It’s extremely difficult to argue that Roy Hodgson should have kept his job at Anfield. His apologists would point out that the club was on the slide when he took over, that he has not had time to instil his methods and that he needed more support in the transfer market. They’d also point out that the departure of Liverpool’s finest central midfielders in years – Alonso and Mascherano – were instigated by his predecessor. But the bare facts are that he has failed to get the most from a talented bunch (which teams in the world wouldn’t like to take Gerrard, Reina or Torres on board?) and that under his management Liverpool have gone backwards alarmingly quickly – a sinking ship laden with dead weights like Christian Poulsen, Paul Konchesky and the washed up Joe Cole. Hodgson has been a dead man walking for quite some time and at least now the genial old gent of the game can take some time off and recharge his batteries.
And so to King Kenny. The return of the prodigal son. It’s a move laced with danger. Following his ill-fated spells at Newcastle and Celtic his stock has fallen. And after ten years out of the game he has been almost forgotten everywhere but Anfield. The game has changed significantly in that time and so have the players.
Dalglish’s first task is to negotiate a path into the fourth round of the FA Cup. It’s a no-lose situation for the returning Scotsman: nobody is expecting them to triumph against their old rivals. Get beaten and it’s Uncle Woy’s team. Triumph and he’ll be hailed as a genius. Perhaps his tactical input will be more inspiring than Hodgson’s rigid system. And he’ll almost certainly inspire the likes of Steven Gerrard (it’s a shame for the Reds that Jamie Carragher will be unavailable to represent his new manager on the pitch).
If the players are energised and inspired by Dalglish and provide any kid of improved performance, it does beg the question: what have they been playing at under Hodgson? Fernando Torres, for example, appears to have been playing with lead in his boots for the last five months. Admittedly drained after his World Cup winning exploits in the summer, he was eased back into the side and has subsequently failed to impress for half the season (an outstanding performance against Chelsea not withstanding). He’s not the only Red to have failed to stand up and be counted by any stretch of the imagination – just the highest profile. It’ll be a sad indictment of the Spaniard’s commitment to the cause if he raises his game under the stewardship of Dalglish when doing so under Hodgson might have rescued his club from a relegation fight.
As for the appointment of their former legend, what does that indicate about NESV’s long-term plan for their acquisition? Surely they don’t see Dalglish as manager for years to come? He can only be a short-term appointment – a fire-fighter until a more permanent figure can be installed in the Boot Room? But who would that be? Names like Owen Coyle and Jurgen Klopp have been linked – but they are far less proven than Hodgson was and certainly don’t have the trophy-winning pedigree which Houllier and Benitez brought to the job. Can they attract big name players in their current situation? Probably not. With European football unlikely to be on the agenda for Liverpool next season, things might get even worse before they get better...
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