Kenny Dalglish is a legend at Liverpool, but his initial time as manager only lasted six years after he left due to a reason he has now revealed.
Kenny Dalglish was simply extraordinary at Liverpool. Nobody could have predicted how important this man from Glasgow would become, but he went on to give the club 14 years of his career.
However, Dalglish spent fewer than half of those years as the Liverpool manager. He was immensely successful, winning the First Division three times and the FA Cup twice, but the Scotsman made the decision to end his spell at Anfield in 1991.
Dalglish has now revealed the reason for his Liverpool departure. Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, he described the moments which led to his choice to move on.
He said: “I think I said in the press conference, it’s the first time I made the decision that was more important to Kenny Dalglish than it was to Liverpool Football Club.
“So for me I wasn’t doing the right thing by staying. I couldn’t provide what the club needed as a manager.”
The 74-year-old has revealed there was a moment in his final match when he realised it was best for himself and the club if he stepped down from his role.
He continued: “But then you get the comeback as well, so for me, I said look, it was right after the 4-4 game at Goodison and I was sitting there and I said to Ronnie [Moran] and Roy [Evans] I said I think we were always in front and I think we got two in front or something.
“I said ‘right, we’ll just put five at the back, we’ll get two goals’ and they went ‘uh, I don’t know’. And I went ‘oh okay’ and then I went ‘you’ve made the right decision’.
“That afternoon when I went for a kip before the game I said ‘this is you finished [to myself]’. And when that happened, when I couldn’t make the decision, I know I asked him for advice, but when I kind of made a decision, I’m not serving the club properly.”
The manager departed after the 4-4 draw in the FA Cup fifth round replay. The fixture was played for a third time one week later and Everton advanced after a 1-0 victory.
Dalglish did return 20 years later to manage the Reds once more and he won the League Cup in his only season. However, Liverpool’s league form was far less impressive as they finished in eighth place, resulting in Dalglish’s dismissal.
Regardless of this, the Liverpool great will always be remembered fondly for everything he has achieved.
