‘Judge Us On Our Sponsorship And Kit Deals’ – Dalglish Claims Reds’ Business Success As Important As Winning Games

Alan Duffy

12th, March 2012

23 Comments

By Alan Duffy


Ahead of Tuesday’s nights Merseyside derby which sees ninth-placed Everton attempt to leapfrog rivals Liverpool in the table with a victory, Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish has spoken, rather bizarrely, about how the Reds’ off the pitch activities are just as important as the team’s performance in the Premier League. He said:

“The club is now where it was before – each one for each one, everybody in it together. There are many ways you can judge a season and the best way is progress at the football club as a whole. I don’t think it necessarily relates to trophies or points.”

“You can measure it by how the club has progressed and where it is, from the first team to the kids. Off the pitch, especially, the club is a lot stronger than what it was. You go off the pitch and see how much money we are getting through sponsorship and kit deals.”

“You look at the academy and see how much better it is. You look around here and most of the people have got a smile on their faces now. The squad is stronger than it was last year. What other areas are there to improve on – apart from points?”.

Fair enough, Kenny, all that business stuff is important – but after shelling out a load of cash on Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam, Luis Suarez and Sebastian Coates amongst others, is being 10 points off a Champions League spot, winning only two of your last 11 league games and finding yourself just two points ahead of cash-strapped Everton really good enough? Sure the Reds did pick up the Carling Cup, but one wonders if Dalglish wasn’t such a worshipped Anfield icon, would he be given such an easy ride by the Liverpool faithful?

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23 Comments

  1. Alex says:

    In answer to that last proposition, no. Their faces will be red when they eventually have to sack him for wasting money on amateurish, lazy ‘homegrown talent’.

  2. Terry Sheddingham says:

    Time to get rid of him if they’re interested in salvaging their dignity at all.

  3. Lloyd16 says:

    What a bizarre take on Dalglish’s comments.
    Of course it isn’t good enough, hence him saying that points are the only area that needs improving.
    And he is not wrong in saying that as a whole the club has progressed over the past 12 months(He mentions Business terms, but also the academy) so I can’t see where the negative angle this article gives off is coming from…

  4. macd says:

    Fair point about the improvements off the pitch, they are important but I don’t think this liverpool side is going to do anything. When you spend as much money as they did you need to get better quality than what they got. The players are just not up to scratch.

    If it was any other manager they would have been sacked by now.

  5. MJ says:

    how is this not categorised as “fail” ?

  6. joe says:

    yep, definitely belongs in the ‘fail’ section. poor dalglish, lost sense of reality

  7. KingKenneth says:

    Look at the smiles on the people’s faces. That is what is important. Look at Mario, no smiles even though they are in contention for the league. Smile on guys !!!

  8. Sultan says:

    So business deals before trophies ? Business comes and goes…but trophies are remembered for a long time Mr.Kenny….

  9. syndex says:

    Plastic club, deluded manager, crap team, its a shame really we used to be up for playing them now its a bit meh because their so manufactured.

  10. Mikey J says:

    The man has lost the plot.

  11. Al says:

    @ Syndex – what a truly shit comment, explain how Liverpool are a “plastic club” and “manafactured”. What do you even mean by those statements? Football isn’t the X-factor, we’re not talking about a boyband here and your not louis Walsh although your behaving like him.

  12. syndex says:

    simple really it used to be a battle playing liverpool something you were up for watching, now they are highly paid mercs who play the derby the same way as any other game (not including kuyt, gerrard and carra if he is playing) , It shouldn’t be any other game (although playing on a tuesday definitely devalues it) its the bragging right of the city and what ‘pool is missing is heary and spirit and you can’t buy players with it. BTW Louis Walsh is the one who creates manufactured band so wind you neck in lad.

  13. Rory says:

    What a whiny bitch.

  14. syndex says:

    you love it really

  15. Al says:

    Wind your own neck in lad, louis Walsh creating manafactured bands was the point of the last sentance, subtle humour went over your head.
    Who in the Everton team is more up for it than the liverpool players? I haven’t seen that in any of the derbies over recent years and in fact I think in the main it was the highly paid mercs getting sent off for being too up for it (Kyriagos, Lucas, baros, Westerveld)

    I still don’t see your point about how liverpool are plastic and manafactured, Everton buy players as well, most of who will be getting paid very well for it so not sure how they are less manafactured than Liverpool. The resources available to Liverpool are of course much greater but thats because we are a more succesful worldwide brand, thats not a dig at Everton it’s just a fact

  16. lfc_man says:

    Business is as important in football today as trophies, just look at the clubs that have come and gone, clubs facing administration and clubs at the point of no longer existing. I hate to break it to people Man Utd didnt become a global powerhouse from Ferguson alone its also because Utd successfully became a global brand, years ahead of most other clubs.

    All his signings were never going to get a top 4 finish in one year. It may take three years and he knows it. Hes trying to say that things behind the scenes are improving and that will lead to long term success.

    Everton may not have the financial power of LFC but they have got it right in many areas of running a football club. David Moyes has been there 10years, Everton have been more consistent and are a closer group than Liverpool. I’m looking forward to the derby.

  17. Coolie says:

    @lfc_man Spot on, couldnt agree more.

    This story is a strange slant to take on the quotes above.

    There is no doubt that things are looking up financially and there have been a lot of sponsorship deals brought about since the American Experiment part 2 begun. In my opinion you get nowhere sacking managers and Liverpool know this more than most. In the modern history of the club Hodgson is the only manager sacked within a year and nobody can say it was not deserved, the club was a laughing stock.

    A lot of things have happened this year off the pitch which have not helped and players have not performed anywhere near as well as they can and indeed have done for previous clubs. I hope he is given another year at the very least to build on what he has started.

    @ As for syndex give it a rest will you! You cant get more manufactured than a sign saying ‘The Peoples Club’.

  18. Inkling says:

    Just out of interest; is there a plan to put up how the guy accused of Tom Adeyemi didn’t have charges pressed against him?
    I dare say that that would be bias reporting if it isn’t?

  19. Milkchew says:

    `Judge Us On Our Sponsorship And Kit Deals` – Dalglish

    Funny really, at no point does he actually say anything even close to that having read the article. All he is saying is all other areas have improved but we just are not getting the points in, ergo they will follow. Very odd to use that headline.

  20. Mr. Sparkle says:

    Dignity and Liverpool should not be in the same sentence unless the words lack thereof proceed those two.

  21. packy says:

    Looks like Pies manufactured another negative Liverpool story. Get some new material.

  22. sloth says:

    Basically he’s saying, “Yeah we’ve been shit on the pitch but we’re still bringing in cash, so I shouldn’t be fired.” He’s right that football is a business; dollars are worth more than points and trophies to the shareholders and board of directors. It’s just sad that this is so true.

  23. adhikapp says:

    True you’re getting lots of cash in but if you’re spending it all on the likes of Downing, Henderson, Carroll etc its not actually good business, is it?

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