Liverpool finally announce Kenny Dalglish as permanent boss

Liverpool have finally announced Kenny Dalglish as their permanent boss.

Rumours have been rife for months that the veteran Scot would be appointed on a permanent basis and he has now signed a three year contract at Anfield.

Assistant boss Steve Clarke has also put pen to paper on a three year deal.

Revival

Since Dalglish’s temporary appointment in January the 60 year-old has managed to take Liverpool away from the relegation zone and into their current lofty position of fifth.

It’s been an amazing turnaround in fortunes and the whole atmosphere at the club has been transformed.

The first few months of the season under Roy Hodgson was absolutely awful. The team’s poor performance even saw the Reds drop into the relegation zone and fans were talking about the real prospect of Liverpool being involved in a battle against the drop.

The Liverpool owners put Hodgson out of his misery in January and needed a knight in shining armour to come and rescue them. Dalglish was just that knight. Liverpool fans had been clamouring for his appointment last summer before the appointment of Hodgson.

Fans

The Liverpool fans love Dalglish and his appointment has met with universal approval from the Reds fans. Searching the Liverpool message boards and websites I can’t seem to find any real Liverpool fan that isn’t happy about Dalglish’s appointment.

Dalglish enjoys a special affinity with the Liverpool fans that goes back to the seventies when the Scot was a player at the club. He is a true club legend, not just because of his ability as a player but for his actions off the pitch as well.

After the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 Kenny Dalglish conducted himself with great humility and humanity.

As Liverpool boss he knew the strength of feeling in the city, not just on the red half of Merseyside either and showed great empathy for the families who lost relatives on that terrible day in Sheffield.

The Scot even made sure he went to every funeral of the victims. He showed himself as a great man, as well as a great manager. His actions will never be forgotten by Liverpool fans.

Delighted

He will be delighted to be permanent Liverpool boss again. He told the club’s official website: “ I said when I took the job on in January that I was just happy to help the club out for the remainder of the season.

“Now the owners have decided in their wisdom that they want me to stay a little longer and it’s fantastic news for both myself and Steve Clarke that we have signed these contracts.

“Both John and Tom have taken their time to assess what was best for the football club and bring in the people they wanted to take the club forward. They are both winners, but understand what the supporters want from a Liverpool side and the way that we should go about things.

“This is a unique football club and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to help build something special here again.

Expectancy

Although Liverpool have been on a good run of form Kenny Dalglish will be under great pressure to return the club to former glories next season.

Liverpool fans will now be expecting to challenge the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United for the Premier League title next season. However Dalglish needs to quell that expectancy, as success won’t be instant. Dalglish needs time to rebuild the club.

Future

If anybody can return Liverpool to their former glories then it’s Kenny Dalglish. The Scot has everybody at the club pulling in the same direction. Liverpool currently have good momentum and with a few good signings could have a big say at the top of the Premier League next season.

Can Kenny Dalglish return Liverpool to former glories?