This post provides a list of Liverpool’s iconic managers. Over the years, they’ve had 21 different managers, each with their record in the club’s history.
Kenny Dalglish has managed Liverpool twice, from 1985 to February 1991, and then returned to the club from January 2011 to July 2012.
Bob Paisley is Liverpool’s most successful manager. During his nine-year spell, he won six Football League titles, six Charity Shields, three Football League Cups, three European Cups, one UEFA Super Cup, and one UEFA Cup.
In the early days, there was Tom Watson, the club’s longest-serving manager, and he held the reins from 1896 to 1915, a remarkable 19-year run.
Below is a table of the top 10 Liverpool best managers ever, Including the number of matches managed, wins, draws, losses, and winning percentage.
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Rank | Name | Games | Win | Draw | Loss | Winning % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bob Paisley | 535 | 308 | 131 | 96 | 57.57 |
2 | William Edward Barclay & John McKenna | 127 | 77 | 20 | 30 | 60.63 |
3 | Jurgen Klopp | 425 | 254 | 96 | 75 | 59.76 |
4 | Bill Shankly | 783 | 407 | 198 | 178 | 51.98 |
5 | Kenny Dalglish | 381 | 222 | 95 | 64 | 58.26 |
6 | Rafael Benitez | 350 | 194 | 77 | 79 | 55.43 |
7 | Gerard Houllier | 325 | 167 | 79 | 79 | 51.38 |
8 | Roy Evans | 244 | 124 | 62 | 58 | 50.82 |
9 | Joe Fagan | 131 | 71 | 36 | 24 | 54.24 |
10 | Phil Taylor | 150 | 76 | 32 | 42 | 50.67 |
Let’s learn about their reins.
1. Bob Paisley
Bob Paisley is arguably the most successful Liverpool manager, winning 14 major trophies in nine years, from 1974 to 1983. In 1977, he helped Liverpool win the European Cup.
Then, Bob had some amazing players on his team the likes of Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush, Graeme Souness, and Ronnie Whelan.
Before Bob took charge, there was another legendary coach, Bill Shankly. Bob followed in his footsteps and even made them better.
However, Bob managed Liverpool in more than 500 games, and out of those, Liverpool won 308, lost 96, and 131 ended in ties.
Bob’s trophy collection includes Six league titles, three European Cups, a UEFA Cup, and a UEFA Super Cup, among others.
And only two other managers have won as many European Cups as Bob did. Even after he stopped being the coach in 1983, Bob didn’t leave Liverpool. He stayed on as a director until he retired in 1992, and he passed away in 1996 at the age of 77.
2. William Edward Barclay & John McKenna
Barclay and McKenna were the trailblazers, steering Liverpool from 1892 to 1896. They laid the foundation for everything that came after in the club’s history.
During their time, Liverpool played 127 matches, and they won 77 of them, helping Liverpool win their very first trophy, the Lancashire League.
Barclay and McKenna also guided Liverpool to victory in the Second Division twice. In 1896, they said goodbye to Liverpool, but neither of them managed any other club after leaving Liverpool
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3. Jurgen Klopp
Klopp’s arrival at Liverpool was like a breath of fresh air, and his impact on the club has been massive. In his very first season, Klopp led Liverpool to the Europa League final and the League Cup final.
In 2019, he also guided the team to the Champions League title, Fans went wild, and it was the start of something amazing.
Liverpool hadn’t won the league title for 30 long years. But in 2019-20, Klopp Liverpool became champions of England again.
In 2022, he added the EFL Cup and the FA Cup to his trophy cabinet. Jurgen Klopp is still in charge, and he’s one of the best Liverpool managers ever.
4. Bill Shankly
Bill Shankly is not only one of the greatest Liverpool managers, he is one of the men who laid the foundations for Liverpool’s success.
He was the mastermind behind the scenes, making Liverpool what it is today. Back in the day, training for footballers was a bit like running marathons on the streets.
But Shankly was different, he knew that to win, his players needed to be sharp with the ball at their feet. So, he changed the game by making his players train with the ball.
Shankly introduced things like small-sided games (like mini-matches), proper warm-ups and cool-downs (like stretching before and after exercise), specialized technical workouts (like honing specific skills), circuit training (like going through different exercises), and segmentation practices (like focusing on different aspects of the game).
All these changes created a whole new standard known as ‘The Liverpool Way.’ It was a secret recipe for success that Shankly cooked up.
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5. Kenny Dalglish
In 1985, Dalglish took Liverpool on the role of player-manager, and he impressed in both roles. Liverpool added more silverware to their collection as Dalglish guided them.
To three First Division titles (the English top division), two FA Cups (a big deal in English football), and four FA Charity Shields (glamor friendlies). After a successful run, Dalglish decided to step down in 1991.
6. Rafael Benitez
Benitez’s transition In the English Premier League was smooth. In 2005, Benitez led Liverpool to victory in the UEFA Champions League and did it again in the following year.
He was named UEFA Manager of the Year for two years in a row. Also won the FA Cup in 2006. Though Benitez got Liverpool really close to winning the Premier League, the best they did was a second-place finish in 2008-09.
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7. Gerard Houllier
Houllier joined Liverpool in 1998 as joint team manager alongside Roy Evans. But it didn’t quite click, and Evans resigned in November 1998 after some tough losses. Houllier had a plan, and he called it a five-year program.
His goal was to rebuild the team and bring discipline back to a squad known as the “Spice Boys” due to their flashy style. He also wanted to give Liverpool a more European approach, both in tactics and players.
In 1999, he sold some players, including big names like Paul Ince and David James, and brought in new talent like Sami Hyypiä and Dietmar Hamann.
Young talents like Jamie Carragher, Michael Owen, and Steven Gerrard also started making their mark. Houllier didn’t just focus on the players, he revamped Liverpool’s training facilities, turning Melwood into a modern football hub.
All the hard work paid off in the 2000-01 season when Liverpool achieved a historic cup treble, the League Cup, FA Cup, and UEFA Cup.
They also finished third in the Premier League, securing a spot in the Champions League. In 2001, Houllier faced a major health scare when he had to undergo an emergency heart operation. During his recovery, Phil Thompson took over temporarily.
However, Houllier guided Liverpool to a second-place finish in the 2001-02 FA Premier League season but faced challenges in the following seasons. Some criticized his signings and tactics.
He appointed Steven Gerrard as the club captain in 2003. In 2004, Houllier’s departure came after securing a Champions League spot, amidst criticism from fans and issues with the board.
8. Roy Evans
When Evans stepped in for Graeme Souness in 1994, Liverpool was in a bit of a mess. In his first full season in charge (1994-95), Liverpool finished fourth with 74 points.
It looked like Evans had turned things around, and fans hoped the good times were back. However, the next three seasons (1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98) didn’t see much improvement.
To shake things up, the board tried a bold move, joint management with Gérard Houllier. It was a big change to kickstart the team’s progress. During his time at Liverpool, Evans was known for creating an exciting and attacking style of football.
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9. Joe Fagan
In his very first season as manager (1983-84), Liverpool won three major trophies in a single season, the European Cup, the League Championship, and the League Cup.
No English manager had ever achieved this remarkable feat before. Fagan quickly added some talented players like Michael Robinson and Gary Gillespie to strengthen the squad.
His first game didn’t go well, but Liverpool bounced back and secured silverware in the League Cup and the League Championship.
The following season, Liverpool finished second to Everton in the league but still reached the European Cup final, and they were also in contention for the FA Cup but lost to Manchester United. On May 29, 1985, Fagan announced his retirement, and Kenny Dalglish took over as player-coach.
In his autobiography, Dalglish mentioned that Fagan was deeply affected by the Heysel Stadium disaster, which haunted him for the rest of his life.
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10. Phil Taylor
Phil Taylor took charge of Liverpool with a mission to restore the club to its rightful place in 1956, taking over after the sacking of Don Welsh, who had failed to get the team back into the First Division.
He immediately signed Alan A’Court, Tommy Younger, and the legendary Ronnie Moran, who went on to spend five decades at Anfield. Despite his determination, Taylor couldn’t achieve his goal.
The 1959/60 season had a rocky start, and he decided to resign, citing the immense strain of trying to win promotion. However, Taylor’s departure was the beginning of a new era as Bill Shankly took over as Liverpool’s manager.
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