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King Kenny Dalglish



Full Name: Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish
Birth Date: 04/03/1951
Birth Place: Dalmarnock, Glasgow
Birth Nation: Scotland
Nationality: Scottish
Position: Forward

Clubs Played For: Celtic, Liverpool
Clubs Managed: Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United, Celtic
(he was Director of Football at Celtic rather than manager)
Club Appearances: (Celtic) 324 (Liverpool) 511
Club Goals: (Celtic) 167 (Liverpool) 172
International Caps: 102
International Goals: 30

Team Honours: (with Celtic) Scottish Championship: 1971/72, 1972/73, 1973/74, 1976/77 Scottish Cup: 1971/72, 1973/74, 1974/75, 1976/77 Scottish League Cup 1974/75

(with Liverpool) First Division Championship: 1978/79, 1979/80, 1981/82, 1982/83, 1983/84, 1985/86 (player/manager), 1987/88 (player/manager) & 1989/90 (player/manager), FA Cup 1986 (player/manager), 1989 (manager), Charity Shield 1977 (shared), 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986 (shared), European Super Cup 1977, Screen Sport Super Cup 1986 (player/manager) European Cup 1978, 1981 & 1984

Individual Honours: OBE, PFA Players' Player of the Year 1983
Football Writers� Association Player of the Year 1979, 1983
Inaugural Inductee to the English Football Hall of Fame, 2002
Scotland: 30 goals in 102 international caps (both national records)
Member of the Scotland Football Hall of Fame
Member of the FIFA 100
Freedom of the City of Glasgow 1986 Manager of the Year twice

Nickname: King Kenny

Kenny Dalglish started out as a Rangers fan but never got to play for his idols. Trials for both Liverpool and West Ham United came to nothing so Kenny signed for Rangers' fierce rivals Celtic on a provisional contract in July 1967.

Dalglish was farmed out to a Celtic nursery side, Cumbernauld United, and he also worked as an apprentice joiner. The following year he established himself in the reserve team but had to wait a further 3 years to establish himself in the first team.

Jock Stein made Kenny captain of the 'Hoops' for the 1975/6 season, though the club failed to win any silverware that season.

Kenny's genius was in being able to raise the games of the players around him rather than individual genius such as Diego Maradona possessed. Believed by many to be the greatest player ever to play for Liverpool.

Dalglish was taken to Liverpool, for £440,000 (a British record), in August 1977. Bob Paisley had intended to play him alongside Kevin Keegan but, unfortunately for Liverpool if not for their opponents, Keegan had departed for Hamburg.

Kenny became the first player to score 100 goals in both the Scottish top flight and the English top flight, after joining Liverpool with over a 100 league goals to his name with Celtic.

In 1985 he was chosen to replace the outgoing Joe Fagan as manager and became the club's first-ever player-manager. Dalglish took the club to its first double in the 1985/6 season.

Kenny would of got to play in the 1986 World Cup if he hadn't injured himself in the FA Cup final win over Everton. So the then 35 year old had to withdraw from contention.

Unfortunately the Hillsborough disaster hit him hard and after spending much time soul searching he quit both Liverpool and football in 1991.

Kenny soon realised he had quit too soon and came back to take charge of Blackburn Rovers. Dalglish lead them to a league title to become one of only 3 men ever to win the league as manager of two different clubs.

After that title win he moved 'upstairs' to become Rovers Director of Football, before leaving the club at the end of the following season.

In 1997 Dalglish again followed the departing Keegan, this time as he took over control of Newcastle United following Keegan's resignation. He failed to last long and was sacked in early August 1998.

1999 saw him as Celtic's Director of Football with John Barnes as Head Coach, in a double act which was termed a dream team. It soon turned into a nightmare as Celtic finished the seaon 21 points behind Rangers in the SPL and were knocked out the Scottish FA Cup by then-lowly Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Barnes got the chop in February 2000 and Kenny took charge until the end of the season before leaving Celtic. Since then Dalglish has not got back into football in any other way than as an occasional tv pundit.

Paisley said of Dalglish: "Of all the players I have played alongside, managed and coached in more than 40 years at Anfield, he is the most talented."

Such was Dalglish's skill at holding on to the ball that the former Arsenal and Republic of Ireland defender David O'Leary would describe trying to rob him of possession as "impossible." "He crouches over the ball, legs spread and elbows poking out," said O'Leary. "Whatever angle you come in from, you're liable to find his backside in your face."

 
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