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Why I Think Kenny’s Work Is ‘Backward’ Progress

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KENNY Dalglish seemed to be fairly optimistic ahead of the clash against Aston Villa this Saturday. Saying things like ‘the players are hard workers and fantastic in training’, but it doesn’t seem like he has much belief in his own system anymore.

Why should he? It’s not really worked so far. 6 league defeats in 7 matches was hardly a record to be proud of and just coming out and saying this is the worst run of defeats he’s seen isn’t going to solve anything.

There hasn’t been much of a certainty in the way Liverpool have played throughout this season and using below par players kind of guarantees you that. But of course, Dalglish has used the ‘we’re a work in progress’ line until it completely exhausted itself in the last few weeks.

The writing though was on the wall from the first month when he insisted of picking Jordan Henderson ahead of Dirk Kuyt, who repeatedly came off the bench to show the former Sunderland youngster how it’s done down the right-wing.

The fact that Henderson has been used on the right-wing more or less throughout the season would’ve worried me, but obviously using the flanks to build up a player for the future at the expense of current results bodes well with Kenny.

He was perfectly happy to use those excuses while points were dropped through needless draws in matches you’d have thought were a sure bet for 3 points. Yes true, most teams have somehow had some kind of dark magic working for them – coming up with the best performances of the season when they play Liverpool.

It still doesn’t change the fact that simple passing, which used to be Liverpool’s forte and unlocked many a stalwart defence in the good old days is now a matter of thanking your stars when it does come together.

Playing teams like Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Barcelona was considered a more than doable challenge – as it proved, Liverpool beat them. Today, I’d be surprised if Real Madrid didn’t manage an Apoel Nicosia-style riot on Kenny’s men. So what’s gone wrong? Well blind faith in a former player who did great things in a Liverpool shirt.

Didn’t Liverpool make that mistake during the early 90’s with Graeme Souness? Isn’t it obvious that a player of that stature will walk in to the dressing room and think his vision and ideas are already set in gold because he’s got the experience of doing it as a player?

Apparently that means he knows the score and is the be all and end all of football. Unfortunately for Kenny, he isn’t. Yes of course that could change in a similar to Manchester United and Alex Fergusson style, with the Scot nearly losing his job in the late 80’s before dominating the next two decades as United gaffer.
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That kind of Cinderella story only comes once in a blue moon though. The problem with Dalglish is he’s aimed for that kind of a fairytale, buying players he expects to become great in the next few years. You do that with a club already in good shape and a squad strong enough to run the course currently.

Not when the starting eleven don’t know who to pass to or how to take a decent shot without making the spectators crouch down to avoid being hit by the ball. It was a gamble, a massive one and it hasn’t paid off.

Stewart Downing’s been the only one of Dalglish’s pre-emptive signings who has done something on the pitch. Andy Carroll hasn’t – although if he were played in the right position as a second striker more often he might.

Luis Suarez – well he’s the star, but even he’s running out of steam with a lack of support from others. Craig Bellamy and Jose Enrique were last minute transfers, sort of on the hush-hush, and they’ve proved to be far more influential than £50-odd million worth of players combined.

So what’s Dalglish playing at? The long haul. That pretty much means supporters can forget about decent performances this season. Might be lucky to see an upsurge next year.

Whatever happens, it’ll be alright, because what we’re about to see, is a side in ‘progress’.

It’s irrelevant that the progress is being made backwards, but hey – its progress nevertheless. Or is it? Kenny tells you how…

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Broadcast Journalist and Football writer.

Twitter handle @abhijan_barua

15 comments

  • David says:

    Poor article which culminated in the hilarious claim that Andy Carroll has been played out of position. Suggesting playing him as a second striker, which is the position Suarez belongs in, the position Rooney and Aguero play for their respective clubs, shows that the author of this drivel has no idea what he’s talking about.

  • dj says:

    The most damaging last parting gift from Hicks, Gillett and Purslow was sacking Rafa. Something we will regret for a long time. I said it then, and it’s being proven now.

    • jm says:

      i totally agree with you there , if these yanks are a s smart as they”re meant to be they would reinstall him asap , we would all love kenny to be the right man but he isnt

    • Chan says:

      We can right this wrong now. Sack KD and get Rafa back.

  • maxdeq says:

    sigh..finally (after 6 games of pain and depression n now it does not hurt anymore)i believe the criticm is justified. the honorable for lfc to do is to ‘elevate’ KK back to advisor/ambassador roles and bring the spanish tactician Rafa benitez back w/o much changes in the coaching staff..steve clarke,comolli needs to stay also to address issues with the players with rafa’s realy not good at and to bring better youth and good players albeit Spanish based players only

  • Bekim says:

    Sacking Benitez by that little man Purslow and that Chav supporter Broughton has to go down as the worst decision in the clubs history. I’m not for KD to get the sack but he did say he will do what’s best for the club so one hopes that at the end of the season he steps down and makes way 4the best mngr we had for years señor R BENITEZ.

  • max says:

    what is going on at both the dressing room n training ground.. ive never seen liverpool in such a bad shape before. cannot even do a perfect simple passing around the team ? comon man we have faith in you guys. we are done with all the tease from other clubs. i still believe that you guys can do so much better than that, but everytime when the final whistle blow you guys disappoint us again. stop blaming each other in the dressing room already. find a way to solve it! im really sad king kenny please do something and bring back the old days i really want us to defeat manutd so badly and be the champ of epl once again to show that we can. we never let you walk alone, please dont let us face all teasing alone. do something ynwa ! i love you guys !

  • Erin says:

    Depressing, simply depressing. We wasted a year…worse than that, we have gone backwards. Kenny is the worse manager in the premier league by miles. Tactically inept and his buy beef (British beef) transfer policy means the chickens have come home ….. There is no pregress in sight.
    He has to stand down to save his dignity now. Blackburn next up and I am dreading it.
    We sacked a manager who was expected to win the league with a club on the verge of being taken over by RBS for finishing out of the top 4. We now have one that is happy with the relegation form we are in. Kenny should have left at the end of last season. Kept his hero status –re confirmed. At the moment he probably thinks he can turn it around and can’t see his faults.
    And to those who think FA cup is there to be won , wake up and smell the coffee. Spurs and Chelsea are favourites , rightly so. I’d love it for us to win it but if kenny stays, we will battle for pl survival.

    • Robert Anderson says:

      NONSENSE! We’ll win the cup, like the other one Erin. Spurs will finish fifth, that’s worse then last year, and btw if you check the stats Spurs’ run atm is as bad as ours, making Redknapp in your terms, the worst manager in the league.

      All processes take time, so time we should give it, like real fans. I actually have a feeling that next year will work for us, with or without Kenny as boss, because of the work that’s been done this year. If Kenny feels his way is not working, he will move upstairs, and, hopefully Rafa will come back.If not, then Kenny will take us on, and next year you’ll all be eating your words.

      Dalglish was not just our best player, he was one of our best ever managers, delivering more honours for us, than any boss since, and going on to win the premier league with Blackburn, finish 2nd with Newcastle, reach the FA Cup final with them, and beat Barcelona in the Champs League at ST. James’ Park, when English Clubs were still the laughing stock of Europe. He has managerial quality in spades, so pay him the respect he deserves.

      Things haven’t gone perfectly so far, but do they ever? Turn your back on KD at your peril, he is Liverpool through and through and OUR TIME WILL COME!

  • red33 says:

    Firstly i think our kenny are wee out of touch with tactic and those wee expensive bought are really flop for liverpool system and lastly we’re wee bit too late to save the season,Hopefully we’ll have a wee new manager next season.

  • Zinco says:

    Good point on Andy caroll. Notice how the left leg thunderbolts have dried up. You can’t do it as target man or lone striker unless more mobile player.trying him from a deeper position would be better for him. The team would have to lineup differently my forward line would be. Suarez downing caroll Gerrard Henderson( holding with shelvey ) shelvey allowed to get forward ver similar to last ten minutes v villa. Hendo played very well in that position. Temporary. Till next year .

  • JJ says:

    Good to see the loyal supporters getting behind the team and manager as usual. And u thought Chelsea supporters we bad. You make me feel sorry for Liverpool fc club

  • Akash says:

    Get rid off KK he is wasting his time at liverpool, the games are played differently and not in his day’s. Need a person like Bennitez to turn thing’s around…who can buy quality player’s. Examples.. Alonso, luis garcia, marcherano,torres, even babel, played better than the squad player’s we have now.

  • Chan says:

    Every season we have KD around is a wasted one and we would digress further. What is the tipping point for his sacking, relegation?

    We have no system, no first 11, no players except for Stevie, Suarez that can take on the world.

    This is a man that bought 4 Championship player at best with LFC’s money at 85 mill, and yet he is haild as a visionary.

    Rafa must be god then.

  • David (from Liverpool) says:

    Good afternoon all. This website is run by a great editor, who has vast knowledge of football and LFC. Whilst many of the comments you have left on this topic provide amusement for moaners and groaners, I would suggest that you do your homework about football and for many of you, join a Sunday league side, so you can at least know some of the basics. Sack Daglish? Change more structure? You need to actually know the club and be part of this city to understand that we do not want to just buy a short term success, we are LFC, and as the most successful team in the country, we need to support our club and let the ideas of the management take their full impact (at least 3 years) before coming out with rubbish, like bring back Raffa. He was a very good manager, but his time here clearly came to an end. Like a bad girlfriend!

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