The beginning of Liverpool FC, part 3. 1974-83. Out of the shadows.

When I was a kid of a mere 9 years of age back in the summer of 1974. ( I wasn’t a horrible lil fooker until October 1974 when I turned 10 years of age 👆)

Myself and my older brother couldn’t believe Shanks had bailed…walked into the sunset. It was like, no way, this can’t be true, right?

We were both gobsmacked so to speak and then we heard Bob Paisley was taking over. I asked my brother who the fook is Bob Paisley? He said, 🤷. I was only 9 but he was 11 so he should have known better, the daft git…………

………….Out of the Shadows.

Bob Paisley was born in Hetton-le-Hole ( weird place, apparently, according to Knightsbridge Jerry ) in 1919.

Bob as a player was a wing half, signed from Bishop Auckland in 1939.

During WW2 he served in the British Army so he never actually made his debut until 1946. He was though part of the team that won the league for the first time in 24 years in 1946. He was made captain ( el capitano in Oscar’s language)

Unfortunately this might go on a bit.

Bob retired from footy in 1954 but stayed with the club as both physio and reserve team coach.

By this time Liverpool FC fell through the trap door and resided in the Second friggin Division and the club’s facilities where a mess. A shit hole in today’s language.

On the arrival of Shankly, Bob was promoted to Assistant Manager. Joe Fagan was appointed a coach alongside Reuben Bennett.

Moving forward to 1974 Bob was appointed Manager, which he reluctantly accepted. He didn’t want to be a Manager.

Bob won fook all in his first season at the helm of the proverbial ship, but fook me twice on Sunday’s did he excell from there on in.

Bob Paisley led us to league and European dominance. He won 20 honours in 9 years, the crafty fooker.

He won 6 league titles, 3 league cups ( unheard of in the Shankly years ), 6 Charity shields, 3 European cups, one UEFA Cup and a Super Cup, just to prove just how Super he was.

In the year 1977 Kevin Keegan decided to off his pop to Germany, with a black eye.,,.. curtasy of Tommy ( don’t mess with me, bitch ) Smith. I was like, 🤷🤷. What the actual fook do we do now? Me bro said we’ve signed some fella from Scottish land called Kenny Dalglish. I asked, who the fook is he? N yes I swore like a fooking trooper back then too. I blame me brother, if I’m honest, which I’m not very often to be honest.

Kenny, soon to be known as King Kenny hit the ground running and scored on his league debut against Middlesbrough.

Kenny became a King during his playing career but Kenny was so much more than that, even though we and no doubt he didn’t realise at the time.

In later years ( about 1980 ) Bob signed some gangly lad from Chester called Ian Rush and also Richard Money from the same club. Richard didn’t especially do much, or play much though in later life he did become a decent Manager. Rush though? He was terrible at the beginning. Bob took him to one side and said, “Be more greedy in front of goal or I’ll sell you”.

It took close to two years before Rush was established as one of the finest centre forward’s to ever grace the jersey. 346 goals says it all. That figure will probably never be beaten, ever.

Paisley won trophies at a rate of 2.2 per season, which is quite impressive

By the time Bob retired he’d won the Manager of the year award six times, in nine years, that’s pretty bloody impressive too.

Bob will always be a legend in my eyes because it was during his tenure that I personally began going to the match. It cost me ( my mum tbh ) £1.25 to stand on the Kop in 1979/80 season. Match day programme was 25p. The bus fare I think was 4p each way to and from BlueShite Valley n then I had to walk up a rather ( small ) large hill up Brek friggin Road, fffs.

The memories are priceless. I remember the last game of that season when we beat Aston Villa at home and the lads came out afterwards with the First Division Trophy. I’m not gonna bullshit ya, I fooking cried like a proper bitch. Disclaimer, I was only 15 in May 80, fffs.

I’m going to reveal I lil bit of me when I was kid, (Stu, Jerry and Jock say I’m still a kid, but that’s another story, apparently.). I used to write all our fixtures down on the back of a school text book and fill the scores in once they happened. Daft I know but I was so wrapped with my hometown club, it was incredible. Every home match I’d ask my mum for the £1.25 to get on the Kop, the 25p for a programme and the 4p each way ( it might have been 2p, I can’t actually remember that bit tbh ) and god bless her, she would always find the money to allow her son to go to Anfield to see my hero’s. When I turned 16 n left school n got a job my mum said I can now pay for myself to go to the match. I was like….really? That’s so unfair. It wasn’t unfair, it’s called growing up and making your own way in life. I’m still learning that to be honest.

As I got a wee bit older I started going to away games. Back then there was a train service called ‘ Football Special ‘ from Lime Street train station. Damn, it was so cheap.

Bob handed over the reins to Joe Fagan in 1983. I thought at the time, “Oh fook”.

Joe and a few others will be part of ‘The beginning of Liverpool FC ‘part 4. It’s going to be heartbreaking writing part 4.

Anyfookingway, I’m rambling a bit now so I’ll close this down with…., I seriously could have gone on….n…..on……n on for ages telling you all about growing up, standing on the Kop.

Never forget who we are….

We are LIVERPOOL and fook the rest!