Top 10 most successful Liverpool managers

Rafael Benítez, Gérard Houllier, Bill Shankly and Jurgen Klopp are among the top legendary coach of Liverpool. What other famous names are in the list? Learn more now.

In the club's 125-year history, Liverpool has had 19 managers. The current commander Klopp deserves to be considered one of the most successful coaches of “the Kop” of all time. Prior to him, there were many Liverpool coaches who brought many valuable titles to the team; let's take a look at the most notable names with 247sport.net.

10. Phil Taylor: Liverpool coach 1954-1959

Phil Taylor is a former Liverpool player who appeared in over 300 games for the club. He retired from football career in 1954 and returned to Liverpool as a manager two years later.

Taylor was the manager of Liverpool until 1959. Liverpool won 76 of the 150 games he coached. Taylor's Liverpool have not won any trophies, but they have consistently finished in the top four of the league in every season he has coached.

9. Roy Evans: Liverpool coach 1994-1998

Roy Evans is another former Liverpool player who spent nine years with the club but only made a few appearances. Evans joined Shankly's coaching staff after retiring in 1974. He worked as a coach for Liverpool under Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan, Kenny Dalglish, Ronnie Moran, and Graeme Souness before becoming the club's full-time manager in 1994.

Evans led Liverpool until 1998, winning 124 out of 244 games. Under Evans, the Reds only won one title: the League Cup in 1994-95.

8. Gerard Houllier: Liverpool coach 1998-2004

Gerard Houllier took over as manager of Liverpool in 1998, when Roy Evans was also in charge. For the first time in more than a century, Liverpool has decided to employ two managers at the same time. However, when Evans resigned in 1998, leaving Houllier to lead Liverpool alone.

The French coach accompanied Liverpool until 2004. Liverpool won 167 games out of 325 under Houllier stint. Liverpool had a successful period under Houllier at the start of the twenty-first century, winning six trophies. In the 2000/2001 season, they won the League Cup, FA Cup, and UEFA Cup. Houllier also led Liverpool to a European Super Cup victory in 2001. Unfortunately, he was unable to lead Liverpool to the Premier League title.

7. Bill Shankly: Liverpool coach 1959-1974

Many people will be surprised to see Bill Shankly ranked seventh, despite being known as the man who laid the groundwork for Liverpool's golden age. However, this is only a measure of achievement.

Shankly led Liverpool to 783 victories between 1959 and 1974, a record that has yet to be surpassed by any other Liverpool manager. Liverpool won 407 games and nine trophies under Shankly, including three league titles and Liverpool's first European title, the 1972/1973 UEFA Cup. Liverpool's coach, Bill Shankly, ushered in a period of European dominance.

6. Joe Fagan: Liverpool coach 1983-1985

Joe Fagan joined Liverpool as the manager of the reserve team in 1958 and remained there until 1971, when he joined Bill Shankly's coaching staff. Fagan worked as Bob Paisley's assistant before taking over as Liverpool manager in 1983. His Liverpool team won 71 out of 131 games.

Liverpool won their first treble under Joe Fagan in the 1983/1984 season. The National Cup, League Cup, and European Cup are all part of this treble.

5. Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool coach 2015 – now

In April 2020, Jurgen Klopp's win rate was 61.33 percent. Prior to the arrival of the German coach, Liverpool had been no longer a strong team, and he assisted the club in regaining its former glory. In his first season, Klopp led the Reds to the Europa League final, but they were defeated.

Klopp was named FIFA's best coach of the year for the 2018–2019 season after leading Liverpool to their sixth Champions League title. Last season, he continued to bring glory to the port city team by winning the Champions League for the sixth time. He also assisted Liverpool in winning the Premier League after a 30-year wait.

4. Rafael Benitez: Liverpool coach 2004-2010

Rafael Benitez joined Liverpool from Valencia in 2004 after Gerard Houllier resigned. During his tenure with the team, he oversaw 350 games.

Liverpool won four trophies under Benitez, the most notable of which was the 2005 Champions League. Benitez left Liverpool following a poor 2009/2010 season in which Liverpool finished seventh in the Premier League.

3. Bob Paisley: Liverpool coach 1974-1983

Bob Paisley joined Liverpool after Bill Shankly left the club in 1974. Between 1974 and 1983, Paisley captained Liverpool in 535 games, winning 308 of them.

Under Paisley, Liverpool won 20 trophies, including six league titles, three European Cups, one UEFA Cup, and one European Super Cup. Apart from Paisley, only two other managers won three Champions League titles.

Paisley left Liverpool in 1983 and never managed another club again. He remained with Liverpool as a director until his retirement in 1992. Bob Paisley died at the age of 77 in 1996.

2. Sir Kenny Dalglish: Liverpool coach 1985-1991 and 2011-2012

Sir Kenny Dalglish is one of only a few coach to have led Liverpool twice. In 1985, he succeeded Joe Fagan as manager of Liverpool, a position he held until 1991. The Reds won 187 of 307 games during this span.

Liverpool won ten titles during Dalglish's first tenure, including three league titles.

In 2011, he took over for the sacked Roy Hodgson for his second time. However, Liverpool only won 13 of 31 matches during this time period. Dalglish did, however, still win a title, the 2011/2012 League Cup championship.

1. William Edward Barclay and John McKenna: Liverpool coach 1892-1896

The first Liverpool managers were William Edward Barclay and John McKenna. From 1892 to 1896, the duo led the team. During this period, Liverpool played 127 games, winning 77 of them.

Liverpool's first trophy, the Lancashire League, was won by the duo. They also contributed to Liverpool's winning the Division Three twice.

In 1896, both men left the club. After leaving Liverpool, neither Barclay nor McKenna managed another club.

Above is the list of the most successful Liverpool managers throughout history. Jurgen Klopp is currently ranked fifth, so keep an eye on 247sport.net for Liverpool's matches to see if he will stick with the team to win more titles and rise to the top in the future!