Kop 10 perfect matches

And so for those of you who weren't snowed under a mound of Valentine's cards this morning, we've put together a special gift.

Seeing as countless, unique partnerships have helped make the club great over the decades, we picked-out our Kop 10 Perfect Matches.

1. Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley

"Bob and I never had any rows. We didn't have any time for that. We had to plan where we were going to keep all the cups we won." - Bill Shankly.

Shankly and Paisley, two of the greatest figures in the history of English football, made the perfect double act. There was the funny man alongside the straight man, ultimate wit partnering quiet reserve. Shankly arrived in 1959 and won three first divisions, two FA Cups and a UEFA Cup. But more importantly, he laid the foundations for Liverpool to conquer Europe and for Paisley to win six league titles, three European Cups and three League Cups in the years that followed.

Paisley summed up their special relationship best when he said: "Bill put steel tips on his shoes so people knew he was coming, whereas I'd be happy in my slippers."

2. Ian Rush and Kenny Dalglish

Dalglish was the genius, the brains, the man who cut through everything in his path. The Scot scored goals - great goals - but he was never a 25/30-goals-a-season man. Then Ian Rush arrived from Chester City for £300,000 in 1980 and something magical happened. The Welshman was the ultimate goalscorer, he was a predator.

Rush had the pace and the ability to make the runs in front of Dalglish and the pair were on the same wave length. Dalglish provided the ammunition for Rushie to cement his name in the record books as Liverpool's all-time record goal scorer with 346. In the same side, the deadly duo won four league titles, two FA Cups and a European Cup.

3. John Toshack and Kevin Keegan

Toshack would rise and Keegan would know exactly where the ball was going to land. It was the classic 'little and large' partnership which was the driving force behind Bill Shankly's second great side.

The importance of their partnership was at its most apparent when, after poor weather conditions rained-off the 1973 UEFA Cup final at Anfield and caused the game to be abandoned after 27 minutes, Bill Shankly looked at the Borussia Monchengladbach side and noticed that defender Gunter Netzer was susceptible in the air. So he opted for Toshack over Brian Hall to partner Keegan in the replay the next day. The pair combined effortlessly as Keegan struck twice before Larry Lloyd added a third.

4. Ian St John and Sir Roger Hunt

They were the prolific attacking force of Shankly's first great team. Hunt was the scorer, St. John played in a deeper role as the pair combined to lift Liverpool out of the old second division. 'The Saint' was aggressive and burly while Hunt was like a ghost who would drift into positions and score from anywhere, at any time.

Between them they netted an astonishing 341 goals in 386 appearances for Liverpool. They were both on the score sheet on that historic day when Liverpool beat Leeds at Wembley to lift the FA Cup for the first time in the club's 73-year history in 1965.

5. Mark Lawrenson and Alan Hansen

When Liverpool ruled the world, Hansen and Lawrenson were the imperious stalwarts who guarded the back-door. What made their partnership so special and unique, especially for the time, was that they were not the archetypal defensive duo.

They could both bring the ball out of defence; they were both European-style footballers. It was like having two Beckenbauers at the heart of the Reds' back-line. Shankly would later hail this continental brand of defensive play and the impact it had on Liverpool Football Club.

He said: "When [the Europeans] play the ball from the back, they play in little groups. The pattern of the opposition changes as they change. This set the pattern which was followed by Alan Hansen in later years. We realised that you can't score a goal every time you get the ball. And we learned this from Europe."

6. Peter Beardsley and John Barnes

Signed by Kenny Dalglish roughly around the same time in the summer of 1987, they became the bed-rock of one of the greatest teams the world has ever seen. Along with John Aldridge, they led the line for King Kenny's great '88 side and complimented each other perfectly.

Barnes was the matador who flew down the touchline to pick-out Aldridge in the middle while Beardsley was in the hole, using his agility and cunning to play little one-twos or delicate flicks. They were two of the most outstanding individuals in world football at the time and their brilliance cemented Liverpool's status as the best team in the country, by a mile.

7. Peter Robinson and John Smith

They were the soul of 'The Liverpool Way' off the pitch and behind the scenes. They were the ultimate professionals and made an efficient pairing. In Robinson, Liverpool had one of the country's great administrators while Smith was the perfect chairman.

Just as Liverpool managers seamlessly changed the make-up of team on the park, the two men at the helm seamlessly changed the management. They appointed Bob Paisley when Shankly dropped the bombshell of his retirement in 1974. Then they brought in Joe Fagan to replace Paisley and were able to maintain the essence of the bootroom when appointing Kenny Dalglish as player-manager in 1986. They ran Liverpool like a well-oiled machine.

8. Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres

Before his departure for London at the end of January last year, the Spaniard was well on his way to being considered an Anfield legend after netting 81 goals in 142 games. His partnership with Steven Gerrard was the most electric in Europe during the back end of the 2008-2009 season and, statistically, the duo are one of the most prolific strike-pairings in the club's history.

Memorable nights like the ones when Inter Milan were dismantled at the San Siro, Real Madrid swept aside and that thriller of a Champions League tie against Arsenal at Anfield, go alongside victories like the one at Old Trafford, where Torres and Gerrard were simply unplayable.

9.  Sami Hyypia and Stephane Henchoz

Hyypia and Henchoz may not have been as decorated in terms of medals as Hansen and Lawrenson but when it came to reading each other's mind and understanding the others' movements, the two foreign imports certainly went to lengths in emulating their predecessors.

Hyypia arrived from Willem II in May 1999 and proved to be one of the finest buys in the club's recent history. He captained the club in 2000-2001 in Jamie Redknapp's absence and formally took the captain's armband in April 2002 after Redknapp left the club. Henchoz arrived a month later from relegated Blackburn.

And last but not least...10. The 12^th man and the first 11

Bill Shankly once remarked that the Kop was capable of sucking the ball into the goal such was the sheer passion and fervour of the famous old stand.

And in the 128 years since Anfield was built, the crowd has, on so many legendary nights, carried the team through wind and rain to glory. It was the home of rivals Everton up until Liverpool's formation in 1892 and in the years since, Anfield has witnessed some truly breathtaking nights.

Games like the ones against Inter Milan in 1965, St. Etienne in 1977, Roma in 2002 and Chelsea in 2005, have proved beyond doubt that the match between the 12^th man and the first 11 was one truly made in heaven.

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