Kenny Dalglish needs quick fix to show long-term hope for Liverpool

Kenny Dalglish's return as Liverpool manager gives the Scot six months to restore stability in the short term while convincing key players there is a long-term future worth sticking around for.   

Appointed on Saturday to replace Roy Hodgson, Dalglish must quickly dust off the cobwebs after more than a decade out of management for Sunday's trip to Manchester United in the FA Cup.

The club where Dalglish won eight league titles as a player and later manager are in bad shape, sitting four points above the drop zone, unable to string good results together, lacking confidence to attack and watched by angry, frustrated fans.                                           

While an FA Cup victory over arch-rivals United would immediately resore the feel-good factor, Dalglish's chief goal over the coming weeks is to improve on a 12th place in the league and haul the club back up into a European place.                                           

Just as importantly, he has until the end of the season to offer world class players like Fernando Torres, Pepe Reina and captain Steven Gerrard a glimmer of hope that the club might restore the golden era Dalglish himself helped create.

The club's current position is a far cry from February 1991, when a chaotic 4-4 draw with Everton in an FA Cup tie convinced an exhausted Dalglish he should walk away.

At the time, Liverpool were still English champions. 

Now they have not won a league title for more than 20 years, have spent much of the season in the bottom half of the table and can only watch as Manchester United stride on in pursuit of a 19th league title that would surpass their record.

Liverpool's new owners, who assumed control in October after a bitter takeover battle, still have the support of the fans, who accept there can be no instant solutions at a club needing a new or redeveloped stadium and an overhaul of the squad.                                           

The return of Dalglish, a man who scored 172 goals in 515 appearances for the club and is revered by many fans as the greatest player to wear the famous red shirt, certainly shows that John Henry and his co-owners are listening.

But while Dalglish will be warmly applauded, there is a question mark over the fact the 59-year-old has not managed since leaving Celtic in 2000.    

He said in an interview in October that he was not worried that he had lost his touch.                                           

"I've never been far away from the game, I don't think it has changed has it? It's not like technology is it?" said the Scot, whose ties with the club have remained as strong as ever as he has been working as an ambassador for Liverpool's academy.  

"It's still about people, it's still about getting results. The people might have changed but the principles haven't changed much." 

Class act                                         

After leaving Liverpool, Dalglish led Blackburn Rovers to the 1995 Premier League title and while subsequent spells at Newcastle United and Celtic were much less successful he has the trophies on his CV that many fans felt Hodgson's lacked.                                           

But pedigree may not be enough to turn a mediocre team into a class act. 

Liverpool, who are overly reliant on a few quality players, badly need fresh blood but without Champions League football to offer it is harder to attract or even keep hold of the bigger names.  

Dalglish''s presence could steady a few players that might have considered leaving but his arrival during the transfer window may mean he does not have enough time to plan any purchases.                                           

The club's American owners have made clear they are after long-term solutions -- despite this quick-fix appointment -- but have yet to reveal how much money is available for new players.

Dalglish will inherit the same problematic squad as Hodgson took over from Benitez, which many fans see as a hangover from the previous owners who burdened the club with so much debt that it left little money in the transfer pot.

There is unquestionably room for improvement, however, even without a significant spending spree.                                           

If he gets the current team into Europe, while instilling more positive tactics and improving the mood among the fans, Dalglish can consider his third act at Liverpool a major success.  

Supporters have chanted Dalglish's name at games this season and they have got what they wanted. Only results will prove if that is what they needed.