Well, if Dalglish’s past glories can persuade SG and FT to stay then that’s a real bonus but it would be difficult to secure their future commitment through such a manoeuvre. I’d have thought a specific conversation revolving around ‘if I become manager, will you stay?’ is unlikely to occur and if it did I’d be rather concerned about the implications for dressing room stability. Any new manager needs to be there on his terms, not the players’ and if that means risking the departure of senior players then, as long as the board are confident in the manager’s ability, it’s a risk that has to be allowed. We can’t judge the whole worth of a manager by the reaction of two players to his potential appointment. It seems to me that Dalglish’s merit appears to rely too heavily on the idea that he will be able to hold on to players that want to leave. That’s not a good enough reason and I’m sure Dalglish would recognise that himself. In his interviews as a manager he always refused to comment on one player’s contribution over another and I can’t see his opening gambit, as a returning manager, focussing on ‘Who’s staying now I’m here?’ It wouldn’t fit with his character at all.
If Dalglish the FT and SG might still leave. How would we assess his appointment in that light? That’s the question, I think.
