EVERY day Kenny Dalglish walks in the footsteps of Bill Shankly, the Scots legend who lured him from Glasgow's East End to Liverpool.
But the boy from Milton has long since carved his own special place in the hearts of the Anfield faithful - and he could now be set to make the latest love affair last well into the next decade.
Dalglish goes up against Roy Hodgson, the man he replaced on Merseyside, when Liverpool face West Brom this afternoon.
And the depth of gratitude the Scousers feel to King Kenny after he resurrected a club that had lost its way, runs as deep as their adoration of another adopted Scot.
Shankly emerged from the mining village of Glenbuck to create the modernday Liverpool. Dalglish has used the streetwise cunning developed during his formative years in Glasgow to reset Liverpool's compass.
And the man who knew Shankly better than his media followers sees similarities between the two men that stretch beyond their shared nationality.
John Roberts wrote a Shankly biography so powerful the club tried to ban it.
Now it's been re-released in paperback form and Roberts gave Record Sport his insight on the Scots taken to the hearts of the most passionate fans in England.
He said: "The statue of Bill outside Anfield represents the greatness of his achievements for the club.
"Now it's the will of the people that Kenny becomes the Liverpool manager on a permanent basis.
"The fans on what was once the Kop identify with him. He's one of them and understands the club. He appreciates it's a special club in a special place.
"And they don't hold it against Kenny that he once left for personal reasons. Dalglish had played for Liverpool on the awful night at the Heysel Stadium when so many fans lost their lives at the European Cup Final with Juventus.
"And he had managed the team on the even more tragic day when 95 Liverpool fans lost their lives at Hillsborough.
"Kenny had come to a stage where he'd had enough. But he was so highly thought of that when he won the title for Blackburn Rovers at Anfield, the home fans cheered him because it meant Manchester United were being driven into second place."
Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge of United then and he is still in control at Old Trafford 16 years later - and Roberts believes that Dalglish has that kind of longevity in him as well.
He said: "He has the urge, on the verge of his 60th birthday, to restore Liverpool to what they once were. He doesn't look like a man approaching that age.
"As someone once said, he had the face of a farm boy. You can add the attitude of the streets to that profile and he has the right people round about him.
"Shankly's great strength was that he retained people like Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan when he first went to Anfield.
"Kenny has brought in a fellow Scot, Steve Clarke, and the chemistry has worked straight away.
"All was not well at Anfield when Kenny went back to the manager's office. Fans didn't believe the club could get back to a position of strength. The side was just above the relegation zone.
"But the job that Kenny has done to lift them up the table means he's worth more to the club's owners in the summer than he was when he took over at first.
"Bill was a more outgoing figure than Kenny. Shankly could be sarcastic and verbose. Dalglish likes to be in control of what's said in the club.
"I was once thrown out of Anfield by Bill for asking about Roger Hunt throwing his shirt at the dugout when he was subbed. Kenny has been more restrained in his dealings with me.
"Bill would speak to reporters in the corridor outside the dressing room. Kenny uses a mini theatre for his conferences."
When Shankly was at the peak of his powers English football's hierarchy also competed on a level playing field.
Dalglish is now the poor relation compared to Ferguson, Carlo Ancelotti and Roberto Mancini.
Roberts said: "Chelsea is like a train set for Roman Abramovich. Mancini is boss one of the richest clubs in the world at Man City and Sir Alex is with the club who see themselves as the biggest of the lot.
"They have benefactors and Liverpool have investors. Kenny's had highs and lows in his life and has now returned mature and ready for the task."
