FSG Show There’s No Room For Sentiment

 
Yesterday, a bitter sweet for Liverpool fans everywhere. First, news that Glen Johnson, Stewart Downing, Andy Carroll and Steven Gerrard had been picked to represent England ahead of this summer's European Championships, with Gerrard named as captain with a ringing endorsement from former Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson. Then the news that deep down we all had feared, Kenny Dalglish sacked as Liverpool manager. From the moment Phil Dowd blew his whistle at the end of the FA Cup Final Kenny’s goose was cooked.
 
John W. Henry and Tom Werner refused to endorse his candidature for a continuation of his current role having done so a month earlier. Anyone, following baseball and the Red Sox, who are currently going a traumatic season of their own, knows that FSG are quite capable of making ruthless decisions. It seems King Kenny's cross Atlantic journey fell on death ears and it will be interesting to see just how many of his support entourage manage to survive the cull.
 
Not even Dalglish’s legendary status it seems could save him. There is no doubt that he has galvanised the club from whence he found it, almost winning two domestic trophies, but it’s become very obvious that the Liverpool name surnonimous with the Champions League requires qualification as the very least. The world-wide brand which FSG is trying to build through its business requires professionalism at every level of the club and thus the downfall of Kenny began with the Suarez /Evra affair.

The sacking of Ian Cotton et al shows just how unhappy FSG were that the club were held up to ridicule during the affair. Dalglish came across as cantankerous on television during this time and as Liverpool’s league performances became more disparate, his selections became more stubborn. It was as if he was trying to prove a point with Henderson and Downing who both appeared to be woefully out of form at times throughout the season. In addition, Andy Carroll only coming good at the end of the season, and Charlie Adam’s sporadic form added more fuel to the fire to the evidence. As I stated on previously blogs, relying on Henderson and Downing may just cost the manager his job and although it wasn’t the only reason, it didn’t help.

FSG I’m sure would not have wanted to hear about the definition of economics in terms of supply and demand given their outlay over the 15 months. In saying that, we can only hope that they recognise that football is not baseball and a direct correlation cannot be made, because sometimes we need time and this is now Liverpool’s fourth manager in the space of two years and we need a period of consultation, consolidation and realisation that we are up against the financial powerhouses in Manchester and Chelsea.

As Dave a fellow blogger said about the pressure facing Martinez if it is he who follows King Kenny,”Watch the fans turn on Martinez very quickly if he doesn’t start well!”
The Holy Grail is the Premiership and that is the measuring tool to which every Liverpool manager is held up too. The owners obviously felt eighth place was not good enough and that in culmination with the goings on off the pitch meant Kenny’s position had become untenable. Ian Ayre’s comments support this "Results, perhaps, were not where we wanted them to be and that drives the decision," Ayre noted. "We feel it's the right decision and one we have to move forward with, but there's lots of praise and admiration for him.

"We have a big long-term plan for this football club; we've always talked about progress and moving forward. We've made a lot of progress off the pitch, creating a lot of foundations to build the business on and improve revenues, and the next important thing to move forward is football." The manager’s removable can be seen as the final piece before the reconstruction of the club in the eyes of FSG and even if one thinks Dalglish deserved another year, we must move on, although we will never forget King Kenny. Ayre himself, rightly lauded for his financial acumen, should consider himself lucky to retain his position given the lack of leadership, support and advice given throughout after the Suarez/Evra incident.

The club needs to get a manager in a quickly as possible with the European Championship next month and next transfer market important as the owners will obviously want to give financial support to the new incumbent and that person will also want time to move on players. That person must be a manager of the highest calibre as we need to use all the leverage possible to get top players to the club and not lose players like Martin Skrtel. Pep Guardiola comes to mind. Granted he has taken a year’s sabbatical, but a strategic view would’ve been to ask Dalglish to stay on and concentrate his efforts in getting a top four position and use the domestic cup competitions, to blood the youngsters with seniors players concentrated on the League and European competition.

Read anything about Kenny Dalglish the man and one knows we are talking about a class act. His final statement showed that just how much he loves the club and as disappointed as he was his thoughts remained with keeping that club on equilibrium. He will and will always be part of Liverpool FC and that’s why is so difficult to write this because we as a club owe Kenny a debt of gratitude for his loyal service as player, a manager and a man of the people. YNWA

Here’s Kenny’s statement in full from the Liverpool website read as follows:

Despite feeling a sense of disappointment at leaving his post, the Scotsman revealed the pride he has felt at leading the Club over the past 16 months - and thanked Fenway Sports Group for the way in which his departure has been handled.

"It has been an honour and a privilege to have had the chance to come back to Liverpool Football Club as Manager," said Dalglish. "I greatly appreciate the work that Steve, Kevin, the players and all of the staff put in during my time and feel proud that we delivered the Club's first trophy in six years winning the Carling Cup and came close to a second trophy in the FA Cup Final. Of course I am disappointed with results in the league, but I would not have swapped the Carling Cup win for anything as I know how much it meant to our fans and the Club to be back winning trophies.
"Whilst I am obviously disappointed to be leaving the football club, I can say that the matter has been handled by the owners and all concerned in an honourable, respectful and dignified way and reflects on the quality of the people involved and their continued desire to move the football club forward in the same way as when they arrived here.
 
"I would like to thank all of the staff at the Club for their effort and loyalty. I said when first approached about coming back as Manager that I would always be of help if I can at any time and that offer remains the same.
 
"Finally, I want to put on record my heartfelt gratitude to Liverpool's fans, who have always given me and the Club their unwavering support. Without them neither the Club nor I would have achieved anything."
 
Personally, I think Dalglish is unlucky. Yes he has made mistakes, but at least starting the next season could have seen a change fortunes, especially with the lack of quality managers available to us. As Tom Werner re-iterated after his sacking, FSG asked Kenny to fill the breach, "Kenny came into the club as manager at our request at a time when Liverpool Football Club really needed him," he added.
 
"He didn't ask to be manager; he was asked to assume the role. He did so because he knew the club needed him."
 
Christian Purslow who feels Dalglish should not have lost his job, felt that he was let down by the club in not be supported in the Suarez which stated at the time, in terms of the communications, press and diversity offices.
 
Purslow said, the following to the BBC:

"I think it's unfair and unrealistic to expect a football manager to be front and centre on an issue of that kind," he said. "I would never expect my manager to make decisions about communications policy, and a sensible legal matter.

"He should not have been put in that situation. He does not have the training you might need to handle that situation. To judge him for that, I would be astonished if that would play any part in the decision to remove him as manager and if so I would take issue with that."
 
"They invested a lot of money in his team and I'm not sure they've given him anywhere near enough time to make the investment work. It seems bizarre to me to have a situation where you appoint someone for three years and make significant investment and, one year in, lose faith in that.
 
"Kenny came into the club initially to help me and the board behind the scenes and then stepped in at a terribly difficult time in the club's history. The previous manager had been starved of funds, the squad desperately needed investment and he did that.

"Everybody would say he unified the club and made Liverpool a football story again. He made us an attractive team to watch again."

As a supporter I just home we don’t become a Chelsea type club, sacking a manager on a whim because that is and has never been the Liverpool FC way.

YNWA