Liverpool FC Forum

[red till i die!!]

hope tonight will stop of our own fans slagging him off now, just a shame that if we dont win the next game they will start again.

great result tonight

Lakes - if the unrivalled and genuine display of passion by Kenny at the end of the game was not enough to shut up the doubters then nothing will.

BRILLIANT KK. ENJOY WEMBLEY!

I am gonna push the Facebook 'like' button for this comment......anyone who doubts Kenny, look at his eyes at the end of the game. I'll take him over pretty much anyone in the game.

Like Kenny always said, if the club ever want me, I am here...well the same applies from me, so long as Kenny is able to help, he's more than welcome.

I don't think anyone has ever questioned Kenny's passion for the club or desire for the job, only his misfiring signings and occasionally bizarre line-ups, but he nailed it last night so massive kudos to him.

i agree.
but unfortunately if you question kenny on here about those matters you get branded a non believer or worse,either a bitter or a manc.

[RedAnt]

hope tonight will stop of our own fans slagging him off now, just a shame that if we dont win the next game they will start again.

great result tonight

Lakes - if the unrivalled and genuine display of passion by Kenny at the end of the game was not enough to shut up the doubters then nothing will.

BRILLIANT KK. ENJOY WEMBLEY!

I am gonna push the Facebook 'like' button for this comment......anyone who doubts Kenny, look at his eyes at the end of the game. I'll take him over pretty much anyone in the game.

Like Kenny always said, if the club ever want me, I am here...well the same applies from me, so long as Kenny is able to help, he's more than welcome.

I don't think anyone has ever questioned Kenny's passion for the club or desire for the job, only his misfiring signings and occasionally bizarre line-ups, but he nailed it last night so massive kudos to him.

i agree.
but unfortunately if you question kenny on here about those matters you get branded a non believer or worse,either a bitter or a manc.

That's not true. What bugs people is those calling for his head, those who demand instant success or else call for change. Both Kenny, Carroll and one or two other players have been victim to such 'wisdom' and they've not even had a season with us yet. Criticizm is fine, so long as it's constructive and fair, otherwise it's just stirring up the ants nest 

[7_Kewell]

No one has questioned kenny's passion or love for the club, which is undeniable. Some of us just worry about our progress. last night was a very good performance and it's nice to go back to Anfield South...but it's the league where we need to improved. hopefully Kenny will keep the starting 11 and force players to up their game in order yo warrants a starting place

[stmichael]

it's amazing how the players can look so different from one game to the next. we were unrecognisable from the bolton game. the tempo last night was excellent and we were by far the more positive side. there was no signs of sitting back on what we had and holding on. hopefully it'll be the same at the weekend against that lot down the road.

if anything it was mancini who got the tactics wrong by playing three at the back in the first half. this savic bloke is a pub player at baest.

[RedAnt]

To be honest it was always very hopeful that we'd make top four this year. We might still do it, but in truth I think we need to look at this season and think of it as getting the rust off Kenny. If we win anything this year then it will be a bonus.

Kenny's made many mistakes this season, as have many around LFC but perhaps these are mistakes that need to be made. Ok, a real season of football isn't the best situation to be getting to grips once more with his job, but I get a feeling that Kenny has learned more and more every day. He was out of management for a long time and football has changed massively since those days.

May times this season we've been much the better team and certainly so against City last night. And yet we still haven't gotten the results (Yes we got it last night, but it was still a draw). We can claim it's down to bad luck, or poor finishing, or even fate. There's a whole heap of small reasons that snowball into one big fact: This season we haven't been good enough.

No, i'm not writing us off for this season, but perhaps this season just wasn't to be, not in the league sense anyway.

[metalhead]

The Times - 26/01/12

Kenny Dalglish restores values - and maybe silverware
Tony Evans

There have been bigger occasions at Anfield, with more glamorous prizes at stake, yet few have been more cathartic than last night. Kenny Dalglish was visibly emotional at the final whistle. Liverpool are competing for trophies once more. It is a remarkable feat.

Of course, Manchester City supporters — and others — will sneer. The Carling Cup is the poor relation of the domestic triple crown and silverware has lost its sheen in comparison with the grubby money of the Champions League. Yet, after the journey Anfield has taken in the past five years, a trip to Wembley is like a dream.

A year ago, when Dalglish took over, Liverpool sat five points off the bottom of the Barclays Premier League, had exited the Carling Cup at the hands of Northampton Town and were about to lose a highly prized £50 million striker. Only three months before that, the club was teetering on the verge of administration.

The essence of the club, the core values, had been eroded, with football decisions left in the hands of people who should never have been allowed to escape from the corporate hospitality areas. Infighting undermined any sense of purpose.

Dalglish, the only man with the stature to regain control over Anfield, was spurned by the captains of industry and the equity traders who sacked Rafael Benítez in June two years ago. They turned to Roy Hodgson and the desperation deepened. How different might things have been if Dalglish had taken the reins in 2010? Instead. it took seven months of confusion and chaos before new owners turned to the Scot.

Yet not everyone appreciates the scale of the problems facing Dalglish, even among Liverpool fans. Over recent weeks, a noisy minority have grown critical of his signings and the team’s performances. Spending £100 million should bring instant top-four success, goes the logic, as if it were that simple.

The Anfield fanbase, bloated by the Istanbul effect and unhinged by the Gillett and Hicks years, has developed an increasingly hysterical wing. When combined with a sense of entitlement, it has led to a failure of logic and loss of perspective.

Some cannot see that Liverpool have fallen a long way behind City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal and that Tottenham Hotspur have leapfrogged the five-times European champions.

Dalglish has arrested the decline. He has quelled the factionalism. He has restored core values. Most importantly, he has begun the slow process of moving the club forward. A possible trophy is a bonus.

He has made mistakes and continues to do so but he is the right man for the job — as he was on the day Benítez was sacked — and the only man equipped to mend this damaged institution. And that repair job has some way to go.

In the meantime, he may deliver a cup. If he does, it may, in time, come to be seen as his greatest achievement.

---------------------------------------------------

Normally not a fan of Tony Evans but this article hits the nail on the head for me. Perspective people...

Yeh same, but excellent article by Tony

He defended KK on twitter a lot too from idiotic supporters

[Bad Bob]

The Times - 26/01/12

Kenny Dalglish restores values - and maybe silverware
Tony Evans
The Anfield fanbase, bloated by the Istanbul effect and unhinged by the Gillett and Hicks years, has developed an increasingly hysterical wing. When combined with a sense of entitlement, it has led to a failure of logic and loss of perspective.

Nail on head this part, unfortunately.  Still, it's great to see Kenny righting the ship and getting us sniffing after trophies once more.  It may 'ONLY' be the Carling Cup but it's the shot in the arm the club needs to build anew after the dark days of Twit and T.wat.

[aCe']

To be honest it was always very hopeful that we'd make top four this year. We might still do it, but in truth I think we need to look at this season and think of it as getting the rust off Kenny. If we win anything this year then it will be a bonus.

Kenny's made many mistakes this season, as have many around LFC but perhaps these are mistakes that need to be made. Ok, a real season of football isn't the best situation to be getting to grips once more with his job, but I get a feeling that Kenny has learned more and more every day. He was out of management for a long time and football has changed massively since those days.

May times this season we've been much the better team and certainly so against City last night. And yet we still haven't gotten the results (Yes we got it last night, but it was still a draw). We can claim it's down to bad luck, or poor finishing, or even fate. There's a whole heap of small reasons that snowball into one big fact: This season we haven't been good enough.

No, i'm not writing us off for this season, but perhaps this season just wasn't to be, not in the league sense anyway.

Good post but there's still a number of issues that need to be factored in.

The most important part of your post -imo- is the section where you say that Kenny is learning from his mistakes with each passing day. If this is indeed the case, then I have no worries about the present or the future of the club under Kenny.

However, truth be told, this is precisely where I have issues with Kenny and our overall performance so far this season. Everything from transfers, tactics, selections and even media handling we've made mistakes on so far this season. Surely, a good sign of 'learning' from mistakes would be them not being repeated ? Unfortunately, that is not the case which imo is the reason many have been outspoken in their criticism of Kenny this season. You can see examples of this in pretty much every aspect mentioned above.

Transfers: over-payed for Carroll in Jan then went on to spend 40 or so mill on Henderson and Downing in the summer.

Tactics: no consistency despite 4-2-3-1 being the style best suited given our personnel. Downing continually played down the right despite struggling there and looking better down the left.

Selections: Henderson ahead of anyone for a role down the flank. Carroll forced into the starting lineup to the detriment of the side.

Media: Bad initial statement. Bad move with the t-shirts. Followed up with another bad statement.

Now, here's the thing, the cup runs have been fantastic. The mood and morale in the club are high again after the City result and if confidence is all we needed then results and performances should start picking up again pretty soon. Theres also the fact that a carling cup win (despite the lack of worth many associate with the competition) if it happens could be a great way to kick start our revival as a force in the English game. We've seen it with ManCity last year and that FA cup win imo provided the belief and motivation they needed to go for a title push this season.

Theres also the small matter of the 16 remaining games in the league. Realistically, we should be challenging for 4th. We still have a chance but if anything we are making it harder for ourselves by dropping points against the smaller sides and not being consistent enough. At this point (sitting 7th and 6 points from a top4 spot held by a Chelsea side with better players at their disposal) we need to be more aggressive in our approach to games and that comes with risks of its own. That said, if we miss out, I'd much rather we miss out fighting rather than put this season down to a 'bedding in' or 'learning' season and focus on what we can do next time out. Its still a bit too early for that but I have a feeling Kenny might share your feelings rather than mine about this.

[RedAnt]

To be honest it was always very hopeful that we'd make top four this year. We might still do it, but in truth I think we need to look at this season and think of it as getting the rust off Kenny. If we win anything this year then it will be a bonus.

Kenny's made many mistakes this season, as have many around LFC but perhaps these are mistakes that need to be made. Ok, a real season of football isn't the best situation to be getting to grips once more with his job, but I get a feeling that Kenny has learned more and more every day. He was out of management for a long time and football has changed massively since those days.

May times this season we've been much the better team and certainly so against City last night. And yet we still haven't gotten the results (Yes we got it last night, but it was still a draw). We can claim it's down to bad luck, or poor finishing, or even fate. There's a whole heap of small reasons that snowball into one big fact: This season we haven't been good enough.

No, i'm not writing us off for this season, but perhaps this season just wasn't to be, not in the league sense anyway.

Good post but there's still a number of issues that need to be factored in.

The most important part of your post -imo- is the section where you say that Kenny is learning from his mistakes with each passing day. If this is indeed the case, then I have no worries about the present or the future of the club under Kenny.

However, truth be told, this is precisely where I have issues with Kenny and our overall performance so far this season. Everything from transfers, tactics, selections and even media handling we've made mistakes on so far this season. Surely, a good sign of 'learning' from mistakes would be them not being repeated ? Unfortunately, that is not the case which imo is the reason many have been outspoken in their criticism of Kenny this season. You can see examples of this in pretty much every aspect mentioned above.

Transfers: over-payed for Carroll in Jan then went on to spend 40 or so mill on Henderson and Downing in the summer.

Tactics: no consistency despite 4-2-3-1 being the style best suited given our personnel. Downing continually played down the right despite struggling there and looking better down the left.

Selections: Henderson ahead of anyone for a role down the flank. Carroll forced into the starting lineup to the detriment of the side.

Media: Bad initial statement. Bad move with the t-shirts. Followed up with another bad statement.

Now, here's the thing, the cup runs have been fantastic. The mood and morale in the club are high again after the City result and if confidence is all we needed then results and performances should start picking up again pretty soon. Theres also the fact that a carling cup win (despite the lack of worth many associate with the competition) if it happens could be a great way to kick start our revival as a force in the English game. We've seen it with ManCity last year and that FA cup win imo provided the belief and motivation they needed to go for a title push this season.

Theres also the small matter of the 16 remaining games in the league. Realistically, we should be challenging for 4th. We still have a chance but if anything we are making it harder for ourselves by dropping points against the smaller sides and not being consistent enough. At this point (sitting 7th and 6 points from a top4 spot held by a Chelsea side with better players at their disposal) we need to be more aggressive in our approach to games and that comes with risks of its own. That said, if we miss out, I'd much rather we miss out fighting rather than put this season down to a 'bedding in' or 'learning' season and focus on what we can do next time out. Its still a bit too early for that but I have a feeling Kenny might share your feelings rather than mine about this.

Good response, and not a great deal I can argue against.

It's certainly true that we're learning and improving. As for repeating mistakes, in some cases I think it's still the after effects of the original mistake. Perhaps Henderson should be used more sparingly, but those original percieved mistakes haven't left us much option. Apparently we have great strength in depth, but take Lucas out, and factor in Stevie G's injury problems, and suddenly we have no midfield. Charlie Adam is what we might call a min/max player. What he does well, he does well to the max, but his lesser qualities aren't just lesser, they're terrible. We've repeatedly struggled due to those lesser qualities. A central midfielder will always be found out if there's parts of his games missing.

We have one of the finest youth set-ups in the world, but where are all these kids? Flanno, Kelly, Spearing....is that it? That's all the academy has produced since Michael Owen? We see kids on the bench, but clearly they're not ready, else they'd be getting game time.

Transfers: I don't get hung up on price tags. Buying english internationals is always gonna hammer the wallet and take a look at the England team. We're still right up there in the FIFA rankings, but that's a points system that dosen't accurately reflect the side. English players (bar one or two) aren't very good! That of course is a deep rooted issue that goes way back to 'grass roots' and is another topic entirely.

Tactics: Can't argue with ya. For years we've been obsessed with 'square pegs in round holes'.

Selections: Again, can't argue. I like Carroll and think he has a lot to offer. I'm of the belief that he should be left in the team for a while. The stoppy-starty system certainly does not help a player low on confidence.

Media: I think I see what we were doing with that. I posted elsewhere, I believe it was about creating unity, siege mentality, supporting Suarez to strengthen our love affair with him. In hindsight it appears it didn't work. But I aint fussed about that. Manure have been hated for years, but have carved out a view of begrudging respect from those same haters.

At the beginning of the season I think there was high hopes but very quickly, once Kenny Fever had settled, we realised that we're some way off yet. Other teams around us are more settled whilst we're still in that learning curve.

How do people see us now? I honestly believe that we're a much better team than Chelsea and Arsenal even if some of their players are technically better than ours. Manc U, City, Spurs, well... those teams are better than us.

I think we are the 4th best team in England but that dosen't mean we are handed 4th on a plate. No, we need to take it by beating the teams like Stoke, Fulham etc. Man U do it. Spurs do it. Man City do it.

All in all, these teams like Chelsea and Arsenal wont beat us to 4th. Frankly...we're GIVING it to them. There's a strange hope in that. All we have to do is stop giving it to them and take if for ourselves. I believe we have the players. I believe we have the manager. Do we have the balls? I don't believe we do, not this year.

But Walk On with Hope in Your Heart. 

[Octsky]

it dont turn out well when Kenny starts Carra as DM,
he is a fantastic CB, but not a DM.
1st half against manyoo was terrible,
i think Kenny is showing favoritism here.

"Hi Carra, we renew Stevie contract and wants to renew yours. ok i will start u today"
"Hi Carra, todays ur birthday ok, i will start you agasint the manyoos."

pls dont start Carra as DM again.

[metalhead]

Great subs from Kenny today

[RedAnt]

We needed the hardcore scouse influence today. I'd guess that's why Carra was in the team. Playing him as DM though...didn't work.

We were all shocked that Stevie came off, that one paid off though. As somone posted...you can't argue with results 

[jimmy brighton]

By his own massive standartds I thought Stevie was having a poor game and wasn't surprised at all when he was brought off. He's not long back after a long-term injury and today it showed. He was knackered from the Citeh game.
I thought Jamie had an ok game in the 1st half coz at the time I thought 'here is his new position. Covering at CM.'
Absolutely chuffed with the result.

[LFC2007]

Great subs from Kenny today

Say that again, MH.

Takes some balls to bring off Gerrard for Adam at home to the Manc's, but I thought he brought some much needed needed composure and tempo to our midfield, something I think we had lacked for most of the match, while Kuyt was unceasing in his commitment to the cause and did so well to read Carroll's knock-on and then finish it.

[7_Kewell]

Gerrard has been out with a huge injury and it's going to take time for him to get back to his best and regain match fitness.  Pleased with the battle we've shown in the last 2 games and hope we're going to take it on into the league where it really, really matters