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"If I had to choose three outstanding examples of players who can combine non-stop running and
boundless energy with effective use of the ball, I would choose Paisley, Forrest ( Bolton ),
and Shankly ( Preston ).
Paisley went in, was beaten, then had the temerity to go back for more. The result was that Matthews, who had left him yards behind, suddenly found the second tackle the lethal one. Matthews mesmerised Lambert, but he did no such thing to Paisley." Newspaper cutting, source unknown after a Liverpool v Blackpool game. "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 "As a former headmaster I thought I was pretty hot at weighing up people and situations. But you have to be quick and alert to keep up with this fellow ! I've watched many matches with him not involving Liverpool and very little escapes him. When a goal's scored he'll have the complete move analysed in a flash and he'll often emphasise the contribution of players running off the ball who were not directly involved. You might not even have been fully aware of them yourself. Every scrap of information is stored in his memory. He astounds me by recalling detailed incidents of matches we saw a long time ago. He's not given to idle chatter, and after we've watched a match together, often he'll hardly say a word for long periods on the journey home. That's probably when he's concentrating and reflecting on what he's seen at the game, which he can instantly recall." Tom Saunders, former Liverpool youth development officer "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 |