OK, cobbled something together. Seeing as famous manager challenges seem to be the 'in' thing at the moment, I've gone down that road. I can't remember one being submitted about Bill Shankly, so that's who I've chosen. I'm also working on an alternative version of the Auld Alliance challenge I did which I'll post tomorrow.
I've kept this one tighter than BobBev's in that the stages have to be done in order, but opened it up in terms of the clubs you can manage.
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The Bill Shankly Challenge
Although his record of honours has long since been beaten – indeed by Bob Paisley, the very man who followed him into the Liverpool hotseat – Bill Shankly still tops public polls trying to find the ‘Greatest Manager’. Whilst he may not truly have the rightful claim to that position, there is no doubt that the man achieved more than enough in his career to be fondly remembered.
After his career at his first clubs was blighted by continually getting on the wrong side of the board, Shankly found his home at Anfield and guided them to three domestic titles, twice won the F.A. Cup and claimed the UEFA Cup amongst it all as well. Your task is to emulate, make that surpass, the achievements of the man who took Liverpool from being a spent force to the top of English football. But don’t worry, you’ll likely not have to go anywhere near Anfield.
Stage 1: Shankly’s managerial career began at Carlisle, staying at the helm for two years before falling out with the board and moving on. In that time, Shankly took them to the brink of promotion from the old Third Division North.
*Your job is to take any club from the League Two and guide them to promotion.
Stage 2: Having fallen out with the Carlisle board over a bonus payment, Shankly moved on to Grimsby, who were in freefall from the old First Division right down to the Third. Shankly’s first season saw the side just miss out on promotion and his second was blighted by an ageing side and a reluctance to give an opportunity to some promising reserve players.
*Your job is simply to move to any side in either League One or Two and stay there for two years. During this time, at least five players of 30 years or older must play in at least 50% of your matches.
Stage 3: Though Shankly spent some time at Workington, we’ll ignore that and move onto his job at Huddersfield. Initially joining as reserve team coach to help out friend Andy Beattie, Shankly was soon promoted to the top job. However, he once again found himself frustrated by his board, who urged him to sell on the club’s better players and regularly refused to sanction the purchase of replacements.
*Your task is to move to any Championship club as soon as possible after your two years at Stage 2 are up. You must guide this club to the Premiership. Given that your board are the frugal sort, you cannot sign more two players in any single season.
Stage 4: Having proven his worth, Shankly now find himself at a club who matched his ambitions when he moved to Liverpool. Floundering in the Second Division when he joined, Shankly soon turned them round and by 1964 they were First Division Champions. Shankly won the league twice more, added two F.A. Cups (the first in the club’s history) and won the UEFA Cup. He never claimed the European Cup, however, coming closest when Liverpool were dumped out in the semi finals in 1965 in controversial circumstance against Inter Milan.
*You must now take over any ‘fallen giant’ in English football. To qualify as a fallen giant, the club must have claimed at least three major domestic honours in its past (at least one of which must have been the Premiership – or old First Division – title) but not won a trophy in the five years prior to your appointment. You must guide this club to three Premiership titles, win the F.A. Cup twice and go one better than Shankly, laying your hands on the European Cup itself.
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