Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley - Paisley reluctantly took over as Liverpool manager in 1974 after Shankly's shock retirement
For the first 1960s instalment of my history of Liverpool FC I did some ‘helicoptering’ above and beyond footballing issues, such was the eventful nature of that decade https://sportyman2020.blogspot.com/2020/11/liverpool-fc-in-1960s-part-1-of-3.html.
The 1970s,
however, never seems to have much of a pull to it, no matter what way you look
at it. So this time I’m going to focus more on the task at hand, the fortunes
of Liverpool FC. The 1970s remains the second most successful decade in the history of the club and, such was the range of stars and haul of silverware won that I can only sketch a brief outline here.
As outlined in a previous
blogs, Bill Shankly brought a potent mix of vision, charisma, energy
and ruthlessness to his role as Liverpool manager from the day he signed in
December 1959. This involved getting rid of a huge amount of dead wood in the
playing staff (24 players were gone within a year or so of his arrival), the
acquisition of new key players (most notably Ian St. John and Ron Yeats in the construction of his first team), the
shaking up and modernising of training and team tactics and the cultivation of
a powerful and mutually beneficial relationship with the supporters.
Shankly hit the ground
running at Anfield and, after lifting the sleeping giants out of an eight
season slumber in the Second Division, his team enjoyed a stunning three season
spell between 1963 and 1966 when they won two Division One championships, with
the club’s maiden FA Cup victory sandwiched in between.
The second half of the 1960s
was less successful, although Liverpool had some near misses, such as a
controversial European Cup semi-final loss to Inter Milan in 1965, a Cup
Winners’ Cup final loss to Borussia Dortmund in 1966 and a second place finish
in Division One in 1968-1969.
Shankly then had the bravery
and vision to take apart the ageing 1960s team and build a new team for a new
decade. Out went iconic players such as Roger Hunt, Ian St. John, Ron Yeats and
Peter Thompson and Shankly then brought in a whole string of new future club
legends such as Alec Lindsay, Steve Heighway, John Toshack, Kevin Keegan, Peter
Cormack, Jimmy Case and, on the very day that Shankly announced his own
retirement (July 12th 1974), Ray Kennedy. There were also some
‘cross-over’ players between the 1960s and 1970s, most notably Tommy Smith and
Ian Callaghan.
In one of the most successful attacking partnerships in the history of the game, John Toshack and Kevin Keegan terrorized defences for most of the 1970s, scoring 196 goals between them, many of them as combined efforts - the words 'Keegan', 'Toshack' and 'goal' were frequently combined in football commentary during the decade.
Scouser Ian Callaghan racked up a record 857 games for Liverpool during a stellar career from 1960 to 1978, during which time he won everything worth winning, on the domestic, European and international fronts
'Tommy Smith wasn't born, he was quarried' - so said Bill Shankly of 'Anfield Iron' Tommy Smith, the Scouser who captained Liverpool from the back and, like Ian Callaghan, won everything in his time with Liverpool, from 1963 to 1978. Tommy developed dementia in latter years and sadly passed away in 2019.
Emlyn Hughes (1947-2004) played 665 times for Liverpool between 1967 and 1979, captaining the team for six seasons in the 1970s and becoming in 1977 the first Liverpool captain to lift the European Cup. Always full of energy and enthusiasm, he earned the nickname 'Crazy Horse' from the Kop early on in his Liverpool career. In this picture he is being followed on to the pitch by recently deceased goalkeeping legend Ray Clemence.
The new 1970s generation
brought more silverware for Liverpool: a record equalling 8th league
title in 1972-1973, Liverpool’s first European win (the 1972-1973 UEFA Cup) and
a second FA Cup in 1973-1974.
Shankly’s retirement was in the style of the great man - decisive and devastating in its consequences. I have added a video clip below to demonstrate the impact Shankly’s retirement had on the club and the city.
The video clip below gives an insight into the wider impact of Shankly's retirement - the reaction of the boy at 2:10 is especially poignant:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x08iDQvU0YI
It’s said that Shankly immediately regretted his decision to retire and even considered returning, but it was not to be. And he was destined to have a restless retirement, such had been his complete devotion to his role as the leader of Liverpool FC. This level of devotion is captured in a survey he completed for a schoolchild who posed a series of questions to him regarding the life of a football manager. In answer to the question ‘How many hours a week do you put into your job as a manager?’, Shankly’s response was ‘Every minute of every day’. This statement must also, however, be viewed in the context that Shankly saw his involvement with Liverpool FC as a privilege and a joy and, perhaps, a heavenly alternative to life as a coal-miner that was the fate of many of his contemporaries from his native Glenbuck in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Liverpool
in the 1970s – the Paisley part
Among the many countless acts of service to his club, and the many brave changes and innovations he brought, Bill Shankly had the wisdom and foresight to leave one Anfield institution intact. The legendary ‘Boot Room’ was nothing more than a large cupboard underneath the main stand at Anfield but the conversations and strategizing that occurred there between a handful of visionaries had impacts on football fields hundreds of miles away.
And an image from the actual Boot Room. Pictured left to right are Ronnie Moran, Roy Evans, Bob Paisley, Tom Saunders, John Bennison and Joe Fagan
Shankly’s successor came from the Boot Room and
he could not have been more different in character. Quiet, introverted and softly
spoken, Bob Paisley was initially reluctant to fill the large boots vacated by
the little Scot. But during Paisley’s tenure, covering the second half of the
1970s and up to the end of the 1983 season he would not only fill Shankly’s
boots, but he would go on to become the most decorated manager in the long and
glorious history of the club. In all he led Liverpool to 6 First Division
titles, 3 League Cups, a UEFA Cup, UEFA Super Cup and an astounding three
European Cups.
During the second half of the 1970s alone, Paisley’s signings reads like a Liverpool FC Hall of Fame: Phil Neal, Terry McDermott, David Johnson, Alan Hansen, Graeme Souness, Alan Kennedy and, on a free transfer from Home Farm in Dublin, Ronnie Whelan.
Above
and beyond even that stellar list of Paisley acquisitions, however, was another signing who would become the greatest player in the history of the club. On August 10th 1977, for a then club record
fee of 400,000 pounds, Liverpool acquired the services of a 26 year old Scot who had already achieved legendary status with Celtic. His name was Kenny Dalglish.
Along with the 14 major trophies he won with Liverpool as manager from 1974-1983, Bob Paisley (1919-1996) also won that first post-war Division One title with Liverpool in 1946-1947 (see earlier blog: https://sportyman2020.blogspot.com/2020/10/liverpool-fc-1940s.html )
They just can't stop winning - Liverpool in 1976-1977...
Left to right. Back row: Joey Jones, John Toshack, David Fairclough, Ray Clemence, Phil Thompson, Phil Neal;
Centre: Joe Fagan (Coach), Alec Lindsay, Jimmy Case, Ray Kennedy, David Johnson, Roy Evans (Second Trainer), Ronnie Moran (Chief Trainer);
Front: Steve Heighway, Ian Callaghan, Tommy Smith, Bob Paisley (Manager), Emlyn Hughes, Kevin Keegan, Terry McDermott
Liverpool
FC in the 1970s: a decade in summary
1970-1971
Manager: Bill Shankly
Captain: Tommy Smith
Top scorer: Alun Evans (15)
League: 5th in
Division One (winners: Arsenal, for a record 8th time)
FA Cup: Runners-up (winners:
Arsenal, for the 4th time)
League Cup: 3rd
round (winners: Tottenham Hotspur, for the first time)
Europe: Inter-Cities Fairs
Cup semi-final (winners: Leeds United, for the second time)
European Cup winners: Ajax,
for the first time
Cup Winners’ Cup Winners:
Chelsea for the first time
1971-1972
Manager: Bill Shankly
Captain: Tommy Smith
Top scorer: John Toshack
(13)
League: 3rd in
Division One (winners: Derby County, for the first time)
FA Cup: 4th round
(winners: Leeds United, for the first time)
League Cup: 4th
round (winners: Stoke City, for the first time)
Europe: Cup Winners’ Cup: 2nd
round
European Cup winners: Ajax,
for the second time
UEFA Cup Winners: Tottenham
Hostpur for the first time
Cup Winners’ Cup Winners:
Rangers for the first time
1972-1973
Manager: Bill Shankly
Captain: Tommy Smith
Top scorer: Kevin Keegan
(22)
League: Winners (for a
record equalling 8th time)
FA Cup: 4th round
(winners: Sunderland, for the second time)
League Cup: 5th
round (winners: Tottenham Hotspur, for the second time)
Europe: UEFA Cup: winners
European Cup winners: Ajax,
for the third time
UEFA Cup: Liverpool winners,
for the first time
Cup Winners’ Cup Winners: AC
Milan for the second time
1973-1974
Manager: Bill Shankly
Captain: Emlyn Hughes
Top scorer: Kevin Keegan
(19)
League: 2nd in
Division One (winners: Leeds United, for the second time)
FA Cup: Winners for the
second time
League Cup: 5th
round (winners: Wolverhampton Wanderers, for the first time)
Europe: European Cup: 2nd
round
European Cup winners: Bayern
Munich, for the first time
UEFA Cup Winners: Feyenoord
for the first time
Cup Winners’ Cup Winners: FC
Magdeburg for the first time
1974-1975
Manager: Bob Paisley
Captain: Emlyn Hughes
Top scorer: Steve Heighway
(13)
League: 2nd in
Division One (winners: Derby County for the second time)
FA Cup: 4th round
(winners: West Ham United for the second time)
League Cup: 4th
round (winners: Aston Villa for the second time)
Europe: Cup Winners’ Cup 2nd
round
European Cup winners: Bayern
Munich, for the second time
UEFA Cup Winners: Borussia
Monchengladbach for the first time
Cup Winners’ Cup Winners:
Dynamo Kyiv for the first time
1975-1976
Manager: Bob Paisley
Captain: Emlyn Hughes
Top scorer: John Toshack
(23)
League: Division One winners
for a record 9th time
FA Cup: 4th round
(winners: Southampton for the first time)
League Cup: 3rd
round (winners: Manchester City for the second time)
Europe: UEFA Cup winners for
the second time
European Cup winners: Bayern
Munich, for the third time
Cup Winners’ Cup Winners:
Anderlecht for the first time
1976-1977
Manager: Bob Paisley
Captain: Emlyn Hughes
Top scorer: Kevin Keegan
(20)
League: winners of Division
One for a record 10th time
FA Cup: Runners up (winners:
Manchester United)
League Cup: 2nd
round (winners: Aston Villa, for the third time)
Europe: Liverpool European
Cup winners for the first time
UEFA Cup Winners: Juventus
for the first time
Cup Winners’ Cup Winners:
Hamburger SV for the first time
1977-1978
Manager: Bob Paisley
Captain: Emlyn Hughes
Top scorer: Kenny Dalglish
(31)
League: 2nd in
Division One (winners: Nottingham Forest for the first time)
FA Cup: 3rd round
(winners: Ipswich Town for the first time)
League Cup: Runners up
(winners: Nottingham Forest for the first time)
Europe: Liverpool European
Cup winners for the second time
UEFA Cup Winners: PSV
Eindhoven for the first time
Cup Winners’ Cup Winners: Anderlecht
for the second time
1978-1979
Manager: Bob Paisley
Captain: Emlyn Hughes/Kenny
Dalglish
Top scorer: Kenny Dalglish
(25)
League: winners of Division
One for a record 11th time
FA Cup: semi-final (winners:
Arsenal for the 5th time)
League Cup: 2nd
round (winners: Nottongham Forest for the second time)
Europe: 1st round
in European Cup
European Cup winners: Nottingham
Forest, for the first time
UEFA Cup Winners: Borussia
Monchengladbach for the second time
Cup Winners’ Cup Winners:
Barcelona, their first win
1979-1980
Manager: Bob Paisley
Captain: Phil Thompson
Top scorer: David Johnson
(28)
League: Division One winners
for a record 12th time
FA Cup: semi-final (winners:
West Ham United for the third time)
League Cup: semi-final
(winners: Wolverhampton Wanderers for the second time)
Europe: 1st round
in European Cup
European Cup winners: Nottingham
Forest, for the second time
UEFA Cup Winners: Eintracht
Frankfurt for the first time
Cup Winners’ Cup Winners:
Valencia, their first win
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