Wolves 0 - 3 Liverpool (Positives and Negatives)



Liverpool celebrate at Wolves

 Well there you have it, it has taken Liverpool 3 away games under Kenny to do something they failed to do in the previous 7 months under Roy Hodgson that being to win, convincingly, away from home. It was a display which many had seen coming in the weeks since Kenny's return. Many people had knocked Liverpools fans for being blindly optimistic, caught up in the nostalgia of the Kings return. Well to those people we can now point to a specific example of how these players are able to perform better than they had been when let free, and given tactics to suit their specific skill sets.

POSITIVES

Confidence is returning: Prior to the game i said that we had now had performances which encouraged us all we were missing and gave the fans and the players reason to believe in the team again.

Meireles’ 2nd super goal in 2 weeks: In last weeks column I said I hoped that Meiereles getting his first goal would help give him the confidence to push on and score more goals this season, and boy, didn’t he just prove that to be the case. It was one of them goals were he caught it so perfectly that for a second you couldn’t believe it. I had to look twice just to make sure but once it hit the back of the net I was in the air! It was a phenomenal piece of class from a player who is improving and looking more comfortable every week. When Steven Gerrard returns to the team in midweek it will be interesting to see where Raul will fit in, personally I would drop him back slightly rather than push him wide, but wherever he plays he will play to the best of his ability thats for sure.

Pass and Move is the Liverpool Groove: All throughout the game Liverpool passed the ball with better quality than we had gotten used to earlier in the season. We were patient when we needed to be and incisive when opportunities arose. In the build up to our 3rd goal there were 31 passes, granted we got a bit of luck when the ball fell kindly after the challenge on Dirk but, thats something we have been due too.

Lady luck seems to be turning: As I said last week, its funny the way a teams current form seems to dictate how their luck goes too. When were playing poorly and struggling for results we cant get a lucky break, as soon as things start to lift our luck improves. See how the ball breaks to Nando for our 3rd goal for an example.

Kenny’s post match interview: Since Kenny’s return his humour and demeanour in front of the camera’s has been a breath of fresh air, the antithesis of how Roy presented himself. With every interview he has restored more and more of the fan’s faith and belief in this team. He has used his words to give his players confidence. He has reminded this whole club who we are, and what we stand for. Never have Liverpool been media darlings. This is what Martin Broughton (who don’t forget is a Chelsea fan) wanted us to become. Thats why he hired popular, safe bet Roy Hodgson over King Kenny in the summer. Thankfully, the decision makers at Anfield do not share this view and so now Kenny is the man who speaks on our behalf. These few words from Kenny after the game got me jumping out of my seat celebrating in a similar fashion to how I had moments earlier when Nando knocked in number 3. Here is the transcript in full:

“Sky’s Andy Burton, “Kenny just a final thought,” said Burton, “allow me to ask, if I can, about transfers which may be coming up this week. Are you aware of what might be happening in the next few days, particularly with Charlie Adam?”

Judging by Kenny’s face, it wasn’t going too well for Burton already. But then the man known for his work on Sky Sports News during the transfer window pretty much put his foot in it: He said: “A lot of the fans watching the show today will want to know if that is getting closer.”

It’s a moment Andy Burton will remember for a long time. Kenny responded: “Well it’s a bit sad when you spin it onto the fans.”

Just enough of a pause to make sure his point was heard, but not enough for Burton to rescue the situation, before Kenny went on: “We know more about our fans than what yourselves do. So we know how they want to be treated and they know what we want.

“They want us to treat them with respect and they want us to treat them the way Liverpool fans have always been treated by the club.

“And that’s if we’ve got business to do we’ll do it behind closed doors and once we’ve got a story to tell about anybody then we’ll let you know.

“But we’ve no stories to tell about anything.

“I know what’s going on, but it doesn’t mean to say I’ve got to tell you.”

Kenny did smile at that point, but the point was made.

NEGATIVES

At times we still looked shaky in Defence: Similarly to what I said last week, this can mostly be attributed to nerves and a lack of confidence, prior to this game

I’m not going to dwell on too many negatives for this week, I think nearly everything I noticed as a negative could be explained by nerves and a lack of confidence, all of which is currently returning at pace so hopefully these silly errors will be worked out in time, whether that be on the training field or on a match day.

Liverpool 2 - 2 Everton (Positives and Negatives)

Kenny Dalglish stood in the Anfield dugout as Liverpool manager on Sunday for the first time in 20 Years and although the circumstances are very different it was the same opponents and a similar result points wise. The supporters have had a lift over the last few weeks which arrived along with the return of King Kenny and in around the ground you could feel the anticipation. This was a huge game for Liverpool given the run we have been on and the opponents, add in the King's first game at home since his return and our position in the table and most people were in agreement that this game was worth more than simply three points.

POSITIVES

We Started Brightly: It was such a big game, as mentioned above, that really there wouldn't have been much excuse for the lads not to have started with a bang, but with confidence and performances the way they have been recently it was essential that we started well. We certainly did that with Torres having the games first effort on target after 15 seconds.

Torres continued to perform: After his goal during the week it was good to see that Torres' performance didn't dip. He may not have got on the scoresheet on the day,  although he did come close when hitting the post, but he was a danger to Everton all day. He worked very hard all day and he looks like a much more free player under Kenny.

Attacking full backs: Some people in the press seemed to be very surprised that Martin Kelly started at right back at the expense of Glen Johnson being moved to the left but in fairness Kelly is in better form right now and therefore had to be the first choice at right back. Konchesky as most will have seen hasn't been in great form, and Aurelio still isnt at top fitness so it made sense for Glen to start on the left. Both full backs were able to get forward quickly and effectively with Glen Johnson crossing in the build up to Meireles' opener. Martin Kelly carried the ball up the pitch excitingly and lifted the fans up off their seat more than a few times.

We got back in into the game: While leaving the how's and why's of going behind in the first place to the next portion of this column, the fact that we managed to comeback after going behind in very shocking circumstances has to be seen as a major positive. The players had to lift them from a major low and must surely have garnered some confidence from rescuing a point.

Meireles' first goal: Raul has really started to settle into this team and it was great to see him get his first goal in the red shirt. He has showed in similar positions a number of times this season but not managed to score so hopefully this will be the first of many. He has never really been a goalscorer throughout his career 4/5 goals a season from a deep lying midfielder would come in handy, especially this season!

NEGATIVES

Confidence is obviously still very low: It was unfortunate that when we were on top in the first half we didnt manage to score more than the one goal. It meant that when the blues started brightly in the second half and managed to get a goal our boys legs went to jelly. At the moment its just something we have just had to put with until manage to get that elusive victory or manage to put a game to bed when clearly on top. It would be easy to point to defensive frailties here for allowing the first goal, and I have seen plenty of journo's taking great pleasure in ripping Martin Skrtel to shreds for allowing Distin to get free but i really do think this kind of mistake has been happening all over the pitch, like Meireles' wayward pass which opened the door for Blackpool in midweek. Players are nervous right now, and nervous players make mistakes. Once confidence improves i am sure personal performances will improve too.

The bounce of the ball: As always seems to happen to teams when going through spells like this, luck just seems to be going against us right now. You can point at the fact that we won a penalty but regardless of what Moyes says it was a penalty, fair enough it was intelligent play from Maxi to get in between Howard and the ball but that doesn't change the fact that Howard never got the ball. So thats not good luck, thats just getting what you deserve. To show our bad luck right now i would just have to point to the fact that the corner from which Everton opened their account was quite obviously a goal kick. I'm not blaming that specifically on us conceding as we still had plenty of opportunity to stop the goal but it certainly shows our bad luck. As does the clear foul on Martin Kelly in the build up to Everton's second which left him in a heap on the deck as Beckford fired home, again we should still have stopped it.

The King has Returned!

Well thats it, Roy Hodgson has left Liverpool l the by mutual Football Club by mutual consent and Kenny Dalglish has taken over the reigns until the end of the season.

Its a move which many have been calling for for a while, me included. Under Roy Hodgson many fans had become disillusioned with how the club was moving forward. I know that I experienced one of my hardest times as a Liverpool fan, it even got to the point where I couldn't find anything new to write in the blog, this was because the same mistakes just kept on being repeated time and time again, there are only so many different ways you can describe abject, lifeless, uninspired, hit and hope football. I formed an opinion over the past two weeks that it was worse than I had thought earlier in the season, this was a period when we were not just standing still we were actually moving backwards and the longer it was allowed to continue, the longer it would take us to come back. Thankfully the decision has been made now and hopefully we can move on.

The problems at Liverpool however have been deeper than simply Roy Hodgson however, but they have been getting fixed one by one  with the first step being the resolution of the ownershiop situation. Another problem we have had has been the divisions between fans, this started under Rafa Benitez and has continued since. I firmly believed in Rafa's methods and still do, but after a sustained campaign from almost every section of the media a lot of fans turned against him, blaming everything wrong with our football club on him, regardless of who was right and who was wrong the divisions it caused between fans were basically unprecedented at Liverpool. This was also the case with regard to the ownership situation. It continued under Roy with fans differing greatly on his suitability for the job in the first place, then whether he was achieving all that could be expected, then back to Rafa whether the blame lay with him or Roy. The main thing about Kenny's appointment is that it is a chance to unite the club again, and at the same unite the fans again. It is the one appointment  that will unite every fan of the club and inspire the Kop again, hell he was uniting the Kop even while Roy was still in charge. I actually considered titling this article "A United Club V's United" but thought its better to focus on the bigger picture here, even a loss against United under Kenny wont dampen Liverpools spirits now in the same way as a win under Roy wouldnt have lifted spirits.

Another problem at Liverpool must be acknowledged and that is the players. A lot of the players at Liverpool have now failed to performed under 2 different managers over 2 different seasons, surely they must now feel its time to finally deliver. They will certainly be given freedom to play under Kenny and every excuse they have is now removed. If there are players who find they are unable to perform now, regardless of their stature, we must surely think about cashing in and cutting our losses.

But thats enough about the past, lets think take this opportunity to look forward. The King has Returned! Kenny has been out of football a long time of that there is no doubt, but he has been working at Liverpool football club with the academy for the past 2 seasons so its not like he has been living in a hole. He remains Liverpol's 3rd most succesful manager ever and has won a Premiership with Blackburn to go along with is First Division title's won with Liverpool. He is one of the most succesful british football players there has ever been and is without a doubt the greatest player in Liverpools history, challenged only by Billy Liddel, but winning that battle due to his honours achieved (in my opinion of course). He is essentially Mr. Liverpool. He is everything a Liverpool manager should be. He is Anti Establishment, He is Socialist and Alex Ferguson hates him (Although in fairness Fergie does respect him greatly). He is not the kind of manager who the press will love unconditionally (as they did with Roy). He does however have plenty of friends in the media, including former players, its unlikely you will hear Andy Gray criticise him for using man-marking or zonal-marking.

He is hugely respected throughout football, and holds the admiration of all current players, basically if they cannot be inspired by a man like Kenny they should pack this whole football lark in. His achievements in football as player and manager dwarf those of basically anybody you can name, certainly Roy and Rafa. The only people currently in the Premier League his achievements compare to are Ancelotti and Ferguson. He has a name which can help to attract new players of any statureand that is certainly something which we could not say of Roy.

His appointment has been described as until the end of the season, which is right, it gives all parties concerned time to breath. NESV and Comolli can continue their search for the young dynamic manager they want to move the club forward in the long term but for the moment the club can be united, the fans can be inspired and hopefully the good times can roll again!

Oh and as luck would have it I am off on my annual trip to the Merseyside Derby next weekend, which as a lucky coincidence will be Kenny's first game in charge at Anfield.

The King Has Returned!!!

Below I have added some quotes about Kenny from various football people:

"Kenny is the best player to have ever worn the red shirt and is the undisputed king of Liverpool Football Club."

Phil Neal

"I never saw anyone in this country to touch him. I can think of only two players who could go ahead of him - Pele and possibly Cruyff. He was He was better than Maradona, Rummenigge or Platini. I would say that on his day he was, without any shadow of a doubt, the best player in the world."

Graeme Souness

"He is one of the best players I have ever seen and one of the best players in the history of football."

Franz Beckenbauer

"For me he's not just Liverpool's best player but probably Britain's best ever football person if you like. We're the most successful club and he's the best player so I don't think anyone beats him."

Jamie Carragher

"Kenny Dalglish is probably the most modest man who has ever been handed the nickname 'King' but King Kenny he will always be."

Billy Bremner

"I suppose above everything else when you try to assess Kenny's importance you must talk about his attitude to the game. He just wanted to play football. He had tremendous skill and the ability to set the pace of the game for the other players around him. When I had to sell Kevin Keegan to Hamburg - and we didn't have any choice because Kevin wanted to go to Europe - I didn't think it would be possible to replace him. Yet we did it so easily by buying Kenny from Celtic. In many ways he was a better player for Liverpool than Kevin was. Kenny is a model professional and was the best buy we ever made - it's as simple as that."

Bob Paisley

"Kenny had unbelievable vision and strength as a player. He was really aware of people around him. He had great balance and was a good finisher, courageous too. People often forget that the one quality great players need is courage. Kenny is as brave as a lion. He would take a kick from anyone and come back for more. Kenny is a man I shall always respect."

Alex Ferguson

"Kenny was a tremendous player, absolutely tremendous. I would have paid to have seen him play. I loved the way he could hold the ball up and make goals as well as score them."

Ron Yeats

"Kenny Dalglish is a hero of mine and is the best player to ever wear a red shirt."

Steven Gerrard

"After Kevin Keegan left no one was quite sure how Bob Paisley would fill the gap but it was a masterstroke to sign Kenny from Celtic. With his football brain and ability to score goals out of nothing, Dalglish became the main man of the Liverpool sides throughout the late '70s and '80s. Kenny seemed almost continually capable of writing his own script - from his dramatic first ever Liverpool goal to his strikes that clinched the 1978 European Cup win and 1986 championship against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The way he could score goals and also create them for other players around him was special. He will always be remembered as the king here at Anfield."

David Fairclough

"I actually played against Kenny when and he turned me inside out. I thought to myself I'd love to play alongside him, and luckily for me I got that chance. Kenny is the best player I've ever played against and with."

Alan Kennedy

"Unfortunately for me I never got the chance to play with Kenny Dalglish for Liverpool so when he did play I was sat in the stands watching him. When you are up in the stand you have more of a bird's eye view of what's happening on the pitch and we had a superstar in Kenny Dalglish, without a shadow of a doubt. When Kenny put on that red shirt he was playing for it and the other 10 players in the team. He is the best player I have ever seen at this football club and he was a genius."

Brian Hall

"Kenny wasn't the quickest of movers but he was 20 yards quicker than anybody else with his football brain and he would be in position before any defender knew what was happening. I've always said the best signing that Liverpool ever made was Kenny Dalglish."

Ronnie Moran

"Kenny Dalglish would be my first choice for Liverpool's best ever player because he was a great player with a lot of qualities."

Rafael Benitez

"Kenny was a magnificent player by any analysis and one of the all-time greats."

Rick Parry

"Kenny is probably the most gifted player I have ever seen. He could turn on a five pence piece and he was an out and out footballer. He was just a tremendous player."

Tommy Smith

"I think Kenny is the best player Liverpool have ever had. Many great players have worn the Red shirt - going back to the days of Billy Liddell - but Kenny was just a genius."

Joey Jones

"Quite simply Liverpool's greatest ever player. Kenny was my hero when I was growing up. I tried to model my game on his and he was just the master."

Paul Walsh

"Kenny is the best player to ever play for Liverpool and he was just a phenomenal player. The way he looked after himself was second to none. He was just a true professional, a great talent and he was successful, which is the most important thing."

Roy Evans

"Purely and simply the best player I ever played with or against. His record speaks for itself and he is idolised on Merseyside."

Gary Gillespie

"When he took over from Kevin Keegan you thought 'How can anyone replace Kevin?' Kenny was just a fantastic player."

David Johnson

"I think Kenny was the best player in and around the box Liverpool have ever had."

Ian Callaghan

"Kenny Dalglish, he's probably one of the nicest men you'll ever meet and as a player - the partnership he had with Ian Rush was phenomenal. There's that many players over the years who've tried to get partnerships going but I don't think you'll get a better partnership that that between Dalglish and Rushie. I can remember when I was a schoolboy and I used to get the bus up to Melwood. It was raining one night and Kenny's come past me and picked up me and my dad at the bus stop. I can't remember what car it was - maybe a big white Mercedes - and I think I was only used to buses then so I was just excited to be sitting in a car never mind a Mercedes one! He dropped me off by my house and I was absolutely devastated that no one got to see me getting a lift home form the Liverpool manager. Any young kid, no matter who you support, it doesn't get much better than that, does it? Ever since I've played Kenny's been very supportive of me but I think as a player, what he's achieved has been nothing short of exceptional."

Robbie Fowler

"Kenny is Liverpool's greatest ever player simply I played with him and he made a lot of my goals. He gave me the confidence that I needed. Whenever Kenny had the ball I always knew it was going to come to me."

Ian Rush

"When I was growing up my hero was Di Stefano. Kenny for me was on a par with Di Stefano. That is the best compliment I can pay him."

George Best

"Kenny was the best Scottish player I ever played with. He could hold his own in any company and go anywhere in the world. He was a genuine world-class player."

Billy McNeill

"Kenny was a genius of a player and he is a credit to the game on and off the pitch. He always played for the team rather than himself."

Tommy Docherty

"Jimmy Greaves and Kenny Dalglish had similar know-how, but Dalglish's knowledge and reading of the game was far superior. He was the most complete footballer in British soccer."

Jimmy Armfield

"Kenny was actually here at Melwood as a 15-year-old schoolboy. He came on trial and he went home afterwards. It was only later that Bill Shankly realised that Dalglish was here as a boy and he went mad! He said 'how did we miss him?' Kenny just had the football brain. He was born with it and you can't give that to people. He had that natural born talent."

Ian St John

"I will never have a bad word said about Kenny because as a person he is fantastic. As a manager I think he was fantastic as well. He did not have the best of times at Newcastle but he won trophies at Liverpool as a manager and as a player. He won the title at Blackburn as a manager. Some of his signings did not work out for him at Newcastle but I tell you, if you ask any player who was at Newcastle when Kenny was manager, they will not have a bad word said against him because for a player he was fantastic, he treated you as a man. He treated you how you wanted to be treated. He was great for us as players, certainly here at Newcastle and definitely at Blackburn."

Alan Shearer

With Apologies...

Just wanted to write a very quick note to let people know that Ii havent stopped writing blogs. I obviously had a bit of a break over the Christmas period. Then, with results (and performances) Going the way they are at the moment I am finding it very hard to come up with fresh blogs, feels like i'm just repeating myself all the time. I've been working on some tonight but cant finish off so I'll come back to it tomorrow and try to publish it then.