Dalglish's transformation of Liverpool is undeniable

[FoxForceFive]

Good article. States the obvious TBH, but worth a read nonetheless, gives you that feel good buzz!

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For the last few months, Liverpool has emitted a perceptible hum. In the red half of the city, groups of people chatter like charged particles, each collision redoubling the thrill, heightening the pitch of the buzz. It is not often in modern soccer -- where the phrase "results driven business" justifies every half-cocked decision -- that recruitment must grasp at something so ethereal, so wishy-washy or impressionist, as mood. But the swell of feeling around Anfield is so great as to pop your ears before you are through the turnstile: crown King Kenny.

"It was obvious to us very early on that the atmosphere surrounding the club had been transformed by his presence," said owner John W. Henry to reporters, announcing the three-year contract that allows Kenny Dalglish to shrug off the caretaker's overalls that had quickly looked a poor fit. They say time heals, but all that stands between Liverpool and the end of the Hicks-Gillett court case -- a period in which the specter of administration loudly jangled its chains -- is 211 days. Seasons of Glee take longer to air.

There is an unavoidable nostalgia and romanticism in all of this, and so be it. Dalglish retired in 1991 and regretted his decision within weeks, a feeling shared by fans that have not seen their idols lift the league trophy since. He is an instant conduit to an era in which Liverpool battled for every title; after the last couple of years, it is no wonder that alone should plant huge grins on supporters' faces -- and they're legal tender round Anfield way. Of the hundreds of lines dedicated to the club's most revered manager, Bill Shankly, one still suffices: he made the people happy.

There may be a niggling doubt that it will carry Dalglish in today's Premier League. Coming in under the shadow of the brief but unforgettable Roy Hodgson era, Dalglish has been spared the midday S** of expectation. The euphoria that has greeted his appointment cannot help but translate into newly elevated hopes next season; while it is virtually impossible to imagine a single supporter calling for his head, the effect on the manager if those are not met is not quite so easy to predict. But it is hard to take in the past few months without concluding that Dalglish -- part-bootroom, part-superstar -- is absolutely the right person to lead Liverpool back to the future.

In the tradition of great Liverpool managers, Dalglish's man-management is a wonderful asset. Though he tried, at Thursday's press conference, to spare his predecessor the inevitable comparison between what each had achieved with largely the same group of players (and of course, Hodgson did not have Andy Carroll, or the whirring dynamo of Luis Suarez), Dalglish has transmuted the side with no greater alchemy than a good pep talk. "It's about everybody being totally committed to each other, and respectful of each other, and just doing what you have to do," he said to reporters.
That ethos has been evident on the pitch, where players such as Jack Robinson and John Flanagan have moved into the starting lineup without disturbing things the way 17- and 18-year-olds often do at this level, particularly in defensive positions. Throughout Flanagan's assured debut performance against Manchester City last month the support he received from the players around him, making themselves available for simple passes, ensured he was not exposed to trouble.

Perhaps Dalglish has been forced by circumstance (a considerable injury list) to field them so soon, and certainly the readiness of Liverpool's youth products is credit to Rafa Benitez. If the former manager replanted the orchard, the incumbent has watered it and picked the ripest fruit without bruising it. When Fabio Aurelio was injured after 20 minutes against Arsenal, Dalglish sent Robinson on as if it had been part of his plan all along, delivering instructions on how to deal with Theo Walcott through a broad smile as he slapped the youngster on the back.

The promise of Liverpool's youth is a big part of the surge of pheromones on Merseyside, but the changes in the rest of the team have hardly been insignificant. At times Hodgson spoke of his squad like an unlucky trainer taking a pack of mules to the Kentucky Derby, gloomily bemoaning the tactics forced upon him by their inability to keep pace with everyone else's thoroughbreds.

Now, players such as Dirk Kuyt and Maxi Rodriguez, bolstered by the impish influence of Suarez, are playing in the spirit of schoolboys. Even at 5-1 earlier this week, they prowled around Fulham's lines looking to make mischief. Midfielders Lucas Leiva and Jay Spearing were both part of the poor squad Benitez was supposed to have left behind, yet both are playing well enough to be considered part of Liverpool's future rather than trapped in its depressing recent past.

The 33 points taken from the last 48, the subsequent leap from 12th to fifth in the table, the swing in goal difference from -3 to +18 in a run of results that includes wins over Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City: all have fired up Anfield's imagination. In place of the fear of Liverpool's post-Fernando Torres, post-Steven Gerrard days is the welcome certainty that the club has benefited from the departure of the former and can already cope with the eventual retirement of the latter.

Goalkeeper Pepe Reina had a foot out of the door at the turn of the year but confirmed Friday he'd be at Liverpool next season."I am looking forward to next season," Reina said to reporters. "I have always said [that] -- of course there was a bit of doubt back in December and January because we were not even close to where we are now.

"We have had excellent news on Kenny's contract and all of the technical staff. We are heading in the right direction and we are optimistic."
Steve Clarke's simultaneous permanent appointment as first-team coach ensures that the reaction to Dalglish (and the parallels drawn between him and Shankly) is not just poetic. The support of such canny backroom staff will be crucial.

"You identify your faults and bring in someone that's better than you at what you can't do," Dalglish explained Thursday, acknowledging that his attackattackattack approach would need grounding in solid defense. "Stevie and Sammy [Lee] are much better at what they do than what I could do." This, and what appears to be a functioning relationship with director of football Damien Comolli, further explains why FSG is happy to abandon its chase for the next big manager, and sign up the last big manager instead.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/georgina_turner/05/13/dalglish.liverpool/index.html#ixzz1MJfbTikV

 

[Judge Jules]

Excellent article - thanks for posting it. It captures the atmosphere as well as the factual detail of what's going on at Anfield, which is key to understanding why it's working. That's something the King knows very well and has deliberately set out to develop.

 

[localny]

"At times Hodgson spoke of his squad like an unlucky trainer taking a pack of mules to the Kentucky Derby, gloomily bemoaning the tactics forced upon him by their inability to keep pace with everyone else's thoroughbreds."

Great article

 

[FoxForceFive]

It is indeed. Female journo too, somewhat rare in football.

 

[King Binny]

KENNY DALGLISH has borrowed the secrets of Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley to build a new Anfield dynasty.

The Liverpool boss has brought back the tried and trusted training methods which served the club during his first spell in charge and its triumphant heyday.

And that has meant ditching the divisive ideas and management style of his predecessors which had alienated so many members of the squad.

GONE are the stop-start training sessions of the Roy Hodgson era, where players spent more time standing listening than kicking a football.

GONE are theprolonged pre-match meetings favoured by Rafa Benitez, where he dissected the opposition in the finest tactical detail.

GONE is the sense of distance between players and staff which had created an environment of mistrust at Anfield and saw regular changes in playing and back-room personnel.

GONE is the infighting and backstabbing which undermined successive regimes.

Liverpool's players have spoken about enjoying their football again under Dalglish and assistant Steve Clarke.

Training is now based almost entirely on players enjoying possession through five-a-sides and practice sessions.

The Dalglish way is focused on making players hunt for the ball and feel comfortable in possession.

He is known to have challenged players to touch the ball 100 times during a training session.

The next day, he increases the challenge to 200 touches, until eventually he wants them to get 1,000 touches during a practice game.

Such a mindset is at the heart of the pass-and-move mantra which was once synonymous with Liverpool.

It is the same system which worked for Dalglish when he first took the job in 1985.

Psychologically there has been a major improvement too, with players feeling they are being applauded for their good qualities rather than being constantly harassed to improve.

The words of encouragement are frequent, and players now believe in themselves again.

Under Hodgson, the players had become swiftly disillusioned by his preference for drilling exercises.

Although there was sympathy for the brutal way his reign ended so soon, it has emerged there were concerns as early as the first month of the season that his methodology was totally unsuited to the calibre of player at the club.

That was a reaction to complaints from players that training was not enjoyable and not good enough.

But it is not just the contrast with Hodgson that is being noted.

Benitez and his predecessor Gerard Houllier were brilliant strategists. Yet even their biggest admirers would accept their brand of football was largely pragmatic and cautious rather than adventurous.

Benitez was admired for his attention to detail and passion for outwitting other bosses.

He would make the pre-match meeting where he analysed the opposition's tactical plan a focal point of the week, whether Liverpool were playing Real Madrid or Havant and Waterlooville.

There is a view at Anfield now that some players were overcoached under Benitez.

While some, like Dirk Kuyt, responded and thrived, others were disillusioned and left very quickly.

It was remarked by one Kop insider this week that if Benitez was managing Luis Suarez, he would already be trying to focus on weaknesses in the South American's game rather than eulogise about his talents.

Dalglish simply wants to create a system of playing where the finest qualities of each individual complement each other.

With Euro qualification against Spurs on the agenda today, Liverpool's new owners have been fortunate to stumble upon a winning formula they could scarcely have imagined when Dalglish took the reins in January.

 

[iseered]

 

[King Binny]

Passion, iconic status, an emphasis on unification, and, above all, success on the pitch. It was inevitable that Kenny Dalglish would be offered and accept a permanent contract at Liverpool.

Since returning on an initial short-term basis in January, the impact of the darling of The Kop in his second reign as manager has been an unequivocal success. Smiles have returned to the faces of players and fans alike. A club which had previously fallen to metaphorical knees now stands with chest pumped. Thirty-three Premier League points have been collected to mean that European football next season is in their own hands. It is almost unthinkable that this is the same shattered club which was fighting against the prospect of administration in the High Court last autumn.

Initially there were concerns about 60-year-old Dalglish's capability to return to modern management after a decade. It was viewed by some that Dalglish, who managed Liverpool to their 18th and last league title in 1990, was further evidence of a club living on past glories. Almost ironically, his three-year contract comes 48 hours before Manchester United could further underline the underachievement at Liverpool with a 19th league title.

Fenway Sports Group (FSG), Liverpool's owners, who bought out the maligned Tom Hicks and George Gillett in the messy October takeover, were said to prefer a younger man to fit with their vision for the future. The emphasis was on marketability and age. Borussia Dortmund's Jurgen Klopp and Porto's Andre Villas-Boas were both reported as leading candidates.

A new, young manager probably would have been the preferred choice for Henry and Werner. But Dalglish's revitalising impact, willingness to follow FSG's preference to introduce homegrown talent to the first team, and determination to address the 'unfinished business' he had with a role he initially resigned from in 1991 made the Scot impossible to ignore. The potentially demoralising tremors of appointing another man after such an impact would have been unthinkable.

Dalglish almost uniquely transcends Liverpool and has now become a figure of salvation to only further increase his standing as an emblem at Anfield. He epitomises what went wrong for predecessor Roy Hodgson. Merseyside is not a place for football clubs to be managed in a style of painting by numbers. This is not a criticism of Hodgson. It is a matter of approach, which proved successful at Fulham and has now been effective in saving West Brom. But Liverpool is not a club run on regimentation. There is a collective spirit, which their now permanent manager personifies, understands and appreciates.

Pre and post-match press conferences are always humbly focused on the 'we'. There is no 'I' in team and this is exactly why the importance of Steve Clarke cannot be overlooked. The former Newcastle, Chelsea and West Ham assistant was brought in to work as Liverpool first-team coach on 10th January and has since also been given a three-year contract.

Clarke's contribution should not be underestimated. While it may be the atmospheric chants of 'Dalglish' which roll out of Anfield, another Scot has been quietly and efficiently going about his business to help turn around fortunes.

Almost to a man, Liverpool's players have been speaking in glowing assessment of the change in training since Clarke's arrival. The general consensus is that sessions are now enjoyable, but focused. Results, togetherness and high spirits are evident on the field as a consequence. Players such as Raul Meireles and, more recently, Maxi Rodriguez, have been transformed. Chelsea and Manchester United have been beaten. Birmingham and Fulham have been demolished with a swagger.

There was little fanfare when the 47-year-old was appointed, but he brought with him an essential knowledge of the modern game and a proven track record. Plaudits went to Dalglish when Liverpool switched to a three-man defence against the likes of Stoke, but it will have been a combined decision.

Having worked with Dutch legend Ruud Gullit, albeit unsuccessfully, Clarke will have learnt about the mentality of pass and move football and team flexibility, or rotation of roles, of which there is now more than a resemblance in Liverpool's attacking play.

Reports have suggested that Jose Mourinho, who Clarke won two Premier League titles with at Chelsea, has sounded out about a possible move to Real Madrid or a potential reunion if the current Bernabeu boss returns to England this summer. Liverpool have ensured that should not be the case, or at least would require a lot of money.

Clarke had himself indicated that he had no intention of walking away from Anfield, or, more specifically, Melwood. He said at the end of April: "Every manager I've worked with - you pick up good qualities from all of them and so far, in a short space of time, I've seen a lot of great qualities from Kenny. I hope to continue the work into the future."

There should be a note of caution. Relatively wretched defeats to West Ham, Braga and West Brom should not be forgotten. This is still just the beginning of the rebuilding process and the real challenge for Dalglish and Clarke could be when/if the wave of euphoria ends. There is still a drastic need for new signings and director of football Damien Comolli faces an important summer. Liverpool's bench often resembles the strength of a Carling Cup line-up. The squad needs immediate reinforcement.

But the ultimate conclusion for Liverpool is that, after the wreckage of Hodgson, and before that the in-house unrest of Rafa Benitez's strained working relationship with Hicks and Gillett, there is now a coaching staff which gels with the club ethos, fans and FSG.