LFC Greatest Managers
No two men have done more for Liverpool Football Club than Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley but which of them can lay claim to being our greatest ever manager? On The Great Debate on LFC TV, you can decide.
At 9pm on Thursday, July 31, LFC TV will be hosting only the second ever Great Debate show, where we will pose the question: Shankly or Paisley? Who was Liverpool's greatest ever manager?
Was Shankly's achievement in transforming Anfield, the home of a team going nowhere fast when he arrived in 1959, into 'a bastion of invincibility' by the time he left in 1974, enough to earn him the title of Liverpool's greatest ever manager?
Or does that honour have to go to the man who followed him into the Anfield hot seat? Does Paisley's incredible trophy haul – including six league titles and three European Cups – place him above the man he loyally assisted in the Anfield Boot Room?
For years, Paisley has been English football's most successful ever boss but amazingly, that title is no guarantee supporters will vote him Liverpool's greatest manager on July 31.
Shankly's unique vision, incredible rapport with the supporters and socialist outlook on both life and football captured the imagination of Liverpool fans everywhere and even today, his name is still the most revered in Anfield history. To many of his disciples, Bill Shankly was more than a manager – he was, and still is, an icon of football and when it came to talking the talk, only Muhammad Ali could rival him.
Bob Paisley certainly never tried to match the Scot's charisma – he let his players do the talking for him on the pitch and if you believe you can only judge a football man on the number of trophies he's won, Paisley has to be the greatest. Shankly won six trophies in 15 years; Paisley captured a staggering 14 in just nine.
So, who is it to be? By 11pm on July 31, we hope to be able to provide the answer.
The minute The Great Debate kicks off on LFC TV, a poll will go live on the official website, liverpoolfc.tv, asking supporters the very same question we'll be asking our two studio guests and viewers at home: Who is Liverpool's greatest ever manager?
Visitors to the website will be able cast their vote up until 10.50pm, while all fans will be welcome to call up the show and debate the subject with our two special guests, Ian St John and Phil Neal, two men who owe many of their greatest achievements in life to Bill and Bob.
While fans vote on the website, the show on LFC TV will present a case for each manager with classic match action and contributions from special guests. We'll be updating viewers on how the voting is going throughout the show and we'll also be sharing some of the views posted by supporters on not only the official website's message boards but also the forums of various independent LFC websites. If you've got something to say, we want to hear from you – either live on the night or posted up on a message board. We also want you to vote on the night – it's LFC TV's Great Debate but only you can decide the outcome.
The show starts at 9pm on Thursday 31 July with the vote opening simultaneously on liverpoolfc.tv.
Click here to join the debate on our message boards>>
As well as asking you which manager is Liverpool's greatest, as a side issue, we'll also asking you to vote on your Shankly and Paisley achievement at Liverpool.
