Was Brendan really that bad within the big picture?
Bill Shankly OBE
(December 1959 – July 1974)
Believed to be one of the greatest managers to have graced the game, Mr. Bill Shankly built Liverpool to greatness. Shankly is famously quoted to have been ‘made for Liverpool as Liverpool was made for him’. Having been sat in the Second Division for half a decade, Shankly was a breath of fresh air and managed all elements from Melwood, how the grass was cared for, to ensuring the players remained grounded and motivated and introduced what is now known as ‘the Liverpool way’.
The Scot brought huge victory to Liverpool including 2 FA Cup titles (1965, 1974), UEFA Cup Winners (1973), the FA Charity Shield on multiple occasions and winning English Manager of the Year in 1973. Shankly will always be remembered by anyone with any involvement with the reds, grateful for his passion and love for the club which in turn adored him.
Bob Paisley
(July 1974 – May 1983)
Known as the ‘tactician’, Paisley worked alongside Shankly for many years and made the Boot Room famous. Understanding Liverpool through a range of ranks including Player, Coach and eventually Manager, Paisley was Liverpool through and through.
Winning at least one major trophy for each year he was there (apart from his first year), Bob proved to be one of the greatest managers in British Football. Paisley brought home fantastic silverware including three league cups, six Charity Shields and one UEFA Cup. However despite such a fruitful career, Paisley will always be remembered for bringing no less than three ‘Big Ears to Anfield’ which has helped cement Liverpool in footballing history with only Milan and Real Madrid winning the Champions League more times than Liverpool.
Kenny ‘the King’ Dalglish
(May 1985 – Feb 1991 and Jan 2011 – May 2012)
After great achievements with the club as a player and club ambassador, King Kenny has managed the club on two different occasions, bringing his knowledge of the game to his players and ensuring the club’s culture remains embedded on and off the pitch. Liverpool played under Kenny for 307 games during his first reign where Kenny won the League Championship three times, the FA Cup twice and was awarded Manager of the Year multiple times.
Returning to Liverpool for the "big challenge" following Roy Hodgson, Kenny quickly made changes to the team. Andy Carroll was brought from Newcastle for a whopping £35 million (British record transfer fee at the time) and current captain Jordan Henderson joined from Sunderland. Kenny also brought in the one and only Luis Suarez from Ajax for £22.8 million as fans angrily waved goodbye to Torres as he left for Stamford Bridge for £50 million. Due to fresh success, Dalglish was appointed to permanent manager and won the League Cup in 2012 and gain Liverpool a place in the FA Cup final against Chelsea. However the team still finished their worst position in the league since 1994, leading to the eventual sacking of Dalglish in May 2012.
Gérard Houllier
(July 1998 – May 2004)
A favoured manager by Steven Gerrard, Houllier arrived hoping to rebuild the team, known as the Spice Boys. Changes included new signings Emile Heskey, Gary McAllister, Sami Hyypiä and Dietmar Hamann as well as the renovation of Melwood.
Finishing third in the Premiership during the 2000–01 season, Houllier went onto achieve the cup treble, winning the FA Cup, UEFA Cup and the League Cup. Despite serious illness in 2001, Liverpool finished second in the league. Since this, losses became more frequent and fans lost faith in the management style as Gérard decided to step down in 2004.
Rafa Benitez
(June 2004 – June 2010)
The Spaniard has enjoyed a fruitful career as a manager, caring for Real Madrid, Valencia, Inter Milan, Napoli, Liverpool and unfortunately, Chelsea. Famously known for bringing Big Ears back to Liverpool for the 5th time, he created that faithful night in Istanbul.
Benitez also went on to win the FA Cup in 2006, reached the final of the Champions League in 2007 and secured second position in the league in 2009. The large purchases from Benitez included fellow Spaniards Xabi Alonso, Fernando Torres, Luis Garcia and Pepe Reina, all considered as some of the greats by all Liverpool fans. Other popular players included Daniel Agger, Dirk Kuyt and Lucas Leiva.
Roy Hodgson
(July 2010 – January 2011)
Fans instantly gave mixed reviews regarding the appointment of Hodgson due to a lack of experience managing big clubs. Hodgson signed Brad Jones, Raul Meireles, Fábio Aurélio and Christian Poulsen, all whom have since left. Due to a deterioration including losses against League Two side, Northampton Town and Blackpool, Liverpool were potentially facing relegation. Hodgson agreed to step down in early 2011 and King Kenny returned.
Brendan Rodgers (June 2012 – October 2015)
Arriving after a successful career with Swansea, Brendan made his mark on the club making a number of signings including Allan, Sturridge, Coutinho, Sakho and Lallana to name just a few. However Rodgers also waved goodbye to Reina, Gerrard, Suarez, Jonjo Shelvey, Daniel Agger and of course Raheem Sterling.
Despite the eventful season of 2013/2014 Rodgers failed to deliver anything substantial and his departure appears to receive sighs of relief from many fans and players including Pepe Reina who tweeted “I will always be a fan & all I want now is to see the old Liverpool come back for the players and the supporters who deserve the best. YNWA”.
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