‘There was nothing wrong with Graeme Souness’ ideas after he took over as Liverpool boss – I was just surprised that such an intelligent man could be so forceful’: Ex-Reds midfielder highlights what went wrong for Scotsman in Anfield dugout
Liverpool suffered under Graeme Souness in 1991, following Kenny Dalglish's shock resignation at Anfield
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Liverpool were left shocked in February 1991 when Kenny Dalglish resigned as manager, leaving the Reds three points clear at the top of the First Division and still in contention in the FA Cup.
During his five-and-a-half years in charge of Liverpool, Dalglish won three league titles and three FA Cups, with another trophy at least possible come the end of the 1990/91 season. Alas, his resignation allowed Arsenal to go on and win the title that season, with the Reds a further seven points back.
Danish midfielder Jan Molby played for Liverpool throughout Dalglish's tenure, becoming a key member of the team on occasion as well as struggling for game time at other moments.
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For Molby, though, Dalglish's departure came as a real surprise to everyone associated with the club, with his permanent replacement - Graeme Souness - failing to grasp the personality of the squad.
"We all thought Kenny would go on to build a dynasty as manager, a bit like Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley, so you can imagine how we felt when Kenny told us that he didn’t feel he was in a position, mentally or physically, to continue," Molby exclusively tells FourFourTwo.
"Ronnie Moran came in for a while, then it was Graeme Souness’ turn. He came in with the best of intentions, wanting to use his experience as a former Liverpool player as well as a player-manager with Rangers, and there was nothing wrong with his ideas – I was just surprised that such an intelligent man could be so forceful. The squad was experienced, so I was surprised that he didn’t approach the change in a softer way.
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"Then, of course, it comes down to recruitment. The issue wasn’t the players he signed; it was with how they fitted into the way Liverpool played. We ended up mixing styles. Graeme wanted us to be more direct, more physical – that didn’t work out well, and it took him a while to admit that. Given the chance again, he might have done things differently."
After taking over in April 1991, Souness lasted as manager until January 1994. Molby played for the Scotsman for the entirety of that period, before eventually leaving the club at the end of the 1995/96 season.
Liverpool did manage to win the FA Cup in 1992 under Souness, though his time in charge of the club isn't remembered with particular fondness at Anfield.
Liverpool midfielder Jan Molby (Image credit: Alamy)
Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.
