Joe Fagan

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Lore & Background

Joe Fagan was born in Walton Hospital in Walton, Liverpool, on 12 March 1921 and lived in the Litherland and Scotland Road areas of the city during his childhood and youth. His parents Patrick and Mary were of Irish descent. He captained his school to the Daily Dispatch Trophy at age fourteen. He signed for Earlestown Bohemians after leaving school in 1937, then declined a contract from Liverpool and signed for Manchester City on 8 October 1938. During the Second World War he served in the Royal Navy as a telegraphist in Egypt. He made his official Manchester City debut on 1 January 1947 and made 121 consecutive league appearances. He sustained a broken leg in 1951 and left City to take up coaching. He began as player-manager at Nelson, leading them to the 1951–52 championship, then had brief playing spells at Bradford Park Avenue and Altrincham. He became assistant manager at Rochdale in 1954 under Harry Catterick until 1958. He joined Liverpool in 1958 as a coach. From December 1959 he worked with Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley, coaching the reserve team and developing players like Roger Hunt, Ian Callaghan and Tommy Smith. After Shankly retired in 1974, Fagan became assistant manager to Paisley and finally manager himself when Paisley retired in 1983. In his first season he achieved a treble: European Cup, League Championship and League Cup. He retired at the end of his second season; his final match was the 1985 European Cup Final, the scene of the Heysel Stadium disaster. He was the last English manager to win the European Cup in 1984. He died of cancer in 2001, aged eighty.

In Their Own Story

Before managing Liverpool, Fagan's path was shaped by resilience and service. As a teenager, he declined a contract from George Kay at Liverpool, fearing limited first-team opportunities, and instead signed for Manchester City on 8 October 1938. Playing as a right half, he made his official debut more than eight years later, on 1 January 1947, in a 4-0 win over Fulham. He played a key role in their 1946-47 Second Division title win and made 121 consecutive league appearances until November 1949. During the war, he served in the Royal Navy as a telegraphist with a minesweeping flotilla in Egypt from 1940 to 1946. He narrowly avoided service on the ill-fated HMS Hood and played football for service teams in Alexandria. Returning to civilian life, he worked as a player-manager at Nelson while checking gas meters for leaks in a factory before joining Liverpool's coaching staff.

Reader's Guide

Fagan was an uncomplicated man who believed in the simplicity of football, a devoted family man who preferred to just get on with his job and shun the limelight. He was one of the most respected figures in the game. He and his family lived in the same house not far from Anfield throughout his Liverpool career and afterwards.

Did You Know?

• Fagan was the first English manager to win three major trophies in a single season.
• He was one of only four English managers to win the European Cup.
• He made his Manchester City debut more than eight years after joining the club.
• He served in the Royal Navy during World War II as a telegraphist on a minesweeping flotilla in Egypt.
• His friend Frank Swift gave him the nickname 'Patsy' after the Irish folk song Hallo Patsy Fagan.