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LIVERPOOL FC: ON THIS DAY: 25 YEARS SINCE JOE

Twenty-five years ago today Liverpool Football Club made yet another inspired decision when they opted to appoint their new manager from within the confines of the famous bootroom.

/noticias.info/ Joe Fagan, the man supporters affectionately nicknamed 'Smoking Joe', was the obvious choice to replace the departing Bob Paisley, and in just two season at the helm he would prove to be yet another Reds number two who would go on to excel in the Anfield hot-seat.

The love affair had begun in the summer of 1958 when Fagan arrived at the club who he had once turned down as a player, on the recommendation of soon-to-be Everton boss Harry Catterick.

It was a move that would have a long-term bearing on the future of Liverpool as a domestic force, and as the club went from strength to strength on the pitch, Fagan's influence continued to grow off it.

At first he was appointed reserve team coach before going on to take on the position of first-team trainer.

Under Paisley the Reds had started to make the Charismatic Scot's vision of a trophy-laden future a reality, and Fagan's part could not be under-estimated, a fact further underlined by the promotion that saw him installed as Bob's right-hand man.

Given the success that had ensued following the appointment of Pailsey, it was almost inevitable that Fagan would take the hot-seat when Bob decided to cal time on his spell in the dugout.

It was an evolution that had served Liverpool so well when Shanks handed over the reins to his loyal number two and it would continue to do so under the leadership of Fagan when he took over ahead of the 1983-84 campaign.

There were more than a few doubters suggesting that he would not be able to match the achievements of Paisley, a fact the new Reds boss was not about to lose sleep over.

"Nobody can follow Bob," he had said on taking the helm.

"If you thought like that it would drive you mad. I'm my own man, I'll do my best and do it my way."

One man who had no doubts about the prospects of Fagan the boss was Paisley, who warned the football world that the Reds would still be a force to be reckoned with.

"There's a man following me called Fagan," he said.

"And he doesn't need the help of the Artful Dodger to pick up anything that glitters."

How right he would be.

In his first season in charge Fagan would go on to reach heights neither of his predecessors had risen to, becoming the first manager in the history of English football to land a treble.

With a First Division title, a European Cup and a League Cup safely stashed away in the Anfield trophy cabinet, Fagan had more than proved the doubters wrong, and, as he had promised on taking over from Paisley, he had done it his way.

The famous picture of a relaxed figure sat on a deck chair by the swimming pool, European Cup in hand, summed up the man and the glory of his first year in charge.

There was no need to command respect from his player through a fearsome reputation.

Instead he was a laid back character whose realism and down-to-earth professionalism was the key to his success, not to mention his tremendous knowledge of the game.

Under Fagan the Reds played with a cool, calculating efficiency, with every part functioning in balance and harmony.

Few would doubt that if history had not intervened, he could well have gone on to win another major honour in his final season.

However, the tragic events that transpired in the Heysel Stadium in Brussles, would unfortunately haunt the backdrop of Fagan's spell as Reds boss.

His decision to retire at the end of what was only his second season in charge, would see his last match scarred by the terrible events at Heysel.

After securing a place in a fifth European Cup final, and with a side tipped by all-but the Juventus fans to win, he had every reason to be optimistic.

But after the appalling crowd violence and the meaningless deaths of Italian supporters in the crumbling and inadequate Heysel Stadium in Brussels, his retirement was overshadowed by tragedy and a controversial 1-0 defeat.

It was a sad end for a quiet and unassuming man, who did the club a great service, and must therefore always be remembered for it.

In his later years he would often show up at Melwood and offer advice to a fellow bootroom graduate, Roy Evans, who always had time to listen to the words of wisdom Fagan had to offer.

As the years wore on he began to suffer from a long illness, from which he eventually died in July 2001, at the age of 80.

A fine Reds manager and a true Bootroom great.

Joe Fagan - You'll Never Walk Alone. notas_de_prensa_archivo