WHICH brake spring pliers for the job?

I haven't done them for over 30 years but I think we used to just stick a screwdriver in there. Put the spring on the end of a screwdriver, poke it through the hole in the shoe, then just hook it to the little "squarish clip" while holding the clip to the back side of the backing plate with your finger. Make sure the springs are in good shape. I had some that were worn out & it caused the shoes to wear unevenly across the surface. Even my shop teacher couldn't figure it out. Took me a while too. It's worth putting in new ones.