Slow start but shoots of promise sprout

When Kenny Dalglish replaced the much-maligned former Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson in the Anfield dugout the acclamation he received was phenomenal. The instant lift to the mood at the club was tangible, and many expected an immediate upturn in our fortunes as a result. However, Dalglish's first three matches have yielded one draw and two defeats, hardly an impressive record even factoring in a derby match and an FA Cup clash at Old Trafford.

Nevertheless, despite disappointing results the performances have dramatically improved under the Liverpool legend's management, with various key elements of his football philosophy evident in each match we have played so far.

Heading into our FA Cup third round match against Manchester United many supporters, including myself, expected another embarrassing defeat at the hands of our fiercest rivals. We had no faith in Hodgson or his tactics. An immediate boost in confidence crucially arrived though the day before the match in the form of Kenny Dalglish, as the Scot cut short a family holiday to take charge for the United game and for the rest of the season.

With the new manager instated the players finally appeared to show pride in the shirt and passion for the cause. After half a season of complacency they suddenly realised that they could no longer rely on the manager taking the flak for a poor performance, and that they would have to shoulder the wrath of the fans should results remain unacceptable.

Combine that realisation with the great respect for the man widely regarded to be the best Liverpool player ever and the desire, determination and defensive solidity, which had been conspicuous in its absence during Hodgson's brief reign, returned to a significantly improved Liverpool side.

Even with only 10 men for the majority of the match and a ludicrous penalty decision hampering our efforts we still displayed strong defensive metal as Liverpool's dogged defence and combative midfield restricted and frustrated Ferguson's United side, who failed to seriously threaten our goal despite their man advantage.

The Reds rarely tested the United defence themselves, however that was understandable given the harsh dismissal of Steven Gerrard, a vital component of our attacking force, after half an hour. The significant positive to take from that match was a renewed vigour in our play and a massive improvement at the back, with Skrtel, Agger, Kelly and Aurelio displaying their true ability for the first time this season.

Unfortunately that defensive stability quickly deteriorated during our subsequent midweek visit to high-flying Blackpool, when two major errors at the back cost us dearly. First, a misplaced pass from Meireles gave possession to boyhood Liverpool supporter Taylor-Fletcher, who easily fired beyond Reina after twisting and turning our unorganised defence. Then DJ Campbell was given the freedom of Blackpool in the six-yard box to head home the winner with several inactive defenders staring on helpless.

Despite that a few shoots of promise and potential emerged, as we began the match excellently, displaying a clear desire to push men forward and grabbing an early lead through a fantastic goal from Fernando Torres. Perhaps most poignantly Torres' opening strike and changed attitude demonstrated the effect Kenny has had on him in such a short space of time and, although the performance was largely below par for the remainder of the game, there were a few positives to take.

The problem of a parasitic lack of confidence and belief produced following a season and a half of turmoil was particularly obvious though after the Blackpool defeat, and it remains Kenny's main task to restore this vital factor to our team. However, with the Anfield return of King Kenny and a local derby to boot, the vociferous support of the Anfield faithful restored some sort of confidence to our play in our latest match at home to local rivals Everton on Sunday.

With the full backing of the vocal Kop Liverpool dominated the first period in what was quite simply our best half of football this season. A midfield consisting of Lucas, Meireles, Spearing, Kuyt and Maxi provided crucial support for lone striker Fernando Torres, who was relieved to be freed from the isolation he has suffered for far too long.

We pushed up the field rapidly, controlled possession and created numerous chances. In fact, we should have gone in at the interval with a far greater lead than the slender one-goal advantage we had earned thanks to a wonderful strike from Raul Meireles.

Unfortunately that brilliant first half was reversed by a traumatic start to the second as, although the two goals conceded were controversial, disjointed defending led to Everton claiming a 2-1 lead at Anfield. It was yet another example of the haphazard defending that Kenny will be looking to rectify during his time in the Liverpool hot seat.

Encouragingly the Reds responded and, whereas in previous games this season heads would have dropped and we may have even gone on to suffer a heavier defeat, Kenny's troops remained calm and improved rapidly after that shaky 10 minute spell at the start of the second period, eventually reclaiming parity through a Dirk Kuyt spot kick. Although we couldn't then proceed to take all three points, it was still a significantly promising sign that we managed to get back into the contest at all after such a devastatingly awful beginning to the second half.

Now, with a run of winnable matches ahead King Kenny can look forward to accelerating the rebuilding process and nourishing the shoots of promise that have emerged following a slow start.

If the defensive solidity and determination displayed against Manchester United and the attacking excellence shown at the start of the Blackpool match and the first half of the derby can be combined with the resilience demonstrated during our second half comeback versus Everton, then expect a period of progression and steady improvement under Dalglish to result.

YNWA