Top 10 Managers of Liverpool – Part 2
Article continued from Part 1
He built the team around a solid http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809 was at the top of the table at that time.
However Oldham was not so fortunate and could not avoid relegation. Liverpool was so dominant that season that despite only one win in the last six games, they were able to win the league comfortably with a gap of six points from the second placed team.
7. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Gerard-c14664 Houllier - 1998-2004
Gerard Houllier was perhaps one of the most decorated Liverpool managers of all time winning the UEFA Cup, UEFA Super Cup, FA Cup, League Cup and the Community Shield in 2001 and another League Cup in 2003. He joined Evans in 1998 as joint manager of Liverpool
FC which did not quite work out and resulted in the departure of Evans in late 1998. With the arrival of top quality players like http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Emile-Heskey-c12468 and Sami Hyypia, he started rebuilding the Liverpool squad.
With players like http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Steven-Gerrard-c34196 coming up through the Liverpool academy, the future of the club in the hands of Houllier looked bright. His revolution also included an overhaul of the training facilities at Melwood. His
changes seemed to bear immediate fruit when Liverpool won the League Cup, FA Cup and the UEFA Cup triple in 2001.
His ailing heart took him out of management for five months in which time Liverpool finished second in the league under the temporary management of Phil Thompson. He had been appointed technical head for the development of youth at the French Football Association
hence his liking for the French players. He left Liverpool in 2004 with mutual consent after his negative tactics and failed signings did not go well with the Liverpool board.
6. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Rafael-c30339 Benitez - 2004-2010
Rafael Benitez has been hugely successful and largely controversial for Liverpool FC. He entered the fray after the departure of Houllier. Having led http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Valencia-c40863 to two La Liga titles in 2002 and 2004, expectations from him were high in the Liverpool camp.
Immediately he entered into the thick of the action and his first task at hand was to negotiate with the star players and convince them to stay. He was successful with Steven Gerrard but Michael Owen decided to leave the club for good. During his reign, he
signed several top players for the Spanish League including the likes of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Xabi-Alonso-c37045. All of whom turned out to be critical for the Liverpool setup and played an important role in the development
of the club.
In his first year in charge, he won the Champions League trophy in arguably one of the most thrilling final ever seen in football. Liverpool came from 3-0 at half time to secure a win on penalties against the great AC Milan. He also finished the season in
third place in the league only one point behind the second placed team. Benitez also managed to win the FA Cup the next season.
Article continued in Part 3 of Top 10 Managers of Liverpool
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