Henry didn't want Kenny as Liverpool boss
Published 00:01 14/10/11 By David Maddock
Liverpool owner John W Henry has admitted his initial blueprint for the club was based around bringing in a younger manager.
But the American, who tomorrow celebrates his first anniversary in charge of the historic Premier League club, insisted Kenny Dalglish's philosophy has won him over completely,
Speaking about the progress made in his first year at the Anfield helm, Henry revealed the original plan was for Dalglish to take only temporary control, with a younger manager coming in at the end of the season.
But the Kop idol's massive presence and ability to heal the damage caused by the disastrous previous regime at Liverpool swiftly changed those plans.
"I had been talking with Kenny about his philosophy and initially he was brought aboard just for the remainder of last season," he explained.
"Initially our blueprint was for a younger manager, because you want to have long-term stability in as much of the staff as possible - but it became obvious that Kenny was the right man to lead the club, and in no way did we feel pressured into appointing him [permanently]."
Henry will be at Anfield for tomorrow's lunchtime clash with arch-rivals Manchester United, and will be able to assess for himself the progress his club has made over the past 12 months.
But the American doesn't have to watch United too closely to know that Liverpool still have a long way to go to get anywhere near their bitterest of rivals.
"We know we are still a long way behind [United]," said Henry. "They were well set up going into this year and then were able to insert great, young players. Mr Ferguson is a genius.
"But, overall, we are happy with the progress that has been made in the year since we arrived, but we recognise there is still a lot of work to be done."
Henry revealed that the club was weighed down by draining contracts handed out under the previous regime, which left a top-heavy squad of players on big money who are hard to shift.
And he has warned Liverpool's expectant fans it could take some time to sort the mess out, and get in a position to challenge Manchester United.
"By the time we made the purchase of the club, we were aware of a lot of bad contracts and the fact that it could take years to get the club back where it needed to be," he added.
"But that has not been a surprise, and there has never been a moment when we regretted the decision to buy the club.
"We are quite happy so far, even though we know more work needs to be done."
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