Kenny Dalglish Sacked – “The Liverpool Way” is Dead

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It was headline news on Sky Sports, BBC and in all the newspapers. Everyone knew what happened. Kenny Dalglish didn’t resign as manager, nor did he come to the end of his contract. He was sacked. By Liverpool Football Club.

Kenny Dalglish was sacked by Liverpool Football Club.

I felt sick reading it, hearing it and thinking about it.

Liverpool’s league performance in the 2011/12 season wasn’t good enough. Too few goals were scored, too many games were lost. Arguably even worse, there were periods of the season when everyone, including fans and players, knew the matches didn’t really matter. Results at Anfield were particularly disappointing. Better is expected of Liverpool.

Cups were a different story. After beating Chelsea and Manchester City in earlier rounds, Liverpool won their first trophy since 2006 after beating Cardiff City at Wembley to lift the Carling Cup. The final was hard work, as seems to in the club’s DNA, but the route to the final was exciting, enjoyable and convincing.

Wins against the club’s two biggest rivals in the FA Cup meant another domestic cup final. Two cup finals in a season after none since 2007 and none since 2006 domestically. Under owners who stated a desire to “win things”, it was a pretty fine return.

But it all meant nothing. The 8th place league finish meant that Liverpool won’t compete in the Champions League next season, prompting Fenway Sports Group to sack the manager. The owners fixated with “winning things” actually prioritised Champions League qualification over, well, winning things.

Champions League qualification is important. Competing in the best competition in world football helps attract the best footballers. The extra money obviously helps, too. Unfortunately though, Liverpool haven’t even competed in the competition since 2009. The club has been without the money and football status it provides for several seasons already. When Kenny Dalglish took over, the club needed stabilising. Stability and qualification for the Champions League at the first time of asking are two very different things.

Undoubtedly though, the club does need to increase revenue. Liverpool suffered financially under previous owners, almost going into administration and will be forced to spend within its means if Financial Fair Play is implemented as strongly as promised. The need to increase revenue is nothing new, though.

In 2007, the club was sold to American owners, a key reason being that the club could build a new stadium to increase revenue. It was promised but never delivered. FSG bought the club 17 months ago. A decision is yet to have been made regarding a new stadium.

Instead of making a new stadium their absolute priority, FSG have taken it upon themselves to sack the greatest ever servant of Liverpool Football Club. Today on the official Liverpool website, Ian Ayre mentioned “The Liverpool Way” in an interview about the sacking of Kenny Dalglish. Well, after that sacking: “The Liverpool Way” is dead.

Some say the ruthlessness shown by FSG must mean they have a plan for the club to move forward.

At the moment, I fail to see the sacking of Kenny Dalglish, an average net spend of just over £11m per transfer window and the absence of even a plan for a new stadium as anything other than a cost cutting exercise. I don’t trust them to make good appointments. I don’t trust them to provide the much needed new stadium.

The man I did trust to lead our football club has been sacked. And it makes me sick.

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36 COMMENTS

  1. roy hodsgon had a better net spend of a profit of i think it was around 10m .. he had a better conversion rate than dalglish but a 1% less win rate than kenny and he got the sack .. so why shudnt kenny get sacked.

    • Because Joe, Dodgson was and still is crap, he left us on the verge of relegation, he bought absolute junk and one name sums up all his purchases Koncheski and his mum. Blame Comolli for paying too much for Downing etc, and that traitor Torres for deciding to leave on the last day of the window leaving us with one striker called Ngog who only cost us £1mil and only Carroll available for purchase. Dodgson loaned out Aqualani when he was getting his act together Now he’s worth nothing so that screws up your Dodgson figures.

    • If you look back, we would have been relegated had the season started in January. For nearly half a season our performances under Kenny was actually worse than when Roy was around, and this was after a huge investment in the squad. This was also after nearly half a season where the players were supposed to have gotten used to each other’s style of play.

    • Silly argument – if the season had started in January last year when Kenny took over from Hodgson we would have been in the Champions League and attracted better players.

      It’s easy to say these things but I think we should just leave it at the fact that it didn’t work out and now lets get behind the man that comes in. What happened in the last week has not been good for LFC fans as we love our legend. However it is true that it is now done – let’s move on.

    • Need I remind u dat KD also loaned out Joe Cole, Aquilani and sold Raul Mereiles who would hav been vital players dis season 4 LFC. So KD is no saint in dis matter, we LFC fans are jst hidin behind d fact dat he is a legend. If it was another manager we wuld hav been callin 4 a sack lon tym ago.

    • That’s half the point though – it isn’t anyone else, it’s Kenny Dalglish and he has enough credit in the bank, enough history, enough achievements for us to think that he can turn it around and for him to be worth at least the benefit of the doubt.

    • It wasn’t crap though. And, for a short time, yes they can perform badly. If Steven Gerrard has a bad season should he be sold? Of course not.

  2. couldn’t agree more links me to my team the successful its like they have severed my childhood from Liverpool Football Club. Thats why I am so upset. Rather these owners left and new owners re-appoint the KING know it wont happen all I have are my memories!

    • There were signs that things would have picked up. You can’t make all these signings and expect them to fit into the team. They have to adjust. Let’s not forget we didnt have Lucas for most of the season and Gerrard has been struggling with fitness. I think kk was a couple of signings away from getting it right. King Kenny you will always be a legend to those who were fortunate enough to watch you play. I have great memories of a legend.

  3. Because Joe we looked a better footballing side under kenny made it to two cup finals played in the opposing half more than any other side, hit the woodwork 33 times and created the most scoring chances I’ve seen in a season and I think only 2nd to city, when kenny said the other week we just need tweaking he was spot on! Everyone mentioned to take over is not fit to read kennys post it notes!

    • Got to agree Paul and to King Kenny Y.N.W.A. Enjoy your cruise mate and spend your retirement counting the £8.3 Mil.

  4. The Liverpool Way survived as long as the club was successful i.e. Shankly to Dalglish’s first reign. We sacked Souness, “constructively dismissed” Roy Evans. Sacked Houllier and Benitez. It’s just that we used to hide it under the “by mutual consent” nonsense barrier. In effect,the Liverpool way regarding changing managers ended in 1985 with Joe’s retirement. And I think your assessment of Kenny as the club’s greatest ever servant does tremendous disservice to Paisley, Moran, Fagan, Bennett and more than a few others. And before we say anything about disrespect, lecture the ‘fans’ who constantly chanted Dalglish’s name throughout Hodgson’s ill-fated reign. That wasn’t the Liverpool Way either.

    • Best reply to an article that doesn’t have all the facts. Two words, one name, Ian Callaghan the greatest ever LFC servant over 850 games will probably never be beaten local boy and a gentleman.

  5. 2 more dopey amercians, and ian ayre to boot.sack a king for a peasant martinez,the future for us is bleak with them in charge i hope loads of fans march on anfield to display there anger at laurel and hardy. next year we will be in bottom 4 ayre is saving his own arse
    2 faced buggar, who ever is advising the yanks should be shot. werner said he advised not to buy liverpool well he could be right god help them if they appoint martinez, or any other porper to save yourselfs yanks and you will need saving, let rafa come back…if you dont you will have thousands of un happy fans demostrating yanks out ayre out lots of fans wont even go in the end YNWA only appiles to true reds the board are vegas gamblers money men… noobs this is not boston its liverppol and the yanks will soon find out…

    • So what if LFC hire Martinez? The guy is a quality manager jst like Moyes. Finished 9pts behind LFC, and his Wigan side has always been a problem 4 LFC even wen Rafa was in d dug out. All we LFC fans need do is to get behind the new man and the players.

  6. That is the best article I have yet read on the Kenny Dalglish final departure, and I totally agreewith everything said. The return from the owners so far is not as good as the relatively poor results this season. Anyone who studies Liverpool’s previous 50 years would not believe that he, of all people could be sacked. Moved on, possibly in another year if results did not improve, but sacked – after the state of the Club when he took the helm 16 months ago? It leaves a nasty taste, not even another role in the Club. Disgraceful

  7. Great article! I am 22 years old, I wasn’t alive during the glory days but I fell in love with the spirit of the club! I have never seen Kenny play or win anything but the Carling Cup this year. I haven’t seen how he became a KING. Still I though he was great. I’m not even from England but I love what this club symbolizes, I love the Liverpool way and Kenny was all that!
    You’ll never walk alone, King Kenny!

  8. Tune in to Sky channel 434 tonight, The History Channel aka LFC TV. It’s happened, it’s not going to change; look to the future. And Benitez? As I say, the History Channel.

  9. Have to say I was pretty hurt yesterday even though, as I mentioned on Twitter, I subconsciously have expected Kenny to get sacked since the FA semi. I remember going to the semi thinking that if we lost to Everton he’d get sacked.

    We won, then I felt the same at the Cup Final, we lost and they’ve waited until the last game to sack him but believe me this isn’t all dependent on league form. The Suarez trouble and his handling of it and his interviews have also caused this. It’s a shame because we love Kenny & he’ll always look after Liverpool’s interests first and his last.

    Prime example is that he’s rejected compensation (had two years remaining on his contract) from Liverpool and told them to put it into the players kitty. A true legend – hope he comes back in some sort of capacity.

  10. Apparently Kenny turned down 8 million compensation and requested that it be used in next seasons transfer kitty, also Clarke’s resignation has been rejected by the club.

  11. Appoint Luis Van Gaal as DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL.
    Appoint Frank Rijkaard as LIVERPOOL MANAGER.

    SIGN:
    Higuain (Striker)
    Ibrahim Affaley (Right Winger).
    Eden Hazard (Playmaker).
    Kagawa (Left Winger).
    Lucas Biglia (Defensive Midfielder).

  12. Good piece Paul.

    I think Dalglish was very unlucky really; Liverpool had the 4th most shots, and gave away the third least (and the least of anyone on target), yet the poor shooting by the forwards (who, in fairness, Dalglish bought) let him down.

    As I wrote on my blog, the new man had better bear this in mind:

    One trophy, another final, a genuine top four challenge until March and some of the best football seen in recent seasons is apparently not good enough to keep the job.

    Tough challenge!

  13. Got to agree with much of what’s been said. No need to argue on who has been the greatest servant…. Kenny has been a great one. No argument possible. I was saddened and disappointed with the owners. Bad Form! (as Captain Hook would say)

    They might struggle persuading someone to take what is fast becoming a ‘poison chalice’ except I guess the applicants know if they get the boot they’re get a big golden handshake.

    Ultimate respect to Kenny if his refusal to accept the compensation is true!

  14. You’re whining. In my country my team took a legend to manage a football club I support locally.
    The results were not good enough and he was sacked after one season.
    There was some controversy about it, but what has been said then is the same as should be said now:
    I really can not understand why you should try and let a person keeping his job if he is not doing it well.
    Would you keep an employee who is not productive enough compared to others?
    I know, it’s football and you can say that we played attractive football etc. but I disagree. The football was not good enough. Yes, there were games we have played well, but there were many more that we were rubbish in, and even if it was just in front of goal, it is the most important aspect of play. You don’t see a basketball player saying he suffered from bad luck when he shoots a ball that bounces on the hoop twice and go out. It’s about quality.
    Kenny had to go as he did not do his job.
    I hope the next manager, with all of our support, will manage to bring the results.

  15. King kenny was treated really badly that’s a fact owners have been a disgrace if they wanna put a novice like Martinez in charge then forget it man for job is Jamie carragher you won’t find a more passionate and loyal manager than carra red through and through ynwa

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