Liverpool FC Forum

[HacksawJimDuggin]

Gary Mac is just as important if you ask me

His appointment would be a master stroke IMO

[sworth26]

No new news here as such but a very interesting read all the same!


http://footballfancast.com/blog....91

A bold move by Rafa Benitez but ultimately the right one


Football FanCast columnist Ed Jeffrey assesses the impact and role that ‘King Kenny' will have, should he return to Anfield.

In the politics-ridden world of European football clubs, the "Director of Football" has long been a key part of club structure. The phenomenon is a relatively recent arrival to Britain, but its popularity seems to be growing rapidly. 

Recent reports that Kenny Dalglish is set to join Liverpool in just such a role have got me thinking about the matter. It would be great to see Dalglish back; but if he is appointed, what exactly will he bring to the table? And what danger is there that the relationship between him and Benitez could turn sour?

It goes without saying that Dalglish is an Anfield legend. Signed in 1977, it took him all of seven minutes to score on his League debut, and from that point on; he went on to become Liverpool's finest player of the modern era. Forget Barnes, forget Beardsley, forget Hansen, forget Souness, and forget Gerrard. At his peak, King Kenny was simply unstoppable. 

Of course, his achievements at Liverpool were not limited to his on-field exploits. In his first season as player-manager he led the Reds to the double, and went on to lead us to three further League titles. Further success was then achieved at Blackburn, admittedly with the help of Jack Walker's wallet.

However football has changed immeasurably since the day a tearful Dalglish announced his resignation from the Anfield hot-seat in 1991. Liverpool have moved on too. It seems inconceivable these days that the dominant team in the country (as Liverpool were at the time) would ever respond to their manager quitting by asking their best player to take up the reins, but that is how things were done at Anfield in those days. The era of the "Boot room" ethos which underpinned Dalglish's appointment has now passed, and the appointment of Rafa Benitez as manager in 2004 was a very deliberate break from that notion.

The current era is still a work in progress, and Benitez himself would be the first to admit that he has been forced to learn as he has gone along at times. Pretty much his first act as Liverpool manager was to axe Sammy Lee from the set up - yet Lee now finds himself back on board at Anfield as Rafa's assistant. The point here is that, for all his stubbornness and pride, Benitez is not a man who is afraid to admit to his mistakes - Craig Bellamy, Fernando Morientes & Robbie Keane all being cases in point. And, having been so determined to do things his way when he arrived at Liverpool, Benitez now seems to be recognising that there are some links with the past that should be maintained. The appointment of Dalglish as a Director of Football therefore looks like a logical step in this regard.

But what does a Director of Football actually do? There is no firm definition, and, like referees, you only ever seem to hear about them when they aren't performing well. Of course, each club has its own set up, but it would be reasonable to assume that the position would involve having overall control of youth development and transfer policy, as well as a hand in overseeing the day to day running of first team affairs. I'd also guess that your average Director of Football would also have some degree of input into tactics and selection as well. And this is where alarm bells start to ring where Dalglish and Liverpool are concerned.

Alex Ferguson once said of Dennis Wise that "he could start a fight in an empty room", and while it would be unfair to label Benitez with the same tag, it's certainly fair to say that he's not shy to tell the world if he has a problem with something. He's a perfectionist - the best managers tend to be - and as most of the backroom team he installed when he arrived at Liverpool have discovered, it's his way or the highway. What's more, Rafa has only just won what he would see as his most important victory at Anfield by getting a new contract and, in the process, full control over transfers and youth development - in other words, he has now effectively become our Director of Football. 

Based on this, I'd predict any role that Dalglish does take up at Anfield to be a relatively limited one in terms of the actual power he will hold. Rumours of the King's return have been doing the rounds, in one form or another, ever since Hicks & Gillett took over, with the most popular theory being that he would be offered a seat on the board as a nod to the past and a way of appeasing the fans who were (and still are) upset with their takeover. His name has also appeared in the plans of most of the various groups who have launched half-hearted attempts to buy the club back from the two Americans.

Benitez has now found himself wielding a lot of power, perhaps more so than any other Premier League manager currently has at their respective club. He knows that it is make or break time; however, he is no fool, and he knows that running a football club from top to bottom is a huge task. In other words he needs help, and his knowledge of, and affection for, Liverpool's history, mean that he knows Dalglish would be the perfect man to help him bear some of the burden. 

Dalglish's record of signing players as a manager has been first class wherever he has been, and his role in helping Liverpool sign up players such as Carragher, McManaman, Fowler, Gerrard & Owen as schoolboys was significant; if he has retained his eye for talent-spotting, it can only benefit the club. What's more, Dalglish has the experience of winning trophies, he has the determination and the willpower to succeed, and most importantly, he has the desire to see Liverpool achieve greatness once more.

One thing which is for certain is that Kenny Dalglish is synonymous with Liverpool FC. His distinguished playing and managerial career with the Reds, not to mention the bonds which he formed with the fans, the city and its people (most notably in the aftermath of Hillsborough), all mean that a move back "home" would be universally welcomed. It won't be the final piece in the jigsaw by itself, but by restoring a link to the past, Liverpool could go a long way towards ensuring a golden future.

[chrisrafman]

so whats the deal with Kenny now? is he coming back then? I aint heared nout for ages about it. Would love to see him back though. what a difference he would make

[heimdall]

so whats the deal with Kenny now? is he coming back then? I aint heared nout for ages about it. Would love to see him back though. what a difference he would make

Not that I'm against it but in what way would it make a difference, what exactly would he do, what does a director fo football do, is he under or over the manager?

[maguskwt]

didn't another report say the position was actually to be in charge of youth development or something? And that report had Kenny's quotes saying he wants to do it...

[Dundalk]

Kenny Dalglish is to return to Liverpool FC, it was confirmed this afternoon.
Dalglish will assume a senior role at the Liverpool Academy and will also act as a Club ambassador working with the commercial side of the business around the world.

Managing Director Christian Purslow commented: "In our very first meeting Rafa and I agreed that we wanted to try and bring Kenny back to the club to help Rafa really drive forward our Academy which is at the heart of our plans for the future. We are delighted he has agreed to join us and I am sure he will be very successful in his new role back at the club."


Link

[LFC4allseasons]

Welcome home Kenny.

Everything fitting into place.

[Roger Red Hat]

now thats a sight to cheer any of us up...

[Toffeehater]

Rafa's gained weight

[Sean]

After all the talk about Michael Owen today, a real Liverpool legend returns to the fold.  I grew up against the back drop of King Kenny scoring goals, the one he got against West Ham in the 1981 league cup final replay is a personal favourite.

Welcome home Kenny.....a great player, manager and man

[Kash_Mountain]

Welcome home King Kenny.

[NANNY RED]

Made up hes finaly come back home,were he belongs i know hes always at the match, but we have another genius now on our staff , great news

[JoeTerp]

I think this should really help in recruiting the best of the young local talent.

[red37]

Made up hes finaly come back home,were he belongs i know hes always at the match, but we have another genius now on our staff , great news

  - no need for words really....which is just as well!

[ste123lfc]

The King is back, long live the King. Welcome home Kenny.