You’ll never walk alone is the song sang every match day
by Liverpool faithful. One Liverpool faithful though is walking alone. His name
is Kenny Dalglish. King Kenny is by no means a small name in British football. He
starred for Celtics scoring loads of goals and was then sold to Liverpool. There
he made his mark also as player and then also as manager. The Scot eventually
stepped down as manager of the Reds for reasons of ill health.
His return as Liverpool boss was greeted with high hopes.
In the end only six wins at Anfield, finishing several points behind rivals
Everton in 9th place, and the failure of his signings to get performances
together saw Dalglish get sacked today 16th May, 2012 after just one season in
charge. His stay though brief brought a relative success as he led the Reds to
a first title in six years with the Carling Cup win. Another final that might
have been won was shroud in controversy. Did that ball not cross the line?
There are two kinds of managers in today’s football; managers
who have been sacked and managers on the brink of sack. Such haste to hire and
then fire football managers is largely counterproductive. There are few, very
few coaches with the Midas touch. Even they require some element of luck and
the form of their players to get it right at once. Many great coaches take time
to settle into a new side and gradually work the team to become what they
desire. Sir Alex is a notable example. It took the Scot a long time to land the
first league title. Today he has gone on to amass 12.
Undoubtedly, his efforts were not helped by Stewart
Downing who arrived for £20million. Andy Carol was a flop worth £35million.
Dalglish managed to get this team to two cup finals and at least a place in
Europe courtesy of the League Cup success. In this writer’s opinion, there
should have been a little more patience with Kenny. The competition in the
English Premier League is not going to recede but rise consistently and there
are no guarantees in this unpredictable sport. Not even the Special One could
guarantee a major title on arrival in Spain as he settled for a paltry King’s
Cup. The Madrid hierarchy kept faith with him and in his second season has
landed them the League title to end Barcelona’s reign.
Mediocrity cannot be explained away or even wished away
but a man like Kenny cannot be described as mediocre. True, a coach is judged
by his last result and it is sad that Liverpool failed to win their last league
game under his watch. No wine maker expects wine in his cup as soon as he
picked a grape from the field. It must go through the laborious process of
winemaking and even then patience is required to get a good wine. The Reds must
now resume the search for a manager for they might have been logical in firing
Dalglish but then, they must hire a magician immediately for that is what
Liverpool need.
Wanted Urgently: Liverpool Football Club urgently wishes to hire the services of a proven magician. Applicants must have a track record of turning flops into world class superstars and win every title competed for in the first year in charge especially the English Premier League. An ability to speak English and conjure the ball past the line will be essential skills while a spell to make a certain south American keep quiet will also be rewarded. Intending applicants should write quickly to the Fenway Sports Group.
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