Bob Paisley - Biography

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When the tornado that was Bill Shankly first blew into Anfield in the dying days of the 1950s the most significant appointment in the history of Liverpool F.C. had already been taken. Only days after previous manager Phil Taylor had resigned in November 1959, the Liverpool board had assured a worried Bob Paisley that his position as reserve team coach was safe. It was to be the start of a beautiful relationship.

Paisley quickly forged an unlikely bond with the fiery Scotsman, a bond that was to lead them and their club to a quarter of a century of untold glories domestically and across Europe.

Bob Paisley was born in Hetton-le-Hole in County Durham on the 23rd January 1919. His father Samuel was a miner, and Bob's early life was eerily reminiscent of the famous Scot who was to turn his life upside down some forty years later. Like many of his peers, Bob Paisley was football daft and excelled as a boy in school team football, first at Barrington and then at Eppleton Senior Mixed. He was to significantly claim in later years that Eppleton was years ahead of the rest in terms of the coaching and encouragement of it's players.

Bob was signed by top amateur side Bishop Auckland at the beginning of the 1937-38 season and in season 38-39, he was to be an instrumental member of the side that clinched the treble of Northern League Champions, Amateur Cup, and the Durham Challenge Cup. By now, his performances at left-half had reignited earlier interest in him from Sunderland, a club who had previously rejected the fifteen year old Paisley because he was too small. However, Paisley had already committed his future to Liverpool's manager George Kay and on May 8th 1939, Bob Paisley duly signed forms for his new club.

The outbreak of world war in September 1939 was of course to rob the game of many of it's star players for the best part of seven years. Bob 'Gunner' Paisley received his call up papers in the October of 1939 and was to spend an unbroken four years out of the country fighting first of all in Egypt, with Montgomery's Desert Rats, before working his way through North Africa, Sicily and Italy. In June 1944 Paisley travelled through the City of Rome aboard a tank after the Allies had liberated Italy from it's facsist rulers. Thirty three years later, in a moment of beautiful serendipity, Bob Paisley would return triumphantly to the Eternal City on a more peaceful, though no less dramatic, mission.

The 1946-47 League Champions
Back Row: James, Harley, Taylor, Hughes, Sidlow, Ramsden, Paisley, Lambert
Front Row: Eastham, Balmer, Stubbins, Done, Fagan, Liddell

As full time football returned to Britain in 1946-47, it was Liverpool who set the pace for the new era. By storming to the first post war title, Liverpool had ensured that the championship trophy had remained on Merseyside for an unprecedented nine years ( Everton had won the last championship before the war ). Nevertheless, that title success signalled the beginning of a long slow period of decline for Liverpool, interrupted briefly by an appearance in the final of the 1950 F.A.Cup where they were beaten by Arsenal. Paisley, bitter at being left out of the cup final side after scoring a vital semi final goal against neighbours Everton, was on the brink of walking out of the club.

Eventually, he came to terms with the huge disappointment. "It hit me so hard that if a club had come in for me and Liverpool had wanted me to go then I would have left. But during the summer I thought about it and came to the conclusion that even if I had left, the same thing could happen somewhere else."

Not only did Paisley stay, but he became captain and went on to play 41 of the 42 league games the following season. It had also taught him valuable lessons and given him an insight and a sensitivity which would be of great use to him in his future managerial career.

In season 1953-54, Bob's last as a player, Liverpool were finally relegated after several years of struggle and decline. Paisley, anxious to stay in the game, had taken a corresponsdence course in physiotherapy, but was once again on the brink of leaving his adopted city, this time to go into a fruit and veg business. Fortunately, Liverpool asked Bob to stay on in a coaching capacity and he took immediate control of the reserves. There he would stay, learning and developing his new craft, just waiting for the storm that was to blow in in December 1959.