“Liverpool Football Club exists to win trophies” – Bill Shankly
Every manager since the days of the great Bill Shankly has won trophies except of course for the doomed reign of Roy Hodgson and Brendan Rodgers will be hoping to avoid comparison with the current England manager by winning some silverware sharpish.
Rodgers will be aware he could be perilously close to becoming the second member of the failed managers club on Merseyside and will hope he can get his Liverpool side on the way to their first trophy by beating AFC Bournemouth in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday night.
But what is the managerial record for success actually like at Liverpool? CaughtOffside takes a look at the resumes of Liverpool’s former bosses and see just what an impressive and exclusive group Rodgers would be joining if he managed to bring success to Anfield once again.
Bill Shankly (1959-74)
The Scotsman rebuilt Liverpool from a second division side to a major European force and got the ball rolling to turn the Reds into the highly regarded club they are today. He certainly fulfilled his wish to “make the people happy”
Trophies:
League Championship: 1964, 1966, 1973
FA Cup: 1965, 1974
Uefa Cup: 1973
Bob Paisley (1974-83)
Along with Carlo Ancelotti, Paisley is one of only two managers to win the European Cup three times.
Perhaps the definition of a one man club; after joining Liverpool in 1939 as a player he wouldn’t leave until he retired from management in 1983, enjoying numerous roles at the club.
Trophies:
European Cup: 1977, 1978, 1981
League Championship: 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983
League Cup: 1981, 1982 1983
Uefa Cup: 1976
Joe Fagan (1983-85)
Fagan achieved a feat not even Paisley and Shankly could manage; winning an unprecedented treble of cups in 1984.
Despite a successful first season, Fagan decided to retire at the end of his second season.
Trophies:
European Cup 1984
League Championship 1984
League Cup 1984
Kenny Dalglish (1985-91)
Initially a player-manager following Fagan’s exit.
Dalglish might have been known as King Kenny to the fans for his exploits on the field but they were soon bowing down to him in a managerial role as he managed to achieve the club’s first FA Cup and league double in 1986.
Trophies:
League Championship: 1986, 1988, 1990
FA Cup: 1986, 1989
Graeme Souness (1991-94)
The arrival of Souness saw Liverpool’s dominance both domestically and on the continent slow down but that was more due to the burgeoning presence of a certain Sir Alex Ferguson.
However, Souness still managed some success in his time despite having to contend with an ageing team.
Trophies:
FA Cup: 1992
Roy Evans (1994-98)
After Souness’ sudden departure in 1994 following an FA Cup defeat, Evans took over from a team sapped of confidence and managed a surprise fourth place finish.
And although a period of stagnation followed, Evans created arguably one of the most pleasing to watch teams of the 90s with Liverpool’s fluent attacking line-up.
Trophies:
League Cup 1995
Gerard Houllier (1998-2004)
Houllier joined Liverpool in a bizarre, joint first team manager move with Roy Evans but the arrangment didn’t bear success and Evans ended up resigning.
The Frenchman began a programme of rebuilding the team which saw a period of squad overhaul where many of the more established names left to make way for new faces and promotion from youth.
Trophies:
FA Cup 2001
League Cup 2001, 2003
UEFA Cup 2001
Rafa Benitez (2004-2010)
Benitez confirmed himself as a Kop legend when he led Liverpool to a completely unexpected fifth European Championship in his first season.
Success however dried up, there were some close calls as Liverpool looked set to win the title in 2008/09 but were eventually pipped at the last and Benitez left in 2010.
Trophies:
Champions League 2005
FA Cup 2006
Roy Hodgson (2010-11)
Maybe Hodgson was doomed from the start as he was picked by hated owners Hicks and Gillett as a way to run the team on a shoestring budget.
Was eventually hounded out after new owners Fenway Sports Group had arrived but the team had failed to gel and there was no real prospect of success.
Trophies:
None
Kenny Dalglish (2011-12)
Dalglish returned at the request of Liverpool’s new owners, initially as a caretaker manager but following a period of revival for the team he was offered the job permanently.
Despite winning the League Cup and guaranteeing Europa League football, Dalglish was eventually sacked in 2012 after the team finished eighth.
Trophies:
League Cup: 2012
Brendan Rodgers (2012-present)
A particularly rocky first season saw many question Rodgers’ appointment at Anfield but the team’s title charge last season, coming within whiskers of a first League trophy since 1990, showed what a successful manager the Northern Irishman could potentially be.
However, with poor form affecting Liverpool in all competitions this season and some misguided purchases in the summer, the question is; will Rodgers actually get the chance to show what he’s capable of at Liverpool?