Kenny Dalglish should have been given more time at Liverpool, says Reds legend Terry McDermott.
'Reds must appoint a proven manager to replace outgoing Dalglish'
Kenny Dalglish should not have been sacked as Liverpool boss.
That's the view of former Reds midfielder Terry McDermott who told
Sky Sports News that the Scot should have been granted more time to stamp his blueprint on the Anfield club.
Dalglish's second spell in charge of Liverpool, which began in January 2011, yielded a Carling Cup triumph and an FA Cup final appearance.
But the Merseysiders ended this season in eighth place in the Premier League - their worst showing since the 1950s - while a host of Dalglish's signings, including Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson, have struggled to forge an impact.
That has seemingly prompted the Fenway Sports Group to axe the 61-year-old from his post, but McDermott, who played with Dalglish during his Liverpool days, says the club have "pulled the trigger" too soon.
Gel
"I think it is the wrong decision and one that I couldn't see coming," said McDermott. "They should have given Kenny more time as Liverpool is in his blood. They have pulled the trigger at least six months too early.
"He bought in five or six new players last summer and they didn't all have a great season. They would be the first to admit that - but they were getting better.
"They won the Carling Cup, got to the FA Cup final and were starting to gel. The league position is not good enough, you don't need to be Einstein to know that, but I'm sure that would have been rectified next year.
"It takes time when you come to a massive club. It took myself and Ray Kennedy two years [to make an impact at Liverpool] and I'm sure the same would have happened to these players and that they would have blossomed.
"People who know football would have kept Kenny Dalglish as manager, people who perhaps don't know football have made a different decision."
Wigan chief Roberto Martinez is the bookmakers' favourite to succeed Dalglish in the Anfield hot-seat, but McDermott thinks the Liverpool hierarchy should hire a manager with a more decorated CV.
Top notch
"I think it is wrong to sack Kenny, but it will only be the wrong decision depending on who they bring in," he added. "They must have someone in mind and they have to be top notch.
"There's no use bringing a rookie in because it will be two or three years before he beds in his players. It's got to be someone like a Jose Mourinho who has seen it and done it all before because it is such a big club."
McDermott hopes that Dalglish remains at Anfield in some capacity and rubbished the notion that his presence would undermine Liverpool's next boss.
"Kenny should be at Liverpool Football Club, no matter what role it is," added McDermott, who won three European Cups and six league titles during his time with the Merseyside giants. "He lives and breathes Liverpool.
"The new manager might see Kenny in the corridors but he is not going to be a manager again so he is no threat to them.
"He will help whoever comes in by giving them the experience he has had over the years and mentor them through it. He will help the new man in any way he can."
