Is Kenny Dalglish the right man to take Liverpool forward? That's the burning question at the moment, and after the painful midweek collapse against QPR, the pressure is well and truly on at Anfield. For me personally, calling for a Liverpool manager's head after only fourteen months is heresy, and it's something I would never do, irrespective of results. However, discussion of King Kenny's long-term future cannot be avoided, and there are various contrasting points of view out there at the moment.
Former Leicester and Blackburn player Robbie Savage is a huge fan of Liverpool. He's stated many times that he 'idolised' Dalglish growing up, and he's also said in the past that Steven Gerrard is the best player he's ever played against.
However, despite his affection for Liverpool, Savage insists that Dalglish is *not* the man to get Liverpool challenging for the title. Speaking to the BBC earlier this week, Savage argued that Dalglish was doing a 'decent' job, but admitted that if the club had any higher ambition than winning the Carling Cup every year, a new manager was needed in the long-term:
"Their squad is 5 or 6 players short of challenging for the title. They've won the Carling Cup, and they could win the FA Cup, so you could say Dalglish is doing a decent job by winning the only trophies they could realistically win.
"Is he the man to win the Premier League? i don't think so because of the players he's bought in the summer. I don't think Adam's done it; Downing is one [good performance] in three; Henderson is miles off it; Carroll doesn't play every week.
"Bellamy is a great signing but he got him on a free. If he is going to be entrusted with another 150m, is he the right man to make Liverpool challenge for the title? I don't think so. If you want to win the Carling Cup and FA Cup every year then, yes [He's the right man for LFC]"
A few days ago, Alan Hansen baulked at Liverpool being labelled a 'cup team', and said that would be the last thing he (as a former LFC player) would like to see. That's what the club could be in for though if things continue the way they're going.
Some fans would quite happy with that though, and I guess I can understand that. During the Roy Evans era, Liverpool weren't really in with a chance of winning the league, but I was very happy as a fan due to the exciting football played, and the chance to watch superb rising stars like Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman play alongside legends like John Barnes and Ian Rush.
Having said that, between 1995 and 1997, Liverpool did actually put in a creditable challenge for the league title, and under Evans, the club didn't finish outside the top 4; and if Champions League rules were different then, Liverpool would've been in Europe's top competition every year.
but I digress...
League performance is the only true barometer of progress, and I have no doubt that Liverpool will smash Wigan today and get back to winning ways.
Jaimie Kanwar
Former Leicester and Blackburn player Robbie Savage is a huge fan of Liverpool. He's stated many times that he 'idolised' Dalglish growing up, and he's also said in the past that Steven Gerrard is the best player he's ever played against.
However, despite his affection for Liverpool, Savage insists that Dalglish is *not* the man to get Liverpool challenging for the title. Speaking to the BBC earlier this week, Savage argued that Dalglish was doing a 'decent' job, but admitted that if the club had any higher ambition than winning the Carling Cup every year, a new manager was needed in the long-term:
"Their squad is 5 or 6 players short of challenging for the title. They've won the Carling Cup, and they could win the FA Cup, so you could say Dalglish is doing a decent job by winning the only trophies they could realistically win.
"Is he the man to win the Premier League? i don't think so because of the players he's bought in the summer. I don't think Adam's done it; Downing is one [good performance] in three; Henderson is miles off it; Carroll doesn't play every week.
"Bellamy is a great signing but he got him on a free. If he is going to be entrusted with another 150m, is he the right man to make Liverpool challenge for the title? I don't think so. If you want to win the Carling Cup and FA Cup every year then, yes [He's the right man for LFC]"
A few days ago, Alan Hansen baulked at Liverpool being labelled a 'cup team', and said that would be the last thing he (as a former LFC player) would like to see. That's what the club could be in for though if things continue the way they're going.
Some fans would quite happy with that though, and I guess I can understand that. During the Roy Evans era, Liverpool weren't really in with a chance of winning the league, but I was very happy as a fan due to the exciting football played, and the chance to watch superb rising stars like Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman play alongside legends like John Barnes and Ian Rush.
Having said that, between 1995 and 1997, Liverpool did actually put in a creditable challenge for the league title, and under Evans, the club didn't finish outside the top 4; and if Champions League rules were different then, Liverpool would've been in Europe's top competition every year.
but I digress...
League performance is the only true barometer of progress, and I have no doubt that Liverpool will smash Wigan today and get back to winning ways.
Jaimie Kanwar
Well said jamie i think we will win today by a good score and if we won two cups that be great
ReplyDeletei personally find findmyself being anxious when we play 'smaller's clubs like wigan.we're so up and down that it's hard to be 100% confident which is saying alot about where we are at the moment.wigan arguably have more to play for than us in the league because our champs league hopes are dead and they're fighting to stay up.
ReplyDeleteDon't listen to Robbie Savage, he is not the best person to listen to. A regular poser.
ReplyDeleteAnother dark night of absolute humiliation and embarrassement
ReplyDeleteby Kenny Dalglish and his squad, the squad he has personally chosen and set up
for the current season. Kenny Dalglish and his squad tarnish the heritage that
Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley left for this historic club. Kenny Dalglish and
his squad are committing the biggest crime in this club's history by molesting
on this heritage. Everybody is feeling fed up by listening and reading all the
time different irrational statements by the side of Kenny Dalglish as he can
persuade first and above all himself that under him the team is progressing!
Everytime he leads this team to another humiliating and embarrassing defeat he needs
to realize that he places a gravestone to LFC fans' dreams and expectations in
all over the world to see their beloved team returning back to where it really
deserves to be! I personally can't explain it otherwise; Kenny Dalglish is on a
denial stage! He doesn't realize that by not seeing the raw reality, that he is
not a capable manager for the modernized football and the manager who can turn
the fortunes of this club around and as long as he behaves in a selfish manner
he causes a serious damage! Back in 1991 he stepped down as LFC manager in a
period which that was unnecessary and now that it is imperative to do so, why
doesn't him?
It may not sound good but a win would only serve us bad in these circumstances.
ReplyDeleteRobbie Savage was an average footballer with an inflated idea of his own ability and his opinions are irritating
ReplyDeleteLFC could easily lose today and we all know it - Sad
ReplyDeletego back to the dancing robbie
ReplyDeleteyeah your right
ReplyDeletespot on
ReplyDeletewhy is that
ReplyDeletehow?
ReplyDeleteI'm willing to bet my last pound that Henderson,Downing and Carrol will let us down again..watch this space..
ReplyDeleteim sorry but we are now 2-1 down to wigan and even if we manage to get a draw i will be callin for kenny out !!! b4 u all have ago he is and always will be king but no other manager can spend this amount of money and get away with it ! i mean ffs qpr and now wigan ! when is enough enough!
ReplyDeletewhat are we doing at practice?
ReplyDeleteOops - methinks your confidence was misplaced...
ReplyDeleteTotally agree Craig - Dalglish my lifelong hero and wanted to name my kid Kenny (wife hates the name!) - but really, this is embarrassing and totally unacceptable. Progress, he says? Where? And its ok we are all smiling - where? 8 points in 11 games?!?
ReplyDeleteWhy did Jamie abandon his main thesis that Dalglish and the team are not up to it? Why did he get positive all of a sudden about the Wigan game? Is he letting RAWKITIS effect him?
ReplyDeleteActually, it was obvious that we would struggle against Wigan. They have a first-class manager and play good football.
Now let me not be be a fire starter and i know alot of yous including Jamie arent Rafa fans, but tell me this, if rafa was not fired would liverpool be in its current state? Truth of the matter is that ever since Kenny left back in the late 80's the best thing liverpool have ever done is bring Rafa to liverpool, I say this with all due respect to previous liverpool managers particularly Houllier (who in my opion layed a foundation at liverpool) because ever since rafa took over he made us relevant in world soccer/ european soccer Fact!!!, lets not even talk about the Champs final in 05, but how we managed to compete with the best of them in Europe, beat Barca at the Nou Camp, beat Real Both home and away, Beat Inter Milan both home and way, the list is endless, and he gets fired for one poor season where we did actually reach the semi final of the Europa, where if not for luck should have reached the final (bearing in mind we didnt even haVe Torres for that match). Granted Rafa made mistakes but we all do even the greatest managers make them too, rafa's biggest mistake was Alonso who he had signed by the way, so lets not just discredit him for losing such a player lets also look at the fact that he discovered and brought such a talent to liverpool, My question to all is if Rafa had the same backing as does Kenny have from our owners and has the same Financial means available to him, who do u honestly believe would be playing for liverpool???? considering players like silva, mata and even villa were seriously being talked about coming. As much you may despise him he made us relevant again FACT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeletewe need rafa !!!! the club just wasted 80 mil on rubbish
ReplyDeletetruth hurts eh?
ReplyDeletewell put... but the sad reality is we will not reach that level again for at least 4/5 years due to the make up of the squad KD has put together.
ReplyDeleteWhen did I abandon my core view that KD and his flops are not up for it? Irrespective of who is in charge at LFC, we should be expecting a home win against the team second-bottom in the league (!) - That is a no-brainer. The fact we failed to even achieve that just underlines the crisis at LFC right now.
ReplyDeleteThe team is 5 or 6 short of 4th place, in hindsight. 7 or 8 in terms of title.
ReplyDelete£100m to go backwards.
Lovely.
Net spend? :)
ReplyDeleteActually, I think that the fact that teams like Sunderland and Swansea are right behind us suggests that a better manager would have won a few of the games that we have lost that have left us 13 points off 4th place. Tottenham have taken 2 points in their last 15 and, in that time, we've been losing to Bolton, Sunderland, QPR and Wigan. If we take a point at Sunderland, we should still be within 3 of them. No one is going to tell me that Adam, Henderson, Carroll, Downing are not good enough to win games at Bolton, QPR or home to Wigan. Not with the other players we have. It's poor management, plain and simple.
ReplyDelete