Furious Dalglish threatens to axe Liverpool flops

BOLTON, United Kingdom: Furious Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish threatened to wield the Anfield axe after accusing players of failing to represent the club properly in Saturday’s shock 3-1 defeat at Bolton.

While victory in that game would put Liverpool on the brink of their first  trophy since winning the 2006 FA Cup, an even more high-profile cup tie awaits  on Saturday.

United visit Anfield in the fourth round of the FA Cup for the first  meeting between the two bitter rivals since the much-publicised race row which  ended with Luis Suarez being handed an eight-match suspension.

However, despite the importance of those games, Dalglish was in no mood to  forgive his players for failing to perform against a Bolton side with the worst  home record in English football.

“The most disappointing thing for me is I don’t think we were ready to play  the game,” said Dalglish.
Furious Kenny Dalglish threatened to get rid of his under-performing Liverpool stars after they suffered a humiliating defeat at Bolton.
The manager was enraged by his team’s under-par performance and ripped into them after the game for their disrespectful attitude. ‘They will not be here for
much longer if that is the way they perform,’ said Dalglish.

Liverpool FC will keep shouting for Champions League place, says Dalglish

Kenny Dalglish believes that Liverpool's current approach will keep them in with a shout of Champions League qualification - because it served previous Anfield teams extremely well.Yet in spite of his side's wastefulness, Dalglish remains unwavering in his approach and has cited the success of his managerial predecessors as a motivation to persevere.

He said: "It's the same story as what it has been after a few games here.

"I think the performance was more than satisfactory enough to win the game. We had a lot of chances so we'll just continue to do as we keep saying. "We'll always be shouting and we'll always do what we believe to be right and go about our work in the fit and proper manner," he added.

"We can't do anything about refereeing decisions, opposing goalkeepers and defenders."We can only do what we do and we'll continue to work hard and get the belief that we can score goals."

Kenny Dalglish not surprised Liverpool hold best defensive record in Premier League this season

The Reds have conceded just 13 times this term and the manager has hailed his back line and the midfielders in front of them for taking the pressure off by keeping the ball

Kenny Dalglish says it is “no surprise” that Liverpool have the best defensive record in the Premier League.
The Merseyside outfit kept their sixth clean sheet of the season in the 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday and have conceded just 13 goals in 16 games.
Liverpool sit three points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea and Dalglish has praised his defence for putting in consistent displays.
"It's no surprise," Dalglish told reporters. "You've got the best goalkeeper in the Premier League [Pepe Reina], England's right-back [Glen Johnson], two international centre-backs [Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel] and probably the best uncapped left-back [Jose Enrique].
“And they get a lot of help from the boys in front of them. The more we have the ball the less pressure they are under and we have a lot of the ball in a lot of games."
Agger and Skrtel have formed a formidable partnership and have forced the club’s vice-captain Jamie Carragher to the bench since returning from injury.
Dalglish added: "Since he has been injured the two lads have played fantastically well. I think that's a guideline to how well the lads have played, the fact that Carra has not played the last three or four games."

Home rules for Dalglish as Liverpool boss brushes off poor Anfield record

Home advantage: Dalglish believes Liverpool's performances have deserved better results

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish disagrees with the school of thought which suggests his side perform better away from home.
On the road this season the Reds have picked up four wins, including important results against top-four rivals Arsenal and Chelsea.
At Anfield, where they are expected to be stronger, they have registered only three wins, although five draws means the points tally is slightly greater.
Liverpool's last match away from home ended in defeat at Fulham, their first in all competitions since mid-September.
That result could easily have gone the other way and while Dalglish was happy with that display he does not think it differed from performances at Anfield this season.

We're ready to return to top four - Dalglish

Kenny Dalglish has warned the Premier League elite that his Liverpool side are about to gate-crash their exclusive party.

But even as the rebuilt Reds' manager voiced a passionate belief they are now good enough to break back into the top four - after two years in the wilderness - he admitted the final step is always the hardest.
Liverpool visit Aston Villa on Sunday, knowing they can rise to fifth if results go their way this weekend - putting them within touching distance of the top as they enter the crucial festive period.
The club's re-emergence this season after a nightmare spell over the past couple of years has been impressive, but that progress is in danger of being undermined by a lack of a cutting edge up front.
Dalglish though, argues his side are on the verge of challenging the top teams once more - a refreshing new, attacking approach has transformed the mood of the club.
"We are close. The fine tuning we need is only slight - but then again some of the smallest steps are the biggest ones to take," explained the Scot.
"Of course, it's going to be tough to break into the top four, the teams that are there or thereabouts are really good sides. It's going to be tough but we'll have a good go at it and see where it takes us.
"How we get the extra points to do that is the question. But we have to keep believing in what we are doing, keep playing as well as we have done, and hope we get that wee bit of extra luck.
"We believe we are doing things the right way, so we'll continue to do that because we don't know any other."

Three solutions to Liverpool’s scoring troubles

Kenny points out the problem,but can he see the solutions?

Luis Suarez scored his first goal in over two months against QPR on Saturday, just Liverpool’s 18th strike in the league.
This has become a worrying statistic for Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish, as his side have begun to lose touch with the teams leading the Premier League.
Another concern is that Liverpool’s immediate rivals Chelsea and Arsenal are both beginning to show some good form.

There are a number of arguments being put forward but GMF have come up with what they feel are the most suitable options for the Merseysiders.

Accommodate Andy Carroll

The £35million signing from Newcastle United has struggled to settle in at Anfield and has been spending the majority of his time sat on the bench.
This makes coaxing his best form out of him more difficult, as you cannot risk it while the team are struggling to finish games and not looking overly dominant.
However, the long-term benefits could outweigh the quick fixes in this regard, as a fully fit and firing Andy Carroll would surely lead to a great rate of goals.
His physicality alone is enough to occupy most defences, but couple this with the guile and movement of Luiz Suarez and you have a potentially devastating partnership.

Change the system

Although it is en vogue for Premier League sides to play the 4-3-3/4-5-1 formation and variations thereof, a straightforward 4-4-2 could suit Liverpool.
Following on from the previous point, this would make it easier for Andy Carroll to fit into the side and give him and Luiz Suarez the chance to form some kind of understanding.
Another expensive summer signing struggling to make his mark is Stewart Downing, whom Dalglish purchased from Aston Villa for £22million.
The England international has failed to register an assist or goal this season, but he has been quite unfortunate so far. Downing’s strengths are taking opponents on and putting dangerous crosses into the box.
Having Luiz Suarez in the middle means there isn’t much likelihood of this tactic being overly effective, which has been illustrated by a number of positive performances from Downing ultimately ending fruitless in goals stats.
Having more to aim at in the box would benefit him greatly and could in turn help turnaround the fortunes of Carroll.

Buy a new striker

The simplest answer to Liverpool’s little problem could also be the most effective in this case. With the transfer window looming ever closer, Dalglish may be well served to go out and purchase a proven goal scorer.
Dirk Kuyt is yet to register this season, Andy Carroll has not really got going at Liverpool, Luis Suarez has only just come out of two-month drought and Steven Gerrard has spent most of the season injured.
That means the vast majority of Liverpool’s main goal sources are not doing the job they would normally do. This is a problem around the Christmas/New Year period especially, with lots of games coming over a short amount of time.
If a team is struggling to find the net and is not seeing out games, February could arrive quickly and they, seemingly all of a sudden, have fallen too far behind their rivals.
January signings have been known to reinvigorate a side’s season and spur them on to greater feats in the second half of the year. If Liverpool were to bring in a quality striker, it could mean the difference between Champions League qualification and no European football at all.

Dalglish dismisses transfer talk

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish has insisted he's not desperate to sign a new striker in January following the Reds' weekend win.

Liverpool had 15 attempts at goal but only managed to find the net once against the newly promoted Hoops, as they continue to struggle against teams below them in the Premier League table.

With questions being raised over the club's attacking options, speculation has begun over a potential new striker making his way to Anfield in January.

However, Dalglish has admitted he can't stop the rumour mill and believes the club have enough quality in attacking positions.

He told the club's website: "We did miss some chances, yes, but the goalkeeper saved a lot of them too.

"Do I feel the need to go out and do something about that? Aye, whichever side comes along here next, we'll ask them to come without a keeper. That's the best way to do it, isn't it?

"Irrespective of what I say, it's not going to stop speculation we are going out in January to sign Joe Bloggs up front, or whoever. I don't need to say anything."

Liverpool boss Dalglish blasts FA over Rooney appeal and Suarez treatment

It started with a kick: Rooney lashed out at Montenegro's Miodrag Dzudovoic

Trouble: Luis Suarez makes finger gesture

Kenny Dalglish has criticised the FA for their appeal over Wayne Rooney's Euro 2012 ban and claimed they have set a dangerous precedent.

While Rooney, England manager Fabio Capello and members of the FA greeted the news that his suspension had been reduced to two games after a hearing at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, Liverpool's  manager questioned the ethics behind the successful appeal.
Dalglish said: 'I don't think it sets a very good standard that they appeal against Wayne's three-match ban. I think it calls into question their own disciplinary system. I think it's  understandable because Wayne is a fantastic footballer but it's not as if it was a 50-50 challenge.
'So I don't know how they justify diluting it. If it's a straight red, it's three games. If they can justify diluting Wayne's then everyone else who appeals for a similar sending-off in a Premier League game will expect to have their ban reduced. It's great news for England that their best player is going to be available for the last game but I don't think it sets a very good  precedent for everyone else.'

Dalglish: Decisions went against us

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish bemoaned an evening of bad luck after his side's 1-0 defeat at Fulham.
Clint Dempsey's goal five minutes from time proved the difference at Craven Cottage in a match that ebbed and flowed throughout. After an even first period, Liverpool looked rejuvenated and dominated proceedings until Jay Spearing was controversially sent off in the 72nd minute.
Dalglish said: "It could have gone either way but I don't think we were going to get anything tonight, were we? The goal Luis [Suarez] scored [that was ruled offside] could have gone either way. Charlie [Adam] could have got a penalty when he was pulled down on the edge of the box."
He added: "The goalie could perhaps not have saved the one he pushed onto the bar before Fulham went down and scored, but they did so [that is it]. Tonight wasn't as well as we've been playing, but it was enough to have won the game.

"We never got [the luck] but we have just got to brush ourselves off and get on with it. We've got to get ourselves into work on Wednesday morning and get ready for QPR on Saturday."
While disappointed with the result, Dalglish was philosophical about Spearing's red card. The 23-year-old, making his first Premier League start of the season, was handed a straight red for apparently following through with a kick after cleanly winning a tackle with Mousa Dembele.

"I think you need to ask them (the referees) what the interpretation is," Dalglish said. "It is frustrating because nobody tells us what the level of acceptance is. Jay had no other thought on his mind other than to win the ball and he did win it. I am not a referee. Sometimes they have been given, sometimes they haven't."

Dalglish tells Liverpool players to stop drawing and start winning

Kenny Dalglish has asked his Liverpool players to start making their good performances pay by putting more points on the board.
Last weekend's 1-1 draw at home to Manchester City could easily have ended with the leaders' first defeat of the season.
It turned out to be a fourth successive draw at Anfield, where they have taken just 11 points from seven matches.
Away from home the story is slightly different as they have won four and lost two in the league, with three successive victories on the road, and overall it is even better as they have six in a row in all competitions.
They head to Fulham tomorrow knowing another win would equal a club record of seven set between December 1981 and February 1982 and again in January and March 1988.
And while many felt Liverpool deserved credit for their point against City a week ago Dalglish does not see it like that.
"We are never going to be happy with a draw against anyone, we are happy with wins," said the Scot.
"We were delighted with the way we played but I think we set our standards a little bit higher than drawing against people.
"I think we deserve better than that, I think we are better than that, and it's up to us to stand up and be counted and start winning games.
"We've done fantastically well and in most of the games we've played at home I think we should have come away with three points. "To their (the players') credit their performances have been top notch."