Liverpool: No rush to name Dalglish successor
Reuters - Thursday 17 May 2012, 10:27
Liverpool's managing director Ian
Ayre has said the club will not be rushed into naming Kenny
Dalglish's successor with potential candidates facing the tricky
prospect of replacing a terrace hero who many feel was harshly
treated.
Former Chelsea boss Andre-Villas Boas, Borussia Dortmund
coach Jurgen Klopp and Wigan Athletic's Roberto Martinez are
among the early favourites to succeed Dalglish, who was sacked
as manager on Wednesday.
"What we want is the best, what we don't want is to choose
quickly or choose because there's a time pressure," Ayre said on
the club website on Thursday.
"It'll be about finding the right person who can do the
best job for Liverpool Football Club."
Angry fans bombarded social media sites and phone-ins when
it was announced that Dalglish's tenure at the club had ended
only 18 months into his second spell as manager, echoing fan
reaction when popular boss Rafa Benitez left the club in 2010.
Despite an eighth-place Premier League finish and a series
of disappointing forays in the transfer market, the 61-year-old
Scot retained the faith of swathes of supporters who saw green
shoots of recovery in the club's successful cup campaigns.
Dalglish ended a six-year trophy drought by winning the
League Cup in February while an impressive FA Cup campaign
included victories over Manchester United and Everton before
ending in a final defeat by Chelsea.
Dalglish, who won three league titles in his first spell as
manager between 1985 and 1991, travelled to Boston earlier this
week to meet the club's principal owner John Henry and chairman
Tom Werner.
His summoning and his subsequent sacking have drawn the ire
of fans, who feel he deserved at least another year to improve
the club's flagging results.
"I fear Liverpool's American owners have made a mistake by
getting rid of Kenny Dalglish as manager," former Liverpool
defender and television pundit Mark Lawrenson said in the
Liverpool Daily Post.
"Twitter almost went into meltdown when it emerged Dalglish
had flown over to Boston for showdown talks with Fenway Sports
Group.
"I didn't think Dalglish would have gone to Boston and be
sacked. If John Henry had wanted to remove someone from his
position, I'd have thought he'd fly across the pond to do it to
the person's face, such as with [former Director of Football
Damien] Comolli. I guess I was wrong."
FIND VALUE
Dalglish's popularity could become a millstone for any new
manager, who could find himself swiftly under pressure if
results begin badly.
Former boss Roy Hodgson struggled to win over Liverpool fans
who were angry that the Champions League-winning Benitez had
been ditched after just one poor campaign.
They quickly became vocal against the now England manager
when results failed to pick up and he was sacked just six months
into the job.
Liverpool are likely to target a young and hungry manager
with title experience and the owners have made it clear the
priority of any Liverpool coach is to find value in an
over-heated transfer market.
The new manager will have to decide if he needs to overhaul
the squad or keep faith with the players Dalglish brought in
during an expensive buy-British transfer policy that yielded
little reward last season.
Dalglish spent heavily on the likes of Andy Carroll, Jordan
Henderson, Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing but these costs were
largely offset by sales. A new manager may have to wheel and
deal in a similar fashion.
While Liverpool's trophy-laden history ensures they remain
an attractive proposition, the sacking of Dalglish has shown the
club are unlikely to show patience with a manager that fails to
drag them back into contention for Champions League
qualification.
The club are also keen to deny accusations that they are in
a state of disarray heading into the transfer window, with no
director of football following the sacking of Comolli and no
first-team manager.
"There is certainly no concern at my level or the board that
we're in disarray," Ayre said.
"We're making the decisions we're making and we're doing the
things we're doing because they're part of a bigger plan to take
the football club forward."