Joe Fagan

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Joe Fagan
Personnel
Surname Joseph Fagan
birthday March 12, 1921
place of birth Liverpool ,  UK
date of death June 30, 2001
Place of death Liverpool ,  UK
position Middle runner
Juniors
Years station
Earlstown Bohemians
Men's
Years station Games (goals) 1
1938-1951 Manchester City 148 (2)
1951-1953 Nelson FC
1953 Bradford Park Avenue 3 (0)
Stations as a trainer
Years station
1951-1953 Nelson FC
1958-1983 Liverpool FC (assistant coach)
1983-1985 Liverpool FC
1 Only league games are given.

Joseph "Joe" Fagan (born March 12, 1921 in Liverpool ; † June 30, 2001 ibid) was especially known as a long-time member of the coaching staff of Liverpool FC after a short active career . At the “Reds” he worked for many years in the second row behind Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley , then in the mid-1980s he himself held a leading role before he retired from professional business after the 1985 Heysel disaster . The year before he had won the “triple” from the European Cup , the English Championship and the League Cup.

Athletic career

Player career

Joe Fagan was born in Liverpool and grew up in the suburb of Litherland not far to the north . There he saw games of Everton FC and Liverpool FC as a child, but then decided on the "Reds"; allegedly for the sole reason that Liverpool FC had the nicer fountain pen. He also showed himself to be talented as an active footballer when he won the Daily Dispatch Trophy for St. Elizabeth Central School in 1935 . From a young age he became a good middle runner who was both strong at the head and was well-versed in technical matters. He then played for the Earlstown Bohemians in the amateur field, where he attracted numerous renowned clubs. And although Liverpool FC made him an offer, he decided on Manchester City in October 1938 . The hoped-for professional career then stood in the way of the outbreak of World War II, when league play was officially suspended for almost seven years after the start of the fighting in 1939. During the war, Fagan served in the Royal Navy and also played in the so-called Wartime League . There he came into contact with Harry Catterick , who later became the Everton FC coach. The two first acted together for Manchester City in 1942. In the season 1946/47 Fagan rose with the "Citizens" in the first division and after his first use in the starting XI on New Year's Day 1947 he became more and more a key player on the way to success in the defense center.

In the following four years Fagan completed 168 competitive games for Manchester City. He was part of a team that was equipped with some high-profile names; including goalkeeper Frank Swift , who was killed with the Manchester United team in an air disaster in 1958 . At the age of 30 he finally switched to coaching and at the amateur club FC Nelson he hired himself as a player- coach , while at the same time he pursued a "civil profession" as a gas meter reader. Briefly he returned to professional football in 1953 and completed three league games in the third-rate Football League Third Division North before he accepted an assistant position at Rochdale AFC under Harry Catterick that same year .

Coaching career

On Catterick's recommendation, Fagan joined the coaching staff of Liverpool FC in 1958 , a good 18 months before Bill Shankly joined the club. Shankly had already been interested in Fagan as coach of Grimsby Town and so he made sure after his arrival that he would be a safe part of his team. The so-called " Boot Room ", which included Fagan, Reuben Bennett , Bob Paisley and later Tom Saunders , was considered to be one of the main reasons for the subsequent success, as a result of which a mediocre second division team developed into a top European club in the long term. There strategies and tactics were drafted and discussed in a kind of backroom policy. The role of "Uncle Joe", as Fagan was called, was also that of a link to the team. Due to his level-headed and determined manner, Fagan was an advisor and contact person for the players and with his high level of expertise he enjoyed high recognition from all club officials. After a time as head coach of the reserve team, he moved to the senior team in 1971 and five years after Shankly's resignation in 1974, his successor Bob Paisley promoted him to direct assistant.

In the four years as Paisley's "right-hand man", Liverpool FC won the English championship three times ( 1980 , 1982 and 1983 ) and the league cup ( 1981 , 1982 and 1983 ) and in 1981 the European championship cup . The next signs of a further promotion came during the 1981/82 season, when Liverpool FC fell far short of expectations, lying in twelfth place in the league, and Fagan clearly called for a return to the essentials - in his opinion, the team held more meetings off than the United Nations.

When Paisley stepped down from his position in the summer of 1983, Fagan finally took over the executive role at the advanced age of 62. Under his direction, the Reds won the triple of the European Cup , English Championship and League Cup for the first time in their history , which almost inevitably earned him the title of "Coach of the Year". Another year later, his coaching career came to a quick end. In the English First Division , the team landed on the second place in the league behind local rivals Everton and the tragic events in the Heysel Stadium in the run-up to the final in the European championship competition with 39 dead overshadowed the farewell to coach Fagan, who had already been determined before the final. He was finally followed by the Scot Kenny Dalglish , who in turn exercised the role of player-coach.

Fagan then retired, although he was seen occasionally on the training field - especially during Roy Evans' tenure . He then died at the age of 80 as a result of cancer.

Honoring Liverpool fans for former coaches. Joe Fagan is in the middle

Title / Awards

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Fagan, Joe
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Fagan, Joseph (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English soccer player and coach
DATE OF BIRTH March 12, 1921
PLACE OF BIRTH Liverpool , England
DATE OF DEATH June 30, 2001
Place of death Liverpool , England