Liverpool FC: It's a New Dawn at Anfield With Dalglish, Carroll and Co.

It's all smiles in Anfield at the moment as Liverpool FC are finally starting to look like the club of old again, with a togetherness, support for the manager, and renewed optimism that hasn't been seen on Merseyside for quite a while. 

Following the Reds' 3-0 demolition of Manchester City, players and fans are queueing up to tell the media how happy they are with Liverpool life at the moment, as well as backing the King Kenny bid, i.e. trying to convince the owners that Kenny Dalglish should remain manager past the end of this season.

Two-goal hero Andy Carroll opened his Reds goalscoring account against City on Monday, and all his teammates lined up to heap praise on the £35million striker.

Midfielder Lucas Leiva, who recently signed a new contract that'll tie him to the club until June 2015, was delighted for Carroll, and insisted there's more to come from the big man up top.

He said: "Everyone is so happy for Andy. I'm sure now he will get more and more. He will have more confidence for the next games. It's up to us to keep creating chances for him."

Such comments seem to epitomise the morale in the Liverpool dressing room at the moment, with the players not only working to help the team overall, but also to help other individuals.

18-year old right-back John Flanagan, filling in for the injured Glen Johnson and Martin Kelly, had a quiet yet impressive debut against City, with the constant help he received from Jamie Carragher highlighting the almost brotherly atmosphere in the Reds' camp.

Flanagan's other teammates also gave their full backing to the kid, with Carroll saying he "thought Flanno was great" on his debut, while Lucas was more than pleased with the academy product's performance.

He added: "It was a fantastic achievement for him. Flanno is a quiet lad but he likes to listen and ask for advice. Everyone on the pitch tried to make him feel comfortable.

"We tried to be positive all the time because we know how difficult it is to make your debut. He was fantastic."

Unlike at teams like Manchester City for example, there seems to be a new found togetherness amongst this Liverpool group, with the players welcoming of new faces and making sure they gel into the team.

And as was proved against City, and against the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United, such a tight-knit group spirit is clearly paying dividends on the pitch.

The players are passing more than they used to under Roy Hodgson for example, looking for better options to help the team score instead of themselves score.

They also seem to be working harder on the pitch (against the big teams, anyway), more willing to track back and cover any defensive mistakes made by the holding midfielder or full-back for instance.

And perhaps most importantly, they seem to be listening and taking in everything Kenny Dalglish says. It's clear they know the tactics well and always seem to have a plan when going forward, even if it isn't always necessarily the right plan!

It's a stark contrast to the Hodgson regime, where it was evident the tactics he spent hours going over at Melwood and in the pre-match briefs just weren't sinking in the players' heads.

The players overwhelmingly support the manager, who has used his man-management skills and status at the club to get the best out of the current crop. It's a combination that certainly gives a recipe for success in future seasons.

And speaking of success, it's clear the new owners are more than willing to pay their part in creating a new dawn at Anfield, especially with the exciting, big-name, big-money signings of Carroll and Luis Suarez.

But it's also evident they'll go about their business sensibly, as the £35million signature of Andy Carroll was only funded thanks to Fernando Torres' ill-fated £50million switch to Chelsea.

The £23million signing of Suarez therefore seems like something of a bargain perhaps, and in some ways might be, considering the potential the Uruguayan has and the figures for him that were bandied about before his move to Liverpool.

John W. Henry and Fenway Sports Group are clearly not afraid to spend big to help Liverpool progress, but it's clear that unlike Sheik Mansour at Man City, they won't just say yes to any fee quoted for their transfer targets.  

And spend big is something that could well be expected in the next transfer window, with Carragher and Carroll both publicly stating they look forward to new signings in the summer.

The general feeling of the players it seems is that acquisitions will help the squad and get the club going places again, as opposed to the idea that new additions will simply threaten one's role within the team.

It all means that some big-name stars might be hitting Anfield shores this summer, with their transition to the club most likely made easy by the welcoming atmosphere in the team.

Speaking of big names, Liverpool Football Club might well become a bigger name in the sporting world soon enough, with NBA superstar LeBron James purchasing a minor shareholding stake at the club, something that is sure to boost the club's appeal in the commercial motherland that is the USA, as well as in emerging markets like India and China. 

And so it seems the new owners, unlike the calamitous regime of old under George Gillett and Tom Hicks, have found a recipe for success, both on the pitch and in the boardroom.

Likewise the manager has found a sweet-tasting recipe for not only getting crucial wins against top teams, but also getting the backing of his players.

And the players have found out how to win games again, and also how to make themselves and their teammates happy at playing for Liverpool Football Club.

On the red half of Merseyside, it's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life, and they're feeling good. So if you're a Liverpool fan, smile! Things look as if they're only going to get better and better at Anfield. Probably.