Liverpool's final home game of the season, against Wolverhampton Wanderers, will be charged with emotion, as Liverpool fans say their sad farewells to Jurgen Klopp, after eight and a half glorious years at Anfield.  During that time, Klopp will have amassed nearly 500 games in charge of Liverpool, winning just about every major honour there is to win.

But who is Liverpool's longest serving manager?  Read the table below and then join us for analysis :

1. Bill Shankly - 783 game
2. Tom Watson - 742 games
3. Bob Paisley - 535 Games
4. Jurgen Klopp - 466 games (at the time of writing this article)
5. George Patterson - 384 games
6. Kenny Dalglish - 381 games
7. George Kay - 354 games
8. Rafa Benitez - 350 games
9. Gerard Houllier - 307 games
10. Don Welsh - 232 games

It will come as little surprise to learn that Bill Shankly is Liverpool's longest serving manager, with a whopping 783 games in charge! Shankly was in charge of the Reds for fourteen and a half years, from December 1959 until July 1974.  During that time, he rescued Liverpool from the Second Division, turning them into the footballing powerhouse we know today.

Not far behind Shankly, with 742 games in charge, is Tom Watson.  Watson is much less familiar than Shankly, mainly due to him manager the Reds over 100 years ago.  Watson took charge in 1896, and stayed with the club for nineteen years, until his death in 1915.  Watson has the honour of leading Liverpool to their first League Title, in 1901.

Shankly's successor - Bob Paisley - is third on the list, with 535 games in charge.  Following Shankly seemed an impossible task, yet nine years later Paisley had become England's most successful manager, with six League Titles, three European Cups, one UEFA Cup and three League Cups.

So what of Klopp?  He currently sits 4th of the list of longest serving Liverpool Managers, and barring an unlikely change of heart, will stay in 4th spot, even with another 20+ games to play this season.  In an era where managers come and go, with owners showing little patience or loyalty, to remain with one club for eight and a half years is remarkable, especially given the pressure to succeed at a club like Liverpool.  Klopp's story and legacy is similar to Shankly - having taken a tired and underperforming team, and turning them into one of the best teams in Europe.  His departure too has echoes of Shankly, with his shock retirement taking Liverpool fans completely by surprise!

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