From The Times June 4, 2010
Revered Kenny Dalglish is the only valid choice to end this sad messTony Evans: commentary
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Great players have the knack of being in the right place at the right time. Kenny Dalglish had that uncanny ability. Now, with Liverpool in turmoil, he is in the perfect place.
Dalglish is the only man who can unite a club in danger of imploding.
Twice before the man they call “King Kenny” has provided leadership off the pitch in times of crisis. Twenty-five years ago, after Heysel, he stepped into the manager’s role vacated by Joe Fagan. With the club’s image at an all-time low, his calm leadership won back friends and produced a Double in his first season.
Four years later the Scot’s reputation on Merseyside was enhanced further. In the wake of Hillsborough, Dalglish brought comfort to the families of the dead and injured at great personal emotional cost.
When he left Anfield in 1991, his career as a manager unhinged by tragedy, he remained — alongside Bill Shankly — the towering figure in the club’s history.
Now he finds himself charged with finding the next Liverpool manager after the departure of Rafael Benítez — a massive task for anyone. Dalglish rejoined the club last summer in a wide-ranging position. He was encouraged to return by Christian Purslow, the managing director and a long-time friend. Purslow has had plenty of criticism in recent months but his role in taking Dalglish back to Anfield may prove to be a masterstroke.
Liverpool can offer little to outstanding managerial candidates. Three years of ownership that has appalled so many have left the club with a disaffected dressing room, an empty war chest and sense of decay. The fanatical support and glorious heritage are not enough to seduce managers with ambitions to win titles and Champions Leagues. And it would not take a Mourinho-style ego to laugh off the table the short-term contract that is on offer.
The ownership issue also clouds the situation, for possible buyers and potential managers. Dalglish can do little to influence the asking price of the club — Tom Hicks talks in terms of £400-600 million, Royal Bank of Scotland, the primary lender, about £350 million — but any manager could find himself surplus to a new owner’s requirements.
So Dalglish will consider Martin O’Neill, who is disaffected at Aston Villa. He will also look at Roy Hodgson, who, at 62, might balk at the comments by Martin Broughton, the chairman, that it will take three years to turn things round at Anfield. Neither of this pair — nor Mark Hughes — would cause an upsurge in season-ticket sales or glee in the dressing room.
Managers who can capture the respect of Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Fernando Torres are at a premium. Finding such a character would at least give Anfield a fighting chance of holding on to these stars. Unfulfilled promises have left the cream of Liverpool’s dressing room doubtful about the ability of the club to go forward. Boldness and leadership may just tip the scales and keep some of them on Merseyside. Given the mess at Anfield, Dalglish should tear up his list and look in the mirror.
The only sensible option is to make Dalglish manager, at least until new ownership arrives. He knows the game inside out and, while giving the job to a man with more than a decade out of management is clearly not ideal, Dalglish’s greatness always lifted those around him and produced the unexpected.
With Dalglish installed, the guerrilla war between the manager’s office and the boardroom will finally be over — his closeness to Purslow would see to that. For the first time in years, everyone at the club would be pulling in the same direction.
When he was on the pitch and Liverpool were struggling, the cry would go up: “Give it to Kenny.” That call has more resonance than ever.
• Tony Evans is Football Editor of The Times and author of Far Foreign Land: Pride and Passion the Liverpool Way.
Revered Kenny Dalglish is the only valid choice to end this sad messTony Evans: commentary
11 Comments
Recommend? (1)
Great players have the knack of being in the right place at the right time. Kenny Dalglish had that uncanny ability. Now, with Liverpool in turmoil, he is in the perfect place.
Dalglish is the only man who can unite a club in danger of imploding.
Twice before the man they call “King Kenny” has provided leadership off the pitch in times of crisis. Twenty-five years ago, after Heysel, he stepped into the manager’s role vacated by Joe Fagan. With the club’s image at an all-time low, his calm leadership won back friends and produced a Double in his first season.
Four years later the Scot’s reputation on Merseyside was enhanced further. In the wake of Hillsborough, Dalglish brought comfort to the families of the dead and injured at great personal emotional cost.
When he left Anfield in 1991, his career as a manager unhinged by tragedy, he remained — alongside Bill Shankly — the towering figure in the club’s history.
Now he finds himself charged with finding the next Liverpool manager after the departure of Rafael Benítez — a massive task for anyone. Dalglish rejoined the club last summer in a wide-ranging position. He was encouraged to return by Christian Purslow, the managing director and a long-time friend. Purslow has had plenty of criticism in recent months but his role in taking Dalglish back to Anfield may prove to be a masterstroke.
Liverpool can offer little to outstanding managerial candidates. Three years of ownership that has appalled so many have left the club with a disaffected dressing room, an empty war chest and sense of decay. The fanatical support and glorious heritage are not enough to seduce managers with ambitions to win titles and Champions Leagues. And it would not take a Mourinho-style ego to laugh off the table the short-term contract that is on offer.
The ownership issue also clouds the situation, for possible buyers and potential managers. Dalglish can do little to influence the asking price of the club — Tom Hicks talks in terms of £400-600 million, Royal Bank of Scotland, the primary lender, about £350 million — but any manager could find himself surplus to a new owner’s requirements.
So Dalglish will consider Martin O’Neill, who is disaffected at Aston Villa. He will also look at Roy Hodgson, who, at 62, might balk at the comments by Martin Broughton, the chairman, that it will take three years to turn things round at Anfield. Neither of this pair — nor Mark Hughes — would cause an upsurge in season-ticket sales or glee in the dressing room.
Managers who can capture the respect of Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Fernando Torres are at a premium. Finding such a character would at least give Anfield a fighting chance of holding on to these stars. Unfulfilled promises have left the cream of Liverpool’s dressing room doubtful about the ability of the club to go forward. Boldness and leadership may just tip the scales and keep some of them on Merseyside. Given the mess at Anfield, Dalglish should tear up his list and look in the mirror.
The only sensible option is to make Dalglish manager, at least until new ownership arrives. He knows the game inside out and, while giving the job to a man with more than a decade out of management is clearly not ideal, Dalglish’s greatness always lifted those around him and produced the unexpected.
With Dalglish installed, the guerrilla war between the manager’s office and the boardroom will finally be over — his closeness to Purslow would see to that. For the first time in years, everyone at the club would be pulling in the same direction.
When he was on the pitch and Liverpool were struggling, the cry would go up: “Give it to Kenny.” That call has more resonance than ever.
• Tony Evans is Football Editor of The Times and author of Far Foreign Land: Pride and Passion the Liverpool Way.
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