After Rafa Benitez’s sacking on Thursday, it was announced that Managing Director Christan Purslow and Kenny Dalglish would be the two men drawing up the shortlist for Liverpool’s new manager. Although Purslow and the rest of the board will have a big say on who the next manager will be, Kenny Dalglish, with his knowledge of the game and club as well as unequalled admiration among Liverpool fans, will be instrumental in drawing up a shortlist of names to take up the vacant managerial position.
The crucial question becomes then: who will Dalglish recommend to Purslow and the board? In recent days, reports have surfaced on two possible candidates for the position as manager. On Skysports.com, a stunning revelation that Harry Redknapp could be a surprise candidate for the job while at the weekend Roy Hodgson was touted in many newspapers as being in pole position for the role. The reason for both being so high on Liverpool’s wish list could be attributed to both manager’s having successful seasons but the reasoning in both cases could be because of their relationship with Dalglish.
King Kenny has a very good relationship with both managers. In Harry’s case, the relationship goes back to 1991 when Dalglish bought his son Jamie from Redknapp Senior’s club Bournemouth. They have kept in close contact since then and their families are said to get on very well. In regards to Hodgson, it goes back even further to the 80s when Roy was manager of Malmo in Sweden. Hodgson won 5 league titles with the Swedish team and Dalglish has tremendous respect for the 62 year old managerial abilities.
So what about the relationship between him and Martin O’Neill? Well, there isn’t one to be precise. Kenny Dalglish took over as Celtic Caretaker Manager after John Barnes was sacked in the year 2000. Previously, Kenny had been the Director of Football but once O’Neill came in as manager for the start of the 2000/01 season, it became a pretty difficult situation. O’Neill likes to have his own staff and has gone on record in the past about his dislike of Directors of Football. It looked like Dalglish’s days were numbered.
O’Neill definitely likes to get his own way on footballing matters and changes were quickly made to the backroom staff. Out went Tommy Burns and Marc Rieper as assistants to O’Neill and in came John Robertson and Steve Walford from O’Neill’s former team Leicester. It is not known if O’Neill and Dalglish ever spoke to each other but Kenny quickly left Celtic Park as O’Neill went about making his own mark on the club. O’Neill certainly didn’t like the squad he inherited from Barnes and Dalglish, which had seen Eyal Berkovic bought for £5million and a five year contract given to defender Rafael Scheidt, and he quickly brought in new players. Neither O’Neill nor Dalglish like giving an inch and if Kenny wants to stay at the club and have some influence, he will be less inclined to pick O’Neill on the shortlist.
If we look at things from this perspective then, although O’Neill is joint favourite with Hodgson for the job, Hodgson definitely has the edge in regards to favourability from Kenny Dalglish, which will be all important in selecting the shortlist of names.
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This is CR*P……O’Neil is THIRD rate….so, NO CHANCE OF MANAGING LIVERPOOL….got it?
Harry Redknapp is a fantastic manager so lets hope he comes to Liverpool FC.
Very good and logical article by you David!
Should be King Kenny as the new boss but Roy would be a very good choice.
Both are crap managers; specialists at getting knocked out of Europe in a hurry. Both also mean a step down from Benitez in international ratings stature. That is most important for attracting top players. Hiddink would have been ideal but given the present owners and their local stooge, no surprise that he is not interested.
Roy Hodgson has a superb reputation.
He works twice in Sweden, and He works very well in italy reaching Uefa Cup Final with an Inter Milan before the take over of the italian giant of Oil Massimo Moratti.
No way to shame on Mister Roy: He’s renewed as a gentle – man and good professionist around the Europe.
And what about the fantastic achievements He reached on charge at Swiss National Team?
I find the article very very good & the article seems to have sense, I agree that O’Neill or Harry Redknapp maybe They have not a fantastic pedigree (although They are fantastic british manager) but You can’t say nothing about Mister Roy Hodgson’s pedigree.
NOTHING.
And Rafa Benitez is the past.
Open your eyes: Rafa is gone.
Move on and speak to the future Kaleem.
If King Kenny Dalgish will trust in Mister Roy Hodgson, I back Mister Roy Hodgson..
Or Just Now has King Kenny became another Yanks’ muppet?
KING KENNY DALGLISH WANTS MISTER ROY HODGSON: FOR ME IT’S ENOUGH.
I thought purslow was brought into to secure investment from third parties eg: the new shirt sponsers. Now he seems to be in charge of hiring and firing the coaching staff alongside our chelsea supporting chairman. I’m sorry as much as I love Kenny Daglish and what he has done for the club he’s not managed for years and the game has moved on. Were moving backwards…
Would love to see ‘ARRY at LFC but would he come to us. Would he leave a team that has just qualified for the champions league for a team in financial ruin, with the majority of players in the side not fit fot a sunday league side (based on the performances of last season) and serious dressing room disharmony, and not a clue wheather the players who are good enough to wear the LFC jersey are they going to stay (Torres, Gerrard Carragher). Does Harry need tht grief, or is he happy where he is????????? I think we all know the answer. LFC are on the road to mediocrity with thanks to waldorf and stadler.
Gavin, you are so right. We probably should apply to play in the Blue Square next season straight away. We are oh so doomed. We should put the entire squad on the transfer list. We are only Liverpool. No one apart from us has ever heard that name so no one would ever, under any circumstances want to join, be it as a manager or a player. With Rafa the entire club went. It really is kind of surprising that we didn’t cease to exist last Thursday, eh.
I’m glad O’Neill won’t be considered, it would be a massive gamble and a step backwards. Rafa had won league titles and european cups so that is the standard we HAVE to have.
I’d favour Van Gaal, but if Roy is appointed I will support him.
WE do NOT want O’Neill,he is a ‘scatter brain’,(too excitable)!
I love these comments about Kenny.
I too would have mixed emotions as I dont think he should be the next manager, especially given that he is a legend and would not want to risk that with the current setup (ie Shearer at Newcastle)
But Amid is one of many saying its a step backwards as he has been out of the game for too long. Amid knows this as he watches the telly and obviously understands football better than Kenny who Lives in a cardboard box with no idea of modern football. or… he is known to be mad about football and has watched for seasons and seasons from the directors area plus worked within the club too.
Basically there are 2 styles of manager. The traditional one who gets his players up for a game and instills confidence etc, and a tactitian like Rafa.
I liked the way Rafa did things but also thought he needed the other side of management too.
Kenny, Harry, Roy or even the Irish pillock who I cant stand, would motivate.
We have fitness, shooting, tackling, jumping on your left leg coaches… every type imaginable that do the training on a day to day basis.
This is why motivators are the way forward in my eyes.
we need a gaffer who can motivate and drive the team forward. Not one who rules by discipline and ‘no nonsense’ attitude. I agree discipline is important, but in modern game, what is most important is people skill. Players should follow you out of respect than frustration that they do not have a choice or fear. Roy Hodgson and Marcelo Lippi falls into category of managers / coach who drive the team with people-centered style of leadership. I will go for Roy Hodgson.
Roy Hodgson looks the best bet-good experience thru Europe etc; an Englishman too! but the real need is to have a new ‘boot room’,and RH would have the right men already for that! Dalglish,Sammy Lee,Ian Rush,Thommo etc;Roy Evans could show them the ropes! some ‘numpty’ stopped all that,but it’s what the “REDS’ need again!
Van Gaal would be an alternative if not RH.
But ‘PLEASE’ not scatter brained O’Neill!!!
I like Roy Hodgson. He is eloquent, balanced and knowledgeable. He also has no apparent deficiencies when it comes to the motivation of his players. One case in point would be Bobby Zamora, a player who has gone from non-entity to credible threat in front of goal. When Rafa took over Houllier’s squad he said that they were performing at 60% of their true capacity and that his goal was to have them functioning at close to 80-90% of their capacity. Perhaps the same could be said of the current squad. If you accept that premise then I consider Roy Hodgson perfectly capable of extracting more from what we have.