Kenny Dalgish leaving the club is disappointing. Unfortunately, it has happened, and it is better to move on and focus on the road ahead. Watching Kenny in the touchline celebrating the clubs victories and happy moments has been great. It is something aany young fans should be grateful for. There have been too many comments from self-proclaimed Liverpool fans showing a distinct lack of respect and grace. Kenny has got few decisions wrong, but it is simply does not warrant comments tarnishing his reputation. He was there when the club needed him a was a unifying force that no one else could have been. Liverpool fans (ones that are complaining and saying salacious things) need to remember that.
Not finishing in the champions league place is a disappointment, but only of the lost opportunity to compete with quality teams and not because of the monetary loss. Unrealistic thought as it might be, I rather see Liverpool compete and win these trophies than just make up the numbers. Bottom line is that we are not ready to compete on a regular basis in that level.
Despite many trying to point out only the negatives of his reign, I would like to emphasize the good that he has doneso that we do not lose track of his significant contributions to the team.
1) Silverware – a good number of players have not won any trophies before the carling cup and it will stand them in good stead in the long run. The taste of success is great motivator, all the players will be grateful for winning and will hunger for more.
2) Pass and move football – On their good days, Liverpool have played rather well. They haven’t looked out of place against the top teams. I admit, against teams who sit back, Liverpool were too slow and never got the momentum going. This happened quite frequently too. However, the point we should focus on is that whoever the new manager is, he will only have to focus on fixing these tactical issues. There is a good starting point for the new gaffer.
3) Andy Carroll – It can be considered generous if we say that he was an asset in the last two months. But the reality is Liverpool never played to his strength. We have seen enough good things in the recent past to say that there is a potentially great player for Liverpool there.
Writing about Liverpool and not talking about the negatives is next to impossible and there is no point in ignoring them either.
1. Transfers – Henderson, Downing and Adam have been very disappointing to say the least considering the amount of money that was spent on them. It is important that they produce results next season.
2. Younger players – Spearing is not good enough to be a starter. Spearing would make a good squad player to fill up as and when needed. He does not possess the physical attributes (pace, power, etc) or the creativity to be a regular.
Shelvey has not shown what is special or unique about him, he performed well in the championship and in the last matches of the season but he needs to improve significantly over the next year to prove that he is good enough to play for Liverpool.
Henderson looked like a player who is scared, afraid of failure. I believe that his lack of adventure and creativity can be attributed to that. Hopefully, with a full season behind him, we can see the best of him next year. Same can be said about Downing who definitely needs to swing into action next season.
3. Lack of goals from midfield: This has been a problem area for a while. The obvious lacks of goals from strikers aside, Liverpool need more goals from the wingers and midfielders.
The way forward for Liverpool would be to get the following things right:
1) Manager – FSG has always preferred the idea of a young and competent manager. Kenny’s departure gives them the opportunity to do as they envisioned initially.
There are a few choices –Jurgen Klopp, Martinez and Villas boas etc.
I would Personally love to see Klopp take over, Dortmund is a team close to my heart. They play a wonderful brand of football, and Klopp has nurtured wonderful young players in his time with them.
There is no point in judging Villas boas from his time at Chelsea, he simply never had the dressing team and the time on his sideAnd we all know managers can get things wrong, young ones especially.
Martinez’s team also play wonderful football, and he has come up the hard way from lower leagues. He has the ability to get the best out of players.
What is common to all three potential candidates is that their teams play a good brand of football, and they have proven themselves to be good with young players. Martinez is the only one with no experience of winning titles, but that is how everyone begins. The decision of who will be the next helmsman is a crucial one and it is better that FSG make the choice with assistance from someone with great knowledge and standing in football.
2. Maxi and Kuyt – This for me is a mistake on part of Kenny, it is understandable that he tried to help the new players but maxi and kuyt should have played more. Now there is also the need to ensure that both Maxi and Kuyt stay on next season. They are good quality players and they will help with the squad depth.
3. Transfers – Liverpool need to invest in quality players, healthy completion for places can do wonders for players,both current and new signings. However, FSG need to ensure that they don’t look only for value and hesitate to sign marquee players. Experience hopefully won’t discourage them from paying high transfer fees for players.
4. Whoever the new manager is, it is imperative that he get the best out of Downing, Adam, and Henderson. Carroll has shown flashes of his quality and the new manager will have to keep that going and make it a regular occurrence. Kenny was always supportive of Carroll, and that seems to have given him the impetus to improve his game. This needs to continue.
Anyway, I would like to thank Kenny for all the great moments he gave us in the course of his tenure.I am grateful for seeing the legend in the dugout. I am too young to have seen him play or manage Liverpool the first time around which makes this all the more special. Long live the King. YNWA
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