As I said in an article about Roy Hodgson on Wednesday, I will defend the Fulham manager’s managerial record to the hilt, but one thing I will never defend is his style of play. It is one of the major reasons why I am supporting Kenny Dalglish instead of Hodgson in the debate over who Liverpool’s next manager should be.
Throughout his 35 year career in management, Roy Hodgson has done many things, won a league title in a first year in management before he was 30, brought Switzerland to their first major championship in over three decades and brought a un-fancied Fulham side to a European final, but one thing he has never really produced is an attractive footballing side. Even during his first forays into management in the 1970s where he helped transform Swedish football with Bob Houghton and Sven-Goran Eriksson, the emphasis was always on strict formations. Swedish football had been dominated by free-flowing German-oriented attacking football until Houghton and Hodgson arrived. The two Englishman transformed the Swedish game into something far less attractive but far more effective. Long ball, a strict 4-4-2 formation and the introduction of the zonal marking system, were the main pillars of their philosophy and it had remarkable results. Hodgson won a league title with relegation threatened Halmstads in his first year in management, Houghton got to the European Cup final with Malmo in 1979 and Eriksson won a treble with IFK Gothenburg including a 4-0 win over Hamburg in the UEFA Cup final in 1982.
Although Hodgson style has developed over the years into a more cultured, continental style, it is a formula he is stuck to throughout his entire career. Never standing still, he has introduced many new tactical methods and studied football around the world as part of his roles with UEFA and FIFA. A student of the game, he has developed into tactical disciplinarianon the lines of previous Liverpool managers Rafa Benitez and Gerard Houllier. The question is, do we want a manager on the same lines as these two? No disrespect to Rafa Benitez who with his tactical methods brought us to two Champions League finals and a remarkable night in Istanbul, the current state of the club cries out for a return to some heart and soul, rather than just the brain. Inter Milan chairman Massimo Moratti stated that Hodgson brought some calm to his club in mid nineties when the Italian side were in trouble, and he has done the same with other clubs, but at this current time, a re-invocation of the Liverpool spirit is needed. Something King Kenny can only muster.
After the Heysel disaster in 1985, Kenny rebuilt the club to win the club’s first ever double in his first season in charge as player manager. After a barren second season, he knew changes had to be made and after Ian Rush exited the club, he brought in some very special players which brought the most electrifying attacking displays the club, and perhaps the country, had ever seen. The acquisitions of winger John Barnes and of attackers John Aldridge and Peter Beardsley were a masterstroke as the Reds went on a 37 match unbeaten run from August 1987 to February 1988. Winning the title with four matches to go, it was the most spectacular title victory in Liverpool’s illustrious history, even eclipsing to some extent the Liverpool teams of the late 70s and early 80s. Dalglish has always been there for the club in times of crisis, none more so than after the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 after which he attended many of victim’s funeral.
The question maybe asked: do we just want him back for sentimental reasons? There are of course real dangers in this regard. Despite having an excellent track record as a manager, Dalglish has not managed for 10 years and then only a caretaker role at Celtic. He would admit himself that the game has changed tremendously over that time, particularly in the Premier League where the influx of foreign players and managers has introduced stricter tactical formations and increased technical skill markedly. Would a return to Dalglish’s free flowing attacking play be exposed to be naïve in the modern game? It is certainly a risk but if we go by what many of Kenny’s friends have to say, he has kept up pace with the game since his last job and he wouldn’t be putting himself up for it if he didn’t think he was capable of doing a good job. Hodgson himself is a perfect example of how a older manager can adapt to the modern game.
Another slight reservation is of course Dalglish will have little or no money to spend. He cannot rebuild the team with sizeable sums like he did in 1987 when he bought Aldridge, Barnes, Beardsley and Houghton and he also doesn’t possess the funds he had to create a Premier League winning team at Blackburn Rovers. This is where we hope Dalglish has kept up with the game, and doesn’t make the same poor acquisitions as he did with Newcastle United in his final year at the club.
For me though, these are minor concerns compared to the major pluses Kenny can bring to the club. Passion for the club, attacking football and a will to win are a lethal combination, something that makes him a better candidate than Roy Hodgson for a role that will be critical to get right in light of this being a crucial moment in Liverpool’s modern history.
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I agree with most of your artical mostly about hodgson i like the man and i enjoyed watching fulham reach the uefa final but they do not play football the way we at liverpool expect to see so i really think we must let hodgson carry on the job he is doing with fulham and wish him all the best as for kenny he it is well with in the mans capabiltys to manage liverpool fc he will still have his finger on the pulse of players around europe or the world we have sammy there and possibly other ex players to call on as for kennys time at newcastle the man had to run a team with no reserves to buy players and put them in there till they were ready he had to suck it and see with some of the players he brought in but he also made one or to signings that were excellent one famous one comes to mind didi hamman so i say give the job to the man liverpool supporters around the world would love to see the man who is liverpool fc and that man is kenny dalglish
Despite what people say about us being a two man team, any new manager is (potentially) starting with a decent enough spine. He’ll know himself what is needed to turn that spine into a great team. I would fully trust Kenny Dalglish to build what we have into something great. Ok some of the players below may leave but if they didn’t and Kenny was appointed, its not too bad to work with at least compared with compared to the newcastle/blackburn/celtic jobs. However the numbers are still bad reading, I reckon any manager coming in would need about 70 – 80M.
What have we got work with:
Reina
Carragher, Agger, Skrtel, Johnson, Kelly (maybe need a budget left back as cover for johnson and a big money right back ahead of insua) 15M
Gerrard, Mascherano, Lucas (Need wingers and a new alonso) 50M
Torres. (Need at least two strikers) 35M
(20M for another torres and 15M for a 3rd striker unless Pacheco steps up to the plate)
If he’s allowed to spend it there’s decent money coming in from Riera, Aquilani, Aurelio, Kuyt, and Babel. Maybe 30 to 40M so we need another 30 – 40M to come out of a hat – and theres plenty more peripheral players that we could get shot of. The shame is we all know whose pockets it won’t be coming from and the chances are that any money raised from players will be fiddled away into those pockets. 🙁
Also if Stevie, Masch, Torres also leave and the new manager doesn’t get the money to put back in we’re screwed no matter what spin you put on it.
We Dont need to spend that kind of money and ” (maybe need a budget left back as cover for johnson and a big money right back ahead of insua) 15M”
Well Johnson is a right back and insua is a left back.
All we need is a Left back , Left winger and striker. total cost of about 25-35mil.
Sells from some dead wood and 20mil would do it but i dont think we will have that much to spend.
I think it would be in the oweners best intrests to spend 20mil and let the manager keep any money made from sales as it likely they would get more money for the club if the side looks well and are winning games (kinda like getting a new extension before selling your house) but if the last two years are anythin to go by i cnt see it!
O and Aurelio had allready gone on a bosman hes contract was up so we wont be getting anythin from his sale
I agree totally with Kenny coming back. Gerrard and Torres would rather play for him than Hodgson. The players would look up to him and respond to him.We don’t want another defensive manager we want more attacking football. Give him some money and sell Kuyt if he wants to go Masherano too. Too many players talking about they don’t know if they’ll stay. They should be proud to wear the Liverpool jersey and be at one of the biggest most successful teams in the world. Spend the money on a winger maybe milner who can play center too and who’s proven in the premiership. Buy a left back or even cover,get Joe Cole for free give him the wages.Get a striker who Torres can play off if KENNY wants 2 up front or even get Raul on a free. He can still score goals and would be better comin off the bench than N’gog any day. We and the players need a lift and Daglish not Hodgson is THE MAN to do it.
At this present time liverpool football club and all are great supporters around the world need a lift after the below par season we have just been through and with the fiasco of the two parasites who have brought our great club to its knees and the loss of our manager weather we liked him or not the best lift that we all need is a new manager or the return of a hero i believe we need the return of a hero the greatest liverpool player to don the famous shirt kenny dalglish our club need stability at this present moment and what better way to bring that than appoint kenny as manager of liverpool football club his proven track record his knowledge of the game his carisma his love of the club the love he has from the supporters and respect of the football world this is a no brainer decision by the directors of liverpool club we have the people around the club to help him tomo rushy sammy aldo gary mc so there is lots of help at his disposial if he is given the job so come you lot running the club get this sorted out and give us something to look forward next season please
For me it has to be Kenny Dalglish, not only does he have a great history with Liverpool, but this great club does need a big lift and he will give Liverpool fans that for sure, he is someone who is passionate about the club, which is definitely lacking at boardroom level, Torres and Gerrard are more likely to stay and he definitely has the managerial edge over Roy Hodgson, sign him up! if the ‘jury is still out’ just give him a one or two year contract, if he cares about the club, he’ll be happy to oblige