Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Dedicated to Bob Paisley.

On the day that marks the 10th anniversary of the passing of the late great Bob Paisley, we continue our week dedicated to Britain's finest ever manager by recalling what those who worked with the Reds boss thought of the man from Hetton-le-Hole.

"I was Bob's first signing. He changed my life, as he did so many others. He gave us great memories and you can't put a price on that. He made me an adopted scouser." Phil Neal

"There was only one Bob Paisley and he was the greatest of them all. He went through the card in football. He played for Liverpool, he treated the players, he coached them, he managed them and then he became a director. He could tell if someone was injured and what the problem was just by watching them walk a few paces. He was never boastful but had great football knowledge. I owe Bob more than I owe anybody else in the game. There will never be another like him." Kenny Dalglish

"Liverpool wouldn't be the club it is today without Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley and the players who played there. When I first went there it was a typical Second Division ground and look at it now." Ian Callaghan

"If Shankly was the Anfield foreman, Paisley was the brickie, ready to build an empire with his own hands." Tommy Smith

"Bob's knowledge of players and the game in general is unsurpassed. Football has known no equal in management or prize-winning, but his modesty and dignity were overwhelming as he led this club from one triumph to another. His name will always be synonymous with Liverpool." David Moores, Liverpool Chairman

"He was a man you could look up to and respect. He'd played the game and people like him weren't solely tied down with tactics, which was a valuable lesson for me."
Sir Matt Busby

"I think when he first succeeded Shanks, he was a bit overawed. I'll never forget him standing in the dressing room in the summer of 1974 on the first day of pre-season training and telling us: 'Shanks has gone and they're giving me the job even though I didn't really want it. But we must try to carry on what he's started' He saw it as his duty to take the job. Yet he set an incredible record that will never be beaten. Things just snowballed for him after that first season. For me, he was a better coach than motivator of men, but a shrewd judge of a player and very strong tactically." Ray Clemence

"He bought players and moulded them together to create great teams. People talked about him as 'Uncle Bob', but he was as ruthless as they come. Anyone who worked under him, as I did, knows that. He could be hard but he went about it in the right way and was quite gentlemanly about it, for all his rough edges. He had a genius for creating teams." Phil Thompson

"Although Bob Paisley always seemed to be super cool, deep down it wasn't always so. He was the kind of his person who hung his emotions on his sleeve. And you could best spot this in the dressing room before kick off. By 2.45, you could tell what he was going through by just looking at his face. He would be pacing up and down the dressing room taking sips of water. He looked more nervous than the players, although he did his best to try and not show it. I don't think everybody realised that but I could see it." Ian Callaghan

"Bob Paisley's philosophy was simple: strengths and weaknesses. We played to our strengths and exploited their weaknesses." Alan Hansen

"He definitely deserved a knighthood because what he did was unbelievable. If anyone earned a tap on the shoulder, Bob did." Hughie Paisley, Bob's brother

"Bob was so down to earth. A common phrase of his was: 'If the floor needs sweeping, I'll pick up a brush and do it'." Kevin Keegan

"He may have been regarded as a fatherly figure by the supporters but, let me tell you, he ruled Anfield with a rod of iron. You could tell when he was about by the changed atmosphere in the dressing rooms and training ground. There were few who dared mess with him. If we were not performing, Bob would say, 'If you have all had enough of winning, come and see me and I will sell the lot of you.'" Graeme Souness

"My first game was against Queen Park Rangers at Anfield early on and I miskicked with my right foot - the one I use for standing on - and knocked a policeman's helmet off. I also conceded a couple of corners and made a few errors. I just wanted half-time to come to get some reassurance from the manager but when I got back to the dressing room, Bob said to me, 'I think that they shot the wrong Kennedy!'" Alan Kennedy

"I go by records and Bob Paisley is the number one manager ever." Alan Hansen

Tribute to one of the best Liverpool Managers of all time. Bob Paisley 1919-1996 RIP and YNWA.

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