Some Golden Soft Sombrero Moments with Kenny Dalglish

Kenny, what the hells are you doing Downunder amigo?

Diegos: " We know that a lot of Scots love to visit Australia for the surf, sun and slabs of beer but you instead are here in your capacity as Director of Football Operations for the Proactive Sports Player Management Group.

What's your involvement with Proactive Sports Management and what's the purpose of Proactive's presence in Australia?"

Dalglish: "Well we think there's a lot of promise in Australia with regards to the young players coming through.

Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka and Brett Emerton are all flying the flag for your country in Europe and are doing very well.

We think that young players in Australia get a great grounding at the various Institutes of Sport around the country and we want to help them develop them further off the pitch where we give them some expert advice that will take them forward.

We in no way, shape or form will try and coach them.

We are not here to stand on Soccer Australia's toes but rather we hope that we can be of some help to them."

Soft Sombrero Moment March 2002

Kenny on Aussie players…

Diegos: "Many big European clubs and player agencies are forging a greater presence in Australia.

What is it about Australian players that attract overseas attention? Is it the mongrel in them? "

Dalglish: "Mongrel? That's a bit unkind. I think many of them have a great pedigree.

Obviously we believe that it is an emerging nation. We've got ten offices in Europe so it's not as if we are a mobile phone company, here today gone tomorrow.

It's our intention to be here for the longevity.

So we are looking forward to working with some of the players and we hope Soccer Australia can sort out the problems they have at the moment so that we can give them a rosy future."

Soft Sombrero Moment March 2002

Kenny on Roo…

Diegos: "One of Australia's earliest international soccer pioneers, Craig Johnston was a teammate of yours at Liverpool where you played and managed throughout the 80's.

What are your memories of 'Roo' Johnston the player?"

Dalglish: "As you guys described earlier on about Scots people coming to Australia for surfing and tinnies and all the rest of it, I think that's why he came to the UK. He found the tinnies but he never found any surfing.

I've never met a humourless Australian yet. I think Craig fits the bill perfectly in this respect.

Craig was absolutely hell bent on becoming a professional soccer player. He put his hand in his pocket and traveled over to Middlesborough as a 15 year old.

There was a great determination about him to be successful.

When he came to Liverpool he did very well for us. He was in the team that won the league and cup double in 1986.

He aborted his career quite early to pursue some other career.

At one time he was developing football boots and then he was writing songs and then I think he was producing a game show for television.

Craig was a valuable asset to Liverpool and a good lad as well."

Soft Sombrero Moment March 2002

Kenny on being the first Scottish rapper…

Diegos: "Like all Aussies, we know that Craig liked to have a bit off fun off the pitch as well as on it.

He was the driving force behind, what the Diegos regard as one of the best pieces of music ever written; the smash hit song the 'Anfield Rap'.

You and the rest of the Liverpool squad of that time starred in the video and on the record.

Were you ever tempted to become the first Scottish rapper after that experience?"

Dalglish: "Do you Diegos know that I only had two words to say in that song right at the very end?

John Barnes was the rapper of the squad though.

That was a fairly good song that. It did very well in the charts in England; I think it got to number four. There are a lot of people who do it for a living and don't reach that high.

We did it as a bit of a laugh before a Cup final and as you guys say, it went down very well."

Soft Sombrero Moment March 2002

Kenny on beloved Liverpool…

Diegos: "Is it true that you have to take a I hate Manchester United oath when you join Liverpool?"

Dalglish: "No you just need to swear that you're going to love Liverpool Football club and that's all."

Diegos: "How do you compare the Liverpool of today with your squad?"

Dalglish: "The current team don't have to play against teams from previous eras, they've only got to play against the opposition that they are up against at the moment.

Last year was a marvelous season for the club, winning five trophies. This year they won't win the five again but they are in a very good position in the league and they're in with a shout of qualifying for the Champions League.

I don't think the good old days for the Liverpool Football Club are too far away.

Last year was brilliant and I'm looking forward to that success continuing."

Soft Sombrero Moment March 2002

Kenny on Bulldog…

Diegos: "In your time at Blackburn Rovers you recruited the Aussie 'Ginger haired Bulldog', Robbie Slater.

He went on to win a championship with the club. What attracted you to Robbie?"

Dalglish: "Robbie was very, very enthusiastic about the game.

He liked to run forward and get on the end of things. He used to cause teams problems because not too many people like to run backwards.

Robbie was very similar to Craig (Johnston) but at the same time retained his own identity.

The year we won the championship at Blackburn he was a valuable member of the squad.

I have caught up with him in Australia and I saw him the other night on television. I reckon he sounded better with the volume down."

Soft Sombrero Moment March 2002

Kenny on the Socceroo 'Mad Dogs'…

Diegos: "You were a member of the Scotland team that defeated Australia over two legs for a 1986 World Cup birth.

All Aussies are still bitter and twisted about missing out on that occasion.

Other than collecting a couple of wild tackles from behind, what were your memories of that series?"

Dalglish: "I remember playing in the two-nil game at Hampden. I got a lot of enjoyment out of that.

Unfortunately I didn't play in the Australian leg of those qualifiers because I had just taken the job of player - manager at Liverpool. It was difficult for me to justify coming away when the club had just put its faith in me.

Starting off as a new manager I thought it was right for me to stay at home and do my domestic chores.

The game down here was very difficult. In the end we prevailed and we got through but you got your revenge at Hampden last year in a friendly."

Diegos: "It was only a soft friendly that unfortunately didn't count for much in the end amigo…."

Soft Sombrero Moment March 2002

Kenny on adding value to Aussie soccer…

Diegos: "A perennial problem with Aussie soccer at home is the inability of NSL clubs to hold onto or recruit the best talent in Australia because they leave the country at such a young age.

How will Proactive Sports Management add value to the game in Australia given that the image of such organizations is often negative and player managers from overseas are often accused of 'raping and pillaging' the competition in this country?"

Dalglish: " We don't make a decision for anybody to leave any club. The players themselves make the decisions. We are only there in an advisory capacity.

If a player says he wants to go to Europe then we try our best to get him fixed up in Europe through one of our ten offices. If the lad says he wants to stay in Australia then we help him as much as we can.

We are not here to 'rape and pillage'; we're here to act in the best interest of the players.

We can also be a benefit to football clubs because through the offices we have in Europe we can bring players to this country which might enhance your league.

As I say we are not here to bleed the country dry of young talent.

Surely it's a tremendous compliment to the Australian Institutes of Sport and people involved with Soccer Australia if they do have kids who go abroad and become successful. They must be very proud of Harry Kewell and the rave notices he gets in England and around the world.

I don't think that if a kid has talent that his progress should be halted. So until the climate in Australia is such that it can provide sufficiently for the highly talented players, I don't think you can blame young kids for going abroad and trying to do the very best they can in their career.

A soccer career is in no way a rehearsal for anything else. You get one chance and when you get the opportunity you have to take it."

Soft Sombrero Moment March 2002

Kenny on world talent…

Diegos: "Is there any particular player in the world presently who you like to watch or you think is the one to watch for in the near future?"

Dalglish: "The one's that strike me are mostly at Liverpool I think.

Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard are both marvelous players together with a young player at Blackburn by the name of Damien Duff, Keiron Dyer at Newcastle, Beckham at United.

I think at the moment most clubs in the premiership have very talented players and that's why it's such a marvelous spectacle for everyone to watch and enjoy."

Soft Sombrero Moment March 2002

With many thanks to Proactive Sports Management

Kenny Dalglish and Proactive Sports Management:

Kenny is presently the Director of Football Operations for the highly respected Proactive Sports Group PLC, a London stock market listed company.

Proactive Sports Group PLC clients include Peter Schmeichel, Andy Cole, John Gregory, Kevin Campbell, Claudio Reyna and many English Premier League Stars.

For further details contact:
Paul Stretford
Chief Executive
PROACTIVE SPORTS GROUP UK
11-13 Manchester Road
GB-WILMSLOW, CHESHIRE SK8 1BQ
ENGLAND
Tel: 0044-(0) 1625 536 411
Fax: 0044-(0) 1625 536 402
Mobile: 0044-(0) 468 333 633

E-mail: Paul@proactivesports.co.uk

PROACTIVE SPORTS GROUP Aust
John Grimund E-mail: johngrimaud@iprimus.com.au
Vitale Ferrante E-mail: vitaleferrantepsma@iprimus.com.au
7 Everage Street
MOONEE PONDS, VIC 3039
AUSTRALIA
Tel: 0061 3 9375 71 11
Fax: 0061 3 9375 76 99
Mobile: 0061 (0) 438 375 843
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