I find it hard to believe that one year has passed since Kenny Dalglish returned to the Anfield hot seat. The S.O.S. was sent out to his cruise ship from the hierarchy at Liverpool last January and thankfully Dalglish came to our rescue. It was troubled times at Liverpool under Roy Hodgson as results were not good enough in the quest for a top four place, so things had to change, and who better to steady the ship than Kenny Dalglish. Dalglish is a legend in this part of the country and there couldn’t be a better man for the job to get Liverpool back to where they belong.
Dalglish’s first match in charge was at Old Trafford in the FA Cup, which he lost 1-0 but the result didn’t seem to matter to the supporters, it was the fact that Kenny was back. In his first month in charge he lost star striker, Torres to Chelsea but he reacted by bringing in Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll in an amazing couple of days at the end of the transfer window.
The rest of the season Liverpool played with a passion that had been lacking and an exciting passing style that the supporters were enjoying. Great wins at Chelsea and a convincing win at Anfield against Manchester United were the highlights of the remainder of the season, but disappointment of not qualifying for Europe as Tottenham just edged Liverpool for a Europa League place. But Dalglish worked wonders in a short space of time with the squad he had available to him. Dalglish gave some youngsters a chance in the first team, with the likes of Martin Kelly, Jay Spearing, Jack Robinson and John Flanagan all featuring and looking more than capable of stepping into the first team.
The summer saw a hive of activity at Anfield with Charlie Adam, Downing, Jose Enrique, Coates and Craig Bellamy all arriving to strengthen the squad. The first half of the season has been one which has saw Liverpool play some very exciting football and creating a lot of chances, but not seeing the reward their play deserves with scoring goals being a problem. Liverpool are in a good position as they chase a top four spot and they have managed to book a place in the semi-final of the Carling Cup, so the team is improving all the time under the leadership of Dalglish,
But where Dalglish has really proved his worth is the way he has brought a togetherness at the club and protected his players and the club. In recent weeks Liverpool has been under the spotlight with the Suarez ban and more recently the problem with a supporter at the Oldham match the other evening. But Dalglish has stuck by his principals, his beliefs, his players and his club, when so much criticism has been thrown at the club. Many a manager would have exploded at the constant interrogation from the media, but Kenny has dealt with the issues and kept his focus.
If the next year is as exciting and as improving as the last year then it will be a good year to be a Liverpool supporter with Dalglish leading the way. There is only one King and I’m glad we have him.
Totally agree that Kenny has been a MASSIVE inspiration to the squad and club as a whole. Unfortunately the Suarez incident was a PR catastrophe which could have been avoided but I agree that a lesser manager may have walked as a result, so happy to see we are coming through together as one.
Yr article is well written bt of course there is mo’ room 4 improvemnt 4 da king & considerin’ da oppositn we have had in da Carling Cup on away grounds, i think we DESERVE were we are & even more not really ‘managed to be in da semi final’.
Just to think if Kenny never left Liverpool during his first spell, would Utd have won so many league titles?