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The 3 Best Liverpool Managers Post-Shankly

It is true! Jürgen Klopp has indeed left Liverpool Football Club. It’s totally understandable if you’re crying in your coffee and having a mini-breakdown. However, when you’re done mourning (highly doubtful – will Liverpool fans ever be over this grief?), break out your Liverpool home kit to wear as you read about the top three Liverpool managers of all time apart from Bill Shankly. Spoiler alert: The list includes Jürgen Klopp.

8 October 2015 to 19 May 2024

Jürgen Klopp is among the most popular and beloved football club managers in Anfield and English football. If you were to conduct man-on-the-street interviews about top football managers, you’d hear the name Jürgen Klopp multiple times.

It’s little wonder, when you consider that he has been a vital force and is vastly instrumental to Liverpool FC’s currently pristine image. Ask anyone to name the top English football clubs, and you’re likely to hear the name Liverpool FC drop many times.

In the nine years that Klopp remained at the helm of Liverpool FC, he oversaw 491 games, 334 of which were LFC league games, and had a 62.12% overall win rate. Under his leadership, the top-flight football club earned the following honours:

  • Champions League 2019
  • UEFA Super Cup 2018/19
  • FIFA Club World Cup 2019
  • Premier League 2019/20
  • League Cup 2021/22
  • FA Cup 2021/22
  • League Cup 2023/24

Note that Liverpool won its first (and, so far, only) FIFA Club World Cup under Klopp’s leadership. Klopp also broke Liverpool’s 30-year dry spell in top-flight English football; Liverpool emerged as the Premier League champion in the 2019/20 season.

Klopp also filled his trophy case with awards during his stint as Liverpool manager. The following are some of his personal honours:

  • The Best FIFA Football Awards Coach of the Year (2019 and 2020)
  • League Managers Association’s Manager of the Year (2022)
  • Premier League Manager of the Season (2020 and 2022)

Klopp’s Retirement

Klopp is currently 56 years old, relatively young to hang up one’s hat in football. However, Klopp was resolute in his decision, informing the Club about his retirement as early as November 2023 and announcing his departure from Liverpool in January 2024.

Klopp’s final day coincided with a league match with the Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (a.k.a. the Wolves), played in the Liverpool home stadium in Anfield. The Reds celebrated a win but mourned Klopp’s departure.

When asked why he retired, he admitted he was ‘running out of energy’ and claimed he could not do the job ‘again and again and again’.

Klopp definitely retired before the squad and Liverpool fans wanted him to leave, but it is what it is. He will be missed, but everyone who is at Anfield and a fan of football can only wish him well.

Kenny Dalglish

30 May 1985 to 21 February 1991

Kenny Dalglish stayed on as manager for less than six years, taking charge of 307 games, 224 of which were league games. However, his relatively short stint as Liverpool manager was far from uneventful. First off, he was at the helm when Liverpool FC won the following honours:

  • League Championship 1985/86
  • League Championship 1987/88
  • League Championship 1989/90
  • FA Cup 1985/86
  • FA Cup 1988/89

Dalglish was also recognised as Manager of the Year for three years: 1986, 1988 and 1990. This proved that he was well on his way to becoming one of the most decorated and beloved football club managers in top-flight English football.

However, a tragedy clouded his term: the Hillsborough disaster, a crowd crush at Sheffield’s Hillsborough Stadium. It was the day of the FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Due to overcrowding at the pens, 94 people were crushed to death, and three others eventually succumbed to their injuries. This is why Liverpool jerseys have 97 etched between two ‘Eternal Flames’.

Even after that terrible incident, however, Liverpool went on to win matches and ultimately dominated the FA Cup that season.

Dalglish’s Resignation

Dalglish resigned (effective immediately) on 21 February 1991, saying he had had enough. Later, in his autobiography, he revealed that the Hillsborough disaster weighed on him and eventually caused him to resign from his post.

Apparently, the strain of the incident built up, manifesting in a skin rash and even anger management signs (e.g., his shortness with his children). What he was going through affected his relationships. That said, he admitted in his autobiography that he felt recharged after that summer and would have returned had Liverpool asked – but Liverpool did not ask.

Bob Paisley

26 July 1974 to 1 July 1983

No list of the best Liverpool managers could ever exist without Bob Paisley’s name on it. He took over for Bill Shankly when the latter resigned in 1974. At that time, he was assistant manager.

His promotion to manager would prove to be one of the best decisions the Club ever made. Paisley was the most decorated Liverpool manager so far, with the Club winning the greatest number of trophies under his leadership.

Among the many honours Liverpool won with Paisley at the helm are:

  • League Championship 1975/76
  • League Championship 1976/77
  • League Championship 1978/79
  • League Championship 1979/80
  • League Championship 1981/82
  • League Championship 1982/83
  • European Cup 1976/77
  • European Cup 1977/78
  • European Cup 1980/81
  • UEFA Cup 1975/76
  • League Cup 1980/81
  • League Cup 1981/82
  • League Cup 1982/83

Paisley was also named Manager of the Year multiple times: 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, and 1983. That’s six out of the nine years he was Liverpool’s manager, proving his peers in the industry acknowledged his skills.

Paisley’s Retirement

Paisley’s retirement was but a natural progression of his career with Liverpool. When he retired, he had been with the Club for 44 years, serving in various capacities, including house physio, second-team trainer and chief coach. After retirement, he served as a club director until he withdrew from the Club entirely in 1992.

Liverpool Legends

When Liverpool fans come together to discuss the best managers the Club has ever had post-Bill Shankly, three names will undoubtedly float to the top: Bob Paisley, Kenny Dalglish and Jürgen Klopp. They are three of the people who have helped make Liverpool Football Club the legendary team it is today.