First it was Rafa Benitez's new contract, then Steven Gerrard agreeing an extension to his deal, and now the prospect of Kenny Dalglish, Anfield's greatest ever player, returning to the club in an advisory role. There's a lot of good news around Liverpool at the moment.
this is an idea Rafa has come up with and he's happy with, then it's perfect for Liverpool and for Kenny. I was captain in 1986 when Bob Paisley was fulfilling that role in Kenny's first season as manager, and he was there for advice whenever Kenny wanted to tap into the vast reservoir of experience he had. It worked brilliantly.
Kenny may have been out of the game as a manager for eight years but he still watches more football than anyone I know. He can tell you about players at all levels, all over the world. Would he want to be a manager again? Maybe, if it was Liverpool, but this is an ideal role, where he will have a lot of involvement with youth development and be on hand to offer Rafa advice as and when he feels he needs it. It will provide a huge boost for everyone at the club, the senior pros as well as the young kids.
There's no doubt that Liverpool will start next season in a much better position than they started this one, and that's progress. They are getting closer and closer to challenging at the top and everyone knows that, whatever happens this year, they will have even more chance of winning the Premier League next season.
They may still win it this time, of course, and if they are to do so then this is yet another hugely significant week, facing Arsenal at Anfield tomorrow and then Hull, fighting for survival, on Saturday. They look hard matches on paper, but the managers of all top three sides will be pointing out no games are easy at this stage of the season.
It's often said that mid-table sides are easier to play against but they have no pressure on them and, against the big teams with nothing to lose, they regularly put in their best performances of the campaign. Similarly, Arsenal seem safe in fourth now and, after losing the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday, their priority will be the Champions League.
But this is where the top managers earn their corn. Arsenal play Chelsea at home and travel to Manchester United, too, and while there's no doubt Arsene Wenger will want to rest players to keep them fresh for Europe, he will also be aware that he cannot afford to concede the momentum which his side have built up over recent weeks.
Prior to Saturday, they were unbeaten in 18 games, and he will know how important it is to finish the season strongly. Wenger will be thinking about Europe, obviously, because if Arsenal fail to win the Champions League then that will make it a fifth year without a trophy, a poor return for a club of such stature. But taking too many risks with his side's league performances could affect their European ambitions.
You cannot turn good form on and off like a tap, as Manchester United have found, and you can go from feeling invincible to wondering where your next win will come from in the space of one game, almost. Reacting to their bad run of form with hard-fought wins over Aston Villa and Sunderland in the Premier League, as well as Porto in Europe, is testament to United's determination and resources, but they still look a shadow of the side they were even 10 weeks ago.
Sir Alex Ferguson showed where his priorities lie with his FA Cup semi-final selection yesterday and it cost them the dream of the quintuple, but they remain in pole position in the league and they have reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, all without playing well. The danger is that sooner or later, you are going to play poorly and lose.
this is an idea Rafa has come up with and he's happy with, then it's perfect for Liverpool and for Kenny. I was captain in 1986 when Bob Paisley was fulfilling that role in Kenny's first season as manager, and he was there for advice whenever Kenny wanted to tap into the vast reservoir of experience he had. It worked brilliantly.
Kenny may have been out of the game as a manager for eight years but he still watches more football than anyone I know. He can tell you about players at all levels, all over the world. Would he want to be a manager again? Maybe, if it was Liverpool, but this is an ideal role, where he will have a lot of involvement with youth development and be on hand to offer Rafa advice as and when he feels he needs it. It will provide a huge boost for everyone at the club, the senior pros as well as the young kids.
There's no doubt that Liverpool will start next season in a much better position than they started this one, and that's progress. They are getting closer and closer to challenging at the top and everyone knows that, whatever happens this year, they will have even more chance of winning the Premier League next season.
They may still win it this time, of course, and if they are to do so then this is yet another hugely significant week, facing Arsenal at Anfield tomorrow and then Hull, fighting for survival, on Saturday. They look hard matches on paper, but the managers of all top three sides will be pointing out no games are easy at this stage of the season.
It's often said that mid-table sides are easier to play against but they have no pressure on them and, against the big teams with nothing to lose, they regularly put in their best performances of the campaign. Similarly, Arsenal seem safe in fourth now and, after losing the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday, their priority will be the Champions League.
But this is where the top managers earn their corn. Arsenal play Chelsea at home and travel to Manchester United, too, and while there's no doubt Arsene Wenger will want to rest players to keep them fresh for Europe, he will also be aware that he cannot afford to concede the momentum which his side have built up over recent weeks.
Prior to Saturday, they were unbeaten in 18 games, and he will know how important it is to finish the season strongly. Wenger will be thinking about Europe, obviously, because if Arsenal fail to win the Champions League then that will make it a fifth year without a trophy, a poor return for a club of such stature. But taking too many risks with his side's league performances could affect their European ambitions.
You cannot turn good form on and off like a tap, as Manchester United have found, and you can go from feeling invincible to wondering where your next win will come from in the space of one game, almost. Reacting to their bad run of form with hard-fought wins over Aston Villa and Sunderland in the Premier League, as well as Porto in Europe, is testament to United's determination and resources, but they still look a shadow of the side they were even 10 weeks ago.
Sir Alex Ferguson showed where his priorities lie with his FA Cup semi-final selection yesterday and it cost them the dream of the quintuple, but they remain in pole position in the league and they have reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, all without playing well. The danger is that sooner or later, you are going to play poorly and lose.
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