Dalglish Warns New Owners Against Ignoring Fans

Kenny Dalglish has warned
Liverpool's potential new
owners that they will have a
tough task in rebuilding fans'
faith in the club's hierarchy.
The debt-ridden Premier League
outfit are at the centre of a
takeover saga as New England
Sports Ventures attempt to buy
out current Anfield co-owners
Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
Hicks and Gillett's time at
Liverpool has been shrouded in
ill-feeling almost since the day
the American duo arrived in
2007 and a High Court battle to
keep control has only added to
the animosity.
Dalglish, a Liverpool legend after
glory days as a player and
manager, is saddened to be
watching the turmoil from his
ambassadorial role in the club's
youth academy and he is
desperate to see a conclusion.
The former Scotland
international, who has been
reported to be a possible
replacement for under-fire Reds
manager Roy Hodgson, said in
his column in the Daily Mail:
"These have been depressing
times at Anfield.
"It is never nice when your
football club are making as many
headlines on the front pages as
the back.
Uncertainty
"This week looks set to be huge
for Liverpool but there is still a
feeling of uncertainty because
nobody can guarantee what is
going to happen next.
"I feel particularly for the fans,
who must find it difficult to
know which way to turn. I am
sure the majority of them are
quite happy that the club might
be sold but what they really want
is to see Liverpool move onwards
and upwards from here.
"Let's hope we can and that
things work out. Liverpool is
usually a glass half-full kind of
city, and The Kop are renowned
throughout the world for their
humour and spirit."
Dalglish added: "It is essential for
any potential new owners to
assure the supporters they have
a long-term plan for the club that
will see the club's debt problem
resolved, investment made for
new players and a solution found
where Liverpool's match-day
revenues increase either at an
enlarged Anfield or a new
stadium.
"Fans stop me in the street and
ask me what is going to happen.
I can't give them a precise
answer but I do know this club's
DNA will ensure they survive and
are successful in the future.
"Just don't expect the scepticism
from supporters to disappear
overnight, not after the journey
they've been on."