2 Bob Paisley

Paisley played for Liverpool before becoming a self-trained lay physiotherapist, reputedly able to diagnose players' problems simply by looking at them. Later, he became a coach and a founder member of Shankly's infamous 'boot room.' Liverpool's board chose him to succeed Shankly after his shock retirement. The unassuming and quiet Paisley from County Durham went on to exceed Shankly's achievements by managing Liverpool for just nine seasons, in which time he won six league championships, three European cups and a variety of other silverware. He retired in 1983, providing advice and support for Fagan and Dalglish. His record of success in a competitive league and era at both national and European level over a period of just nine years is probably unmatched in the history of world football. Paisley achieved his success through a combination of tactical awareness, excellent signings (such as Dalglish, Hansen and Rush) and, according to the great man himself, keeping faith in his players. He once mused, "the trouble with some managers is they lose patience and decide 'this player just can't do that.' It's better to have patience." Few would disagree that he constructed Liverpool's finest ever football team and one of the most successful in the history of world club football. He achieved this success with a real commitment to beautiful football, with players who could play with real flair and imagination but played it simple most of the time. He moulded physical strength and technical ability into a highly-organised and cohesive unit full of natural leaders and good passers of the football. Paisley edges just ahead of Clough due to his impeccable, unspoilt record of success and his 3 European cups in just 9 seasons. No other manager in world football has won more than three. He also had a perfect record in the transfer market, signing Dalglish to replace Keegan in a masterstroke and finding unknown gems on the cheap, such as Hansen, Rush and Grobelaar. In truth, both Clough and Paisley were magnificent in their own way. No one knows if Paisley could have guided two teams from obscurity to the league championship and won back to back European cups with one of them. Likewise, no one knows whether Clough could have taken Leeds onto the kind of success Paisley enjoyed at Liverpool. Both were great managers but, while Clough was the more ingenius, Paisley was the more successful.

British league champions: 6
Foreign league champions: 0
European cup: 3
UEFA cup: 1