THE question, whether or not Kenny Dalglish would be the coach next season has finally been answered. Kenny Dalglish has been sacked as a manager of Liverpool FC.
The news comes after days of speculation in which a trip to Boston for a meeting with the Liverpool owners was reported to have not gone well. It shook the entire Kop empire which expected Kenny Dalglish to be given at least another season at the helm by the Fenway Sports Group.
The long wait of will he? Won’t he? has ended, leaving millions of Kopites heartbroken when Fenway Sports Group released this statement:
“Fenway Sports Group (FSG) and Liverpool Football Club announced that Kenny Dalglish is to leave his post today as manager after having his contract terminated. After a careful and deliberative review of the season, the club came to the decision that a change was appropriate. It is not a decision that was reached lightly or hastily. The search for a new manager will begin immediately.”
Dalglish, who was handed a three-year contract 12 months ago, having replaced Roy Hodgson on a caretaker basis in January, told the club’s website after the announcement by FSG: “It has been an honor and a privilege to have had the chance to come back to Liverpool Football Club as manager.”
“I feel proud that we delivered the club’s first trophy in six years winning the Carling Cup and came close to a second trophy in the FA Cup Final. “
“I would like to thank all of the staff at the club for their effort and loyalty. I said when first approached about coming back as manager that I would always be of help if I can at any time and that offer remains the same.”
“Finally, I want to put on record my heartfelt gratitude to Liverpool’s fans, who have always given me and the club their unwavering support. Without them neither the club nor I would have achieved anything.”
This season has been record-breaking at Anfield, but for all the wrong reasons. Eighth place in the Premier League, six points down on last year’s disappointment with the worst points total for almost six decades, behind Everton for the first time in seven years, just six wins at Anfield, a goal difference in single figures and striking the woodwork more than any other team in the season. Nobody will pretend that that is a good record for this club. Though, he helped Liverpool to its first trophy in six years by winning Carling cup and lead Liverpool FC to FA Cup final. That however was not good enough to convince the owners that things will improve next season.
His departure leaves the Merseyside Giants with a cloud of uncertainty as to who would be the new manager? What kind of funds will be provided to the new manager by FSG? Which player will leave and who will stay? What kind of tactic will the new manager impose? A lot of questions will need to be answered and a lot of changes will need to be made at Anfield. The coming 1-2 months in the red half of Merseyside will surely be chaotic.
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Liverpool now find themselves in the very same position they were in about 2 years ago, when Rafa left the club after the club finished 7th in the League.
So, what next for Liverpool?
The search for a new manager is on full swing, probably Roberto Martinez, Fabio Capello or Rafa Benitez might end up at Liverpool, unless they get Pep Guardiola, another manager who has been linked with the job at Merseyside. This is as likely as Liverpool getting Ronaldo or Messi. The other names like AVB, Paul Lambert, and Brendan Rodgers etc. just don’t sound too good for Liverpool neither do they have the experience of managing a big club bar AVB, who managed Chelsea but failed to deliver the results.
With a new manager comes new tactics, and with new tactics arises the need of new players who can fit into those tactics. No doubt money will have to be spent on bringing new players.
Liverpool will be playing in Europe albeit it’s Europa League, the second tier in European Club Competition and to be big name in Europe Liverpool will have to play total football capitalizing on anchor & utility players and hire coach with big clubs experience with networking of 1st class players (and not only relying on scout recommendation), assisted by coaching staff who have trained big club and big name players
What difference will it make?
If the lessons of this season have been learnt then a couple of under performers will surely be sold and new players will be brought in. Improvements in league form, especially home form which has been very disappointing last season, will be made. Better performance from the players, more passion and enthusiasm on the pitch and a better finish to the League, which can be achieved should the new manager get the tactics and players right. If that happens then I don’t see any supporter complaining although I see Kenny still being missed.
Alternatively, it could go all wrong and the same empty vessels will continue to ring, the manager will be under pressure at a big club that expects to be at the top 4, the over-priced players once again unable to perform due to the price tag, the fans would want the title or Champions League spot not domestic trophies. If that happens then what will be FSG’s action? Sack the new manager? That probably would be the first action. FSG is showing its intentions in re-building Liverpool as a major trophy winning club; their sacking of Kenny was a confirmation of it. Kenny had a mediocre league performance though he achieved success in domestic cups, main target however was to reach Champions League, which he failed to do so and by a substantial margin. If they can sack a legend despite huge and constant calls for supports from all corners then they surely mean business. To them, performance is everything and if you fail to deliver the results you are out. Aggressive but makes sense as well. The only concern however is this might cause Liverpool to develop into a club like Chelsea and City who change players and coaches at will, which would be very disappointing.
I would have liked another season for Kenny but it’s not up to me. So, I will get behind the new man, whoever he will be. But what difference will it make if the new man doesn’t have us in the top four all season? Will the voices shout for him to be sacked? What if the new signings take time to gel? What if we lose one or more of our big players again? Question and doubts still rule my mind but as I have always said “If it’s not happy then it’s not end, It’s just the beginning of good things to come”.
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This story is so out of date it should be in a museum. Leon Guite where have you bee for the last week?
Beat the European Champions away twice and home once, came with in milimters of winning two tropheys in first,played good football and never deserved to lose more than a handful of games on our play, Then signs begining to look good and then two football ignorant americans go and throw it all away – These are the facts. We might still do it but it would have happened anyway.
How are they all doing in the 18th certury!? I’ve never seen the facts so abused in order to back up ones arguement. Pure and utter tripe!
Jack
I can honestly say that i have fogotton more about Football in general and Liverpool fc in particular than you will ever come anywhere near to knowing, it is hard to justify facts in a couple of lines but I will tell you this, we never got a decision for the first 10 games starting with , the 100% sending off (not given) in our very first game. a blatant penalty in the next not given but our player booked etc etc etc. FACTS
More incredibly arrogant rubbish. You don’t know the first thing about me and stupidly assume you know everything. That set a real indicator for what else was to come and it duly did!!
All the great teams or indeed people in any walk of life never complain about the if, buts and maybe’s because they know it’s an excuse for failure!
jack
every referee had it in for us after the Suarez affair, Carroll was fouled 10 times a game and never got a free kick, strange he gets them now ! FACT
jack
last one
Tell Me which of the facts I quoted are wrong, did we not beat Chelsea 3 times (should have been 4)but for another wrong decision.you tell me more than 6 games We deserved to lose – I challenge you.
I never said the facts you used were incorrect, just abused by complete imbalance. Which is the indicator of all garbage writing. The FACT that we finished eight is also a FACT and the final indicator beyond all the pathetic if, buts, and maybe. Yes, domestic cup runs are great and were more important in the past but hey, it’s now 2012 and it’s CL money that counts!! Whether you like it or not, the football world has changed and there is no choice but to raise up and beat the odds. That’s the real Liverpool I knew. not the one who moans about the injustices. You don’t have a choice but to raise the barr and beat it.
Also, an example of abusing the facts which you clearly don’t understand, is this, the European finalists that we beat on two occasions, were a team under a different manager playing a different style, with a much worse morale. The third could be put down to a weakened team preparing for a CL final.
And you claim that you know so much about football and didn’t see that…….Oh dear!
I strongly believe that the club is in safe hands. FSG know exactly what they’re doing otherwise they wouldn’t b billioners. KD had to go and the quicker people move on the better. And the quicker ppeople stop talking rubbish the better too. We didn’t deserve to lose so many games blah, blah, blah. We hit the wood work 40 times blah , blah, blah. We created more chances than MU blah, blah, blah. We won the first trophy in six years blah,blah,blah. The FACT is that we finished 8th in the league miles of top teams and we r worst than when Rafa left, Brooke all the records for wrong reasons and the change needed to b made. I would like to c RAFA given second chance but if not than AVB is good enough for me. As for the time at Chelsea, player power was the reason he didn’t succeed there just as was Scolari who won the world cup with Brasil. But whoever they appoint we need to get behind the team and FSG or we might become like Newcastle b4 they went down.
Agree totally! Well said!
AVB will almost certainly be our next manager. Having to get us back into champions league is too big a risk for failure for any high profile manager. AVB must be desperate to prove to Chelsea he needed more time and that he can be successful in PL . I would also like to hear some news on new stadium, its beginning to stall as with previous owners.
ALL FACTS SURROUNDING THE DEPARTURE OF RAFA,WILL TELL YOU HE IS OUR BEST MAN. A YEAR AFTER RAFA WAS GONE FERGIE STILL HAD HIS OPINION ON RAFA,THATS COS HE WAS A REAL THORN IN HIS ARSE. HE SEEMED CHUMMY WITH BOTH ROY AND KENNY,AND AS A LFC FAN THAT SHOULD TELL YOU ALEX WAS HAPPY TO SEE RAFA GO!!!
I’M ALMOST CERTAIN RAFA WOULD BE WILLING TO WORK FOR NOTHING @ LFC RIGHT NOW,U CANT BEAT THAT!!!!