Nick Wright previews this weekend's clash between York City Knights and Hull FC
Alex Reid looks at whether the once ever-present appearance of English clubs in the later stages of the Champions League is set to become a thing of the past
Craig Dobson looks at QPR's decision to sack Neil Warnock and replace him with Mark Hughes
James Tompkinson reviews an excellent pre-season victory for the York City Knights against Yorkshire rivals Leeds Rhinos
First, defeat to their Mancunian decade-dominating successors came with a red card for Saint Stevie and a questionable penalty decision; then a midweek capitulation against Blackpool evoked psychiatrist-chair flashbacks to the worst days of Roy Hodgson’s tenure; and finally, Everton pitched up at Anfield, played with confidence and creativity, but ultimately were unable to defeat Dirk Kuyt and his spirited comrades.
If one looks at the results objectively - one point from six in the league and exiting the F.A. Cup at the first opportunity to do so - it’s easy to suggest that the task at Liverpool is too great even for Kenny, the Scottish anti-Ferguson of Anfield, to tackle. To look at the results objectively, however, is to miss everything NESV’s appointment is intended to achieve.
Liverpool are in an identity crisis, and have to overhaul their assessment of what they stand for and how they view themselves. This kind of introspective revolution, the kind that Jose Mourinho engineered to turn Chelsea from lottery winners into title winners, comes only with a fresh, energetic manager: experienced enough to know his bottom from the pointy sections of his arm, but young enough not to be world-weary and terrified of failure. Take Mesrs Ferguson, Wenger and Guardiola as cases in point here.
Kenny Dalglish is not the tonic that Liverpool football club needs. The loss at Bloomfield Road featured Glen Johnson at left back, Christian Poulsen in the team, and no thought of positive substitutions until well into the second half. These are the sort of decisions that were seized upon and used to batter Roy Hodgson into a frazzled, morbid imitation of his Fulham self. What immunizes Dalglish to this treatment is quite obviously his revered Kop status: still relevant here for a myriad of reasons.
In Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool’s disciples have a distraction. He has already restored the enthralment and enjoyment that can make football clubs popular. Liverpool can be loveable for the right reasons again: they have an icon of familiarity and nostalgia sitting on the bench that numbs the despair of defeats and energizes the optimism of victories. The opening three games may have been disappointing for results merchants, but nobody can dispute the emotional potency of their many twists.
NESV, too, can only benefit from this post-modern reign of King Kenny. Should he finish fifteenth and irrevocably alienate Fernando Torres in the process, John Henry can say that he listened to the fans’ demand for their idol, but that the fans were wrong, thus leeway would be generated for a more American strategy to be imposed. If things go swimmingly, NESV can take a back seat, restructure the club, and focus on the future while Dalglish keeps an eye on the immediate present.
Don’t think of Kenny Dalglish as a football manager. Think of him as Mary Poppins. The Kop bowed in veneration as he arrived, and, no matter what course his administration follows, they will clap and cheer as he floats off on an umbrella. Meanwhile, John Henry and his associates can concentrate on the more pragmatic endeavour of redesigning Liverpool Football Club for the modern age.
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