The return of Kenny Dalglish as manager of Liverpool Football Club has given everyone concerned a new lease of life and brought about a buzz of excitement and expectation that had been missing from the Red half of Mersey for a couple of years. There is no doubt that the Reds have done better, and that today, we find ourselves in a much better position than in the same stage of proceedings last year, but it does not stop there.
The ownership has made funds available even though when the computations are made, the money invested in transfers since their takeover has not exceeded Stg 50 million, which means that with players coming and going, the Reds have spent the same amount recovered from the sale of Fernando Torres. The remaining funds were all recovered from sale of players that have moved on. I’m not complaining, I am just saying that the bottom line is that investment in the squad has been diligent (that is the best definition I found on the spur of the moment).
It would be legitimate to argue that FSG will expect the Reds to win some silverware this season, with a spot in the top four positions seen possibly as a minimum requirement. Above anything else, it seems that a quick return to Champions League football is top priority. This hypothesis would be further strengthened should more funds be made available in January to fine-tune the squad in an effort to make this target achievable.
The question is: should the Reds fail to land Champions League football, and should they fail to land any silverware, will Kenny Dalglish & Co get the chop? Will the ambitions of John Henry & Co induce them to go for a change in management? Or will they be patient and give Kenny the time he deems necessary to make Liverpool a force to be reckoned with?
This eventuality will definitely cause outrage amongst the Liverpool faithful where King Kenny is an unquestioned idol, but we also know that football is a big money business and anything can happen. Kenny himself could consider stepping down if none of these targets are reached. This possible end-of-season scenario will automatically generate speculation on possible successors. Here are currently three options of managers that have the right pedigree and that are currently waiting for the right Club to call:
RAFA BENITEZ – during his 6 year reign at Anfield, Rafa Benitez managed to win a miraculous Champions League title, lost a repeat final to AC Milan, took home an FA Cup thanks to Steven Gerrard’s heroics, and lost a title the Reds had already practically won after entering a bout of mind games with SAF which eventually backfired against us. There was also a Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup added to the trophy room. It is no secret that the Spaniard still has a residence on Merseyside, and he has made no secret of his desire to manage the Reds again. Rafa guided the Reds in 350 competitive games, winning 194, drawing 77 and losing 79.
MARTIN O’NEILL – is one of the most respected managers in the Premier League. He quit Aston Villa on the eve that the season was due to start and took a sabbatical (after four seasons), as least that is what we thought as he remained away from the scene for a second season running. Four years at Villa Park saw him win 80, draw 60 and lose 50 out of 190 games, winning not titles or trophies but propelling the Villans amongst the top 6 teams on more than one occasion. The Irishman is still waiting for the right ‘occasion’ to come along and the top job at Anfield could offer the right ingredients to lure him back into management.
CARLO ANCELOTTI – the Italian tactician came to Chelsea after an eight year spell with Italian giants Ac Milan. In his first year of tenure at Stamford Bridge, the Italian guided the Blues to the Premier League and FA Cup double, and in his two seasons in charge won 67, drew 20 and lost 22 out of 109 games. He was relieved of his position after the last game of last season and has frequently been quoted as claiming to want to continue managing in the Premier League. Long time friend Leonardo is attempting to lure him to PSG but Ancelotti has so far resisted the temptation, having also refused the takeover AC Roma in the summer, apparently waiting for the right occasion to take charge one of England’s best.
We must also consider that another top Premier League club might have a similar vacancy come the end of the season. With Capello leaving his post after the Euro Championships, there is growing speculation that Harry Redknapp will take over, leaving the management seat at White Hart Lane vacant. In this case both Ancelotti and O’Neill could be contenders to take over, while Rafa will probably pass……!
My aspiration is for us to land a top four spot and with Kenny at the helm. Not because I think he is a brilliant tactician and not because he offers us the best technical alternatives, but because he is who he is. A living legend who has Liverpool Red in his DNA and who has put a smile on our face following a period of doom and gloom both on and off the pitch. Technical knowledge is essential in today’s game but so is motivation and belief….something our players seem to lack every now and then!
The only team ‘appy arry will be managing is Lags XI.Kenny is unsackable.The vitriol H n G got will be nothing to what FSG get if they try to remove him
It’s why he never should have gone past last season. If he gets its wrong, it impairs his legacy. It’s a crucial time to manage lfc, we need top 4 this season or else well nvr get back. We don’t have limitless funds like city.
Dalglish is unsackable, certainly for the new few seasons. And I believe he can bring us silverwear also. If that is the Premier League, not sure.
I would never support Liverpool if they brought Rafa came back. The defensive durge of the last 4 years I cannot go through again thank you!
That defensive durge gave LFC more than 100 goals during one of Rafa’s seasons in charge! And he would be welcomed back by the majority of Liverpool fans!
You will also wait an awful long time for KK to succeed,he will be replaced!
I love this !!! almost every single reds fan had enuff of benitez and i was one of them but u get people like yourself who look back at his record and want him back ? the fact of the matter is his record couldnt save him when he went so why take a step backwards and bring him in? the man who won us a champions league (with G,H’s team) and an fa cup (thanks to gerrard) and the man who got rid of alonso for barry !!!!! only to lose out on him !!!!! enuff said. ok we can look at kenny and see carroll :( and the likes of downing and adam and so on but give him time …… we have been patient as it is so a little longer isnt gonna kill us! RANT OVER.
“look at Kenny and see Carroll, Downing, and Adam and son on”?
Are you crazy? Kenny doesn’t buy players. If Rafa won the CL with G.H. team it should speak volumes for Rafa because he did something G.H. could not with the same players.
If Rafa had had the backing that Kenny enjoys now, I think we’d have a lot to look forward too.
@craig-You must know that during rafa’s reigh he never had the amount of money like kenny have to spent,what can you do to get quality player??? Kenny have this preveillege but he spent it on average player and so call future player,it doesn’t make any sense why you have to spent 16million on future player,even if you wanna make a profitable business in the future i’m sure there’s a lot of quality youth out there.
I think if we finish sixth and no silverware Kenny will be afforded a ‘transitional’ season but if no closer to top 4 / silverware next season questions will be asked I’m sure!
King kenny is the man 90% of red fans want as manager,but he must make this shower sweat and die for the red shirt,we have too many players who from what i have seen are not giving 100%
downing,carroll,henderson leave a lot to be desired,and one or
two others dont seem to be up to the job,now if comolli is the man buying these players iam not impressed.King kenny needs
to take full control of these matters and buy some real class
and to ship out these wasters.Also it would be a good move if we can push the younger local players and get them ready for
the step up the first team squad.
Kenny for the moment is not sack able not because of his stature at Liverpool because quite simply has not been given enough time. If the targets are not met or a poor finish in the table is the outcome. He will do whats best for Liverpool and what that is I don’t know but I certainly trust he’s judgement.
I think Rafa would do good under the new owners. With money to spend, he’d buy better players than what Kenny has bought in. But I think Kenny can bring success to LFC. He just needs a little more time to learn how the game has changed, that English players suck, that 4-4-2 doesn’t quite work anymore, and not to play players out of their positions unless they are really talented. I believe Kenny will deliver.
We can’t argue; the team has taken quantum leaps from last season. Even the last third of last season. We pass and move well and create buckets full of chances. It was always going to be a bumpy ride. Look at Man city. It took time to get a new team to gel. It will also need 3-4 super high quality additions to the squad.
I am as impatient aswell, but I can’t close my eyes to the bloody obvious. We have improved by miles and miles. Now, let’s stick to the plan and not let impatience get in our way again shall we?
Tonio, don’t you think your article is too premeditated?
I’m sorry, but I just think this talk about questioning KK works very hard to bring the doubt and gloom of last year’s mid season that Kenny has worked very hard to dispel.
He is not a miracle worker and certainly not a magician, but King Kenny has what it takes. This is the view of not one, not two but a majority of the Kop faithful.
I fail to understand this lack of patience. Yes, we all want siverware but since we have waited for so long, why don’t we build a proper platform to achieve sustainable success.
All this doubt over Kenny’s prowess and even naming possible replacement candidates is too premature and not in the right spirit!
I’m sorry for being critical, but it’s just my opinion!
Hi Rahul. No not really. No premeditation here. Did anyone expect Torrres to leave last January. Most Red fans hate him now but we were all shocked when he left! That is football. You need to understand that this is a blog and a blog lives on discussion. If you read the article well I have raised no criticism on Kenny who I vividly remember play and whom I adore just as the rest of you. This is football, and in today’s game it’s more about the money than the sport.
I reiterate that the intention is for a continued discussion, because these blogs are read and these blogs express the feelings of the massive support this club has.
My role here is to raise debate on possible scenarios. There are no conspiracy theories in the making here, rest assured.
For everything said and done, lets try and enjoy the present. I want them to win the title, win all domestic cups, win the Champs league and have all our players be shoo ins for international games but that doesn’t just happen. Just like rhumba said, look at city. Even through some disappointing times they persevered with Mancini and he is paying them back now.
They play good football and have built a good squad. They are regularly contesting for quality young talent and setting up a huge base for themselves. Sure it took shi* loads of money but eventually they realised that a lot of money was to be made if they built a successful team.
And that’s where the crux lies. Yes football’s increasingly becoming money oriented success dictates money and time assures success. Plus no one can put a price on what Kenny offers Liverpool FC.
Amen Rahul!
Sorry Rahul US dead right. I think even questioning the sackability of Kenny is So uneccessary. Sometimes making debate where there is one can be indirectly seen as not supporting our manager.
I love Benitez and would have him back tomorrow if there was anyone other than Kenny leading the club.
The only selfish bone Kenny has in his body is winning he they és on it. If he doesn’t feel he can do the jub he’ll stand down. He loves the fans to much to keep going for his own needs.
Sorry, this discussion is just irrelevant at this time and us just stirring things when the club and fans needs to be calm. Stop with these knee jerk arguements.
The discussion is always relevant. I was not inciting a revolt, I was just writing considerations. Some people, like you, are a bit more sensitive than others, buts its all in perspective Shaun. There is no knee jerking here mate, it’s the world of football as it is today!
The world of football (tabloid newspaper/Sky journalism) today is not part of LFC’s make up and I and thankful to that.
LFC no longer wash their dirty washing in public.
Hold a unified front against criticism
TAKES THE POSITIVES and never exploits the negative
We don’t discuss others and their problems
Praise football when it is played well
Don’t get involved in speculation.
I don’ think this article helps at all
Sorry mate
Respect your views mate.
Liverpool are light years ahead of this time last season, on and off the pitch…………..KK know’s some tinkering is needed with the current formation and player’s!!!!.We now play football and we are good to watch……KK is the right man but must be fair to the players in form!!!!
Enough of this crap about Benitez. This line only enhances the myth of that rant “lost a title the Reds had already practically won after entering a bout of mind games with SAF which eventually backfired against us.”
If look at the results bar that result against Stoke after the so called rant we went and won 12 drew 4 and lost 1 of the remaining 17 games after that game. So this practically we won the League doesn’t fly one bit. The fact is at that time what cost us the League is due to our bad run coinciding with Utd’s unbelievable run of the odd 1 goal victories and clean sheets. We made them win the League in the end nothing more we could do.
Yes but we were 5/6 points ahead at one point if I remember correctly, and that was in the final run in. You did contradict yourself a bit here because you had a go at me for saying we lost in the mind games to SAF, and then you write ‘We made them win the League in the end nothing more we could do’. In fact there was something we could have done….that was being consistent and not play mind games with an old fox like Ferguson!
We needed to administer that advantage game by game instead it withered away through our inconsistency.
We withered away by winning 10 of the last 11 League games since the defeat to Middlesborough. It has being our most consistent season to date in the Premier League.
agreed 100%.
Hold your horses Gary! :-)
I always thought Rafa was unable to risk it in the later part of games. We would sub off the right back and bring on another with 10 minutes to go. He was always too scared of loosing to go for the win. He did a lot of good things at Liverpool but towards the end, there was a feeling of time to move on. Dalglish has done that both on and off the pitch.
He was unable to risk it in the latter part of games, the fact we were side which were feared again and it that season turned around winning more points in the last 10 min of games than any other side that season. The feeling towards the end was clouded by the amount of shit he had to deal with. I am suprised he didn’t walk on a good few occasions during the Hicks and Gilett reign over the club.
Dalglish has done what I expected but what seems to be creeping in is the Soccer AM generation starting to get impatient already. This is something that Dalglish is not used too.
I think people are forgetting that Kenny isn’t even responsible for looking for players. Comolli does all that.
No player is bought unless he gets the nod from Kenny! It’s not Comolli that sends the players on the pitch. The Manager usually informs the Director Of Football what is required and the latter is the responsible to find the right player for that position, at the right price, and he must be willing to join us (and the club wanting to sell of course).
Houllier also finished second in 2002, are people calling for his return? The fact is youre only as good as your last season in football and Benitez finished fifth in his last year playing the most boring, dire football i have seen at LFC in my lifetime. Remember him urging the players to sit back and defend even at anfield? This was embarassing and against the Liverpool way.
As for Martin o’neill, he has and always will hate LFC, this stems from his days as a Nottm Forest player when Souness and Case used to regularly beat him up!! Everytime an interviewer asked him down the years about him managing LFC, he would snap at them and show his obvious displeasure at being linked with our club. He hates us and quite frankly the feeling is mutual as far as i’m concerned!
i hate posts like this. We are only 11 games into the season and already listing possible replacements for a manager that we all love.
Why not post something useful? Something to encourage the fans to shout even louder?
Poor
Hey Mark, why don’t you post something useful mate? If I had not posted that article you would not have answered. It’s a matter of raising debate and NOT taking it personally! Did you read the last paragraph by the way?
this article give the rafa people a chance to open old wounds that kenny has tryed to heal
Adrian I never said I wanted Rafa back. I actually think Rafa should have left the year he lost the title to Man Utd! There are too many old wounds my friend, one cock-up after the other.
Your last paragraph does not justify your article it is just some sort of cop out. Why suggest that KK could be sacked if you don’t want it. Strange!
I might have not expressed myself well or people might have interpreted it wrongly. What I said is that I don’t deem Kenny to be a brilliant tactician or technician, I believe his strenghts are in other areas. I also said that I would love him to success, but I did raise the concern that perhaps the ownership might not have the patience if targets are not met. The inclusion of the three currently unemployed managers was only to raise debate, and raise debate they did, especially Rafa!
hello guy´s,
i think kk is a good coach, sometimes he made bad and wrong “tacticle” dessisons but i think also he will do it with the time! but what i don´t understand, why everyone hates downing and henderson, the are great! downing brings so much fresh air on the wings ! and henderson has got the eye , he is young but a great player, he needs some time ! i think he will be the captain one time! so kk was right in my opinion to buy these players
I literally am finding it hard to digest the sudden clamour (vast bulk of which is from online fans) to discuss Kennys future. It’s November in his first season back with a plethora of new players and backroom team. Every fan is entitled to their opinion but please please reserve judgement until he has at the very least one full season under his belt. Preferably until after his contract. Kenny is the man for Liverpool. He didn’t become a dimwit over night. The man has one of the shrewdest brains in football and knows the club inside out and top to bottom. He knows what the fans want and more importantly he knows the ingredients required to build a title winning side and he knows the ingredients required to build a happy dressing room. Get off Kennys back. Get off Andy Carrolls back. Get off the teams back. Get off the owners backs and support your team. We’re Liverpool Football Club. We’re different, or at least we used to be. Form is temporary, class is permanent.
HEAR HEAR!
I agree. This lack of patience amongst football fans in the modern era is wearing thin. SAF (dare i speak his name) met similar difficulties in his first few seasons and look what he has been able to do since.
New owners, new manager, new team (including revamped backbone). The cliche “time to gel” is a fair one applicable to liverpool’s current situation.
Will i be disappointed if we don’t make top 4 this season – Yes, but i can understand why (when the big 4 have now become the sizeable 6 yet competing for the same 4 spots)
Will i be calling for anyone’s head – No. Because a change will only force a new cycle of regeneration with new manager and players.
CL berths from epl must be raised to 5….:-)
Narain, perhaps you can explain why the cliche “time to gel” was not used when Roy was appointed?? Was it unfair?!
We cannot deny most of us Liverpool fans are double faced, if we appoint a coach we like, then we afford him time, if we dislike “he doesn’t need time”!!! if it was any other coach in place of Kenny right now, Anfield would have been filled with boos!!
Not to mention Hodgson came under the H&G regime. Two weights two measures. It was clear the players and the supporters wanted Kenny in the first place so the signing on fee and the settlement money paid to Hodgson were yet another total waste of money! But then would Kenny have taken the job under H&G?
Its too early to think beyond kk rt now…. This s a topic that has to be discussed in next march…. What we need a captain who can inspire at the moment… With all respect to carra, suarez must be the captain…. Let the energy of wizard flow to other muggles in our team..We want a van persie rt now not a new coach…
Our capt is Gerrard and don’t forget it!!!
i meant suarez to captain our team only in games where steve G cant play…with suarez desire to extent his contract ,he s alreay alegend… Steve g for me s THE INVINCIBLE… He s some one who inspire me everyday while playin football or while stuck with roadblocks of life.. WHO CAN FORGET ISTANBUL,THE GREATEST CMEBACK .. when i have a baby boy his name will be steven… Steve G s MESSIAH of our time… He can do no wrong…
Nothing to do with the subject really, but for those persistent detractors of our midfielder Lucas Leiva, he just played the full 90 minutes for his country in 2-0 victory over Eygpt. Obviously I am referring to Brazil not Malta or Cyprus (with all due respect).
It doesn’t matter who the man in charge is. At the end of the day, it is the current success that counts, not who’s in charge.
As for Kenny i still think he needs time, but unless he changes his English philosophy, and paying lump sum for English players, that time may be too short.
if we look at downings past years ,he needs a season under his belt then the real downing will appear trust me downing will prove all his doubters wrong …as for carrol i think he needs confidence and that comes with playing time lets be patient
If we didn’t have Kenny, I’d take Benitez back in a heartbeat. But we do have Kenny. End of discussion.