• You may have to login or register before you can post and view our exclusive members only forums.
    To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Welcome Back Kenneth!

Forums Unread posts
Status
Not open for further replies.
Despite the euphoria of Istanbul and Houllier's tremendous Treble, I haven't felt this way about Liverpool for almost twenty years, since Kenny left the club.

He was my idol from when I was six years old and ever since his arrival in 1977 he has proven to be not only a phenomenal player but also a great man, the way an idol should be. When playing footie in the street as a boy I always wanted to be Kenny and he is the reason why seven is my favourite number.

I remember feeling anxious as he neared his middle thirties, contemplating Liverpool without Kenny when the time came for him to hang up his boots and remember the elation when it was announced that he was to be our player-manager. Following Kenny's team with Barnes, Beardsley etc was the greatest time of my time as a single man. Then came Hillsborough and being in the players’ lounge after returning from Sheffield and being embraced by the great man himself.

It destroyed me when he left the club on that dark February day and despite the memorable moments over the past twenty years, they haven't meant as much to me without Liverpool being led by Kenny Dalglish.

It thrills me to read in the press "Liverpool manager, Kenny Dalglish" and to see KD on his Adidas coat. I hope we have a resurgent six months and he is given a permanent position but even if that doesn't happen, I'm really going to enjoy Kenny leading the Reds once again.
 
Training looks dull. It almost looks like work.

And Sammy Lee has a deeper voice than I thought.
 
I really fucking hate sammy lee, like honestly what is the point of him? He is absolute shit and needs to be replaced
 
[quote author=zlatan18 link=topic=43495.msg1249215#msg1249215 date=1294717672]
I really fucking hate sammy lee, like honestly what is the point of him? He is absolute shit and needs to be replaced
[/quote]

See I really dont get the Sammy hate on here. Why would you expect to know what he does? Isn't he just really for taking the training ground fitness sessions anyway? How do you know hes shit at it? Is it cos hes just some commoner from L1? Is it because you dont like his enthusiastic clapping? Is it because he looks a bit funny?

If the players like working with him, and I have never heard otherwise, whats the problem?
 
[quote author=iseeredpeople link=topic=43495.msg1249203#msg1249203 date=1294711731]
they are training with a ball now!
[/quote]

Wasnt training in Kennys day just endless 5-a-side matches? I reckon they should do 90% of their training with a ball on the feet.
 
[quote author=Mistadobalina link=topic=43495.msg1249223#msg1249223 date=1294720379]
[quote author=zlatan18 link=topic=43495.msg1249215#msg1249215 date=1294717672]
I really fucking hate sammy lee, like honestly what is the point of him? He is absolute shit and needs to be replaced
[/quote]

See I really dont get the Sammy hate on here. Why would you expect to know what he does? Isn't he just really for taking the training ground fitness sessions anyway? How do you know hes shit at it? Is it cos hes just some commoner from L1? Is it because you dont like his enthusiastic clapping? Is it because he looks a bit funny?

If the players like working with him, and I have never heard otherwise, whats the problem?

[/quote]

Because he has been here through Benitez shit period and he was here during the roy 6month hell. Obviously what he is doing isn't working. He also looks funny. As for the players never saying anything bad, they didn't say anything about hodgson either. No player is going to come out and say I fucking hate Sammy lee
 
You come across as rather vacuous, lad.
Can you expand on why you "absolutely fucking hate" a former Liverpool player beyond his involvement with the management team over the past few years and beyond him "looking funny"?
 
[quote author=zlatan18 link=topic=43495.msg1249215#msg1249215 date=1294717672]
I really fucking hate sammy lee, like honestly what is the point of him? He is absolute shit and needs to be replaced
[/quote]

There really is no grey with you is there? Do you have to be so insulting about a person who was part of our greatest sides? A person who's been employed by far greater football brains than you. Sounds like you're looking for a scapegoat now Roy's gone. Who will it be if Sammy goes on the coaching side?

Do yourself a favour and educate yourself a bit about the history of this club and its followers. I'm not trying to be patronising but you may find life a biot easier on here if you did.
 
[quote author=themn link=topic=43495.msg1249244#msg1249244 date=1294727014]
Zlatan, you are talking shit.
[/quote]

I didn't see this, but it was more to the point than my post!
 
[quote author=Wilko link=topic=43495.msg1249239#msg1249239 date=1294726553]
You come across as rather vacuous, lad.
Can you expand on why you "absolutely fucking hate" a former Liverpool player beyond his involvement with the management team over the past few years and beyond him "looking funny"?
[/quote]

Exactly. No one knows his role or how instrumental he's been through our low periods, though people seem quick to ignore the fact he was also here during some good times too. He's a coach, which means he normally works under the conditions and general instructions of the manager.
 
[quote author=Wilko link=topic=43495.msg1249190#msg1249190 date=1294704385]
Despite the euphoria of Istanbul and Houllier's tremendous Treble, I haven't felt this way about Liverpool for almost twenty years, since Kenny left the club.

He was my idol from when I was six years old and ever since his arrival in 1977 he has proven to be not only a phenomenal player but also a great man, the way an idol should be. When playing footie in the street as a boy I always wanted to be Kenny and he is the reason why seven is my favourite number.

I remember feeling anxious as he neared his middle thirties, contemplating Liverpool without Kenny when the time came for him to hang up his boots and remember the elation when it was announced that he was to be our player-manager. Following Kenny's team with Barnes, Beardsley etc was the greatest time of my time as a single man. Then came Hillsborough and being in the players’ lounge after returning from Sheffield and being embraced by the great man himself.

It destroyed me when he left the club on that dark February day and despite the memorable moments over the past twenty years, they haven't meant as much to me without Liverpool being led by Kenny Dalglish.

It thrills me to read in the press "Liverpool manager, Kenny Dalglish" and to see KD on his Adidas coat. I hope we have a resurgent six months and he is given a permanent position but even if that doesn't happen, I'm really going to enjoy Kenny leading the Reds once again.

[/quote]

That's exactly the way I feel about his arrival, and how I felt when he left. It felt like someone had died in 1991. Some of my younger work colleagues have commented about how I'm like an excited kid before Xmas about his return and that they've not seen my this enthusiatic about football for ages.

Its quite simple, Kenny Dalglish was, is, and forever will be my idol. What he did for the club as a player, a manager, post Hillsborough and his recent work makes him untouchable as Brendan says. His attitude towards the media and Sky in general is brilliant, barbed but with a smile. At last we have someone who deals won't be bullied by the press and Sky, who doesn't cosy up to that lot down the road (ok it was probably only Roy who did that!) but more importantly a man who is universally respected for what he has achieved not just as a player and a manager but for who is as a person.

I had tears in my eyes watching him walk out at Old Trafford in his adidas coat. He may not be the messiah who takes us to the promised land but he certainly will put us on the right road. Well done the owners for makling the right decision.

We have already taken a massive step to turning the decline around. I'm as excited as a I could be about football again. Its brilliant!!!!
 
[quote author=zlatan18 link=topic=43495.msg1249237#msg1249237 date=1294725301]
[quote author=Mistadobalina link=topic=43495.msg1249223#msg1249223 date=1294720379]
[quote author=zlatan18 link=topic=43495.msg1249215#msg1249215 date=1294717672]
I really fucking hate sammy lee, like honestly what is the point of him? He is absolute shit and needs to be replaced
[/quote]

See I really dont get the Sammy hate on here. Why would you expect to know what he does? Isn't he just really for taking the training ground fitness sessions anyway? How do you know hes shit at it? Is it cos hes just some commoner from L1? Is it because you dont like his enthusiastic clapping? Is it because he looks a bit funny?

If the players like working with him, and I have never heard otherwise, whats the problem?

[/quote]

Because he has been here through Benitez shit period and he was here during the roy 6month hell. Obviously what he is doing isn't working. He also looks funny. As for the players never saying anything bad, they didn't say anything about hodgson either. No player is going to come out and say I fucking hate Sammy lee
[/quote]

You know what, ignore my previous post. You are every thing I hate about football fans (note I didn't say the modern fan) because simply cunts like you have always existed.

You know nothing about the club, you don't care that you know nothing about the club, you've just attached yourself to it and come out with some of the biggest load of guff about players and managers, past and present - in between championing any player from the former Yugoslavia.

You're a cretin and frankly you're going back on ignore because (and this time I am being condescending) your posts and opinions don't count to me.
 
[quote author=Wilko link=topic=43495.msg1249239#msg1249239 date=1294726553]
You come across as rather vacuous, lad.
Can you expand on why you "absolutely fucking hate" a former Liverpool player beyond his involvement with the management team over the past few years and beyond him "looking funny"?
[/quote]

I answered this already. Ever since he has been appointed he has gone through the shit benitez year, he was here through roys 6month journey and look how that ended. He was manager at bolton and need i say more? look how that also turned out. Obviously he isnt that great, well in my opinion anyway, other opinions might be different.
 
What Changed In Kenny`s First Game?
Posted 10/01/11 12:29EmailPrintSave



It was clearly unfair to expect that Kenny Dalglish could have affected any great changes to the dismal course of Liverpool's season in just one day, but there were signs in Sunday's cup tie at Old Trafford to suggest that King Kenny - despite the kind words - was not especially impressed with how his predecessor was running the show on the field of play.


It was only 90 minutes, but undoubtedly Dalglish showed a level of intent both in terms of tactics and personnel that will give Liverpool supporters some hope that he can genuinely make an impact.



The Formation
It will be interesting to see if Dalglish dispenses completely with Hodgson's rigid 4-4-2 and Rafa's 4-2-3-1 formations. Sunday's 4-1-4-1 set-up was an interesting innovation, the progress of which will be worth following over the next few months. One of Benitez's greatest insights was the realisation that Steven Gerrard was not a midfield playmaker. Armed with that knowledge, the Spaniard created two positions for the England man - in an advanced right-sided position and in the hole behind Fernando Torres - that saw him become one of the most feared attacking midfielders in European football. Hodgson failed to see the merits of Gerrard's more advanced role and withdrew him into the orthodox central midfield position that the player himself prefers but at which he does not really excel.


Dalglish's approach seemed to suggest that he would no longer play with two holding players as Benitez had done - letting Lucas alone fulfil the role of sweeping and mopping up in front of the back four. It was also notable that both Gerrard and Meireles were deployed in more advanced positions and that both were given licence to support and try and get past Torres. Unfortunately for Dalglish, his captain's recklessness ended the experiment after 40-odd minutes - but it will be interesting to see if it is an approach that Dalglish pursues between now and May.



A Higher Line
Another noteworthy tactical change relates to the high line that Liverpool tried to hold until United's superior numbers drained their legs. From the off, Liverpool's back four were deployed further up the field in an effort to condense play while the rest of the side pressed and harried United in advanced positions. Far too often under Hodgson, Liverpool's defence was camped on its own 18-yard line even when in possession, stretching the side from front to back and making it more difficult for the midfield to attack and defend effectively.



Playing Out from the Back
A third tactical change was also evident - Liverpool attempted to play the ball out from the back to a greater extent than had been seen under Hodgson. Pepe Reina was clearly given licence to feed Daniel Agger and to a lesser extent Fabio Aurelio - Liverpool's best footballing defenders - at every opportunity and both were encouraged to try and build from the back.


It is a fundamental change of approach from Dalglish, and is likely to herald a prolonged run in the side for the talented Agger. The Dane had been critical through the Danish media of Hodgson's more direct methods - and should see the change in tack as a vote of confidence in his abilities.



Personnel Management
The vast majority of Liverpool fans will have been delighted with the omission of Paul Konchesky on Sunday. Like the man who bought him, the former Fulham full back was seriously out of his depth. Dalglish has moved swiftly to rectify that situation and thankfully for Liverpool, Aurelio seems to be fit, for now. But good as the Brazilian is, he is known to be brittle. Liverpool need consistent quality at left-back - will Dalglish be given the money to bring in the necessary quality?


Substituting Torres with 15 minutes still on the clock also deserves consideration. Whatever the Spaniard's reasons for his anaemic performances this season - he may lack confidence and sharpness or he could just be sulking - he has not merited his place in the team at times.


Dealing with Torres, Liverpool's most valuable asset, is clearly tricky. But pandering to him clearly has not been working. Giving the Spaniard the curly finger at Old Trafford was a show of strength and character from the new manager and is something that Hodgson should probably have done - particularly in the defeats to Wolves and Blackburn. But Hodgson's failure to stamp his authority on the players and convince the fans with results and progress made such a substitution almost unthinkable - a point probably not lost on the misfiring Spaniard.


But Dalglish's standing with the Liverpool faithful meant he could make such a decision. Hopefully, showing Torres that poor form and lack of effort will not be rewarded will have the desired effect. The fact that there were no howls of derision from the Liverpool faithful might also have helped make that plain.



Paul Little
 
[quote author=FoxForceFive link=topic=43495.msg1249177#msg1249177 date=1294701163]
Boss picture.
[/quote]

Is it Peter Robinson behind Kenny?

The others are Sir John Smith and (Sir) Bob Paisley of course.
 
[quote author=Spionkop69 link=topic=43495.msg1249259#msg1249259 date=1294732402]
[quote author=zlatan18 link=topic=43495.msg1249237#msg1249237 date=1294725301]
[quote author=Mistadobalina link=topic=43495.msg1249223#msg1249223 date=1294720379]
[quote author=zlatan18 link=topic=43495.msg1249215#msg1249215 date=1294717672]
I really fucking hate sammy lee, like honestly what is the point of him? He is absolute shit and needs to be replaced
[/quote]

See I really dont get the Sammy hate on here. Why would you expect to know what he does? Isn't he just really for taking the training ground fitness sessions anyway? How do you know hes shit at it? Is it cos hes just some commoner from L1? Is it because you dont like his enthusiastic clapping? Is it because he looks a bit funny?

If the players like working with him, and I have never heard otherwise, whats the problem?

[/quote]

Because he has been here through Benitez shit period and he was here during the roy 6month hell. Obviously what he is doing isn't working. He also looks funny. As for the players never saying anything bad, they didn't say anything about hodgson either. No player is going to come out and say I fucking hate Sammy lee
[/quote]

You know what, ignore my previous post. You are every thing I hate about football fans (note I didn't say the modern fan) because simply cunts like you have always existed.

You know nothing about the club, you don't care that you know nothing about the club, you've just attached yourself to it and come out with some of the biggest load of guff about players and managers, past and present - in between championing any player from the former Yugoslavia.

You're a cretin and frankly you're going back on ignore because (and this time I am being condescending) your posts and opinions don't count to me.
[/quote]

Well said.

I think it's OK to be critical of these players when it's warranted, but sometimes it's a bit hard to see how nasty it gets, especially when it concerns players who've done so much for us.

Someone had a right go at Keegan yesterday; and no matter how upset people were with him going to Hamburg, he was magnificent for us.
 
[quote author=Avvy link=topic=43495.msg1249295#msg1249295 date=1294735314]
[quote author=FoxForceFive link=topic=43495.msg1249177#msg1249177 date=1294701163]
Boss picture.
[/quote]

Is it Peter Robinson behind Kenny?

The others are Sir John Smith and (Sir) Bob Paisley of course.
[/quote]

Yes, that's PBR behind Kenny.
 
I see people diving all over zlatan but you can blame him for wanting the old coaching staff moved on as it is associated with the old guard. personally sammy doesn't bother me, he isn't the head coach but I can certainly 'understand' people who want him moved on, it's like people wanting purslow moved on even though he is no longer on the board.
 
[quote author=spider-neil link=topic=43495.msg1249307#msg1249307 date=1294736226]
I see people diving all over zlatan but you can blame him for wanting the old coaching staff moved on as it is associated with the old guard. personally sammy doesn't bother me, he isn't the head coach but I can certainly 'understand' people who want him moved on, it's like people wanting purslow moved on even though he is no longer on the board.
[/quote]

Its not what he says, its the way he says it Neil. Surely you can see that?
 
[quote author=Spionkop69 link=topic=43495.msg1249309#msg1249309 date=1294736308]
[quote author=spider-neil link=topic=43495.msg1249307#msg1249307 date=1294736226]
I see people diving all over zlatan but you can blame him for wanting the old coaching staff moved on as it is associated with the old guard. personally sammy doesn't bother me, he isn't the head coach but I can certainly 'understand' people who want him moved on, it's like people wanting purslow moved on even though he is no longer on the board.
[/quote]

Its not what he says, its the way he says it Neil. Surely you can see that?
[/quote]

Yep, like "I fucking hate him".
 
Not sure whether this has been posted elsewhere, but here goes...

Kenny Dalglish - will his tactics work for Liverpool in 2011?
Kenny Dalglish enjoyed success with a basic 4-4-2 formation at Liverpool and Blackburn, but are his methods outdated now?
Jonathan Wilson guardian.co.uk, Monday 10 January 2011 21.13 GMT Article history

At Liverpool, Dalglish was the last in the great dynasty of the boot-room, his job to an extent merely to keep the flame alive. Tactically Kenny Dalglish's system essentially followed the same model established by Bob Paisley: a basic 4-4-2 with a genuine winger (John Barnes) on one flank and a more tucked-in midfielder on the other (Ray Houghton), and a deep-lying forward (Peter Beardsley in the role Dalglish himself once occupied) off a hard-working front man who worked across the line. Both full-backs were encouraged to push on, and at least one of the centre?backs had licence to stride out with the ball into midfield. In 1987-88, when it produced 87 goals in 40 league games, and to a lesser extent 1988-89, their football was majestically fluent, but by the time Dalglish left in 1991, a caginess had started to set in. His last full season yielded 77 goals, but a starting eleven away to Arsenal that featured six players who'd spent most of their career in defence, plus Ronnie Whelan, was indicative of a growing mood of caution

There was a moment during the 1990 World Cup when England's manager Bobby Robson was asked if he thought 4-4-2 was done with. Snappishly, he pointed out that Liverpool played 4-4-2 and asked whether anybody thought they were finished. They did not, of course, but Liverpool have not won a league title since. Off-field matters – the emotional aftermath of Hillsborough, the appointment of Graeme Souness to replace a shattered Dalglish and a failure to adapt to the new commercial possibilities of the Premier League – were of course a greater cause of the decline than tactical conservatism, but the fact remains that no side has won in the last 20 years with that old-style 4-4-2. In 1994-95, Dalglish had Blackburn Rovers playing a far more direct style than his Liverpool had, with two mobile centre-forwards who were both good in the air, two advanced wide midfielders and a protective screen of two holding players in front of the back four.

Sacking a manager two games into a new season is, of course, absurd, but there was a basis to the allegations of over-defensiveness. After the cavalier football of the Kevin Keegan era, Newcastle managed a paltry 35 goals in 38 games in 1997-98. A negative approach in the FA Cup final, with Alessandro Pistone deployed on the left side of midfield, was perhaps justifiable, but when Newcastle started the following season with Nikos Dabizas and Dietmar Hamann in the middle of midfield against Charlton Athletic the outrage was understandable. It was not even that they were there to service a pair of attacking wide-men; rather the use of Rob Lee and Gary Speed left Newcastle desperately short of width. That had Alan Shearer isolated, with Andreas Andersson ineffective in an unfamiliar playmaking role behind him. That Charlton had a man sent off after 25 minutes and Newcastle still couldn't break them down only added to Newcastle's frustration.

A trophy is a trophy, and finals of course carry additional pressures, but Dalglish's final piece of silverware carried an unmistakable sense of anti-climax. Under John Barnes, Celtic had beaten Aberdeen 5-0, 7-0 and 6-0 that season; to beat them only 2-0 was emblematic of Dalglish's caution. In the 7-0 game, Barnes had fielded a midfield of Craig Burley, Lubomir Moravcik, Eyal Berkovic and Paul Lambert, a quartet of passers and creators. Dalglish returned to something approaching the old Liverpool shape, with Vidar Riseth, often a full-back, deployed on the right of midfield, Morten Wieghorst and Stilian Petrov holding in the middle, and the playmaker Moravcik exiled to the left, from where he swooped in to link with Tommy Johnson to create for Mark Viduka. In personnel and style, though, this was a pale imitation of his Liverpool.
 
[quote author=spider-neil link=topic=43495.msg1249278#msg1249278 date=1294734372]
What Changed In Kenny`s First Game?
Posted 10/01/11 12:29EmailPrintSave



It was clearly unfair to expect that Kenny Dalglish could have affected any great changes to the dismal course of Liverpool's season in just one day, but there were signs in Sunday's cup tie at Old Trafford to suggest that King Kenny - despite the kind words - was not especially impressed with how his predecessor was running the show on the field of play.


It was only 90 minutes, but undoubtedly Dalglish showed a level of intent both in terms of tactics and personnel that will give Liverpool supporters some hope that he can genuinely make an impact.



The Formation
It will be interesting to see if Dalglish dispenses completely with Hodgson's rigid 4-4-2 and Rafa's 4-2-3-1 formations. Sunday's 4-1-4-1 set-up was an interesting innovation, the progress of which will be worth following over the next few months. One of Benitez's greatest insights was the realisation that Steven Gerrard was not a midfield playmaker. Armed with that knowledge, the Spaniard created two positions for the England man - in an advanced right-sided position and in the hole behind Fernando Torres - that saw him become one of the most feared attacking midfielders in European football. Hodgson failed to see the merits of Gerrard's more advanced role and withdrew him into the orthodox central midfield position that the player himself prefers but at which he does not really excel.


Dalglish's approach seemed to suggest that he would no longer play with two holding players as Benitez had done - letting Lucas alone fulfil the role of sweeping and mopping up in front of the back four. It was also notable that both Gerrard and Meireles were deployed in more advanced positions and that both were given licence to support and try and get past Torres. Unfortunately for Dalglish, his captain's recklessness ended the experiment after 40-odd minutes - but it will be interesting to see if it is an approach that Dalglish pursues between now and May.



A Higher Line
Another noteworthy tactical change relates to the high line that Liverpool tried to hold until United's superior numbers drained their legs. From the off, Liverpool's back four were deployed further up the field in an effort to condense play while the rest of the side pressed and harried United in advanced positions. Far too often under Hodgson, Liverpool's defence was camped on its own 18-yard line even when in possession, stretching the side from front to back and making it more difficult for the midfield to attack and defend effectively.



Playing Out from the Back
A third tactical change was also evident - Liverpool attempted to play the ball out from the back to a greater extent than had been seen under Hodgson. Pepe Reina was clearly given licence to feed Daniel Agger and to a lesser extent Fabio Aurelio - Liverpool's best footballing defenders - at every opportunity and both were encouraged to try and build from the back.


It is a fundamental change of approach from Dalglish, and is likely to herald a prolonged run in the side for the talented Agger. The Dane had been critical through the Danish media of Hodgson's more direct methods - and should see the change in tack as a vote of confidence in his abilities.

Personnel Management
The vast majority of Liverpool fans will have been delighted with the omission of Paul Konchesky on Sunday. Like the man who bought him, the former Fulham full back was seriously out of his depth. Dalglish has moved swiftly to rectify that situation and thankfully for Liverpool, Aurelio seems to be fit, for now. But good as the Brazilian is, he is known to be brittle. Liverpool need consistent quality at left-back - will Dalglish be given the money to bring in the necessary quality?


Substituting Torres with 15 minutes still on the clock also deserves consideration. Whatever the Spaniard's reasons for his anaemic performances this season - he may lack confidence and sharpness or he could just be sulking - he has not merited his place in the team at times.


Dealing with Torres, Liverpool's most valuable asset, is clearly tricky. But pandering to him clearly has not been working. Giving the Spaniard the curly finger at Old Trafford was a show of strength and character from the new manager and is something that Hodgson should probably have done - particularly in the defeats to Wolves and Blackburn. But Hodgson's failure to stamp his authority on the players and convince the fans with results and progress made such a substitution almost unthinkable - a point probably not lost on the misfiring Spaniard.


But Dalglish's standing with the Liverpool faithful meant he could make such a decision. Hopefully, showing Torres that poor form and lack of effort will not be rewarded will have the desired effect. The fact that there were no howls of derision from the Liverpool faithful might also have helped make that plain.



Paul Little

[/quote]
Good read.

The bit in bold for me was the key-areas of concern under Roy.
 
[quote author=VeggardSub link=topic=43495.msg1249350#msg1249350 date=1294740571]
Not sure whether this has been posted elsewhere, but here goes...

Kenny Dalglish - will his tactics work for Liverpool in 2011?
Kenny Dalglish enjoyed success with a basic 4-4-2 formation at Liverpool and Blackburn, but are his methods outdated now?
Jonathan Wilson guardian.co.uk, Monday 10 January 2011 21.13 GMT Article history

At Liverpool, Dalglish was the last in the great dynasty of the boot-room, his job to an extent merely to keep the flame alive. Tactically Kenny Dalglish's system essentially followed the same model established by Bob Paisley: a basic 4-4-2 with a genuine winger (John Barnes) on one flank and a more tucked-in midfielder on the other (Ray Houghton), and a deep-lying forward (Peter Beardsley in the role Dalglish himself once occupied) off a hard-working front man who worked across the line. Both full-backs were encouraged to push on, and at least one of the centre?backs had licence to stride out with the ball into midfield. In 1987-88, when it produced 87 goals in 40 league games, and to a lesser extent 1988-89, their football was majestically fluent, but by the time Dalglish left in 1991, a caginess had started to set in. His last full season yielded 77 goals, but a starting eleven away to Arsenal that featured six players who'd spent most of their career in defence, plus Ronnie Whelan, was indicative of a growing mood of caution

There was a moment during the 1990 World Cup when England's manager Bobby Robson was asked if he thought 4-4-2 was done with. Snappishly, he pointed out that Liverpool played 4-4-2 and asked whether anybody thought they were finished. They did not, of course, but Liverpool have not won a league title since. Off-field matters – the emotional aftermath of Hillsborough, the appointment of Graeme Souness to replace a shattered Dalglish and a failure to adapt to the new commercial possibilities of the Premier League – were of course a greater cause of the decline than tactical conservatism, but the fact remains that no side has won in the last 20 years with that old-style 4-4-2. In 1994-95, Dalglish had Blackburn Rovers playing a far more direct style than his Liverpool had, with two mobile centre-forwards who were both good in the air, two advanced wide midfielders and a protective screen of two holding players in front of the back four.

Sacking a manager two games into a new season is, of course, absurd, but there was a basis to the allegations of over-defensiveness. After the cavalier football of the Kevin Keegan era, Newcastle managed a paltry 35 goals in 38 games in 1997-98. A negative approach in the FA Cup final, with Alessandro Pistone deployed on the left side of midfield, was perhaps justifiable, but when Newcastle started the following season with Nikos Dabizas and Dietmar Hamann in the middle of midfield against Charlton Athletic the outrage was understandable. It was not even that they were there to service a pair of attacking wide-men; rather the use of Rob Lee and Gary Speed left Newcastle desperately short of width. That had Alan Shearer isolated, with Andreas Andersson ineffective in an unfamiliar playmaking role behind him. That Charlton had a man sent off after 25 minutes and Newcastle still couldn't break them down only added to Newcastle's frustration.

A trophy is a trophy, and finals of course carry additional pressures, but Dalglish's final piece of silverware carried an unmistakable sense of anti-climax. Under John Barnes, Celtic had beaten Aberdeen 5-0, 7-0 and 6-0 that season; to beat them only 2-0 was emblematic of Dalglish's caution. In the 7-0 game, Barnes had fielded a midfield of Craig Burley, Lubomir Moravcik, Eyal Berkovic and Paul Lambert, a quartet of passers and creators. Dalglish returned to something approaching the old Liverpool shape, with Vidar Riseth, often a full-back, deployed on the right of midfield, Morten Wieghorst and Stilian Petrov holding in the middle, and the playmaker Moravcik exiled to the left, from where he swooped in to link with Tommy Johnson to create for Mark Viduka. In personnel and style, though, this was a pale imitation of his Liverpool.
[/quote]

The idea that we played a flat 442 is a bit of a myth really, it all depends on how you shape up your frontline. You could argue that when Kenny played behind Rush it was a 1-1 formation upfront rather than two out and out strikers. When he managed Blackburn, Sutton would drop into the hole/centre-forward position behind Shearer.

Maybe we just over analyse formations these days, I don't know, but you can't really say some variation of 442 can't work, because it has done, it worked for United at their best, but with a similar formation to Liverpool's one above, with Yorke or Sherringham in behind Andy Cole. It's more about what you instruct your players to do, ie telling one striker to drop to help out the midfield, telling your wide men to play deeper or to push up as wide forwards. And then there's the variation within the game, when in defence and in attack, you can have essentially different formations for various situations.
 
NOT for the first time in his Liverpool career, Kenny Dalglish took centre stage yesterday.

He was the focal point of a crazy transfer deadline day. The man who won so much as Liverpool’s greatest player and then manager did his best to create a new winning team for the club he loves.

Deep conversations with American owners FSG, bidding, counter-bidding and negotiating all turned Dalglish into football’s ‘Mr Fix-It’.

He knew Fernando Torres was desperate to go to Chelsea, so the Scot quickly turned his attention on Newcastle’s Andy Carroll as a replacement.

Dalglish, early in the day, said: “The owners have been supportive and there is money available. It made sense to look for a replacement if a quality player leaves.â€

It was the money involved that made yesterday so crazy. Big moves don’t usually happen in January, yet, such is the thirst for success, this window has been an exception.

While Dalglish and Liverpool waited for Chelsea to agree to pay £50m for Torres, they went in search of Carroll.

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley held his nerve for as long as he could, turning down £30m, but £35m proved too hard to resist.

That is a ludicrous amount for a player with potential, for Carroll is rough and raw, though with a great career ahead of him.

However, he is certainly not the finished article, although if anyone knows a great goalscorer, it’s Dalglish.

He probably sees a bit of John Toshack, Dalglish’s old strike partner, in the tall and imposing Carroll

What Ashley considered yesterday was whether the money was worth the abuse and stick he would take from the club’s fans.

They have always adored their strikers, especially home-grown ones, and certainly don’t like selling their No.9s. Money, as usual, wins in football.

It was a cloak-and-dagger day, with Dalglish in the thick of the intrigue.

At a recent meeting with the owners, the Kop boss was delighted to know they agreed with his blueprint for the future. The team needs rebuilding, he told them, and they are supporting him in the transfer market.

It can only be a matter of weeks before Dalglish is made Liverpool’s permanent manager. What is the point of giving him so much money to spend if they don’t allow him to manage the new signings long term?

Luis Suarez has arrived for £23m from Ajax to play alongside Torres. Sorry, make that Carroll as, eventually, Dalglish usually gets what he wants.

This is the new Toshack and Dalglish double act. Liverpool fans will be delighted with yesterday’s developments. They have grown disillusioned with Torres, feel let down by the Spaniard, and now welcome this new era under Dalglish.

What a difference a few weeks has made at Liverpool. The gloom and despair under Roy Hodgson has been replaced by real optimism. If Carroll is valued at upwards of £35m, then Torres is worth more than £50m in today's crazy market. He is a World Cup and European champion and , at 26, is moving towards his peak.

There can be no comparison. One, when he’s not sulking and in the mood, is a class act. The other a player who needs working on.

Dalglish also pushed Blackpool hard for Charlie Adam, but the Seasiders stood firm to keep their captain.

Chelsea’s chase for Torres is a declaration of intent from owner Roman Abramovich.

After months of cut-back rumours at Stamford Bridge, the Russian has returned to the market as the game’s biggest spender.

Clearly, he is ready to take on Manchester City, in a power battle fuelled by money, over the next few years.

Torres appears an Abramovich marquee moment more than a target of coach Carlo Ancelotti, who seemed indifferent about the whole thing over the weekend.

Abramovich has been chasing Torres for a year and sees him as the leader of a new Chelsea team. The Blues also closed in o n £25m Brazilian defender David Luiz last night.

So a month that started with Darren Bent leaving Sunderland for Aston Villa for an absurd £24m has ended with two more strikers valued like never before.

And what the drama revealed was the rocket-high intentions of two clubs, however long it takes. Liverpool are re-building, big time, while Chelsea want to smash transfer records.

At the centre of it all was a canny Scotsman, locked away inside Anfield scheming and planning. ‘Mr Fix-It’ had it all at his fingertips.

Just imagine what Dalglish would have been worth as a player had he been sold yesterday. What do we think, £75m?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom