I started following in the Paisley era and what he achieved hasn’t been matched by any club or manager IMO.
But I love Klopp as a person and how he relates to the club and the type of footy he plays. Rafa for me, may have been a great coach but didn’t enjoy the style of footy he played.
Although it was well before my time, I would say Shankly’s achievements of absolute transformation of the club, as well as climbing out of the second division then fighting at the top table are unmatched. So in terms of managerial reign, for me it has to be him.
In terms of who was the best manager (managerial skillset), which I know wasn’t the question asked, then it’s not even close: Paisley.
It’s interesting to note that Shankly also had to deal with a powerful cheating rival in the form of Leeds United.
Where would the 4th one come from? 18/19, 19/20, 21/22 … Every other year we have been nowhere near it, and losing to some of the teams we did, didn’t deserve to be anywhere near it. Perhaps, just perhaps we might have won another CL in Paris without the deflation of missing out on the league, but even that is extremely debatable.
I personally don’t like the opinions that somehow Klopp would have repeated Fergie’s feats ‘had it not been for that pesky, cheating City team’. Klopp has done well on the pitch but nowhere near the greats of the game… yet.
2014 -15?
I thought Klopp’s first season was 15/16? And in any case, in 14/15, we tumbled down the table so we can hardly blame City for that.
probably Klopp for me aswell, as i didnt have access to the Shankly and Paisley years…
that said…if we are talking about the best manergerial reign weve had by someone youve met…then, i think Rafa has to be it for me…
did i mention the time…
Klopp came in October 2015, so, it was 2015-16.
That’s nonsensical. Klopp’s already produced one of the best teams in Liverpool’s history. He would have had 3 titles and he would be the main favourite to win another one this season, which would make it 4 titles in 9 years for a club that went 30 without one before his arrival. But it doesn’t count because he got cheated out of 2 titles on seasons with double digit point differential from the next team?
He’s “nowhere near the greats of the game”? He already is amongst them.
I think what you need to look at is the way the whole league has gone. When Fergusson won his early titles you needed up to 80 points to win the title. Once the dirty money started spilling into Chelsea that went up to around 90. Now its nearer 100.
It’s got to the point where to have a title challenge you have to win more or less every match. That’s spoiling the league because, when watching a match, you have to have the expectation that your team could lose, but that loss won’t, on its own, ruin your season. Now you either have a team that are guaranteed to win pretty much every game or you may as well be watching pre-season friendlies.
I have a feeling that world football is going in that direction. Similar to the farce that is now the Balon d’Or where it is centred around one or two star personalities. Professional football reduced to the level of the Harlem Globetrotters.
I thought the question was how many leagues we would have won without City cheating?
Or was it just in regards to Klopp?
wasnt alive during Shankly’s time, but i’ve read and watched enough TV programmes to know that he woke the sleeping giant,
was born the year Paisley became manager and he took LFC to the next level,
5 league titles and 3 European Cups,
I wish i was a bit older during these time to witness this,
Joe Fagan did well,
The kings reign, that team was special, Barnes Beardsley Houghton Aldridge,
pass and move I loved watching this team when it was on the box
Souness, Evans then Houllier who had some success and made the club more professional,
Benitez, Instanbul (probably the greatest football night we have ever experienced),
Torres Xabi and Gerrard were pretty special together, and we dished out a few thumpings in the Champs League,
Roy… eh…
Rodgers eh… Suarez made him look better than he was IMO
Klopp, he took the sleeping giant out of hibernation and breathed new life into it
champs league title, league winners (first time in 30 years?)
to sum up, we have been blessed with some managers through the years
the stand outs for me been Shankly, Paisley Dalglish and Klopp,
but if i had to pick the best managerial reign, there isnt much between Shankly and Klopp simplying because of thier starting positions, neither took over the reigns when LFC were at the top.
It’s impossible to say, as you have different factors around all of them.
Shanks - the best, because the before and after is the most stark. Before, nowhere in the old Div 2. After? Very much on top of the perch. His charisma lifted the team and the city too.
Paisley - the best, because he won the most, not just league titles, but our European pedigree was very much cemented by this unassuming man.
Fagan - the best because he was a behind the scenes coach, landed the top job reluctantly, did it for five minutes, and won the lot!
Dalglish - the best because he was probably our greatest player, who also became player manager, which was unheard of, then manager. He was a winner, and also guided the club through its darkest hour with Hillsborough.
Klopp - the best because he won the lot with us, and would have won even more if he didn’t operate in an era where cheats were allowed to prosper. He bonded with the fans and city in a way that probably hasn’t been seen since Shanks.
Rafa - can’t say the best, and is a small step down from all the above as he didn’t win the league, but he went very close indeed. He built on the added professionalism Houllier brought in, won the CL, and even though he got a bit tarnished with some of the behind scenes fighting, he gets a pass from me on that part, as G&H was a regrettable part of the club’s history.
Not including Kay/Watson as impossible to rank without all context.
Without oil money influencing the game Klopp would have won another couple of league titles and a CL.
Almost certainly. If he wins it all this year there’s a genuine q v Shanks, but it’s tight. He took us from the second division to titans of Europe.
Yeah, it’s really hard to compare. Shankly imprinted his personality on the club and laid the foundations for us to go on and become European royalty under Paisley.
Klopp inherited a mess, but we had been title challengers only a couple of seasons before. He’s also imprinted his personality on the club and is also a larger than life character like Shanks.
We’re very lucky to have had all of them.
With the news of yesterday I have now come fully around to this line of thinking. Football when done right is about so much more than trophies.
In my time supporting Liverpool, I’ve had Gerard, Rafa, Kenny and Klopp as my club’s managers - all of them great managers and majestic personalities, each in their own way. I think a lot of us remember that often and count our football blessings.
I’ve already said that having Klopp was like winning a trophy every season because I went into every game knowing that there will be emotions, that it will matter one way or another. That’s why he’s the greatest manager I’ve seen at Liverpool, and for people who know how much I love Rafa, it should mean something. Fuck it, he’s the greatest manager I’ve seen in my life.