Tuesday, April 26, 2011

John Aldridge: Kenny Dalglish Is Untouchable And Will Definitely Sign As Liverpool FC’s Permanent Manager

There’s a real optimism around the club at the moment and it’s enjoyable being a Liverpudlian again. You can feel it around the ground and in the pubs. The mood has been transformed and it’s amazing to think that only a few months ago it was all doom and gloom.

I share that excitement about the future. The signs are very promising but it’s important nobody gets carried away.

If Liverpool really is going to challenge in the Premier League next season then we need to make three or four top signings this summer. Kenny Dalglish will know there’s a lot of work to be done.

There’s a minimum of 10 players who need to be off-loaded this summer. There’s too much dead wood who aren’t good enough for the club.

Moving them on is going to be crucial because it will boost Kenny’s kitty for signings.

If we can get Jose Enrique, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young and Charlie Adam I’ll be happy.

Left-back has been a problem position for us all season and Newcastle’s Enrique has impressed me. We also need another centre-half and Cahill at Bolton fits the bill.

Everyone would love Young in their side and he would be a great buy. We all know Liverpool need some width and pace.

Adam came close to joining us in January and it wouldn’t be a surprise if we went back in for him to strengthen the midfield.

One person definitely signing will be Kenny himself. With the way he’s turned things around, Kenny really is untouchable. It’s just about sorting out the right deal for him and the right deal for the club.

It was a very enjoyable afternoon on Saturday. Birmingham are no mugs but we hammered them.

The work ethic running through the side was great to see. Everyone is playing for each other.

I’m not a big fan of Maxi Rodriguez but fair play to him because that was by far his best game for Liverpool. Anyone who walks away with the match ball after scoring a hat-trick has to be man of the match.

Lucas Leiva was also excellent, while Luis Suarez and Dirk Kuyt were a real handful with their movement and work rate.

Jay Spearing had a really good game and full-backs John Flanagan and Jack Robinson were very solid.

Their performance was a tribute to the way Kenny has nurtured them. A lot of managers would have played Sotirios Kyrgiakos in recent games and shifted Jamie Carragher to full-back.

But Kenny has put his faith in the kids. He believes in the youth system and it’s clear the youngsters believe in him.

I liked the fact Kenny had Andre Wisdom, a young centre-half with tremendous potential, warming up with the players before the game on Saturday. We also had Conor Coady on the bench.

Our Academy lads have done brilliantly since they made the step up to the first team. They have ensured there are positives to come out of the negative of having so many injuries.

They have a huge part to play in Liverpool’s future but we still need to build the squad up with some quality additions this summer.

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