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"If you want people to listen to what you're saying, speak quietly."
(Bob Paisley, OBE)
23 January 1919 - 14 February 1996
Bob Paisley is the most successful English manager of all time. He devoted over 50 years to Liverpool FC and in just nine years as manager, helped Liverpool win 6 league titles, 3 European cups, 1 UEFA cup and 3 League cups. Here's his story.
Bob 'Gunner' Paisley was born on 23 January 1919 in Hetton-Le-Hole, County Durham. Like Bill Shankly, he was from a mining background and fell in love with football at an early age. When he was fifteen he was rejected by Sunderland who said he was too small, just after his 20th birthday he signed for Liverpool. Before the end of the year, however, he was called up to serve in the war and was away for the next four years.
Bob almost left Liverpool after he was left out of the team during the 1950 FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal. Thankfully, he stayed with Liverpool and became the club's skipper the following season.
In 1954, Bob retired as a player. He took a back room job with the club as a self-taught physiotherapist and later coached the reserves. Shankly set out on a mission in 1959 to revive the relegated Liverpool team and Bob became his right hand man. An unlikely friendship was formed between the two very different characters with the same love of football and Liverpool went from strength to strength.
Then in July 1974 Liverpool was shocked to the core when Shanks announced his retirement. He recommended to the Board that Bob Paisley was the best man to replace him. Ray Clemence recalled Bob telling him that Shanks was going. Bob said, 'Shanks has gone and they're giving me the job even though I don't really want it. But we must try to carry on what he's started'. And carry it on he did. Shanks drew up the blueprints and laid the foundations and Bob built the dream.
In his first ever season as manager, Bob led Liverpool to second place finishers in the League. He led the team to its first European victory in Rome in 1977 when he was quoted as saying, 'This is the second time I've beaten the Germans here ... the first time was in 1944. I drove into Rome on a tank when the city was liberated.'
In all he helped Liverpool win 6 league titles, 3 league cups, 3 European cups, 1 UEFA cup, 1 European super-cup, 5 Charity Shields and earned 6 Manager of the Year awards. All in just 9 years.
Bob retired as manager in 1983, after giving 44 years of his life to Liverpool. He continued to serve at the club as a director and helped other managers including Kenny Dalglish in his early days. In nearly half a decade he had been everything for Liverpool; a player, a coach, a physiotherapist, a manager, a director and an inspiration.
Bob was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in 1992. He passed away on Valentine's Day, 1996. A fitting epitaph reads, "An ordinary man of extraordinary greatness." The club honoured him with the opening of the Paisley Gates at Anfield and he was inaugurated into the English Football Hall Of Fame in 2002.
Goodnight, God bless.
