26 July 1974

By his own admission Bob Paisley was the complete antithesis of Bill Shankly.

He was a taciturn football man, a character more content to go about his work in the shadows of Shanks and allow the charismatic Scot to do what he did best; playing the role of protagonist and hugging the media spotlight.

It was a partnership made in heaven and one that had served Liverpool well throughout Shankly's 15 year reign.

But they say all good things must come to an end and when Liverpool turned to one of the Bootroom's finest to guide the club through the post-Shankly era, Paisley was the obvious, if somewhat reluctant, successor to the throne.

After days of soul searching he finally agreed to continue the work that Shanks had started, highlighting continuity as the key to any future success.

"I never wanted this job in the first place and I'm not even sure I can do it," he said.

"I need all the help I can get from you the players. There will be no disruptions to the teams. Let's just keep playing it the Liverpool way."

They were hardly the type of legendary words that had made Shankly a headline writer's dream, but as both the media and fans alike would find out, Paisley was a man who would let his team's football do the talking.

A difficult first season ensued but the apprentice jockey on a derby horse, as Paisley famously referred to himself as, had the football know-how to help the Reds evolve.

He would soon go on to sign some of the finest players to ever wear a red shirt on his way to becoming the most successful manager in the history of English football.