Joe Fagan

Infobox Football biography
playername = Joe Fagan


fullname = Joe Fagan
dateofbirth = 12 March, 1921
cityofbirth = Liverpool
countryofbirth = England
dateofdeath = 30 June, 2001 (age 80)
cityofdeath = Liverpool
countryofdeath = England
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manageryears = 1951-1954 1954-1958 1983-1985
managerclubs = Nelson F C Rochdale A F C Liverpool

Joe Fagan (born 12 March, 1921 in Liverpool, died 30 June, 2001) was an English football manager best known for being manager of Liverpool F.C. from 1983 to 1985. He managed the side that won Liverpool's fourth European Cup in 1984. He died in 2001, aged 80, after a long illness.

Career

Joe Fagan's playing career was largely spent at Manchester City for whom he signed in 1938. The outbreak of the Second World War curtailed a meaningful career but he was a member of the side that achieved promotion to the first division in 1946 -1947 season.

Fagan began his managerial career at Nelson F.C. in the Lancashire Combination as player-manager, where he led the club to the Championship in his first season in 1952, with the club narrowly missing out on re-election to the Football League. He moved on to become Rochdale A.F.C. manager in 1954, before joining Liverpool as a coach in 1958.

When Bill Shankly retired as Liverpool manager in 1974, his assistant and then successor Bob Paisley appointed Fagan as his assistant in turn. Following Paisley's retirement in 1983, Fagan finally took over on a two-year contract at the start of the 1983-84 season.

Fagan was particularly notable for buying Jan Mølby, a Danish midfielder who became an outstanding player for Liverpool, and for being the first manager to win a 'treble' (three major trophies in a season) with an English club. Only Alex Ferguson and Gérard Houllier have since managed this feat. Fagan, however, won the 'treble' in his first season as Liverpool's manager. Fagan's original two-year contract would have taken him up to the end of the 1984-85 season, and it seemed unlikely that he would extend his contract beyond that date—as he would have been 64 years old.

On May 29 1985, just hours before the Heysel Stadium disaster, Fagan announced he would retire, and was succeeded by leading Scottish and Liverpool forward Kenny Dalglish.

Career honours

;Player
* 1946-47 Football League Second Division Promotion (Level 2) with Manchester City

;Manager (all with Liverpool)
*"Winner"
** 1983-84 League Cup
** 1983-84 League Championship (Level 1)
** 1983-84 European Cup
*"Runner-up"
** 1983-84 Charity Shield
** 1984-85 Charity Shield
** 1984-85 Intercontinental Cup
** 1984-85 European Super Cup
** 1984-85 League Championship (Level 1)
** 1984-85 European Cup

External links

* [http://www.joefagan.com Joe Fagan website]
* [http://www.lfconline.com/news/loadfeat.asp?cid=EDB4&id=138723 LFC Online profile]
* [http://www.lfchistory.net/managers_profile.asp?manager_id=11 Manager profile at LFChistory.net]