BEST OF ENEMIES
25 years after pipping fierce rival to title, Dalglish says: ‘I respected Fergie but I was never shy of standing up to him’
THEY had some fun, didn’t they? These two legends and fierce rivals who engaged in verbal jousts and elite-level mind games.
Indeed, there was a time when the two Scots lording it over English football seemed to communicate entirely through carefully-timed barbs.
A quarter of a century on from one of the few occasions when he got the final word, Kenny Dalglish has no regrets about the way his rivalry with Alex Ferguson unfolded.
As much as he may have respected Fergie, Dalglish was only too aware that the famously fiery Manchester United boss would steamroller any rival not strong enough — and sharp enough — to bite back.
Dalglish certainly nipped at his rival. He famously once interrupted a Fergie post-match interview by strolling past holding baby daughter Lauren and deadpanning to the camera: ‘You’d be better off talking to my baby. She’s only six weeks old but you’d get more sense from her than him.’
Yeah, it was that kind of relationship. And, speaking to Sky Sports’ Football Show on the 25th anniversary of his Blackburn Rovers team pipping United to the Premier League title (below), King Kenny insisted standing up to Fergie was a necessity if his upstarts were to triumph.
‘I think, as a manager representing the players, you’ve got to stand up for your players — if it’s reasonable,’ said Dalglish.
‘Not if it’s outrageous. You need to believe it. But you have to stand up for them.
‘Fergie and I get on perfectly well, no problem whatsoever. But you’ve got to stand up to him.
‘If I’m going to get rolled over, players will see that as a bad example. I’ve got to be strong and defend my own team.’
Revealing that the closing stages of season 1994-95 were played out in the press room as well as on the pitch, Dalglish said: ‘It’s all well and good playing mind games. But I always knew what was coming. The weekly press conference was usually after the Manchester United one.
‘So I had an opportunity to reply to what Fergie said. And I think I did my best.
‘I remember once he said we would have to do a Devon Loch (the horse which infamously fell on the final straight while leading the Grand National) to lose the title, because we were so far in front.The press told me. I said: “Whereabouts is that in Scotland?” Of course I knew what it was. But they never knew I knew!
‘You’ve got to handle yourself properly. But Fergie had to stand up for his team — and I had to stand up for mine.
‘There is nothing wrong in having a disagreement.’
Looking fit and well after testing positive for Covid19 while in hospital for gallstone treatment last month, Liverpool legend Dalglish feels there can be no disputing his former club’s claim on this year’s Premier League title.
Although he still feels that playing the season to a finish is the only ‘credible’ option, he is adamant that players must feel safe before the world’s richest league returns. ‘Liverpool are thoroughly deserving of the title,’ he said. ‘They are 25 points in front — I could play and they would still get enough points to win the league. ‘They’re not going to lose it, although everybody seems to say “we’ve not won it yet”. ‘They’ve not won it. Yet. But they’re very close to winning it. ‘Everybody can see how they perform on the pitch, everybody has their favourites. ‘But I think, off the pitch, they’ve been fantastic ambassadors for themselves and for the football club. ‘The way they have conducted themselves, being more happy to help people during this crisis, is a credit to them.
‘Jordan Henderson has led from the front by example. He was first one up there to make donations. He would rather have done it quietly, I’m sure, but it came out.
‘The way they’ve interacted with the community, they’re a credit to themselves and the football club.
‘There is no arrogance, no big-headedness. Jurgen Klopp is really, really comfortable in his own skin and he’s done a great job. They deserve to win it.’
On the obstacles facing Project Restart, Dalglish said: ‘They’ve got a bit of convincing to do, to prove to players that you are not going to suffer, not going to face great danger — great risk — if you go back to playing.
‘They will be tested two or three times a week to see if they pick up anything.
‘As long as they look after the players properly and do their best.
‘They can’t guarantee anything. But, if you go on a football pitch to play or train, there is no guarantee you will come off that pitch without an injury.
‘Players are so well looked after now. I would have thought that, if they do get something, it would be pretty minor for them.
‘But it’s their choice to make. They’ve got to do what they feel comfortable with.’
Scotland’s record cap holder (102 appearances) added: ‘The football clubs have to do their best to finish the league if they can but the health and safety of people has to come first.
‘You need to be careful about what rules and regulations they bring in, too.
‘You can’t say to a club that, if fans turn up to a closed-doors game, you will be punished.
‘Because away fans could then turn up.
‘It’s about the players being comfortable to come back.
‘But the only credible way to do it is to finish the games as best as they can.’