Ian Herbert

Quiet Genius

SHORTLISTED FOR THE FOOTBALL BOOK OF THE YEAR, SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2018 The full story of the man who brought unprecedented – and since unmatched – success to Liverpool FC. Bob Paisley was the quiet man in the flat cap who swept all domestic and European opposition aside and produced arguably the greatest club team that Britain has ever known. The man whose Liverpool team won trophies that dwarf Sir Alex Ferguson’s achievements, and who remains the only Briton to lead a team to three European Cups. From Wembley to Rome, Manchester to Madrid, Paisley’s team was the one no one could touch. Working in a city which was on its knees, he delivered a golden era which made Liverpool synonymous with success and won them supporters internationally. Based on interviews with Paisley’s family and many of the players whom he led to an extraordinary haul of honours between 1974 and 1983, Quiet Genius is the first biography to examine the secrets of Paisley’s success. It inspects his man-management strategies, his extraordinary eye for a good player, his uncanny ability to diagnose injuries in his own players and the opposition, and the wicked sense of humour which endeared him to so many. Quiet Genius is the story of how one modest man from the North East accomplished more than any other football manager ever did. Even though his attributes were largely unrecorded and undervalued, he did not seem to mind, instead preferring to succeeded on his own terms. Now three decades on from his death, it is a football story that demands to be told.