Liverpool FC Dumped By SC Braga: Does Dalglish Really Deserve a Long-Term Deal?

If the result was disappointing, the consequences are even more dire.

In the short term, after abject performances against their Portuguese counterparts over two legs, the Reds are out of the Europa for this term and thus Kenny Dalglish lost out on his only shot at silverware.

However, the long-term consequences could be extremely detrimental, as Liverpool lie nine points off and six points off fourth-placed Chelsea and fifth-placed Tottenham, respectively, having also played a game more than both of them.

With just nine games in hand, the Reds look really set to miss out on any European ventures till the summer of 2012 at least, with Birmingham having taken the Carling Cup and a European Spot with it as well.

All this means that Liverpool may find it extremely difficult to attract and retain stars, even in the upcoming summer transfer market, as most top stars would want to side with teams destined for European success.

Now this takes us to the extremely vital question. Does Kenny Dalglish really fit in Liverpool's hot seat for the longer term?

Clearly, the man has all the charisma in the world that Liverpool FC needs and has imbued a new sense of confidence in the team after his inception. However, a few important points needs to be noticed here as well.

Roy Hodgson may have been a pathetic manager for the Reds in the Premier League and needed to be replaced, but even then under him, the team performed admirably in the Europa fixtures.

Under Dalglish, whilst the performances in the League has improved considerably, they have been absolutely forgettable in their four matches against Sparta Pargue and SC Braga, the second among whom were thumped a convincing 6-0 by Arsenal in the Champions League.

Whilst injury and tiredness were formidable excuses for the Reds in the past, after a week's rest, neither were really an excuse in the latest encounter against a club placed sixth in the Portuguese Premiera Liga, fighting for an Europa spot and 19 spots of a (Champions League) spot they finished last term.

After such a humiliating performance, Dalglish's press conference was almost a photocopy from Roy Hodgson's book. Although the legendary Red praised his lot, unlike his predecessor who almost never made sense even in praise, the rest of the speech was really pathetic.

Dalglish said the difference in both the teams was just a penalty kick and went on to emphasize that how close it was between the sides.

In reality, whether a sixth-place team in England is really that close to a sixth-place team in Portugal is anybody's guess.

In recent times, the Red fans may take ample pride in beating the mighty likes of Manchester United. Under Dalglish, however, it is easy see that without Suarez, the team looked rarely as threatening.

In fact, even the most expensive English player in Andy Carroll had far less impact that what the Uruguayan had in his first 16 minutes for the Reds.

It may be down to experience and a lot of other issues, and the Englishman will be given time before being judged whether he was good enough for the 35m; however, what has been proved is that the player is probably the most expensive work-in-progress ever!

If results against relegation contenders Blackpool and West Ham were considered occasional slip-ups, the latest performances in Europe have clearly proven that Kenny Dalglish is surely no messiah that Liverpool were looking for.

Liverpool FC now clearly look forward to the end of the season and will hope for some miracle to fire them into what looks to be a highly unlikely European spot, which if they miss out, could well justify the reason why Fernando Torres chose to quit the Reds.

Also, the plight of Andre Villas Boas in the Europa could be under the scanner as John Henry looks for a long-term appointment for the Reds.

Kenny Dalglish's team never really looks the same without Luis Suarez already, and if such one-man dependence creeps up again, the Reds could really look as vulnerable and blunt in attack as they did in their last campaign without Fernando Torres, when Suarez misses a match or two or has a few days off, as every player tends to have sometimes.

Also with the premature end of Manchester City's campaign in the Europa like the Reds, the Premier League could well be deprived of having the luxury of having four teams plying for the Champions League like the Serie A found out.

Now, that could mean some serious scramble for the already highly contested third spot in the Premier League!

Even as a Red fan, the indications don't look very promising, and though it might be too early to judge a manager who has had more highs than lows in his three-month campaign at the hot seat, the owners of Liverpool have a huge decision to make.

Unless they are really able to spend big money to lure at least a few big stars (which would now be even more difficult without any European venture) to Anfield and just handing a new deal to King Kenny may just not be the answer for the longer term at least!

The future of Liverpool FC in Europe hangs by the balance, and a huge decision at the end of the season awaits.

John Henry may also hang onto King Kenny for one more year to take Liverpool FC to their worthy Champions League spot before choosing to look elsewhere.

However, with investments pending on both the stadium front and team building, the stage really looks set for Fenway Sports Ventures to make a decision worth justifying their prudence in sports management.