Quiet Genius
Bob Paisley, British football's greatest manager SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017
Published on 17. May 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-1-4729-3733-9 (ISBN)
Description
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.
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.
Reviews / Votes
An evocative, intimate portrait -- Rory Smith * New York Times * Quiet Genius is like its subject, a winner and surely a candidate already for the best football books of the year, whether you are of a Liverpool FC persuasion or not. * Blackpool Gazette * Terrific * Scotland on Sunday * Herbert has written perhaps the best Paisley biography, emphasising how hard work, an uncanny eye for a player and a belief that football is, at its heart, a simple game, worked wonders. * Bristol Post * This brilliant new book chronicles how Bob Paisley the player reinvented himself as Bob the builder, Bob the physio, and ultimately Bob the all-conquering manager * LFC Magazine * This biography puts Paisley on the map once again and brings him into the discussion of being one of the world's best football managers ever. Herbert deserves loads of credit for this as no other author could deliver a text as great as this. Kudos to Bloomsbury for yet another great football title and perhaps the top title of 2017 * International Soccer Network * A cut above many formulaic sports books. * Daily Telegraph * A beautifully constructed tribute to the virtues of the quiet approach, and all the more stirring for arriving in an age of constant noise. * The Times (Saturday review) * The depth of research is outstanding with the input of former players and coaches providing authoritative insights into a great man. * Daily Express * Herbert will leave you with no doubt regarding Paisley's exalted position in football's pantheon. * Coach * Herbert's biography of Bob Paisley, the great Liverpool manager, is also a vivid - and often unflattering - portrait of Seventies football. * The TImes Saturday Review * An eloquent portrait of the introvert who became Liverpool's greatest manager of all time. * Daily Express * Herbert reveals the paradoxes of the most unassuming boss to find footballing immortality and bring Anfield unparalleled glory. * Sunday Mirror * Ian Herbert's book is a beautifully constructed tribute to the virtues of the quiet approach, and all the more stirring for arriving in an age of constant noise. * The Times *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Illustrations
16 pages full colour plate section
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
272 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4729-3733-9 (9781472937339)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Ian Herbert
Quiet Genius
Bob Paisley, British Football's Greatest Manager Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2017
E-Book
05/2017
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Sport
€12.49
Available for download
Person
Ian Herbert is a sportswriter for the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday. He began his career in Liverpool in 1989, where he was both a news and football reporter, and became deputy editor of Liverpool Daily Post before leaving in 1999 for The Independent, where he worked in news and sports journalism for 18 years. As a football reporter on the Post, he covered the managerial era of Graeme Souness, at the beginning of Liverpool's decades-long struggle to retain the standards of the great Bob Paisley days. @ianherbs
Content
Prologue
1 On Bank
2 Isn't That So, Bob?
3 Not Me
4 Hello, Boss
5 Room with No Windows
6 We Need to Talk about Kevin
7 Munching Gladback
8 Transfer Committee
9 Red Tree Challenge
10 Frank's Lonely Spirit
11 Hetton Spirit
12 Trouble
13 End of the Road
14 Afterwards
Epilogue
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Index
1 On Bank
2 Isn't That So, Bob?
3 Not Me
4 Hello, Boss
5 Room with No Windows
6 We Need to Talk about Kevin
7 Munching Gladback
8 Transfer Committee
9 Red Tree Challenge
10 Frank's Lonely Spirit
11 Hetton Spirit
12 Trouble
13 End of the Road
14 Afterwards
Epilogue
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Index