'Just a thought...' #1

"Kenny: King! Player! Ambassador! ... Manager?"

A lot of words have been written about Kenny Dalglish recently, given our current manager's apparent lack of, uh, well, managerial acumen, so I hope my contribution isn't unwarranted or unwanted!


It does seem logical - perhaps even more so for the inexperienced Fenway Sports Group than we fans - to remove a manager who has, despite his bumbling press conferences to the contrary, lost the faith of (and perhaps in?) the fans. That being the case - and remember, please, that at this moment, all articles in this vein are pure conjecture - the next logical step to take is to provide a caretaker until the end of the season, when time and careful consideration, hopefully with consultation with the right sources, can be fully given over to the search for a new manager to fit FSG's (and the fans'!) criteria.
As far as the right man for the temporary goes, then I say: Why NOT give Kenny a chance?
Most, if not all, of these articles that I've read are seemingly against the idea. So, we've heard the negatives. Maybe a look at the positives might help?

1) Fan Power - Another phrase that has been bandied about freely recently, but when you bear in mind that even the Pope can be elected by the mere cry of the people (Acclamation, for those who want to know!), does it not send out a ringing endorsement of our very own wee Scot that the fans shout for him? He is a man of the people, "our Kenny", and on this basis, I think it would be very hard to deny him. Whoever comes in, temporary or permanent, has the thankless job of spending the remainder of the season levering us out this hole of mediocrity in which we find ourselves. At best, this will maybe afford us an outside chance of the Europa League next season. At worst? Well... I don't even want to think about it.
Myself, I see this situation as a win-win one for Kenny, assuming he's happy to accept the temporary role. Either he comes in, makes a success of it, and adds further glory to his name, or he comes in and simply cannot salvage a dire season, for which I personally would not blame him. And I'd bet a fair few quid that the style of football would be a damn' sight more attractive to watch!
It's simply my contention, then, that the man to come in should be someone to get the fans on their side, and have us all moving in the same direction once more. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present: Mr. Kenny Dalglish!

2) Timing - Let's also think for a moment. Most fans want to see the back of Roy, immediately. Who, then, comes in for just a few months, to a bad situation? Personally, I believe a wise manager would wait until the ideal moment in the summer. Do we really want to employ someone who's available right now? And for those who aren't available that we'd like to see at the helm nevertheless, which manager is going to leave a club where the going is good, or at least stable, and join what looks, right now, to be a sinking Liverpool ship?
Perhaps this will attract managers with ambition? The likes of Ralf Rangnick have that kind of ambition, and so he may be suitable on that basis, but we do NOT want to employ some idle-handed wannabe manager. We need someone with vision, someone who is prepared to give 100% to the club, and who has a plan for the next few years, if not the next decade. FSG have declared their intention of re-building this club to the super-power we once were on the world football scene. For that to succeed, we need a manager with equivalent foresight. And, to return to my original point, there's no manager who springs immediately to my mind who fits the bill, who would be available - and willing - to join Liverpool FC at this point in time.
The man who comes in needs to rebuild, and reshape the squad. Granted, Roy hasn't had the time to do that, but the players he has chosen to bring in thus far have been dire, for the most part. Given more time and money, say he brought in another four players? On the basis of what we've already seen, I don't want to take that risk. As the obvious example, just look at how stubborn Roy has been so far in playing Konchesky. As I mentioned on my Twitter page the other day;

"- Inclusion of Paul Konchesky fills me with the same kind of dull dread that only Djimi Traore before him could manage to conjure up. Inept."

We need building UP. Not down.
Far better, then, to give us fans something to sing and shout about, just for the meantime?
It speaks volumes, how Anfield has reacted to Mr. Hodgson. We all remember the chants about Rafa; how his name was sung from the terraces. Where is the excitement, the passion, about Roy? The only time his name has been mentioned is in sarcasm.

3) Experience - Right then. Whoever comes into the job, and for whatever time-scale, they will have to be someone who can deal with the media frenzy that seems to accompany anything Liverpool FC do. Much has been made of Roy's good connections in the media, and I think the fact that we don't have the tabloids spouting hatred and hounding the man to leave does speak volumes, however, there is still no apparent helping hand present, particularly in the newspapers, with most, if not all, throwing around suggestions about Roy's replacement, how long he has left, and so on. I'd suggest that Kenny, having been a player and manager (albeit a decade ago since his real involvement in any big way with the media), would be able to handle this media pressure. And, of course, he has the added advantage of being from the UK, so the media can't get too xenophobic. Media involvement in football has increased tenfold since Kenny's days in the spotlight, and yet I still feel he'd be fine. He is a gentleman, and carries himself with dignity. It is also this dignity which leads me to believe that, if it's made clear that he'll be made manager for a temporary period ONLY, then he will not have an issue in stepping aside. At this point in time, no-one could seriously believe that we're going to win the league. The Top 4 places seem almost as distant. So, then, all we'd require of Kenny between now and the summer is for him to get the team inspired to play more exciting, interesting football, and not to simply roll over in front of such teams as Blackburn and Wolves.
As for experience in terms of what it takes to win trophies, and even games on an individual basis, plenty has been made elsewhere of his comparative record set against the current successful managers, so I will simply say that, for myself, I'd feel happier knowing the team was in the hands of Mr. Dalglish than Mr. Hodgson. At least Kenny has a genuine desire to still be involved in the club as much as possible.

So there you have it. I would love to see Kenny take over for a few months. At the end of which time, I feel he'd be instrumental in handing over the club to his successor.
Just a thought...

Michael Tetlow.