Behind every good man is a good woman (supposedly) and behind every good football manager is a good coaching staff.
We had a long list of fantastic assistant managers and even further down the line than that. I think even the dimmest members of this forum, know the term "Liverpool Boot Room". That's really where it started. Bill Shankly, had a great coaching staff behind him. From Bob Paisley to Joe Fagan to Ronnie Moran to Roy Evans to the almost forgotten man Reuben Bennett. Four of those men went on to manage the club in some degree (Ronnie as caretaker) and all had some level of success because of those around them as much as those on the pitch. Bob had Joe beside him, Joe had Ronnie as did Roy. The succession of the "Boot Room" proved to be the greatest line of managers in footballing history. Even though not a graduate, as such, of the "Boot Room" Kenny Dalglish had help from there with Bob, Ronnie and Roy all lending a hand to the King.
Then moving on to Roy Evans, who still had Ronnie Moran beside him, added others like Doug Livermore and Sammy Lee to his backroom staff. And to some degree had a level of success. The day Roy Evans called time on his Liverpool career (a day I'll never forget by the way) opened the door for Gerard Houllier to bring Phil Thompson, while retaining Sammy Lee, to his coaching staff and once again success, to some degree, followed. Rafa Benitez had Pako there beside him for a few years and to this day some still say we lost our way once Pako left. Alex Miller and Pelligrino are hardly remembered for their stints on the Liverpool coaching staff. Sammy Lee did return at the end of the 2007/08 season and we went on to have our best season in the Premiership the following year.
A lot of people talk about Kenny's return in a bad light but one person who stands out is his assistant Steve Clarke. Somebody many have clamoured for us to bring back to the club.
Which brings us to the current pairing behind Brendan and their importance and/or worth to the team and even the club as a whole. While watching the matches, they don't seem to have too much input vocally or the passion of a Moran/Thompson/Lee but surely they are playing a role in our success aren't they?
In my opinion, the worth they bring is as follows - Pascoe, has worked with Brendan for a number of years so he knows the way Brendan will want his players to play. He'll know what Brendan expects from his players and how to get it out of them. Marshy, I think brings a supporter's love for the club to the coaching side. He may not be as visually passionate as those I mentioned earlier (or even Brendan) but he is a lifelong Liverpool fan - that always helps on the coaching staff. He also knows a lot of the youngsters who have broke through under Brendan because he coached them in the years before and I think that helps them when they first make the grade.
So while Brendan is taking the plaudits, I think we must remember that every good manager has a good coaching staff behind him.
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