#8 Bob Paisley
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Bob Paisley, the former Liverpool player, assistant manager, physio, first team manager and director is an all time legend not just in England but in Europe as well. During his time as manager he averaged 2.1 trophies per season, a record only surpassed by Pep Guardiola during his time with Barcelona.
Often overlooked for his contribution because of the looming presence of his predecessor, Bill Shankly, Paisley took over as Liverpool manager in 1974 rather reluctantly.
In his nine seasons as first team manager, Paisley won a whopping 20 trophies, three of which were European Cups. He may have inherited a very strong side from former manager Shankly, but Liverpool’s rise as a European force was entirely Paisley’s doing.
He continued with Shankly’s training techniques but made tactical adjustments on the field. Ex-Liverpool defender, Tommy Smith said, “Bob possessed an incredible knowledge of the game and players and was more tactically astute than Shanks.”
Paisley stands a head above every other football manager you can think of. He is the only manager to have won three European trophies – 1977, 1978 and 1981. Even Ferguson just won two. All those trophies weren’t his only contribution to the club, a bricklayer by profession, Paisley built the dugout at Anfield that stands to this day.
His team’s astronomical rise both within and outside England make him one of the greats of English football whose influence was unquantifiable in many respects.
