Football is a game of opinion and always will be. My opinion is that Kenny Dalglish is the best manager for Liverpool Football Club at this moment in time. I’m not writing this piece to say everything Dalglish has done in 16 months has been perfect because I would be telling an untruth. But it was never going to be a quick fix after 18 months of turgidity. The famed Liverpool supporters were always deemed to be the most knowledgeable in the world. At this moment in time I’m beginning to doubt that assertion still holds true.
Upon arrival Dalglish made three big instant decisions. Two of them have proven to be inspired the other a calamity. Two out of three ain’t bad, that right Meatie? Suarez came; The Traitor left for a small fortune, Newcastle Brown Ale’s finest came for £15m less. No sackable offence yet methinks. His great man management skills and a good appointment as coach in Steve Clarke led to Liverpool being the second best team in the country over second half of last season. Yet the playing staff had overachieved in those final months, fuelled by an injection of the feel good factor caused by the King’s return.
Many people expected the miracle to continue given the £30m net injection to come in the summer. The problem was that Dalglish’s first choice targets went to the best team in the country. Jones and Young declined the chance to add pace and quality to a squad lacking in both. The deadwood left in a manner which drew widespread praise for the now departed Director of Football Damien Comolli. What happened next has led to widespread criticism by those jumping on the ‘Sack Kenny’ soap box. Downing and Henderson joined for a combined £36m. Their lack of impact in season one of the ‘project’ is the main reason for a growing minority wishing for change.
Downing had a slow start at Villa before coming good and may do similar at Anfield. He was bought at an obvious mark up after Young’s rejection had preceded Sylvain Marveaux’s medical failure. The Frenchman subsequently was taken in by manager of the season Alan Pardew where he has spent all season on the treatment table. Liverpool got that one right, Newcastle got it wrong. Just like Newcastle got it right by taking a chance on Ben Arfa, a known trouble maker at his previous club. Looking back now Kenny did err by not risking that deal rather than overpaying for the less troublesome and more reliable Downing. One right, one wrong. A sackable offence though?
Could Henderson be the new Lucas? At times this season we have seen the talent but it seems hindered by a lack of confidence shown previously on his England debut at Wembley. He is young and will improve. He has been played out of position for most of season but has got on with it. His nervy disposition won’t have been helped by the impatience of an audience who love nothing better than a scapegoat. How Lucas survived a similar ordeal and prospered is a testament to the character of the man. He certainly wasn’t helped through it by his ‘knowledgeable’ audience. It is far too early to judge Jordan but it won’t stop him being hung, drawn and quartered by the Twitterati.
The other signings have been a mix. Enrique started brilliantly and faded. Adam started well too but has looked lost since the injury to Lucas robbed him of a player who would compliment his talents. Coates has shown glimpses of real potential. All cost £7m or less. Bellamy has been consistently excellent and cost nothing. Skrtel has been a revelation at the back, Agger also allowed freedom to play. The team has played consistently the best football seen at Anfield since the Evans era was at its zenith. A mixture of bad luck and bad finishing has cost us dear in the league where we probably lie a conservative 25 points off where we deserve to be, performance wise. Yes, we should be third based on performances.
In some of our cup games we haven’t played that well but have won. Sods law. The doubters who point to results not performances conveniently don’t take cup results into the equation. Funny that. When Maxi and Kuyt miss sitters, it’s the mangers fault. When the same players were scoring for fun at the end of last season, nobody uttered a word. Many supporters only want results and can’t see the bigger picture. Liverpool as a club is moving forward again after a few years of turmoil on and off the pitch. They now have a decent squad and a solid base of young players to build on. Nobody knows young starlets like Raheem Sterling better than Dalglish. Yet some wish for a third manager in less than three years and more instability. Madness.
Patience is what has led to Wigan’s recent ascent, to Arsenal’s revival and to Everton’s continual overachievement. When David Moyes had two poor league finishes early on in his reign many wanted his head too. Same with Alex Ferguson after four years of mediocrity and wild spending at United. For lack of patience read another so called ‘knowledgeable’ Liverpool supporter……..Steve Morgan at Wolves. Give people time to build a club and they will build it. Panic and you end up like Chelsea, all the money in the world but no chance of building a Roman empire which lasts.
Dalglish is not perfect and the fact he is the idol of many should not exempt him from blame when he gets it wrong. But if we wish to cast him as the villain based on selective results and think that anyone else can walk in and make us champions again in five minutes, we are living in a fantasy world. Some wish us to be dull and win again like we did briefly under Rafa. Some with us to be hated by all and have Jose build us a two year legacy before moving on again. Nearly all condemn Kenny for making us a cup team when the reality is we have been one for 22 years.
If in twelve months time Liverpool is still eighth or ninth in the league table of course the Kenny question will have to be revisited and action will be taken. Rightly so. I don’t expect that will be the case though. I just hope our new owners have the foresight to give a man with a history of winning the chance to build on a squad which is now far better than the one he inherited. To panic now like Chelsea did with Ancelotti 12 months ago would damage the club badly without the unlimited funds to spend our way out of the chaos that would ensue. I once pleaded with our owners to sell Fernando Torres. I now ask them to ignore the whispering campaign in the social media and beyond. Give Kenny Dalglish the chance to make Liverpool great again….
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