“King” Kenny

Welcome, I’m Callum Rivett and this week I tell The Football Front why Kenny Dalglish isn’t so royal after all. And any Liverpool fan that says otherwise is starting to look rather disillusioned.

After spending about £69.1m*in the summer and £57m** in January 2011, Liverpool had to finish in the top six in the 2011-12 season to prove that the big spending was worth it. Currently, however, they sit 8th, with teams such as Sunderland, Swansea, Fulham, Norwich and Stoke with a real chance of overtaking the Anfield club.

The £35m spent on Andy Carroll has since proved to be a waste of money, he doesn’t look close to fulfilling his potential, and his pathetic dive at Newcastle (see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AHVDJlKmKk) has surely ruined his remaining status that he had at his former club, despite saying how much he loved Newcastle and he was, in Layman’s terms, apparently forced out of the club.

I understand that, yes, as a player, Kenny Dalglish was fantastic and rightly considered a legend. But perhaps as a manager, his methods are out-dated and he frankly doesn’t have a plan. If you go to a top club, Chelsea, Man United, Man City, Tottenham, Arsenal, etc. you know what to expect: Arsenal pass the ball, Chelsea go mostly all attack and hit you on the break, Spurs are speed demons and rely on Bale and Lennon, United look to experience and City try to buy the league and hope Silva is on his day and Balotelli isn’t being a sulky child. But with Liverpool, it’s not like that. It seems the team lack an identity.

Now, I’ve only watched Liverpool live once this season so if you want you can completely ignore my opinion and that’s fine, but when they played against Norwich, they only really started playing when we equalised. We hung on a bit towards the end and some world-class saves from John Ruddy and brilliant defending helped us survive and rightly earn a point. Bellamy has been the star performer this season for Liverpool, and is always a threat and I’m sure he’ll receive a warm welcome from Carrow Road in a few weeks, since we gave him his break in the footballing world and played well for us, and included a few practical jokes along the way***. I’ll put the asterisked parts at the end, you’ll soon understand it.

Kenny Dalglish is, like I said, an out-dated manager and a man without a plan. It’ll pain Liverpool fans for me to say this, but he needs to be more like Sir Alex Ferguson. Ferguson has changed his game plans at United when needed to, got the right blend of experience and youth and it’s won him and United many trophies by doing so.

That about sums it up, so here are the asterisks:

*Wales forward Craig Bellamy from Manchester City, free; Uruguayan defender Sebastian Coates from Nacional for a fee of £8m; Spanish defender Jose Enrique from Newcastle for a fee of £8m; Brazilian goalkeeper Doni on a free transfer from Roma; Midfielder Stewart Downing from Aston Villa for a fee of £22.8m; Scottish midfielder Charlie Adam from Blackpool for a fee of £8.3m; Midfielder Jordan Henderson from Sunderland for a fee of £22m.

**Andy Carroll, £35m; Luis Suarez, £22m.

***Apparently, in the late nineties, about 1998 I assume, on a long coach trip to an away game, Bellamy was either locked or locked a team-mate in the toilet for the entire journey whilst playing for Norwich. I think Bellamy got locked in, as he’d been playing practical jokes on the team for most of the time he was there.

Follow Callum on twitter: @calriv97.

You can find more of Callum's work here.

Why it’s only right Kenny Dalglish got the Liverpool job

‘If there is one word in our language that depicts Liverpool FC, its stability. We do not like change for changes sake.’

These were the wise words of former Liverpool Chairmen Sir John Smith. He was the chairmen who appointed Bob Paisley as Liverpool manager. In the last few years, Liverpool have lost that stability.

For the past 18 months, the club has been viciously rocking from one side to another.

But King Kenny Dalglish has come back to the club and he has stabilised Liverpool.

Liverpool’s Managing Director Ian Arye stated, ‘It was an easy decision in the sense that there was never any other candidate.’ This is hardly surprising. Dalglish has fully deserved the job full time. His impact on the club has been phenomenal. The results and the form tables back this too.

Since taking over in January, Liverpool have won 10 out of 16 Premier League games. Perhaps, to some that doesn’t sound that amazing. But take a look at Roy Hodgson Premier League record for Liverpool.

Games Played	Won	Draw	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Winning Ratio	Points
21	7	4	9	23	27	-4	33%	25

Now, take a look at Kenny Dalglish’s Premier League record since taking over.

Games Played	Won	Draw	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Winning Ratio	Points
16	10	3	3	35	14	20	62%	33 points

There clearly is a massive change in form since Dalglish took over. These facts are clear evidence of the positive impact Kenny Dalglish has made. Liverpool’s winning ratio almost doubles, this emphasises the substantial change in fortunes of the side.

Furthermore, when Dalglish took over the side, the team were out of form and bereft of confidence. Yet, under Dalglish, the team have only lost three times in the league. Whereas, under Hodgson, Liverpool lost 9 times.

Kenny Dalglish has been the catalyst to Liverpool’s revival.

Over the past 18 months, Liverpool have been erratic on the road. One could argue, Roy Hodgson lost his job because of his Liverpool’s terrible away form. But Dalglish has made Liverpool far more efficient on the road.

The stats prove this too.

Here is Roy Hodgson’s Liverpool away Premier League record.

Games Played	Won	Draw	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Winning Ratio	Points
10	1	2	7	7	19	-12	10%	5 points

Now, take a look at Kenny Dalglish’s Premier League away record.

Games Played	Won	Draw	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Winning Ratio	Points
7	4	1	3	15	10	5	57%	13 points

It’s evident. The away form has dramatically improved. The stats prove it. Perhaps, Liverpool’s away record under Dalglish has been one of the brightest aspects of his return to Liverpool. Under Hodgson, Liverpool’s away record was of the standard of a relegation candidate. Whereas under Dalglish, Liverpool’s away record is of the standard of a title candidate. The team have scored more and conceded less on the road under Dalglish.

To emphasise Liverpool’s fantastic away record under Dalglish, here is Man United’s away record in the past 7 Premier League games.

Games Played	Won	Draw	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Winning Ratio	Points
7	2	1	4	11	10	1	28%	7 Points

In the past seven away games, Liverpool have gained more points than Man United. They have also won far more games than Man United in the past 7 away games too. This demonstrates the impact Kenny Dalglish has had on the club.

Not only have Liverpool been decent on the road. They have picked up some very good wins too. Take the results against both Manchester sides at Anfield. In both games, Liverpool played both sides off the park. Furthermore, Liverpool have hammered a few sides too. The 5-0 drubbing of Birmingham City comes to mind.

Under Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool have developed momentum and a growing confidence. It was vividly clear last season and at the start of this season, the team lacked confidence. But Dalglish has galvanised the players.

Many players have gained far more confidence whilst under Dalglish. Maxi is a prime example. His form since returning to the side has been nothing short of sensational. 7 goals in three games is incredible. While Dirk Kuyt is enjoying the form of his Liverpool life. Kuyt has scored 13 Premier League goals this season. The most he has ever scored in the league for Liverpool.

However, Dalglish has faced some tough issues during his short stint as temporary boss. The sale of Fernando Torres was perhaps the toughest situation. But Dalglish in his interviews and attitude reacted defiantly. In fact, he set the standard.

Dalglish continually emphasised the importance that ‘the club was bigger than any individual.’ In addition, Dalglish reinstated that Liverpool do not want players who do not want to be at the club.

This no-nonsense approach unified the players and the supporters. They believed in his words. For the first time in a long time, there was trust at Anfield.

There was no real mourning over the sale of Fernando Torres. Liverpool’s new signings assisted Liverpool getting over Torres. The signings of Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll gave the Kop new hope and fresh optimism. It seems with every game, Liverpool are more unified and ever more confident. The late late draw at Arsenal is a definite example of this.

Kenny Dalglish symbolises Liverpool Football Club. He symbolises everything that is positive about the club. He symbolises the unification, the confidence and the glory days of the past.

The simple facts prove Kenny Dalgish’s immense impact on the team. When Dalglish returned in January, the team were 4 points away from the relegation zone. Now the club find themselves 22 points away from the relegation zone and in a European position.

Sir John Smith said ‘stability’ defines Liverpool Football Club.

Kenny Dalglish has achieved that and more.

It’s only right he can finish off the brilliant job he has started.

Things you may like to read

How Rafa Benitez is intelligently using the media to increase his chances of getting a job - http://tiny.cc/m9p4i


Why Emile Heskey's Premier League days should be all but over - http://tiny.cc/yu9u7

Just how good is Gary Cahill? - http://tiny.cc/jpccx

NOTE: This article was published on Thursday, but Blogger had server issues and accidently deleted!

Why Man United need to quickly find a replacement for Paul Scholes

Manchester United are trying to persuade Paul Scholes to sign a contract extension. Recently the club have extended the deals of Ryan Giggs, Darren Fletcher and Micheal Carrick. But getting Paul Scholes' contract sorted is proving to be difficult for United.

There are a number of reports commenting that the stumbling block in the deal is the amount of games Paul Scholes wants to play. United want him to play most games. While Scholes doesn't feel he can play every game for the club. That is quite understandable, seeing Man United will normally play around two games in a week. With Scholes being 36, he will find it tough to maintain his fitness and keep up with the fast pace of the Premier League. Now, of course, even at 36, he has proved he can keep up with the electric pace of the Premier League. In his last two games, Paul Scholes has had a 91% successful passing completion rate. His last game for United was the fast tempo match against Chelsea. And even though the game was played with great pace ontinually played with great pace he still managed a fantastic 52 successful passes and only misplaced 5 passes in 70 minutes of football. Pretty impressive for a 36 year old, especially in the context of one of the highest quality matches in the Premier League.

But Paul Scholes worries that age will sooner or later get the better of his football. Its already becoming rather apparent. In his last three games Scholes has been withdrawn after the 70 minute mark. Its like what they say when playing young teenagers, 'don't play them too much or you will burn them out.' With Scholes it's similar, if he plays too much at the age of 36, it may cause long term injuries and could see his abilities suddenly decline.

Of course, Paul Scholes is a fantastic player. A once in a generation type of player. A player who has a brilliant first touch, a great eye for a pass and a tidy finish. Zinedine Zidane's once said "My toughest opponent? Scholes. He is undoubtedly the greatest player of his generation." Players like Scholes are hard to come by these days. I'm sure Sir Alex Ferguson knows that too. But United need to find a suitable replacement for Paul Scholes.

For me Anderson is a good player, but whether he is a suitable replacement for Scholes is another question. Anderson can see a pass and understands the game well. But the jury is still out on his passing execution in the final third. Furthermore he lacks the physical strength to be able to control the centre of midfield, like Scholes does for United. Man United need someone who can run with the ball at their feet and someone who can see a pass and execute it in the final third. Now, there are plenty of other attributes this player needs in order to fill the void left by Paul Scholes. But United need to be willing to spend what it takes to get this type of player.

There have been rumours that Luka Modric has been identified as a possible replacement for Scholes. If Spurs do sell him to Man United, which could be possible, if Spurs fail to make the Champions League grade this season. United would have a player in a similar mould to Paul Scholes. Both Modric and Scholes have a brilliant first touch and have a fantastic long and short range passing abilties.

Man United seriously need to replace Scholes before he retires. Of course it would be lovely to see Paul Scholes carry on, simply because he is extremely unique player. But Scholes' time is coming to an end. If United want to make the transition of Scholes smooth, they need to dig into their pockets and find a suitable replacement for this sensational player. Yes, Scholes will be missed. But if United fail to replace him properly it could hinder their success. As the Man United's central midfield would lack a creative edge. Somthing which they have characteristically had for decades.

I expect Man United to find a suitable replacement for Scholes. The best clubs are the teams who can transition almost unnoticingly from one genereation to another. Sir Alex is a genius when it comes to replacing the stars of yesterday. Take David Beckham, he was replaced by a certain Cristiano Ronaldo. When Ronaldo left the United in 2009, Nani stepped up his game and it seemed United didnt even miss Ronaldo on the pitch. Two years later and Nani is seen as a world class player. So Sir Alex Ferguson is the best man to find a fitting replacement for Paul Scholes.Thierry Henry once said 'Without any doubt the best player in the Premiership has to be Scholes.' Many of Scholes fellow footballers have nothing but respect and admiration for his abilities. But Scholes knows his time is coming to an end. Manchester United need to fill the void left by Scholes. Or Scholes' abilities will be sorely missed.

Scholes doesn't do much talking off the pitch, but boy, doesn't he do his talking on the pitch. He is certainly a gift to Manchester United.