Dalglish bound by Anfield calling

Returning Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish believes it would have been disrespectful to turn down the job at Anfield.

Dalglish made his return to Liverpool nearly 20 years after his last spell as manager at the club following the sacking of former boss Roy Hodgson on Saturday.

The Scot is considered one of the greatest players to have played for the Reds, and said he felt compelled to help the club at a time of need.

“This football club is renowned that when there is a bit of trouble they rally round each other and help each other,” Dalglish said.

“If I was to be true to the words that I have spoken many, many times when I’ve spoken about the virtues of the football club and the ethos of the football club, then I would have been disrespectful (to turn the job down)and for me there was no way I was ever going to be disrespectful.”

Dalglish will lead Liverpool until the end of the season and claims that, irrespective of the club’s success under his tenure, he would have no issue stepping aside if a better candidate was found.

“If I do really well and somebody better than me comes along, I have no problem (stepping aside) whatsoever,” he said.

“I will not be obtrusive or objective in any way, shape or form. If being of help means that Kenny Dalglish isn’t the manager that is not a problem.”

It has been more than a decade since Dalglish’s last managerial job – a short stint at Scottish giants Celtic – but he does not believe his absence from the game will count against him.

“I don’t think that is an issue as I said, I have probably watched as many games as anybody that’s involved in football, all be it as a spectator,” Dalglish said.

“You watch it maybe with a different train of thought, but I’m back in it professionally.”

Liverpool travel to face Blackpool in the Premier League on Wednesday and Dalglish is determined to avoid a repeat of their 2-1 loss to Ian Holloway’s men earlier in the season.

“I think they’ve exceeded most people’s expectations, which is a great credit to them,” Dalglish said.

“We’ve got to be up to our work and in and around the thing for Wednesday night otherwise we’ll be coming away from Blackpool with the same result we came away here from, which was a defeat.”