Finally the deal is settled! May he bring back the glory days of
the real Reds!
Kenny Dalglish has signed a three-year deal to become the
permanent manager of Liverpool.
Dalglish, who replaced Roy Hodgson in January initially on an
interim basis until the end of the season, has masterminded a
remarkable turnaround in fortunes for Liverpool which has seen only
Chelsea pick up more points during Dalglish's time back at
Anfield.
John W Henry and his Fenway Sports Group team flew into England
this week to finalise the contract with Dalglish. First-team coach
Steve Clarke, brought to the club by Dalglish, has also signed a
three-year deal.
When Dalglish took the helm Liverpool were languishing in 12th
in the table but he has led them up to fifth, and they can secure a
place in the Europa League with a win at home to Tottenham Hotspur
on Sunday.
Dalglish 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 [Werner] 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.
"I want to salute the efforts of all the players as they have
been fantastic and thank everyone at the club for the welcome they
have given me since I returned in January.
"I also want to pay tribute to Steve Clarke's input since we
started working together as he has brought great experience and
knowledge to the role. The players enjoy the training sessions,
understand their relevance to our actual football games and have
responded brilliantly."
Henry said: "Kenny is a legendary Liverpool figure both as a
supremely gifted footballer and successful manager. Since returning
in January he has shown extraordinary leadership and the ability to
bring the best out of so many people associated with the club.
"It was obvious to us very early on that the atmosphere
surrounding the club had been transformed by his presence. No one
else could have produced such a response. Therefore, I'm delighted
we have agreed to a new contract. We didn't need nor want to look
elsewhere for the right man to manage the team.
"Working closely with him, we've seen first-hand his love for
the club and his determination to do whatever is necessary to
produce a winning side again. He has a unique relationship with our
supporters and embodies everything that is special about the
Liverpool way of doing things. Liverpool enjoys a global standing
within the sport, but having Kenny in the dug-out will help us in
our efforts to bring the best available talent to the club as we
continue to move the club forward.
"I'm also pleased we have reached an agreement with Steve
Clarke, as his contribution to Kenny's backroom team has been
significant over the past four months."
Chairman Tom Werner added: "It was extremely important that we
enjoyed a period of stability after some difficult times and Kenny
has done a tremendous job over the last three months in bringing
the whole club back together. It's clear how much the players have
responded to his leadership, his man management skills and
knowledge of the game and that sense of optimism now runs
throughout the club.
"We have a clear vision of the way a Liverpool team should play
and the way the club should be run and Kenny's inspirational effect
on the senior squad and his keenness to involve and feature the
younger players from our Academy set-up sits perfectly with that
way of thinking."