Vote: 7 great Kenny moments
As Kenny Dalglish marks one year back at the Liverpool helm, we look at our seven favourite moments of the last 12 months. Have your say on which one is the best by voting in our poll.
The King's salute
Saturday, January 8, 2011 will be a date that lives long in every Kopite's memory. At around 11am on a sunny morning on Merseyside, news was broken via this website confirming Kenny Dalglish would be restored to the helm until the end of the season after Roy Hodgson had departed by mutual consent. It sparked the start of a whirlwind 24 hours for the Scot, who cut short a cruise to fly to the Reds' team hotel in Manchester to prepare for an FA Cup tie with Manchester United the following day. Though Liverpool ultimately lost the match 1-0, it did little to dampen to elation and optimism of the travelling Kop. The King was back.
Welcoming the new boys
January 2011 was certainly a momentous month for Liverpool FC. Not only was there a change in manager, but the Reds broke their transfer record twice on the very same day to land Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll. On February 3, the world's media assembled in Anfield's glittering trophy room as Kenny introduced his two new strikers to the press. The boss said: "We are just really excited about the two lads coming in. They are both fantastic signings for the football club and there should be nothing that can overshadow the fact they've come to play for us. They've put their trust in us and they are both determined to come and play for Liverpool. They are proud and privileged to play for Liverpool. That's a great start for us."
The ideal birthday present
Dalglish's beaming smile is a sight to behold in football - and it was certainly shining brightly as Liverpool recorded an emphatic 3-1 victory over arch-rivals Manchester United at Anfield in March. The Reds were quite simply irresistible as a Dirk Kuyt hat-trick secured the points - and the Kop expressed their joy by serenading the boss with a rendition of 'Happy Birthday to you' in celebration of Kenny's 60th.
Here for good
After revitalising Liverpool's fortunes since returning to the club in January, the impact of Dalglish and Steve Clarke was rewarded with permanent three-year deals by owners Fenway Sports Group on May 12 - much to the sheer joy of Kopites everywhere. The man himself said: "I'm obviously delighted to be given the opportunity. When we came back in January there were no promises from anyone as to what to expect, so for me it was an ideal opportunity to go in and prove I had something to offer. I really enjoy coming into work, I enjoy putting a smile on peoples faces, but it's not just what I've done. Everybody has made a huge contribution to help us get this far."
The magnificent seven
Now installed as Liverpool's manager on a permanent basis, Kenny along with Damien Comolli, set about revamping the squad during the summer of 2011. With a raft of players heading for the Anfield exit door, the Reds' ranks were bolstered with the arrival of seven major signings. In came Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam, Alexander Doni, Stewart Downing, Jose Enrique, Sebastian Coates and Craig Bellamy to give a fresh look to Liverpool.
Ending the Emirates hoodoo
Liverpool travelled to Arsenal for their second game of the 2011-12 season without a win away to the Gunners for more than 10 years and, therefore, had never tasted victory at the Emirates. But that statistic was blown away on a rainy afternoon as Luis Suarez added to Aaron Ramsey's own goal to give Kenny's men a well deserved 2-0 triumph. The boss reflected: "Overall in the game we probably just deserved to win. We know they had problems before the game and maybe they didn't have the strongest team they would like to have had on the pitch, but we can only play against the people who are on the pitch. We knew whoever they had on would be quality. I thought we played particularly well, we just shaded it and probably deserved the win."
Completing a Stamford Bridge hat-trick
Prior to Kenny's return to the hotseat, Liverpool's record away to Chelsea stood at just two wins from their previous 13 visits - but 2011 saw Dalglish guide the Reds to three memorable victories at Stamford Bridge, including two in the space of nine days. First, a Raul Meireles goal gave Liverpool a 1-0 league win on the ground in February. Then, in November, Glen Johnson's dramatic late strike added to an earlier Maxi Rodriguez effort to help the Reds to a 2-1 success. Maxi was on target again, along with Martin Kelly's first-ever LFC goal, to see off the Blues in the Carling Cup quarter-final just a few days later.
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Supporters should note, due to FA regulations, highlights of the Oldham game will be available to watch on LFC TV Online from midnight.