IT was 1978, the 13th day of October, a cold evening and with this soon to be 12-year-old boy seated high up in the main stand at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground only adding to how incredibly cold I was. This was The European Cup first round, a knock-out competition in those days, excitement had filled my body for weeks after the draw was made: Liverpool v Nottingham Forest.
Luckily my Uncle John had some close contacts within both clubs through his work and he had told me how we were to go to the game with tickets provided from an insider at Liverpool. It was as if he actually played for the Reds in my mind. In those days if you knew a player or even talked to one, its importance would have a copious meaning for an 11-year-old boy.
It has to be remembered that these games were not shown live on T.V. Highlights would be the only avenue to viewing such occasions – Sky Sports would only be a twinkle in our eyes undelivered manna from a not yet produced footballing heaven. The previous season Forest had made me cry when firstly at Wembley in The League Cup Final they held us to a stalemate 0-0, winning the replay at Old Trafford 1-0.
In the first game I ended up with an elbow to the eye; Kenny Dalglish having a goal ruled off-side whilst all around me believing we had scored jumping up ending with one 11-year-old boy crying and with a black eye Henry Cooper would be proud of. It would not be my last black-eye at the hands of our latest combatants we were beginning to have quite a history with. Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest mainly resulted in pain for me.
All my school friends were very envious of my trip to the City Ground to watch my heroes, we were European Champions so in my mind, unbeatable, peerless. We had unparalleled success in our corner, the whole World knew we would not lose to Nottingham Forest. More importantly I knew. Uncle John had said we will meet the players after the game in The Jubilee Club next to the changing room exits, a renowned and famous place in Forest fans folklore, which was where all the players would meet and drink after all Forest’s games. I am not sure I can explain exactly what the feeling inside me was, knowing I would meet my heroes, and in particular Dalglish.
From the game itself I remember very little, I do however remember how a hot chocolate would warm my frozen fingers and a steak & kidney pie would have a similar effect on my stomach. It was a foggy and freezing evening. How a certain Gary Birtles would open the scoring with his first ever senior goal for Forest, this would be followed by a second goal toward the end of the match at a point when I no longer cared as frost bite had set in, my feet immobile and hands motionless, my sleeves covered by the constant wiping of a dribbling nose. Yes I was disappointed but this paled in to an insignificance compared to my ensuing death due to hypothermia.
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The difficulty I had walking around the ground with feet and digits I could no longer feel, momentarily forgetting about my heroes who would be waiting with open arms, and hopefully signing my now screwed up match programme. It would seem like the longest walk, fans rushing everywhere similarly wanting to get out of the cold. On eventually making our way to the players’ lounge I would have to wait what seemed like an eternity until Dalglish turned up. As we approached him to get his autograph, he swept past us almost knocking Uncle John over, which was a job in itself as he was twice the size of Dalglish. And with that, the yet to be crowned Dalglish was gone.
That was my first introduction to the greatest Liverpool player I ever had the gratification to see play, and my first moment I was brought down to earth with a bang by my assumed Gods. An ordinary man, ignoring me in a way my father did when I wanted to play rush goalies in the park, and all he wanted was to sit down after a heavy days labour. Was I hurt? No I was devastated. Luckily at home I had a poster from Shoot magazine with his signature on it, and with a piece of tracing paper – I would have my signature, and proof I had met Kenny Dalglish and shook his hand, and how he had spoken to me…jealousy is a terrible thing, and so are lies.
When Dalglish resigned his managerial position in 1991, after suffering from stress and physical illness post-Hillsborough in less than six years as manager, we had won 3 League Titles and 2 F.A. Cups, including the illusive Double in 1986. But the day when Dalglish quit can go down as one of the saddest days in my life. What Dalglish did for this club, for this City should never be forgotten.
Somebody said the other day we were “stuck in a time-warp of greatness”. How somehow we have not progressed under Dalglish part deux, yet after being trophyless for six years, we can now shake the dust from our cabinet with the incoming League Cup, leaving it slightly ajar in case its cousin the F.A.Cup turns up in May.
My biggest fear is that Dalglish will walk away from the project in the summer, maybe going back upstairs, some suggesting arrogance, and a stance where he is bigger than the club he has always stated is more important than individuals. Well this is being said of a man who I will always remember with his head in his hands, tears in his eyes, after attending his FOURTH funeral of the day for other innocent victims of Hillsborough, only for two days later him and Marina attending another THREE in a day. How many funerals have those people asking for his head been to? I like Rafa Benitez but younger fans and some who should know better go on about £96,000 being donated to HJC as a game of comparison, who is more worthy. It is disgusting and repulsive. Those fans know nothing about Hillsborough or our manager for if they did surely the treatment he receives would be very different.
They say why should Dalglish be treated any differently to Roy Hodgson, or Rafa Benitez? Let’s deal with Roy – a man who had won precisely nothing of note as a manager, and unfortunately was the wrong man at an even worst time. Rafa Benitez however was an excellent proven manager who had won trophies in Spain and then at Liverpool, and he was rightly given SIX years at Liverpool, but again with owners that did not support Rafa he was on a hiding to nothing, and those same fans shouting “Bring Rafa Back” were the same asking for his head on a waiter’s tray!!
Kenny Dalglish should certainly be treated differently. We are a club at the start of something; a blueprint for a trophy haul, and it has begun. Liverpool Football Club do not want to go down a Chelsea road, hiring and firing every season. You have a manager with proven pedigree, a man who has won four titles with two different teams. Has he made mistakes? Of course he has – but the players have let us down also. The Suarez incidents have cost us in concentration and made it difficult to prepare properly. Focus has been lost by not only our team, but its supporters.
I did not want Dalglish to return as Liverpool Football Club manager, because as is being proved, our fickle fantasist fans are turning on him, and somewhat changing his status within this club. I did not care for these people re-writing Dalglish’s history, twisting and turning what is written in stone. For some of us, we will never be deceived by such clueless individuals, but others less educated jump on-board.
I never ever got a Kenny Dalglish autograph, although I have been lucky enough to meet him on a few occasions. But he has more than made up for the lack of his scribble on my bedroom wall; I can’t remember the man who barged past me in 1978 but I do remember eight League Titles, two F.A. Cups, five League Cups not forgetting three European Cups. If you are looking for man and a manager who wins trophies; look no further than Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish.
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One slight quibble – only two European cups with Kenny….but the rest is true…
1978, 1981 and 1984 = 3 times?
He also played in the 1985 loss to Juventus
ye called that wrong kenny got three
good article but dont know why you roped Rafa into over the £96, 000 thing bit graceless for what was a wonderful gesture.
The Rafa £96,000 was in response to what others had made comment on, so I felt it was needed, ceratinly for younger supporters who are unaware of Kennys first time round management.
I also believe you should have reworked your phrasing and thought process in that paragraph. Rafa’s large donation to his adopted club so many years on was a very noble gesture. Does it compare to what Dalglish went through, no, it’s apples and oranges. What Dalglish endured onlyhe will truly know and anyone who questions his past dedication and accomplishments really are best ignored. Still doesn’t change the fact that the way your phrasing ended up it sounds ss if your slamming Rafa more than the yabos who are attacking Kenny.
The original article had a picture caption with Rafa & Dalglish which stated” The two great men at the Hillsborough memorial” which in itself would have left no doubt as to the authors views on Rafa, again I was trying to show how “Others” had tried to suggest this was a battle, I do say it is disgusting to do so.
Thanks for your opinion and feedback.
one slight quibble with your slight quibble Fivelamps = kenny won it three times
yup 3 – 1978, 1981 & 1984!
Great article. I remember the same feelings, growing up in my school playground and dribbling past all my friends pretending to be Dalglish.
Absolute Legend!!
Pretty desperate article. History is consigned to the past, and Dalglish should never have returned. He thought he was the best and he’s proven that he isn’t. Its really that simple.
The best Kenny can do now is quietly step down with grace and allow Rafa to return
Rafa was the one who ruined Liverpool with poor buys and not playing the best players on the pitch. Even Liverpool’s football style during Rafa’s reign was boring and he showed that with Inter also. Give Kenny a chance and dun ever let Rafa return or he will destroy the club even more.
Ahmad – how did Rafa do at inter? he got the sack right?
poor man management skills.
his style is boring for Liverpool.
Kenny is the King & always will be in my eyes…….he can do no wrong! he loves LFC as much as anyone in the world and he knows the fans are the ones who matters!
He attended my friend’s funeral after he had died at Hillsborough & I will always remember the hurt in his eyes to the day I die……………
I was nearly 7 when he signed for LFC so consider myself privileged to have been lucky enough to have seen his whole LFC career – the man is a legend, the greatest player I have ever seen and I love him to bits………..long live King Kenny, YNWA
nice.
i can only see him play on youtube, and the video quality is not that good.
We need stability ! And we have it ? It took fergie 6 years to win the league ! Kenny is the right man , for god sake have patience and stop being so fickle !!!
Very very true! The club is now rising back to the top!! Will take time! Defo going in the right direction YNWA
your right david plastic fans
I am not from Liverpool, and I am too young to know Kenny a good deal. But when Kenny was given the job I saw something in the TV, he was talking to the journalists, and he mentioned among other things something like “this club has given me and my family a lot in my life, and anything to do for the club is an honour and I always will take that opportunity.”
No one can question his dedication and commitment to the club.
Great article. thank you. YNWA
This is just a beginning for KD, cannot wait for the next season..His first year at Anfield with a silverware! And more will come!
Forest fan in peace. I was at that game too (I was 9) – that was a time when we could compete with Liverpool and give you a good game, sadly no more. Kenny deserves time in the job because he is a good manager, let alone being a legend. You are better this year than last year, and if your strikers could hit the net rather than the post more often you would still be on for 4th place at least. He is still a game-changer, like he was as a player. He should be given at least until the end of next season – and now you have genuine sports owners I believe he will be given the time. In the 70s and 80s you were the epitome of good football, every player knew where every other player was, and it was all one-touch football. That is Kenny’s stock. And if you see what Bilbao did to ManU yesterday you will see that it is just as effective today as it was 30 years ago. Give him some time, and you will see the results.
Fantastic article, music to my ears. Such a relief to read some people talking sense about KD and the way this club is going. We were in the sh** last season, he got us out of it. We hadn’t won anything for 6 years, he has won the second trophy available. Ok, his buys haven’t all been world class, but just be patient. We don’t have a divine right to achieve anything, but chopping and changing managers is not the way to go.
Fans are so fickle, Kenny has already won the premiership with Blackburn, give the guy time.
The twitter generation need to hold off writing things because you are not old enough to understand the game properly !!!
IKWT !!!!
Thanks for the kind response to the article, glad you have enjoyed its read, as much as I enjoyed writing it.
best thing i have read on liverpool ahmed knows nothing about the club or the legend that is king kenny
Ahmad – how did Rafa do at inter? he got the sack right? (Jay)
Actually I was keeping track of Rafa @ inter. Up until the first head-to-head against Spurs, they were being called a “super team” in the same bracket as barcelona and real madrid, a label they never quite achieved under Mourinho (I recall against Juventus, the Juve team was celebrating having drawn against inter…you’d think they’d just won the champions league! And similarly against Roma, Roma won but the manager admitted “we’ve beaten a great side”).
After the two games against spurs, confidence collapsed and inter started playing sh*t. Its only the world club final that they started rediscovering their early season form under rafa, but that’s when he chose to quit.
And rafa left because the chairman refused to invest in an ageing squad.
ahmed knows nothing about the club or the legend that is king kenny (adrian)
Actually Adrian, I knew Kenny would f*ck it all up. Having been out of the game a decade, it would have been a minor miracle if he did any better than this.
The problem is you guys seem to think its still 1990, or maybe the football remains the same. Its not 1990 and the game has changed substantially.
The owners have already suggested there is no new investment forthcoming so its basically this 100m+ wonder team that kenny has created will have to carry LFC forward for the next few seasons
Fans are so fickle, Kenny has already won the premiership with Blackburn (TerryMac)
Dalglish quit Liverpool in Feb 1991 and joined Blackburn [in the second division] in October 1991.
So he took an 8 month break and joined a small club in a lower league that lacked the pressures of LFC.
No-one is fickle Terrymac…you guys are too emotionally bound to kenny which is blinkering your rationalism.
Ahmad one question; Who do you support? Can you really describe yourself as a supporter of LFC with some of the rhetoric you are writing here I dont believe you can.
You my friend are a “Fan” that is the difference.
Chris, do you think singing songs of praise for kenny will suddenly make LFC a better team?
If so, fine let’s all sing his praises and watch LFC [at least] challenge for 4th spot.