From Shankly To Iraola
Who is Liverpool's greatest ever manager?
Ask any Red and you'll get an answer within seconds. Shankly built the empire. Paisley won nearly everything. Klopp brought us back. The debate never ends, and that's precisely as it should be.
But here's where it gets controversial: after a year of research, analysing every manager from Shankly to Iraola across 66 years of history, my rankings challenge the conventional wisdom.
Bob Paisley – six league titles, three European Cups, the most decorated manager in Liverpool FC history – comes third in my assessment. Not first. Third.
Bill Shankly, who "only" won three league titles and never lifted the European Cup, ranks first.
Jürgen Klopp, with one league title and one Champions League, sits second.
How can this be? How can statistics alone not tell the complete story?
Because Liverpool Football Club has never been about statistics alone. It's about transformation. It's about cultural impact. It's about building something that transcends trophies. Shankly didn't just create a winning team; he created an identity that endures six decades later. He turned Liverpool from a Second Division club into a force that Paisley inherited and perfected. Klopp didn't just end a 30-year title drought; he reconnected the club with its soul when it had been lost.
This doesn't diminish Paisley's genius; after all, his achievements speak for themselves. But greatness must be measured in context, not just silverware.
At the other end, Roy Hodgson, Graeme Souness and Kenny Dalglish's second managerial term form my bottom three. Controversial? Perhaps. But each tenure, for different reasons, damaged the club in ways that required years to repair. And where should we put the beleaguered Arnie Slot, given his immense one-season achievement; and subsequent fall from grace?
This book examines all fourteen managers who have led Liverpool since 1959 - the legends, the nearly-men and the failures. It assesses them not just on trophies won, but on the state of the club they inherited, what they transformed and what they left behind.
No doubt you will disagree with some of my conclusions. That's the point. Liverpool managers spark debate because Liverpool means more.
Enjoy the journey!
