Dalglish needs time to guide revamped Reds to title says Houllier

Mark Ogden

GERARD HOULLIER has warned Kenny Dalglish that success in Cup competitions will not be enough to end Liverpool fans' 'obsession' with winning the league title for the first time since 1990.

"The League Cup is a good sign for the future," the former Anfield manager said. "I think he (Dalglish) is heading in the same direction, just give him some time.

"Liverpool need another year to kick in. They have had a lot of recruitment done and a lot of problems, so give him some time. There is too much expectation at Liverpool -- they expect you to win the Champions League every year.

OBSESSION

"But the obsession is the league. Rafa (Benitez) finished second and I finished second once, but, for all the Cups we won, they wanted us to win the league."

The Frenchman, Liverpool boss from 1998 to 2004, also reflected that managers' reputations diminished too abruptly in football. "In football, you can go from the attic to the basement very quickly, so one day he is the hero and the next day he is the zero," Houllier added.

"There was a time when David Moyes was criticised and Arsène (Wenger) was criticised -- see where they are now. It is a rollercoaster. They won the League Cup the same way we did in 2001. It is a good sign for the future. I think he is heading in the same direction, just give him some time."

Only Wolves have taken fewer Premier League points than Liverpool since January 1. Dalglish's haul of eight points from a possible 33 in 2012 is less than the total managed by predecessor Roy Hodgson in his last 11 games.

RETURNING

Benitez, who would consider an approach from Chelsea if one arrived this summer, has refused to rule out returning to Liverpool.

He said: "At this time Kenny is the manager and I have a lot of respect for Liverpool. No rush. If Kenny retires in 10 years' time and I am available I would be really pleased."

Benitez said Liverpool's greater stability under Fenway Sports Group -- something he lacked under former owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett -- would help Dalglish.

"He has the support of the owners and that is the key thing if they want to do things in the future.

"The bad thing (at the end of Benitez's time at Liverpool) was that the owners were not the right owners. You could see things were changing and we had less money. But Kenny has the owners and that is really positive."