Liverpool: Ranking All the Reds' Previous Managers

Liverpool Football Club is the greatest football club in the history of England with one of the greatest fan bases in all of sports.

With more honors than any other English club at 65 from all competitions both domestic and continental, the Reds maintain their level of history above all others. Manchester United are next closest to the Reds with 60 trophies in all competitions.

The photograph above showcases some of the Reds' brilliant history before it ever happened. At the time of it being taken, Bill Shankly (far left) was in the midst of making Liverpool the dynasty that it would be throughout the last half of the 20th century.

Moving down the line from left to right you find Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Ronnie Moran who would all eventually find themselves in charge of the club. The last man pictured, Reuben Bennett is the only one that would not be a manager.

Despite a few rough seasons and a league title drought that has lasted the entirety of the English Premier League's existence, Liverpool remain one of the top ten sports franchise in the world, and have one of the most passionate fan bases the world over.

In honor of the great club and my love of the Reds, lets take a look back at all of our club's managers as we anticipate the believed Friday announcement of the club's 20th man in charge according to ESPNsoccernet.com.

All statistics and additional photos are courtesy of Liverpoolfc.tv.

Don Welsh

Honors: None

Don Welsh managed Liverpool from March 23, 1951 until May 4, 1956. Welsh took the helm after George Kay's long-term appointment that had seen the club through the second world war.

Welsh perhaps had the worst career of any Liverpool manager never finishing above 11th in the First Division and was responsible for the club's relegation to the second division for the first time since 1903-04.

The club's relegation from the 22nd position in the league, the worst ever recorded by a Liverpool club was a horrid result. Welsh looked to have improved by leading the club to 11th in the second division the next season, and then third the next but he was removed from his post looking like he could not get the job done.

Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
232	81	58	93	34.91%

George Patterson

Honors: None

If Don Welsh had a tough run of things, George Patterson did not do much better. Patterson led the club from March 7, 1928 until August 6, 1936.

The best finish under Patterson was 4th in the 1928-29 campaign which was his first full season in charge, however, it was mostly downhill from there.

Although Patterson did not see the club relegated he averaged a 13th place finish, hardly a great number as far as any Liverpool fan will ever be concerned.

Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
366	137	85	144	37.43%

Ronnie Moran

Honors: None

Ronnie Moran hardly counts, but he was a manager nonetheless for a 10-match period during one of the club's darkest times. The circumstances of his appointment give him a boost in his reasoning for not being dead last.

Kenny Dalglish had resigned from his first tenure as Liverpool manager following the devastating Hillsborough disaster and Moran was an old name famous with the club from the golden era's of Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley.

Moran would make way for the appointment of Graeme Souness.

Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
10	4	1	5	40.00%

Roy Hodgson

Honors: None

Roy Hodgson had the shortest in the history of Liverpool that was not that of a caretaker. The now-English National Team manager perhaps could have been a case for the right appointment but at the wrong time.

However, Hodgson never was able to win over the fans, and his transfer policy was not appreciated by them either.

On top of it all Hodgson had to handle the transition from Rafael Benitez to himself as well as the media frenzy that swarmed the club during the takeover by Fenway Sports Group in October of 2010.

In all honesty, few managers could have had as much poise as Hodgson during the situation and it was a shame to see his time at the helm overshadowed and affected by so much off the pitch. Had the club been in a stable financial and ownership state, we might be thinking of Hodgson in a completely different light.

Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
31	13	9	9	41.94%

George Kay

Honors: 1946-47 English First Division

George Kay had a long tenure at Liverpool, but a major chunk of that time was seen with him and his club sidelined during the Second World War.

Kay was appointed August 6, 1936 and would lead the club until January of 1951. The first season back from war time saw Kay lead the Reds to their first league title in 24 seasons.

However, after their triumph, Key never managed them above the middle of the league again, just as he had never done so before the war.

Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
357	142	93	122	39.78%

Graeme Souness

Honors: 1992 FA Cup

Graeme Souness had one of the toughest appointments in the clubs history having to follow that of Kenny Dalglish after his first tenure at the club.

Souness did his best with the Reds, but never could bring them back to the summit like King Kenny had done and the best he managed was a second-place finish in the 1990-91 season which had been mostly handed to him by Dalglish and Moran.

The best finish he managed for the club was sixth where he finished twice before he was sacked in December of 1994.

Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
157	65	47	45	41.40%

Phil Taylor

Honors: None

Phil Taylor had a great record and winning percentage with the club and finished third twice and fourth twice during his four campaigns with the club.

However, Taylor's problems were that he did so in the English Second Division from May of 1956 until November 17, 1959.

The Englishman never got the club back to the top tier of English football and was replaced by someone that was thought to be able to do so—Bill Shankly.

Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
150	76	32	42	50.67%

Matt McQueen

Honors: 1922-23 First Division

Matt McQueen joined the club the campaign after the Reds had won the English First Division in 1921-22.

As the new guy in charge, he had the ultimate task of proving he was worthy of the appointment. However, he would do just that by winning the league once more to give the club its first series of back-to-back titles in England, a feat that would not be achieved again until the late 1970's under Bob Paisley.

The problem for McQueen was that he could never repeat the winning formula and despite a fourth place finish in 1924-25 he could never get the club back out of the middle of the table.

Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
229	93	60	76	40.61%

Roy Evans

Honors: 1994-95 League Cup

Roy Evans swooped in to take the reins at Liverpool in the midst of what looked like a club meltdown under Graeme Souness.

Evans managed to elevate the club to 4th despite the tough task left to him by his predecessor, and he would lead the club to a League Cup victory in 1994-95.

However, Evans' results declined every season there after having failed to maintain his lead over the club.

Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
226	116	57	53	51.33%

David Ashworth

Honors: 1921-22 First Division

David Ashworth led the Reds back to the English title in his fourth and final year of his appointment. He would leave on top and would be one of only two managerial tenures to achieve a wining percentage above 50 percent before Bill Shankly's reign.

Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
139	70	40	29	50.36%

Kenny Dalglish 2nd Round

Honors: 2011-12 Carling Cup

Kenny Dalglish came in as an interim manager for the club in the aftermath of the sacking of Roy Hodgson and the takeover of Fenway Sports Group.

At the time there was no man more perfect for the job, and Dalglish managed to bring the club back together in such a manner as to be awarded the appointment as the first Liverpool manager to have a second term at the club in the summer of 2011.

A massive summer spending spree was thought to have given him the tools to challenge for the top four in England.

Despite winning the first piece of silverware since 2006 and just missing on another in the FA Cup final, Dalglish was sacked at the end of the season with the club having their worst finish in the English Premier League's history.

Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
73	35	17	21	47.95%

W.E. Barclay & John McKenna

Honors: 

1892-93 Lancashire League

1893-94 English Second Division

1895-96 English Second Division

The managerial tandem of W.E. Barclay and John McKenna holds the second-best tenure at the helm as far as winning percentage with a rate of 60.63 percent. Aside from the two, there is only one managerial term to have bested them.

Barclay and McKenna are responsible for bringing the club to the English spotlight as their determination saw them elevate the club to the English First Division during the first four years of the club's existence.

Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
127	77	20	30	60.63%

Tom Watson

Honors: 

1900-01 English First Division

1904-05 English Second Division

1905-06 English First Division

Tom Watson is the second-most tenured manager in Liverpool's history and is one of only two managers to have seen over 700 matches in charge.

Taking over for the combination of Barclay and McKenna was no easy task but Watson did so with class as he managed the club to its first and second First Division titles.

His leadership from 1904-1906 was his crowning achievement after having suffered relegation in 1903-04, Watson stormed the second division to win promotion back the top flight and then led the club to a promotion run title to cap an amazing 24 months of class.

Towards the end of his tenure the club began to fade and they fell to a bottom-half club for the last several years of his time in charge.

Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
742	329	141	272	44.34%

Gerrard Houllier

Honors: 2000-01 League Cup

2000-01 FA Cup

2000-01 UEFA Cup (Europa League)

2000-01 UEFA Super Cup

2001 FA Community Shield

2002-03 League Cup

Liverpool's first and only French manager to date, Gerrard Houllier joined the club as a joint manager with Roy Evans but saw him take the lead when Evans resigned only 18 matches into their partnership.

Houllier would stay on and lead the club for over 300 games and bring them the second treble of the club's history in a unique grouping during the 2000-01 season that brought much hope to Merseyside about the future of the club returning to glory in the new millennium.

Under the Frenchman the emergence of current club captain Steven Gerrard was realized, and he also oversaw the rise to prominence of youngsters Danny Murphy and Michael Owen.

Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
325	165	81	79	50.77%

Rafael Benitez

Honors: 2004-05 UEFA Champions League (European Cup)

2004-05 UEFA Super Cup

2005-06 FA Cup

2006 FA Community Shield

Rafael Benitez took over for the departing Gerrard Houllier and would lead the club through what happens to be perhaps their greatest moment of the new millennium so far when they managed to lift the 2004-05 Champions League title in what would become known as the, "Miracle of Istanbul," around the world.

Benitez perhaps peaked too soon for the Reds winning the Champions League in his first season. However, he managed the best finish of Liverpool's English Premier League career in the 2008-09 campaign that should have seen them lift the league title if not for Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United managing to hold off the club in the run-in.

The Spanish tactician took much flak for his style of management and play, especially the 'zonal marking' defense that saw the Reds give up loads of goals from set pieces. On top of that, his constant issues with the club's ownership for funds also hampered his tenure.

Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
350	194	77	79	55.43%

Joe Fagan

Honors: 

1983-84 League Cup

1983-84 English First Division

1983-84 European Cup

While Joe Fagan had the tough task of following in the footsteps of Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley, the man did so in style.

The 1983-84 season would be the first treble of Liverpool's history as he led the club to the League Cup title, English title and European title where they had to defeat AS Roma in their home stadium.

Fagan announced his retirement only hours before the Heysel Stadium disaster that rocked the footballing world would see 39 fans die and another 600 injured from both Liverpool and Juventus killed during the 1985 European Cup final.

The results would lead to a five-year ban for English clubs from European competition, with an extra year being added to Liverpool specifically.

Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
131	70	37	24	53.44%

Kenny Dalglish

Honors: 

1985-86, 1987-88, 1989-90 English First Division

1985-86, 1988-89 FA Cup

1986, 1988, 1989, 1990 FA Community Shield

Kenny Dalglish remains the greatest manager in Liverpool history as far as winning percentage during his first tenure at the club at 60.91 percent.

"King Kenny" led the club to a host of trophies during his time, but he was never able to test his managerial skills in Europe due to the ban of Liverpool from continental competition from 1985-91 as result of the Heysel Stadium Disaster.

Kenny became a legend that will never die to Liverpool fans during his time as manager as his excellent playing career was further galvanized by his excellence in the hot seat for the club and he will forever be loved and revered.

Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
307	187	78	42	60.91%

Bill Shankly

Honors: 

1961-62 English Second Division

1963-64, 1965-66, 1972-73 English First Division

1964-65, 1973-74 FA Cup

1972-73 UEFA Cup

1966 European Cup Winners Cup

1964, 1965, 1966, 1974 FA Community Shield

Bill Shankly is the father of Liverpool's modern dominance. From December 1, 1959 until July 12, 1974 Shankly was the man for Liverpool. His most famous quote can sum up his entire career and philosophy towards the beautiful game in a single phrase:

"

Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.

"

Shankly made that fact clear to Liverpool fans as he rebuilt the club in the English Second Division and led them to promotion in 1961-62 where the club have remained ever since.

His few years of squad building helped him prepare for life back in the first division and once achieved he pushed for continued victory.

The Scottish great delivered his first Liverpool English title in 1963-64 and would win two more in 1965-66 and 1972-73 setting the club on a renewed path for victory.

Shankly holds the club records for games managed, games won and games drawn. The legendary figure's contribution to Liverpool Football Club still echos into today's fan base and his memory is forever remembered by the Shankly Gates and his statue in front of Anfield.

The reign of Shankly also saw the emergence of Rogers and Hammerstein classic, You'll Never Walk Alone, sung aloud by the Liverpool faithful.

Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
783	407	198	178	51.98%

Bob Paisley

Honors:

1975-76, 1976-77, 1978-79, 1979-80, 1981-82, 1982-83 English First Division

1976-77, 1977-78, 1980-81 European Cup

1975-76 UEFA Cup

1980-81, 1981-82, 1982-83 League Cup

1977 European Super Cup

1974, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982 FA Community Shield

While Bill Shankly build the foundation of Anfield, Bob Paisley completed the cathedral as the English-born manager took Liverpool on the greatest run of their history during his time in charge.

Paisley is one of only three managers with over 500 games in charge of the club and he is by far the most silverware-winning-happy of any of them.

With 20 pieces of silverware to his name, Paisley is responsible for 31 percent of Liverpool's entire collection of trophies. The next best is Shankly with 11 and Kenny Dalglish with 10 overall.

That being said, it puts into perspective just how great of a manager Paisley truly was.

Paisley also had some of the greatest quotes in Liverpool history along with Shankly's own:

"

Mind you, I've been here during the bad times too—one year we came second.

If you're in the penalty area and don't know what to do with the ball, put it in the net and we'll discuss the options later.

"

There is no other manager that is yet to have the kind of success with the Reds that Paisley did.

Honestly, they may not even make them like him anymore, and that is a travesty to modern football.

Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
535	307	132	96	57.38%

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this and will continue to come back and read more about Liverpool.

The Reds have a grouping of some of the greatest managers in their history books and whomever is appointed this weekend will be done so with huge boots and expectations sealed.

Please read these Liverpool articles as well:

Liverpool Transfer Speculation: 8 Discussed Signings to Reinvigorate the Reds

Liverpool Transfer Rumors: 5 Budget Signings to Make the Reds Better

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