It was after the recommendation of former Everton player and manager Harry Catterick that Joe Fagan was approached by then Liverpool manager Phil Taylor for a coaching role. Fagan accepted the job and moved with his family to a house near Anfield, where they remained for the rest of his life.
The former English right half's first job in Liverpool was as Reserve team coach, which began in 1958. Liverpool manager Bill Shankly was delighted upon seeing Fagan on the coaching staff after his appointment as club manager in December 1959, as Fagan was a player that Shankly wanted to sign when he was a manager at Grimsby Town.
Fagan went on to play a pivotal role in developing Liverpool's training strategies over the years, which were key to Liverpool's success from the 1960s. His role as Liverpool reserve coach saw him develop the likes of Roger Hunt, Ian Callaghan, and Tommy Smith who became stars at the club.
Shankly was immensely focused in transforming Liverpool's reserve team into the stars of tomorrow, and Fagan's contributions played a huge part in whatever success they went on to achieve in that area.
Let us now look at Fagan's remaining years at Liverpool, and why he's seen as one of the most influential individuals in Liverpool history.
Creation of Boot Room and increasing responsibilities
Fagan continued his role as reserve team coach till 1971, thus serving in that position for an astonishing 13 years. He is also credited for converting a storage area at Anfield into a common room for the coaches, which is now known as the legendary Boot Room. It was at the Boot Room where Shankly held discussions with Fagan and other coaches regarding strategy, tactics, training and players.
The former English player became Liverpool's First team coach in 1971, which was the same year that Bill Shankly had retired and was succeeded by Bob Paisley. He continued in this role till 1979.
This was followed by a shift to the Assistant manager, which he continued for the next 4 years till 1983.
Liverpool’s new manager
The retirement of Paisley was the catalyst that saw Fagan appointed as Liverpool's new manager on 1st July 1983. He was initially reluctant to take the role, but ultimately agreed to the club's request.
Paisley went on to sign the likes of Michael Robinson and Gary Gillespie in his first season as club manager. He had an underwhelming start to his Liverpool managerial career, as the Red's lost to rivals Manchester United in the FA Charity Shield. However, they later ended up having an unforgettable season, with the first major success coming after beating Everton in the League Cup Final replay to clinch their first silverware of the season.
Liverpool finished the league campaign as champions, securing the coveted domestic title with a game to spare. The ultimate achievement came in the Champions League, as they beat Roma in the finals via penalties to become European Champions.
The heroic feat not only saw Fagan receive the Manager of the Year award, but he became the first English manager to win three major trophies in a single season.
A short-lasting affair
After their historic season, Liverpool captain Graeme Souness left the club for Sampdoria. Fagan responded by signing the likes of Jan Mølby, John Wark, Paul Walsh and Kevin MacDonald.
The Reds were on course for yet another historic reason, but ended that campaign empty handed in devastating fashion. They finished second in the league, as rivals Everton became the Champions of England. Manchester United were the winners of that year's FA Cup, who were also responsible for knocking Liverpool out of the competition in the semis.
Fagan and Liverpool had their biggest heartbreak in the European Cup, where they managed to reach yet another final. The 1985 European Cup final took place between Liverpool and Juventus, but is widely overshadowed due to the infamous Heysel Stadium disaster that killed and injured several fans.
Juventus went on to beat Liverpool 1-0 in the final, with many believing the incident to have deeply affected the Liverpool players.
Following the heartbreaking season, Fagan announced his retirement on 29th May 1985. This led to Liverpool star Kenny Dalglish succeeding him in a player-manager role.
It was officially the end of a magical 27 year association between Fagan and his beloved Liverpool, thus marking the end of an era.
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