No Statue For Bob

There's currently a lot of talk and even a petition doing the rounds for Bob Paisley to get a statue as part of the redevelopment of Anfield. Personally, I completely disagree with this idea. It's nothing to do with how I feel about Bob Paisley. In my opinion he is the greatest football manager of all time. But it is rather to do simply with the idea of a statue and what it represents in modern football.

When Liverpool unveiled the statue in honour of Bill Shankly, it was quite a unique thing. Not many clubs had statues honouring ex-players or managers, and those that did were for very special individuals. In fact, at the time the Bill Shankly statue was unveiled I believe the only other football statues in existence were Stanley Matthews at Stoke from 1987, and Billy Wright at Wolves, Jackie Milburne at Newcastle, and Matt Busby at Manchester United that were erected the year before Bill Shankly's figure in 1996.

However, since then, and particularly over the past few years, statues to honour of ex-players have become more and more common in the UK, almost to the point where it's not really an honour any more. Arsenal have been especially fanatic when it comes to statues, seemingly creating one for anyone who ever played for them, so much so that you'd be forgiven for mistaking the Emirates for an Anthony Gormley piece.

I don't know who came up with the idea for the Bob Paisley statue, and I certainly hold nothing against them for it because Bob Paisley is a man who definitely deserves honouring. But I can't help but feel they just saw all these other clubs throwing up new statues left right and centre and decided we need to do it as well. Unfortunately, that is not Liverpool. Well not the Liverpool I know anyway. Yes, Bob Paisley deserves honouring, but not by doing something that every other club does. I wouldn't want Bob Paisley to be lost in a sea of statues.

At Anfield, outside The Spion Kop, a statue of Bill Shankly stands proudly. And rightly so. Looking out upon fans arriving at the stadium in one of his most famous poses. Telling first time visitors to Anfield who we are, and reassuring the locals who return week after week. Anfield does not need another statue. But to get to that statue, you have to pass through a gateway. That gateway is there in honour of Bob Paisley. Not many ex players or managers have gateways. The most famous gateways in football are named after Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley. This is a unique tribute to those men, a fitting tribute. A Liverpool tribute. The Bob Paisley gateway says all that needs to be said about the great man, and I think he would have liked it that way.

@adamheath