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Quiet Genius
- Narrated by: Dean Williamson
- Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins
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Quiet Genius
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Summary
Bloomsbury presents Quiet Genius by Ian Herbert, read by Dean Williamson.
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 at a rate-per-season that dwarfs Sir Alex Ferguson’s achievements at Manchester United 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 that was on its knees, in deep post-industrial decline, still tainted by the 1981 Toxteth riots and in a state of open warfare with Margaret Thatcher, he delivered a golden era - never re-attained since - that made the city of Liverpool synonymous with success and won them supporters the world over. Yet, 30 years since Paisley died, the life and times of this shrewd, intelligent, visionary, modest football man have still never been fully explored and explained.
Based on in-depth 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 in depth 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 that endeared him to so many. It explores the North-East mining community roots that he cherished and considers his visionary outlook on the way the game would develop.
Quiet Genius is the story of how one modest man accomplished more than any other football manager, found his attributes largely unrecorded and undervalued and, in keeping with the gentler ways of his generation, did not seem to mind. It reveals an individual who seemed out of keeping with the brash, celebrity sport football was becoming and who succeeded on his own terms. Three decades on from his death, it is a football story that demands to be told.
Critic reviews
"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)
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What listeners say about Quiet Genius
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- John
- 23-06-22
Gives a real sense of the man
So much better than most football biographies/autobiographies. More than the usual lists of results and newspaper reports. You finish it with a far clearer understanding of the man and his success. But his flaws are not overlooked. Thoroughly recommended.
Narrator not so good - the wrong accent for this particular story and some mispronunciations of familiar names.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- michael Billington
- 05-03-22
Revealing and at times moving biography
How do you succeed a football icon and take the club on to even greater heights of success and dominance and hand on a team that would maintain the standards for nearly another decade. Its never been done in English football before or since and yet this seemingly jolly durham grandfatherly type with his slippers and copy of the racing post did it.
This book is likely as close as we will get to finding out how. It makes plain that this was a man who was made of steel and was as hard and uncomprimising as you will find in football. Also it shows how football has changed in ways both good and bad from the era Paisley managed in.
A must read for Liverpool fans and I would suggest that fans of other clubs will find it an interesting and at times funny look at how Liverpool worked under Bob Pasiley and the boot room.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 25-09-22
Enlightening
A fine documentation of the life and career of Bob Paisley. Written in an understated and knowledgeable fashion, like the man himself. A fitting tribute to the ultimate one club man, greatest of managers
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David
- 08-02-23
A real genius
You forget that he was Britain’s most successful manager ever. His style wasn’t to be in the foreground but more to ensure the ingredients of success were right.
The story of his success is really well told, including his hardness with those who weren’t helping to win so many titles.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Billy
- 10-11-22
Great insight into a Legend
I learnt a lot about Bob Paisley and his attitude and brilliance. Well worth it
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs. G. Moynihan
- 05-02-23
Emotional, inspirational & at times hilarious
A great story, well told. What a man Paisley was. The stories of his early trips into the new technological world of physiotherapy are hilarious.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Alison Dixon
- 21-02-22
Not just a football story
Don't be put off by thinking it's just another football story,this is the life of THE greatest manager this country has ever seen, from his upbringing to the pinnacle of what he did for Liverpool FC,to the sad end of his life. Being a fan of LFC in those heady days of the 70s brought it all back. But its not just a book for football fans it's a book on how people lived.
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1 person found this helpful