Missing the Champions League far outweighed winning cup the Yanks had never heard of
Kenny Dalglish
Last Updated: 17th May 2012
THE King has left his throne and the debates are already raging as to whether he was sent to the Tower too soon.
6 who could replace him
ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS
DID not last a season at Chelsea but that was seen as mission impossible. He was in the running before Dalglish was appointed and Kop owners rate him highly.
BRENDAN RODGERS
THE Swansea boss, 39, took the Premier League by storm. Although he is contracted for another three years, the lure of Anfield would surely be too great to turn down.
DIDIER DESCHAMPS
GIVEN close consideration on the last two occasions Reds have been hunting for a new manager. The Marseille chief will have his backers once again within Anfield.
RUDI GARCIA
AT 48, the Lille boss falls into the right age bracket for the owners, who want a younger, successful boss. Garcia has won the league and cup double in France.
ROBERTO MARTINEZ
ARGUABLY the brightest of the young managerial stars in the Prem who worked a miracle in dragging Wigan to safety. Right age at 38 and an admirable style of play.
ALAN PARDEW
WOULD hardly be the fans’ choice, but has overcome terrace unrest already — at Newcastle. He led the Toon to fifth and was named Manager of the Year.
Kenny Dalglish may have paid the price for a shocking league campaign but that has not stopped his fans reacting with fury.
So was it right for owners Fenway Sports Group to axe the greatest Kop legend of all?
PHIL THOMAS, SunSport’s man on Merseyside for the past decade, gives his answers to the questions every Kopite is asking.
WHY DID HE HAVE TO GO?
ULTIMATELY it came down to one thing and one thing only — results.
While beating the likes of both Manchester clubs, Chelsea and neighbours Everton in the cups had them dancing on the Kop, as far as Fenway Sports Group were concerned, it was all about the Premier League.
Henry tossed in a grenade at the start of the season, when he insisted: “Our main goal is to qualify for the Champions League. If we don’t, it would be a major disappointment.”
But for FSG, missing out on a place at Europe’s top table once more far, far outweighed a trophy the Yanks had not even heard of before they arrived on Merseyside.
Finishing 17 points off the top four — and a place behind Everton — was unacceptable to everyone, including Dalglish. And while his claims they are moving in the right direction convinced some, it cut no ice with the Yanks.
WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT THE YANKS?
WHATEVER the feelings about the decision — and there are plenty who were still in Dalglish’s corner — yesterday’s axe proved John W Henry and Tom Werner are prepared to make the toughest of calls.
They are well aware of the backlash now facing them when they next deign to visit Merseyside to check on their investment.
Henry and Werner are businessmen first and foremost. And if they feel anything is threatening their investment, there will only be one winner.
WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE THE CLUB?
AT the moment Liverpool are in danger of becoming a rudderless ship, with the dismissal of Dalglish leaving them short in a host of crucial positions.
While the hunt for a new manager has started, they have yet to replace axed director of football Damien Comolli, are still without a CEO and have no official head of communications. It all means the next few months could have massive repercussions in terms of where the Reds go for the foreseeable future.
If they fail to deliver the right man it will be hard to attract the right kind of players, there will be fury on the terraces and whoever takes over will also find themselves under enormous pressure.
IS THIS THE RIGHT WAY TO TREAT A LEGEND?
DALGLISH, for all his failings, still had the vast majority of fans on his side — rightly so, given all he has brought to the club over the years.
Dragging him to America and the ensuing two-day silence, was not the way Dalglish should have been treated. He deserved better than this — at least given the chance to see how it went at the start of next season.
WHAT WERE HIS WEAKNESSES?
HIS judgment in the market has been seriously questioned, given the nightmare seasons Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and — until recently — Andy Carroll endured.
Dalglish would never win top marks for his public image and, for the hugely publicity-conscious Yanks, that was crucial.
His handling of the Suarez affair — and wearing one of those infamous T-shirts himself — was a PR disaster and even Kenny admits it could have been handled better.
WOULD THE FA CUP HAVE SAVED HIM?
THE one thing this season has proved is that, for the owners, Liverpool no longer exist to win trophies but to get into the Champions League.
The odds are that winning the FA Cup would have been a stay of execution — but not a free pardon.
IS THE JOB NOW A POISONED CHALICE?
LIVERPOOL may have suffered their worst Premier League placing but there are still few bigger clubs to have on your CV.
The attraction of Anfield is such that the majority of managers would still jump at the chance — and in some ways it becomes even more attractive now.
Replacing a figure like Kenny is tough but if the new man turns them into a genuine force again, he will be guaranteed legendary status himself.
