Liverpool Football Club were made for each other.It was undoubtedly true.Shankly created the modern Liverpool,turning a sleeping giant into the great club it is today.It was Shankly who laid down the ground rules,who created the boot room,the development of the talent in the reserves,the passing game that was to become Liverpool's hallmark and the commitment to the club that was demanded of every player.They were rules which were to serve Liverpool well over the next 20 years.
       The Shankly Gates were erected as a permanent memorial to Bill Shankly with the sign'You'll Never Walk A lone' above them.They were formally opened by his widow Nessie Shankly.A bronze statue of 'Shanks' was unveiled in 1998 and stands outside the Kop.

        .....................to be continued......................

[gaz31]

MY GOD SUPERSUB I HAVE NEVER EVER KNOWN A MAN LIKE YOU BEFORE,YOU SHOULD WRITE A BOOK ON YOUR LIFE AS A LIVERPOOL SUPPORTER YOU ARE THE 'LIVING LEGEND' MY RESPECT GOES TO YOU ....
KEEP IT REAL.
                   CHEERS GARY!!

[supersub]

Bob Paisley was associated with Liverpool Football Club,in one form or another,from 1939,when he joined as a player,till 1992 when he retired,due to ill-health,as a club director.
      His playing career was solid rather than spectacular.The glitter and rave notices were to come later when he became manager.He won a championship medal in1946,scored the all important first goal against Everton in the FA Cup semi-final only to miss out on the final itself in1950.He retired from playing in 1954 and took a job on the Liverpool training staff assissting manager Phil Taylor.He became a qualified physio and when 'Shanks' arrived in 1959 Paisley became his number 2.
      That's brief - the rest is history.Paisley took over from Shankly in 1974,telling his players at their first get together that he never really wanted the job.But that was no doubt just a touch of the famed Paisley canniness.If he didn't want the job he certainly did not show it when it came to winning.His record as manager was second to none:in a nine-year spell as boss of Anfield he won 3 European Cups,6 League Championships,3 League Cups in succession and the UEFA Cup.The only trophy to elude him was the FA Cup.He was also voted Manager of the Year on 6 occasions and awarded the OBE.When he retired in 1983 with yet another trophy,he was appointed a director of the club.It is impossible to fathom the secret of Paisley's success,but judging by the number of outstanding players who passed through Anfield during his time,it has to be argued that he had a good eye for a player.Perhaps therein lies the secret.
     Situated at the Kop Entrance,stands the Paisley Gateway,a permanent memorial to the former player,manager and director.It was opened by his widow Jessie Paisley in 1999 and show the three European cups which were won under his management.
                   
                 ...........to be continued................

[jaypap]

ss
u keep this up and they'll erect a monument of u outside the gates at the kop...
u are an out and out star of a fan and i am in awe!
the pleasure has been all mine...

[supersub]

Jaypap the pleasure is all mine.I spend all day in work talking football,during the season it's none stop football,I run a small football competition during the season,I used to play every sunday till the mrs put a stop to that(she likes to call herself the football widow).Believe me I enjoy it.

[jaypap]

well mate
just like most of us u love the game and the club, but unlike most of us, u have knowledge of things that we should too...
its great that u share it with the rest of us, as we dont all have either the time or resourses to get that sort of info...
and i for one love reading about our great history and our great leaders...
keep it up .....

[supersub]

Joe Fagan was another Liverpool manager who lived and breathed the Anfield tradition.His playing career was predominantly at Manchester City but was interrupted by the war.He moved to Anfield to join Bill Shankly's coaching staff.When Paisley took over fromShankly,Fagan moved up a notch,and when Bob Paisley retired in 1983 Joe Fagan was the automatic choice as manager.He began with a young side that had little trouble in retaining the league title during his first season,Liverpool's third successive league championship.That season we also lifted the European Cup as well as the Milk Cup.Three trophies in his first season was a hard act to follow and the next season proved a bitter disappointment.Liverpool wound up 2nd to Everton in the league and were knocked out of the FA Cup,in the semi-final,by Man.Utd.Yet there seemed every hope that Liverpool,at the Heysel Stadium,would lift the European Cup for the 5th time.Instead,on a tragic night in Brussels,Fagan's career ended in horror.Having announced his retirement that day,this was his last game as manager.Joe's two years in charge had taken their toll;he was a tired man,already over 60 when he took over as manager.During those years he brought many new faces to Anfield,including John Wark,Michael Robinson and Paul Walsh,and gave debuts to Jim Beglin and Jan Molby.Fagan had been at Anfield for more than 30 years when he retired and it was sad that his career had to end on such an unhappy note.He died in May 2001.
                     
                  .............to be continued.............

[gaz31]

FANTASTIC .......................
THANKYOU SS ITS GREAT,
INFACT U R GREAT!!!!!!!!
                    THANX GARY.!!!!!

[tockycol]

I can only echo the praise of the other lads you even had my son reading your posts.
super your the man never stop telling the world of our great club and our great managers

[ROBtheRED]

Keep on keeping on Supersub, its a pleasure 2 read! !
u r a legend!

[supersub]

On the eve of Liverpool's ill-fated European Cup Final against Juventus in 1985 Kenny Dalglish was surprisingly appointed player-manager,the first ever player-manager in the club's long history.But it was clearly an inspired decision.In his first season in charge,Liverpool clinched the League and Cup double.Dalglish had only picked himself 8 times upto February 1986.With kenny in the side we defeated York City in the FA Cup after a replay and extra-time.Dalglish leaves himself out again,then the 22nd February Everton beat Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield in the league.Less than two weeks later QPR beat the Reds in the semi-final of the League Cup.Dalglish decides to put the no.7 back on and Liverpool go unbeaten for the rest of the season,winning 11 of the remainding 12 league games and winning the FA Cup,beating Everton 3-1 in a memorable Final.King Kenny scored the championship winning goal at Chelsea on the last day.During his managerial reign he added two more league titles to his collection and two FA Cups.And on two occassions he came within a whisker of pulling off the double again.Under Dalglish,Liverpool cast aside the committed style that had wonthem so many honours,and with new signings John Barnes and Peter Beardsley instead developed a flair and excitement rarely associated with the club.His dealings in the transfer market showed that he also had an astute eye for a good player,with the signings of Ray Houghton,John Aldridge,Ronnie Rosenthal and David Burrows,as well as youngsters such as Jamie Redknapp and Don Hutchinson.15 April 1989,96 Liverpool supporters died at Hillsborough.It was the worst sporting tragedy in British history.Players and their wives,helped comfort the bereaved with manager Kenny Dalglish and his wife Marina setting an example that endeared them to everyone on Merseyside.In February 1991 Dalglish surprisingly resigned as manager of Liverpool,claiming that the pressures had been to great.He was Manager of the Year 3 times and was awarded the MBE.

[sangy]

Keep it up SS!!! 

[supersub]

As Joe Fagan's no2,Ronnie Moran was widely expected to take over when Fagan retired,but instead he was overlooked in favour of Kenny Dalglish.When Dalglish resigned as manager in February 1991 Moran temporarily took control but a poor run of results almost certainly cost Moran the chance of becoming manager.
    Graeme Souness was manager of Rangers when Dalglish resigned and it was almost inevitable that Souness would one day wind up back at Anfield.After Ronnie Moran's failure to impress the Liverpool board of directors,Graeme Souness stunned Glasgow with the announcement he was indeed Liverpool-bound.Souness's arrival at Anfield initiated major changes.Players such as Peter Beardsley,Barry Venison,Gary Ablett,Glenn Hysen,Steve McMahon,Steve Staunton,Gary Gillespie and Ray Houghton were sold as part of a policy of introducing youth.New players were bought - Dean Saunders,Mark Wright,Mark Walters,Paul Stewart,Michael Thomas,Rob Jones,plus the Scandanavians Stig Bjornebye and Torben Piechnik - while some of Anfield's youngsters were given their chance.It was a massive turnaround of playing staff that did not really help continuity.At the same time there were serious long-term injuries affecting a number of players,including John Barnes,Ronnie Whelan and Jan Molby,that again did not help matters.In his first full season in charge results went from bad to worse and Liverpool were never really title contenders.In the end we finished up in 6th position,our worst position since 1965.But if results did not go well in the league,Souness could certainly claim some satisfaction in the FA Cup as Liverpool went on to win the trophy,beating Sunderland 2-0 in the Final.The following season,1992-1993,turned out to be even worse than the previous season,with further injuries and poor form at one stage plunging Liverpool into the relegation zone.By January they were out of every competition,even beaten at home by lowly Bolton Wanderers in the FA Cup.It was a situation that did not go down well with the fans and the call for Souness's resignation was soon being openly mooted on the terraces.At the end of the season it did indeed seem that Souness was to be sacked,but in an astonishing turnaround he was given a vote of confidence by the board and further time to prove himself.But results never really improved and in January 1994,after Liverpool had been knocked out of the FA Cup by Bristol City,he was sacked.
                    ...............to be continued.................

[gaz31]

YOU REALLY AUGHT TO WRITE A BOOK SS YOU COULD CALL IT "LIVING IN THE RED WITH LIVERPOOL FC"
CAN'T WAIT TILL URE NEXT POST!
                         "KEEP TICKIN OVER SS"
                                                           
                             CHEERS GARY!!!!!

[supersub]

Gaz you can see what a terrible period the Souness years were.I was in my 30's and the football was dire at times,so inevitably I ended up getting married.I still had my season ticket but the wife,thank god put the blocks on me going away so much.Oh yeah! having kids probably contributed to that as well.