Joe Fagan is considered one of the key figures from the era of incredible success for Liverpool, beginning with Bill Shankly and the creation of the 'boot room' and ending with Dalglish's final Liverpool title in 1990. Along with Reuben Bennett and Bob Paisley, Fagan was a founding member of the boot room and played a significant role in coaching matters for several decades. He worked as Paisley's assistant manager and - on Paisley's retirement - it seemed natural for him to become the new manager. HIs first season was an enormous success: Liverpool's total dominance in the national game and their strong form in Europe - set in motion under Paisley - continued. Fagan won the league title, the league cup and the European cup in his first season, becoming the toast of Anfield. He had only signed a two-year deal and his second season had proven a glorious failure with a defeat in the European cup final and second place in the league. Fagan retired, paving the way for Dalglish to take over management of the club. While Fagan had a wonderful two-year period at the club, winning three major trophies, it has to be taken into consideration how dominant Liverpool were at the time, thanks to the sterling work of Shankly and Paisley - that is why Fagan isn't ranked higher, despite his excellent record over two years. His legacy was another European cup and league success and the signing of Jan Molby, who became one of Liverpool's finest passers of the ball during his time at the club.
British league champions: 1
Foreign league champions: 0
European cup: 1
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