Liverpool FC Paradox : Why Henderson & Kenny Dalglish Have Divided Fan Opinions

Liverpool have already started much brighter than last their last spell under Roy Hodgson. They have spent massively in the summer and look good enough to challenge for the highly competitive fourth spot in the Premier League to book an entry into the Champions League after two years.

However, one problem that has persisted with the club since late into the Rafa Benitez era is the divisiveness among the fans. Even with Kenny Dalglish at the helm, it doesn't look to have altered much.

There are a host of reasons for it, though, not that they are very justifiable but then it has something to do with the mindset of the fans of the present day as I am going to elaborate.

Right from the moment the name of Kenny Dalglish crept up for the Liverpool managerial post, a lot of the fans, me included, were of the opinion that, would it be sensible for a man out of football management for the best part of a decade to take on a job so challenging?

However, within a few months, all those doubts were put to rest as the Reds collected a bag of points from the remainder of the season last term only superseded by Chelsea.

Heading into April, Liverpool also had a mathematical possibility of even entering the Champions League and after they beat Manchester City at home, some Reds fans may have even dreamt of such a possibility.

The reality was far from it though always, and Liverpool never really challenged for the fourth spot, but the fact that they went from near the relegation spots to the heady levels of the Top Five, even temporarily, must have united even the most divisive of fans who now thought that something good was happening at the club and that the next season could be a real high for the club.

Then came the summer transfer window and by the time it ended, the divisiveness again reached some very finite levels. Now it is easy to come to knee-jerk conclusions and say that true fans support the club and that all those who don't support every decision taken by the manager are "Divvies" or have no understanding of the game or even worse.

However, what has happened at the club, was always going to do just that, create divisiveness, not intentionally though. 

The truth is that Kenny Dalglish has fuelled fears that he loves to manage the way he always did and more importantly buy the way he did. There very few who complain that Kenny didn't spend enough, what most do complain about is on what he chose to.

Damien Comolli has always said that he only suggested the manager with a list of players; the rest was always the manager's choice.

Now Liverpool spent some £16m on Henderson having spent on exorbitantly on Carroll in January.

The latter, though, was done under very testing times and the price tag never tells the real tale, as it happened in a 'take-it or leave-it' deal in the last minute. The former was always going to divide fans more than ever.

There have been a lot of explanations highlighting how good the deals were financially and that wages to marquee signings at the same price would burn a hole on the wage sheet, which now looks in a much better shape.

However, I have never been able to really come up with a satisfactory answer to the question as to what was considered more important for the club, the wage sheet or the Top Four spot?

Also, why was Henderson considered an improvement on Kuyt or Maxi, who had better experience playing as a right winger? (though none were really exceptional at it).

There has also been some mention of the fact that Liverpool were not able to attract better players because of the absence of Champions League.

Well, there have been players of the ability of Santi Cazorla, a far proven right winger who went to the cash-rich Malaga but not for much more than what Liverpool laid out for Downing.

Why would you say you are okay for a 27-year-old winger in Downing and not be open to signing another one who obviously comes from a far better league than the Dutch League from where Liverpool had their buy of the year, Luis Suarez ?

Also if we do qualify for Champions League (assuming we do), will we use the same logic and overspend on Premier League talents and not look worldwide? If not, why not now? Surely, those talents would take the same time to settle in even then.

The ever so dependable Rory Smith from the Telegraph then, also said during the transfer window via twitter, that, he was not aware of Liverpool interest in Juan Mata, even though the world was hogging about it.

Going by his reputation, if we consider that true, isn't it more of a question of not looking at all at the available marquees rather than taking it for granted that it would take only Champions League football to get them?

Yes, Henderson is only 21, and can improve. But, then when we are building a team with the primary aim of getting Champions League status next year, isn't the buy a greater gamble?

Maybe Kenny Dalglish has good reasons to go with things he has, however, things are NOT, and I emphasize, NOT really unifying (as opposed to dividing) fan's opinions. And really they shouldn't be blamed just because of that. It just defies logic.

If being overly critical of Kenny Dalglish is not the way to be, being supportive of everything he does is equally silly.

In fact, the logic some of his blind fans present are laughable. They find it perfectly okay for Dalglish to start with Suarez against Sunderland, the first match in the league and immediately after Copa America.

However, just because Kenny doesn't start Suarez a week later, when really the Uruguayan should have been better rested than the earlier encounter, they understand Copa America's exhaustion to be the cause.
 
Then comes the comparison with Roy Hodgson. Although I agree that Liverpool has substantially bettered since the Roy Hodgson era, is it really wise to be exalted at the feeling that the club is now far better than one which fought relegation?

Benitez had already proven with the same team that it wasn't as bad a team, Hodgson's era was an aberration, as many would agree he was not the man for the job at all. All that these comparisons do is say that Dalglish is better than Hodgson, did anybody doubt that ever?

Now coming to the paradox. "Is Liverpool FC a title-challenging team ?"

Every fan or pundit around the world who has a soft corner for Liverpool FC agree that the club is certainly NOT good enough to challenge for the Premier League this season. Right? 

They say, both Manchester clubs and Chelsea still hold an edge (actually even Tottenham has bettered us in the last two years). Evidently, we are only trying to get to a Top Four, aren't we ? 

So, if we consider those as perfectly valid assumptions, what about their consequences?

If we qualify for the Champions League, let's say, our squad is still NOT good enough to challenge for the title. But then because we have qualified for the Champions League would mean that our squad is pretty good still.

Now to better the squad whom do you think we can sell or bench after signing these players we have. Surely, none of Gerrard, Lucas, Adam, Downing, Kuyt or Henderson. Also none among Carroll, Suarez , Reina, Carragher, Coates or Enrique.

So that leaves us with only maybe Agger and Skrtel who could be sacrificed from the starting line-up. Also Coates would come into the shoes of either one of them or Carragher.

Now this is a paradoxical situation. 

Now since we considered that our team is NOT good enough to challenge for the title this year, will changing a full back (if Johnson is not deemed okay) and a centre back make us into potential title challengers?

Also would the fans like the club to change the players who brought us success in the first place. Your guess is as good as mine. 

That is yet another reason why signings like Henderson and Carroll were bigger gambles than just the price paid to get them. Why sign a 21-year old who is at best a work in progress ? Why is that not a gamble? It's like expecting they better come good or else we are in trouble (even with a lower wage sheet.)

I don't really doubt Kenny Dalglish's abilities as a manager any more after the turn around he has achieved. However, at the cost of being labelled a 'non-believer' (in his transfer strategies), I would like to state, I love the club but am apparently baffled as to what ends we are trying to achieve.

Surely, Jordan Henderson has something in him which is better than what he has managed so far, now that things can't change much, and I hope he improves to a level where Kenny Dalglish apparently sees him.

But when people who never thought highly of Henderson, to go and see him justifying their pre-conceived notions, it's confusing and divides opinions.

Although other questions may have arisen, if Liverpool performed the same way even after buying a Cazorla or Mata, Dalglish would surely have no doubters in his buys. Not in favor of Henderson, anyways.