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Kenny Dalglish: My Liverpool Home (Abstracts)

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King Binny

King Binny

Part of the Furniture
Honorary Member
Not sure if these had been shared/posted before. Pls pardon if it had been.

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(On Evans-Houllier joint management)

As the years passed, I still thought of Liverpool, still occasionally returned to Anfield for the annual Hillsborough service. When Liverpool brought in Gerard Houllier to work as joint-manager with Roy Evans in 1996, I wished it had been me. Why didn’t they approach me to help Roy? I’d have gone and assisted him, just as the board appointed Bob to give me any guidance I required. If it had worked with me and Bob, why not with me and Roy?

Liverpool’s decision to recruit Houllier was a surprise. There were no lines of demarcation. Nobody knew whether Roy picked the side or Gerard did. Nobody knew who was responsible for signing players, Roy or Gerard. Who set the blueprint for training? The players were asking Roy and Gerard the same question and sometimes receiving different answers. Two equals never works in football. Players will always play one off against the other. There could be only one leader, one person making the calls and taking responsibility.

If it had been Roy and me, I’d never have tried to undermine him. Having been manager of Liverpool, knowing the pressure of the job and having enjoyed such support from Roy and Ronnie, I could have made the relationship with Roy work. I’d have kept my counsel, just chipping in when Roy asked. I’d have been loyal, doing anything to make Roy’s time in the job a success.

Good players abounded at Melwood, some of whom I’d signed. Steve McManaman, Jamie Redknapp and Robbie Fowler were all coming on, and Liverpool could have challenged for trophies. Roy’s joint-managership with Gerard was doomed, so I wasn’t totally surprised when it broke down. Roy was incredibly honest, telling the board it wasn’t working, making a brave decision to walk away from the club he loved. Many people would have thought ‘last in, first out’ and waited for Gerard to leave.
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(On his gratitude to Rafa for bringing him back home)

My respect for Rafa Benitez will always run deep, partly because he invited me back to my Liverpool home in 2009. It took a strong man to allow a predecessor back into the building. Although the main part of my role keeps me in the Academy at Kirkby, there was the possibility of a shadow being cast, so I admired Rafa for not worrying about the past and simply doing what he felt was best for Liverpool’s future.

I’m not sure many managers would have done the same. My job title is Academy Ambassador, which means if anybody on youth-development side needs any help, I’m there. If it’s advice, I’ll raid the memory bank for any experience that might assist. If the commercial department requires somebody to promote Liverpool football club to a sponsor, I’ll put on my smartest suit and best smile and go and meet people. Turning up for home matches is also part of the role, and one I love fulfilling, and I’ve taken in many Liverpool away games as well.
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(On Carra)

What a fantastic goalkeeper he is, as good as anybody in the world, if not better. Liverpool can’t improve in goal, and I don’t think they have had a better defender than Carra for a decade. He’ll put his foot in, head the ball, and it riles me when critics disparage Jamie’s passing. It’s not the worst passing around by a long chalk. Newspapers say the reverse about Glen Johnson, banging on about “he’s really good going forward but terrible defendingâ€. Everybody has a weakness but Glen isn’t a bad defender and he’s fantastic at attacking.

When Glen pushes on, Carra makes sure the right-back space is covered, another sign of how well he reads the game. As well as being a brilliant defender, Carra’s a great leader who talks to players, encouraging them and criticizing them when they deserve it.

Carra’s a real student of football, a bit of an anorak actually, but I never discussed Liverpool games with him when we bumped into each other last season, because that would have been unfair on Rafa. I was brought up to respect the position of Liverpool manager. Even if the manager changes, as it has now with Rafa’s departure and Roy Hodgson’s arrival, my principle of respecting the office has never altered.

When Carra voiced his interest in management, I understood why because he’s just so taken up with the game. I don’t think many of the top players from the modern era would want all the hassle of management, particularly as they are financially secure, but Carra’s different. He’s certainly been a top player but he’s also got the hunger and football brain to do well in management. He’s already taking his coaching badges.

When I read Carra’s book, it was creepy because many opinions he had about the academy system chimed with mine. Some people suggest Carra might step up one day at Liverpool. The appointment from within can work brilliantly but it’s more about the person than principle. The individual has to be right. Carra will know if management suits when retirement beckons. That’s the day of reckoning.
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(On Alberto Aquilani)

Whenever I take my seat in the Main stand, I passionately hope Alberto Aquilani will show his true qualities. Liverpool resigned themselves to Alonso leaving for Real Madrid, so Rafa had plenty of time to pick a midfield replacement, and Aquilani was his choice.

Unfortunately, he arrived from Roma with an ankle injury, a frustration for him, Rafa and everybody at Liverpool. Whenever I’ve observed Aquilani, he seems quite alert, seeing a pass. I saw his excitement when scoring at the Kop against Portsmouth and Atletico Madrid, a reaction that proves how desperately he wants his transfer to work out. I believe he has a real desire to show people he’s better than they imagine.

He cannot complain, though. It’s the nature of football for there to be criticism if somebody arrives for £20 million and struggles to deliver in his first season. Sympathy was always going to be short in supply for Alberto. I heard people whisper, “why did Liverpool pay that for him? Look at the state of him.â€

I felt that to be unfair, because, after all, he was returning to fitness after an operation. Missing pre-season was especially damaging, particularly for a new signing from abroad, unfamiliar with the frenetic pace of English football. So I’ll reserve judgment on Alberto Aquilani until well into this season. If he has an injury-free run, Anfield can judge Aquilani properly.
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(On Liverpool's lack of league success)

A squad is only as good as the weakest player and that fact has held Liverpool back. Liverpool don’t have the financial riches of Manchester City or Chelsea, so I knew the thinness of the squad would be exposed. I can understand why Liverpool have failed to land a title in the 21st Century.

Rival clubs have poured heavy investments into salaries and transfers, and the competition is stiffer now than when I was managing, but what mystifies me is Liverpool’s lack of League success right through the Nineties. I simply cannot believe that subsequent Liverpool managers did not build on the solid foundation.

Blackburn have lifted the title more recently than Liverpool. People said it was Jack Walker’s cold, hard cash that made it possible, but money was no guarantee of success or is it ever. Rovers finished fourth, second and then first, as we slowly shaped a team capable of winning the title.
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(On Ian Ayre)

I understand the Kop’s frustration at the waves of embarrassment that have washed over Liverpool, but plenty of positives have happened off the pitch. Ian helped the commercial side by 83 per cent and sponsorship money is up as well. Liverpool’s success in the Seventies and Eighties attracted millions of fans around the world, who are passionate about the club, and, finally, Liverpool are tapping in to our huge global support.

In Singapore last year, I saw a man whose back was tattooed with the club’s honours. He loved Liverpool yet had probably never set foot inside Anfield, let alone on Merseyside, but he was still a diehard Liverpool fan. The club must cater for men like him around the world.
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(On stadium expansion/new stadium)

When I think about how Liverpool’s future may unfold, I’ll admit to concern about filling a new stadium every week. It’s assumed we’ll sell out but that will depend on how well the team are doing. In the first season, I’m sure Liverpool will pack out a 60,000-seater stadium, because everybody will want to experience Liverpool’s new home. Once that first rush is over, and curiosity has been satisfied, the fans will turn up in numbers only if Liverpool are prospering. Otherwise punters will pick and choose games. Liverpool must be competing for silverware to make the new stadium work.

I’ve read all the figures stating that an awful lot of people are on the waiting list, and the passion and loyalty of Liverpool fans can never be questioned, but it’s one thing being on the waiting list and another being asked to part with money. If all the season tickets aren’t taken up, I’d like to see Liverpool set aside tickets for some games for school-kids. I often worry that we risk losing the next generation for supporters thought availability and cost of tickets.

I know I’ll be accused of nostalgia, even stupidity, but I’d prefer Liverpool to pour resources into extending the Anfield Road end upper tier, and re-configuring the Main Stand, to increase capacity towards 60,000. I honestly feel the best scenario would be to keep the Kop, the most famous stand in sport, and build up around it. That’s my personal wish but I understand it is unlikely ever to be fulfilled.
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(On Rafa's Academy restructuring)

When Rafa received his new contract in 2009, he reorganized the Academy at Kirkby. An awful lot of staff lost their jobs as Rafa replaced them with people of his choice. Rafa put Frank McParland, a good man, in charge of the Academy and brought in a Spanish technician, Pep Segura, as Academy Technical Manager and Rodolfo Borrell as coach of the Under-18s.

Rafa wanted to restart the conveyor belt of talent, educating kids in the skills and mindset they’ll need for Liverpool’s first team. People keep saying the Academy hasn’t produced a player for many years but many have emerged to earn a decent living elsewhere. Stephen Warnock went on to Blackburn Rovers, then Aston Villa, and made it to the World Cup with England. Stephen Wright went to Sunderland, David Thompson to Coventry and Neil Mellor moved on to West Ham, Wigan and Preston.

These Academy graduates are not where we’d like them to be, in Liverpool’s first team, but a couple are on the fringes, including Martin Kelly, Jay Spearing and Stephen Darby, and a good few are on loan. If they have the ability, they’d be in.
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(On the Academy and youth players)
I love being at Kirkby. My office has huge pictures of Liverpool fans celebrating in Istanbul. The Academy is a special place, strengthened by coaches such as Rodolfo, who has an amazing record of working with kids, including Lionel Mess and Cesc Fabregas, at Barcelona.

“I could have stayed at Barcelona but I wanted to come and work here because Liverpool are a great club,†Rodolfo told me. Quite rightly , Rodolfo demands so much of our young players. “If you don’t share my ambitions, don’t stay here,†Rodolfo tells them.

“Having good facilities doesn’t mean you’ll be a good player,†I tell the youngsters. “You have to want it enough to be a professional footballer. No hunger, no chance. We’ll help you with your academic education, because there’s no guarantee you’ll make it as a footballer. There’s a safety net.â€

I know many people worry about youngsters’ hunger, but when I look around the Academy, I see kids equally as ambitious as I was. When I was growing up at Celtic, I played with kids who were probably better than I was but lacking the dedication to make it as a professional. I believe it’s even more difficult to break through now, because of the demands on the first team.

Managers have a responsibility to stay in the Premier League because of the damaging financial repercussions of relegation, so many play it safe, ignoring the kids and relying on more experienced players from abroad. At Sunderland, Steve Bruce has been brave with two midfield players, David Meyler and Jordan Henderson, who look promising, but Steve started playing them together last season only when Sunderland were safe.
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(On Fergie)

Given how well United have done since then under Fergie, I probably should have kept my mouth shut, but his success is no surprise to me. Fergie’s got the work ethic, toughness, ability and knowledge, and he’s built United the way he wants it. When I look across at Old Trafford, it’s like the old days with Liverpool, bringing in two or three class acts every year. At the same time, Fergie has installed a load of promising players, such as Rafael, Macheda and Hernandez.

Fergie’s really clever. He develops a player such as Frazier Campbell, gives him a few games in the first team, builds up his reputation, the price soars, and then sells him to Sunderland in a deal that could net United £6 million.
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(On Rafa's exit)

I was still surprised he went. During the previous summer, he had revamped the Academy at Kirkby and was clearly thinking long-term. Rafa wanted to make the relationship between Kirkby and Melwood closer. That had long been missing. He inherited this problem and was determined to put it right. After such a good season, in 2008-09, it was a good time to tackle the youth development side. If the Academy kicks on and produces good players, he has left a great legacy.

Not too many people felt much resentment towards Rafa for going. The fans supported him because they support the position of the manager at Liverpool. They are loyal to the chair, especially in times of trouble. Rafa certainly wasn’t disliked.

Some of the critics might have perceived him as cold but every time I was with him, we’d have a chuckle, tell a few stories. Rafa’s good company.
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(On missing out on managerial job this summer)

When it was clear Rafa was going, Christian Purslow asked me to get involved in the selection process for the next manager.

“I’ll help in any way I possibly can,†I told Christian. They drew up a list, asked me to come and meet the candidates and then let them decide who the manager should be.

In mid-June, I had to let them know my real views. I wanted the job. I couldn’t miss the opportunity.

One day, I was in a meeting with Christian and the chairman, Martin Broughton, and I formally put my name forward.

“We don’t want you, Kenny,†came the reply from Christian and the chairman. Fine. That’s their ­prerogative. They explained they had different plans for me, a position with greater longevity.

“We want you for a role at the club that would be for longer than the tenure of the manager,†the board told me. The job focused on player ­development. It wasn’t management, though.

Martin Broughton made that ­abundantly clear. People have asked me whether I was disappointed, and of course I was. I passionately wanted the job. But I would have been more disappointed if I hadn’t put my name forward. I love Liverpool so deeply I felt almost an obligation to apply.

This was about helping Liverpool more than reviving my management career. If another club came in and asked me to be their manager, I honestly don’t know how I’d react.

Liverpool’s my home. There was no self-glory attached to my application. I did feel I had unfinished business with the job, though, since my previous tenure was aborted in 1991.

But I was enjoying myself with the Academy, going in, helping the kids and attending matches at Anfield.

I usually find it difficult to promote myself. That’s not my nature.
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(On Roy Hodgson and working with him)

By expressing my ambition for the job, the board might think that complicated life for Roy Hodgson. They needn’t have feared. I fully respect Roy, a man I’ve known for a long, long time, ever since he was in Sweden, at Halmstads and Malmo, and he visited Melwood with Bobby Houghton. We struck up a friendship.

Roy’s a very honourable and decent person, and very experienced in football. He has his beliefs in how the team should be set up, but when he arrived at Liverpool, he will have known that he had to make one or two adjustments to his system, because the individuals are different at Liverpool.

No manager can just impose their style. It’s all right having a system but players dictate how it is played.

When Roy came in, I knew ­Liverpool would be committed and well ­organised. He’s the type of guy players enjoy working for.

He’s very honest in the way he handles players, and he speaks very well. He’ll get a great deal of respect from the players as well as the fans.

Roy must know he has walked into a world of uncertainty at Anfield, and until Liverpool are sold, the situation won’t settle down.

Even then, people always feel ­uncertain when they have a new employer. What decisions will the new buyer make? Will he keep people? Will he want his own men in? Roy understands the situation.

At his press conference, he was asked how he would cope when a new owner arrives.

His answer was very good: “I’m the same as everybody else. If I’m getting results, I’ve got a better chance of keeping my job.â€

Roy knows I’ll help him in any way I canhim I I can. ­Liverpool Football Club are much more important than I am, or Roy Hodgson, ­Christian Purslow or Martin Broughton.

I’ve put aside any resentment I felt about not being considered for the manager’s job.

I’m focusing on the bigger picture, which is Liverpool Football Club. Roy has no problem with me being here.

I have never undermined a manager. When I was given the Liverpool manager’s job in 1985, I had the best guy ever as my ally to consult.

Bob Paisley wasn’t a threat. He was 100 per cent on my side, and I knew that.

I’ll be the same for Roy if he wants it. What matters is Liverpool fighting their way back up to where they belong.
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I got the book x2 for my Birthday in September (Yeah I'm THAT predictable to my family) so gave one to my mate (the one I'd already read) and got a pristine unread one ready for Kenny to sign one day.

I filled up at the bit in the hospital where the young lad woke up from his coma hearing Kenny was visiting, I remember hearing it doing the rounds when it happened, but the story from the man himself is very very touching.
 
Interesting read, thanks for posting.

Slightly surprised about his take on the Houllier-Evans partnership. I've always got the impression that Houllier was brought in as manager but Moores was too much of a coward to sack Evans, so they essentially just waited until he resigned.
 
[quote author=Richey link=topic=42873.msg1221940#msg1221940 date=1290359222]
Interesting read, thanks for posting.

Slightly surprised about his take on the Houllier-Evans partnership. I've always got the impression that Houllier was brought in as manager but Moores was too much of a coward to sack Evans, so they essentially just waited until he resigned.

[/quote]


haha, says it fucking all really about who we had running the club for all those years. it's nothing i didn't know before, but it's so pathetic it still gets a reaction from me.
 
[quote author=Kenny link=topic=42873.msg1221764#msg1221764 date=1290339948]
(On Rafa's exit)

The fans supported him because they support the position of the manager at Liverpool. They are loyal to the chair, especially in times of trouble.

[/quote]

Not a regular on here then eh Kenny?
 
[quote author=peterhague link=topic=42873.msg1221944#msg1221944 date=1290359737]
[quote author=Richey link=topic=42873.msg1221940#msg1221940 date=1290359222]
Interesting read, thanks for posting.

Slightly surprised about his take on the Houllier-Evans partnership. I've always got the impression that Houllier was brought in as manager but Moores was too much of a coward to sack Evans, so they essentially just waited until he resigned.

[/quote]


haha, says it fucking all really about who we had running the club for all those years. it's nothing i didn't know before, but it's so pathetic it still gets a reaction from me.
[/quote]

Yeah, that was a horrible episode.

He could have forced a sacking but he just packed up and left.

In a sense, the true last remnant of our boot room.

Fantastic thread by the way.

I've been trying to get this book from the library but the damn thing is always on loan.

Think I'll just buy it, it looks to be worth it.
 
[quote author=peterhague link=topic=42873.msg1221944#msg1221944 date=1290359737]
[quote author=Richey link=topic=42873.msg1221940#msg1221940 date=1290359222]
Interesting read, thanks for posting.

Slightly surprised about his take on the Houllier-Evans partnership. I've always got the impression that Houllier was brought in as manager but Moores was too much of a coward to sack Evans, so they essentially just waited until he resigned.

[/quote]


haha, says it fucking all really about who we had running the club for all those years. it's nothing i didn't know before, but it's so pathetic it still gets a reaction from me.
[/quote]

Maybe it tells something about Liverpool FC as a place were it is room for more than the cynism we see around the world of footie today? Or would we like our club to be a place were the chairman is a brutal dictator who sacks and pakcs by his own daily mood?
 
[quote author=Binny link=topic=42873.msg1221753#msg1221753 date=1290337235]
(On stadium expansion/new stadium)

When I think about how Liverpool’s future may unfold, I’ll admit to concern about filling a new stadium every week. It’s assumed we’ll sell out but that will depend on how well the team are doing. In the first season, I’m sure Liverpool will pack out a 60,000-seater stadium, because everybody will want to experience Liverpool’s new home. Once that first rush is over, and curiosity has been satisfied, the fans will turn up in numbers only if Liverpool are prospering. Otherwise punters will pick and choose games. Liverpool must be competing for silverware to make the new stadium work.

I’ve read all the figures stating that an awful lot of people are on the waiting list, and the passion and loyalty of Liverpool fans can never be questioned, but it’s one thing being on the waiting list and another being asked to part with money. If all the season tickets aren’t taken up, I’d like to see Liverpool set aside tickets for some games for school-kids. I often worry that we risk losing the next generation for supporters thought availability and cost of tickets.

I know I’ll be accused of nostalgia, even stupidity, but I’d prefer Liverpool to pour resources into extending the Anfield Road end upper tier, and re-configuring the Main Stand, to increase capacity towards 60,000. I honestly feel the best scenario would be to keep the Kop, the most famous stand in sport, and build up around it. That’s my personal wish but I understand it is unlikely ever to be fulfilled.
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Nice gesture by the board and in-sync with King Kenny's views. 😉-->

Christmas is coming early at Anfield this year with the news that Liverpool Football Club are giving tickets away for FREE to Under-17s for the final Europa League group game against Utrecht.

In an unprecedented move led by new owners John Henry and Thomas Werner, our young supporters can watch the match free of charge when Roy Hodgson's men look to end their Group K campaign on a high next Wednesday evening.

"We have been listening to supporters since we arrived at the club and one of the key things we have been told is to make sure a new generation of fans are always able to watch the team in action," said Chairman Thomas Werner.

"As a small gesture of our appreciation of the welcome we have been afforded so far, and in recognition of the fact that it is a very costly time of year for families, particularly those with young children, we have decided to make tickets for the Utrecht game free for kids. We hope that lots of children are able to benefit from this and that a new, young generation of fans can experience the atmosphere of a European night at Anfield."
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[/quote]
 
[quote author=Binny link=topic=42873.msg1221752#msg1221752 date=1290337059]
(On Ian Ayre)

I understand the Kop’s frustration at the waves of embarrassment that have washed over Liverpool, but plenty of positives have happened off the pitch. Ian helped the commercial side by 83 per cent and sponsorship money is up as well. Liverpool’s success in the Seventies and Eighties attracted millions of fans around the world, who are passionate about the club, and, finally, Liverpool are tapping in to our huge global support.

In Singapore last year, I saw a man whose back was tattooed with the club’s honours. He loved Liverpool yet had probably never set foot inside Anfield, let alone on Merseyside, but he was still a diehard Liverpool fan. The club must cater for men like him around the world.
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[/quote]


I reember this guy; think he was a cabbie or something.
 
John Aldridge:

John W Henry and Tom Werner have said they know it’s going to take time. They are learning about the game all the time and a key thing is getting the right people in the right places.

They have brought in Damien Comolli who they obviously rate highly and soon they will appoint a new chief executive.

I also hope they give Kenny Dalglish a much greater role to make use of his vast experience.

I wouldn’t want Kenny to become manager again. He’s such a major player in Liverpool’s history and I wouldn’t want to see his standing damaged if things didn’t work out.

Kenny should have a pivotal position overseeing what goes on at the club for the next 10 years. He needs to be a lot more than an ambassador.

He should be overseeing what the chief executive does and having a say in football decisions.

The list of bad players who have come to the club over the past decade is endless and the fans are sick and tired of it.

Kenny should be part of the process to ensure the players who come in are worthy of wearing the shirt.
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[quote author=Binny link=topic=42873.msg1238223#msg1238223 date=1293528709]


Kenny should be part of the process to ensure the players who come in are worthy of wearing the shirt.[/quote]
[/quote]

Yes, 'cos Kenny would never ever buy any shit players John :🙂

Buying players is a percentage game, every manager gets some players badly wrong for a variety of reasons, most of ours over fairly recent history have been mainly for two reasons, they have been utter shite, or the manager had no Idea where of how to play them.

The success of managers is measured in buying the right player at the right time in the right position for the right money, even if that is a lot of money but matches the other criteria

regards
 
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