Players often have the sensational skill and will normally take the plaudits from the press for a major success.
However, to have a world class player and a team that is a winning success, you need to have a tactical genius, an approachable man-manger and a controlling influence within the dressing room.
There have been some fantastic managers in the last 50 years and Total Football’s Simon Wright has chosen his top ten.
In second place is a Liverpool manager who simply went on to continue the standards set by Bill Shankly.
Bob Paisley might have been a quiet man but he was very successful, guiding the Reds through their most successful period in the club's history.
He achieved so much, cementing the foundations already put in place and making the mark of being successful at Anfield even higher.
2. Bob Paisley
TEAMS MANAGED: Liverpool (1974-1983)
HONOURS: European Cup 1977, 1978, 1981, Football League First Division 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, UEFA Cup 1976, League Cup 1981, 1982, 1983, UEFA Super Cup 1977, Charity Shield 1974, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982
In nine years as manager of Liverpool, Bob Paisley (pictured) continued the Shankly tradition and became the Reds greatest ever manager of all-time.
He is the only manager to date to win three European Cups, in a period when Merseyside ruled the English and continental game.
Only once in the nine seasons he was boss did Liverpool fail to win any silverware, which was his first full season in charge in 1975.
Like Brian Clough, one trophy to elude him was the FA Cup but there was plenty of other success, which means this is made up for.
He led the club to the Division One title in 1976 and they would have a firm grip on this for many more years to come.
The UEFA Cup was won in the same season and in 1977, the league was retained and the European Cup won for the first time in the club’s history, defeating Borussia Monchengladbach in the final.
Although the league was lost to Nottingham Forest in 1978, Kenny Dalglish scored the winning goal at Wembley against Bruges, to see Liverpool and Paisley retain the European Cup.
He won this trophy again in 1981, when Alan Kennedy was the hero in Paris against Real Madrid.
Retiring at the top
Liverpool also won the League Cup for the first time ever under Paisley and would win this trophy for three successive seasons in the early 1980s.
He retired at the top with Liverpool as title winners in 1983, the sixth time in nine years.
There were challenges from the likes of Clough’s Nottingham Forest, Bobby Robson at Ipswich and Ron Saunders at Aston Villa but none could maintain the sustained success Liverpool had under Paisley.
In retirement, Paisley continued to serve as a club director at Anfield until 1992 when he had to step down due to ill health.
On the 14th February 1996, he died aged 77 after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Bob Paisley once said: “Mind you, I’ve been here during the bad times too – one year we came second.”
Like Shankly, second was considered as failure.
Bob Paisley was a born winner and with it, Liverpool blossomed under his reign for a trophy laden period, establishing itself as the dominant force in English football.
By Simon Wright - Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88
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