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Dalglish Arrives on a Wing and a Prayer

Published by Ian John on January 8, 2011

So the axe finally fell today, just a day after my last article saying why Hodgson wasn’t solely to blame, he was made the scapegoat for Liverpool’s terrible start to the season and axed this morning. In a victory for fan power, Reds legend Kenny Dalglish will take over immediately, taking the reigns for Sunday’s FA Cup clash, just the small matter of a trip to Old Trafford against unbeaten Manchester United to start with.

Dalglish’s appointment, to the end of the season initially, is being seen as a stop gap, but there is always the prospect that if the Anfield ace performs well in the job, he could keep it. Indeed, nothing would give Liverpool fans more joy than seeing their team finish this woeful season on a high with Dalglish at the helm.

Certainly, Dalglish’s arrival should herald a new era for the team. When King Kenny led Liverpool to their last league success in 1990, it was on the back of making four key purchases. John Aldridge and Peter Beardsley were brought into the attack with John Barnes and Ray Houghton brought in to provide width and it is this final aspect that Liverpool have been sorely lacking over the past 10 or even 15 years.

Whether Dalglish will be given free reign over any transfer funds in January remains to be seen, but for all the talk of Liverpool needing another striker and perhaps a central defender, it is the wide areas of midfield where the club have been devoid of talent in modern times and perhaps Dalglish’s arrival will signal a new focus on this area of the team.

Heaven knows they need it.

While Maxi Rodriguez form has improved in recent times, he is no Barnes or even a Houghton. Ryan Babel is too erratic, Kuyt and Cole are not true wide midfielders in any sense. Playing Raul Meirelles out there is a waste of his talent and leaves Glen Johnson too exposed. In fact, you can make a great case that Liverpool have not enjoyed the services of a top quality wide man since the days of Barnes and Houghton in 1990.

Of course, it is not just a question of signing someone. There has to be the right player available. Liverpool missed a huge opportunity at this time last year when they opted not to spend £7m on Middlesbrough winger Adam Johnson, who has since made huge strides for Manchester City and England. They could have had Gareth Bale for £3m a few years back and baulked at Aaron Lennon. Other options, such as Juan Mata at Valencia or Sevilla’s Jesus Navas are too expensive. So Dalglish has limited options.

One, however, could be Tottenham’s misfit David Bentley. The ex-Gunner has talent but lacks motivation, according to his current boss Harry Redknapp. A move to Anfield would suit Bentley and Liverpool, not to mention Glen Johnson who needs better support and protection down the right. A Bentley-Johnson alliance down the right sounds more promising than a Johnson – Cole/Meirelles/Babel or Kuyt combination.

The left hand side however remains a real problem. Konchesky, it seems, is on limited time at the club and I would not be surprised to see him shipped out on the shirt tails of his former manager. That leaves Liverpool with only the fragile Fabio Aurielo at left back, unless they want to play an unhappy Daniel Agger out of position.

This means Dalglish will need a left back, left midfielder, right midfielder, striker and also a central defender before he can even begin to think about having a team capable of improving consistently. Whether he will be allowed to do that depends very much on how long the current board see Dalglish remaining in the post.

With limited finances available, it seems likely Dalglish or any new long term manager would have to sell before they can bring in players. With Damian Comolli overseeing the purchase of young talented players, something that the club has lacked well behind the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United in recent times in, that should signal an improvement there. But the team is in such dire straits that it seems major surgery is needed.

So who would be shown the door? The sad fact is for Liverpool fans, it is probably much easier to name the players that the club needs to keep. Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Pepe Reina, Lucas (yes I know how strange that reads, but he’s been the most consistent player this season and is finally maturing into a quality defensive midfielder). That’s it.

What? No Fernando Torres? Raul Meirelles? DIrk Kuyt? David N’Gog? Glen Johnson? Daniel Agger? Nope. Not the way they have been playing or from what I’ve seen. Other than the four players above, I’d happily accept any half decent offer for any Liverpool player.

So who would I bring in? Well I’d give young Martin Kelly a chance in the team. He has always impressed when selected. I’d also give Dani Pacheco a chance to show what he can do. Spearing would back up Lucas in midfield. I’d give Ecclestone a chance on the flanks. What is the point of having a youth team if you don’t at least give the players a chance in the team? WOuld they have done any worse than the overpaid group of players that have pulled on the red shirt frequently this season?

Dalglish may have arrived as an answer to Liverpool fans prayers, but it is not the solution to the clubs long term problems. Any manager, Dalglish or the next man, has a huge task in reviving the fortunes of the club. Big changes are required at the club and some may be hard for Reds fans to swallow. But in order to reverse the decline radical changes are needed, not just a papering over the cracks.

The answer lies not in Dalglish answering the prayers, but rediscovering the wings.

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