My Liverpool Home by Kenny Dalglish

Author:Kenny Dalglish [Kenny Dalglish]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Published: 2010-09-15T16:00:00+00:00

12

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THE DOUBLE

IN THE wake of Heysel, the backlash against Liverpool guaranteed a closing of ranks at Anfield, bringing a real mood of defiance on the opening day of the 1985–86 season. Walking out against Arsenal on 17 August, I was strongly aware of the number of people on my side, wanting me to do well. The Kop were brilliant, and the staff were equally staunch. From the stands to the boardroom, I was reassured that everyone at Liverpool would give me time to make my mark as a manager, because of my status as a player and because of the painful situation Liverpool found themselves in. After Heysel, everybody craved peace and stability, and to focus only on events on the pitch.

For me, the build-up to this League fixture was a period of unremitting tension. Everybody seemed to have an opinion on Kenny Dalglish the manager. Good appointment? Bad appointment? One night, Marina and I discussed this national fascination with me.

‘I keep hearing people are watching to see how I do, but why?’ I asked. ‘There’s nobody takes greater pride in their job than I do. I want to be successful more than anybody else. Why wouldn’t I be doing everything in my power?’

I had to succeed. I understood how much I must build on the work of Shanks, Bob and Joe. Ever thoughtful, Joe dropped me a kind letter. I wrote back, inviting him to the Arsenal game, and before kick-off, Joe sought me out, shaking my hand. ‘All the best, Kenny,’ he said. What class. Still haunted by Heysel, Joe didn’t want to come to the game but he wanted to wish me well.

‘Thanks, Joe, good to see you,’ I replied. ‘You know you’re always welcome here.’ But I scarcely saw Joe again. He left his love for football in a mortuary in Brussels. Joe also didn’t want to be seen to interfere. An innately modest man, Joe hated feeling he was in anybody’s way, particularly his successor, so he stayed out the road. That saddened me, because Anfield should always feel like home for those who brought Liverpool success and made such a huge contribution to the club.

With so many eyes on me, even kindly ones like Joe’s, beating Arsenal was crucial. The team I picked was experienced but with a couple of surprises. Grobbelaar was in goal, Nealy and Kennedy flanked Hansen and Lawro. In midfield, Nicol, Whelan, Molby and Beglin lined up, with me behind Rushie. Everybody focused on my decision to start Jan Molby, who’d never really settled since joining from Ajax a year earlier. My reasoning was shaped by the memory of watching Jan for the first time, trialling for Liverpool at Tolka Park on 20 August 1984. Standing on the edge of the Home Farm box, Jan took a cross on his chest, kneed the ball up over the defender’s head and volleyed it into the net.

‘You’ve got to sign him now!’ I laughed with Joe, whom I was sitting next to on the bench.

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