After finishing eighth in the Barclay’s Premier League this season and losing 2-1 to Chelsea in the FA Cup final, questions were raised about Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish’s success rate.
His subsequent sacking took place and the search for his replacement has been in full swing since. Despite winning the Carling Cup and reaching the FA Cup final, not qualifying for the Champions League was the reason for his departure. That’s after spending over $150 million on erratic talent such as Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing.
The clumsy way Dalglish handled the whole Luis Suarez racism affair with Patrice Evra did not help. Dalglish was one of Liverpool’s most beloved players during his 13-year career (1977-90). He was even a player/manager at the Merseyside club, managing them to trophies from 1985-90.
However, despite his decorated time and astonishing accomplishments, he was ousted as the Reds manager last week. Local Liverpool fans are not too pleased with the handling of the legendary Scot.
“Listening to press conferences has been painful this year, they’ve treated a beloved Liverpool legend very poorly and it doesn’t seem fair to me,” said die-hard fan Jenna Hydes.
Another fan, Dan Hall, said: “Dalglish wasn’t given enough time to make an impact, but I would like to see Andre Villas-Boas have a crack at it.”
However, there are some that agree with the decision. Ryan Hennessy said: “Letting Kenny go was the right move. It was tough to see a football legend leave like that but football is about results. Fourteen losses is way too many and the Champions League is a must next year.”
Club owners Fenway Sports Group have flown in candidates to their offices in Boston for talks about the job. Roberto Martinez (current manager of Wigan Athletic) has emerged as the current favourite, as he has been asked to take a second flight to resume further discussions.
However, there are other choices like Villas-Boas, but he seems to be wary of the opportunity. Having already managed a sub-par season with Chelsea, if Villas-Boas were to fail at Liverpool his reputation would be less than impressive and opportunities for future Premier League jobs would be hampered.
Former England manager Fabio Capello has emerged as a candidate too. Although he hasn’t yet been called by the owners, his name has been floated around as a possibility. Agents of the Sports Group have contacted Capello and his team has issued a statement saying: “If he was approached with an offer, it would be seriously considered.”
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