SOCCER:KENNY DALGLISH is waiting to discover whether his second Liverpool reign is over having failed to receive assurances over his future from Fenway Sports Group during face-to-face talks in Boston.

Dalglish arrived back in England yesterday morning following a meeting with the principal owner, John W Henry, and the chairman, Tom Werner, in the United States at which he delivered his end-of-season review and outlined his strategy for much-needed improvement next season.

Speculation reached fever pitch on internet and social networking sites yesterday with unsubstantiated claims ranging from Dalglish being sacked to resigning.

With no statement forthcoming from either Fenway Sports Group (FSG) or the club the rumour mill ran wild, although it gradually subsided the longer time went by with no announcement. The Liverpool manager instigated Monday’s talks in response to the uncertainty that has surrounded his position since defeat in the FA Cup final on May 5th. FSG, however, is continuing to assess Liverpool’s poor eighth-place finish in the Premier League and the prospects of Dalglish and Steve Clarke, the assistant manager who accompanied his fellow Scot to Boston, returning Champions League football to Anfield.

Contrary to the fevered speculation surrounding Dalglish’s brief trip, the Liverpool manager was not sacked and did not offer to resign.

But as Dalglish prepares to go on holiday today, it is in the knowledge that the meeting with Henry and Werner, his explanation for Liverpool’s lowest league finish for 18 years and insistence that a major summer overhaul is unnecessary has not resolved the critical issue of whether he will remain as manager next season.

FSG has refused to give assurances on Dalglish’s future since the FA Cup final and the lack of them during direct talks with the Liverpool manager demonstrates the extent of the owners’ reservations over the progress of his squad.

Henry stated at the start of the season that it would be “a major disappointment” should Liverpool fail to finish in the top four after a €150 million investment in new players. Dalglish’s team did not mount a challenge for the Champions League places, although they did win the League Cup, Liverpool’s first trophy for six years, and reach the FA Cup final, and next season will be the club’s third consecutive campaign outside the European elite.

The agent of Martin Skrtel, Liverpool’s player of the year, has claimed the Slovakian defender is concerned at the lack of Champions League football as he considers his options with two years remaining on his current contract.

Dalglish remains in limbo despite attempting to clarify FSG’s position by travelling to the United States. The Liverpool manager has identified several transfer targets for the summer but, without confirmation that his job is safe, the club would struggle to proceed in securing their signatures in the absence of a director of football or chief executive at Anfield. Dalglish does not negotiate transfer deals or contracts as the Liverpool manager.

FSG sacked Damien Comolli as director of football 48 hours before the FA Cup semi-final against Everton on the basis they needed to appoint a replacement as quickly as possible. Almost five weeks on, and two weeks before the transfer window officially reopens, the position remains vacant. The owners have also parted company with Liverpool’s head of sports science, Dr Peter Brukner, and head of communications, Ian Cotton, in recent weeks. In addition there has been no decision on whether to proceed with a new stadium since FSG replaced Tom Hicks and George Gillett as owners in October 2010.

Dalglish was handed a three-year contract when he replaced Roy Hodgson on a permanent basis 12 months ago and his departure would increase the vacuum at Liverpool, plus increase the pressure on FSG to appoint a proven successor to an Anfield legend who retains widespread support among the club’s fanbase.

The Liverpool manager responded to the uncertainty over his future by launching a staunch defence of his second tenure during his final pre-match press conference of the season on Friday. Dalglish cited the League Cup, Europa League qualification and the dramatic improvement since returning in January 2011 with Liverpool languishing four points above the relegation zone as evidence of progress.

After their meeting Dalglish made plans to return home, which partly explains why he was not pictured alongside Clarke, Henry and Werner at a baseball match between the Boston Red Sox – FSG’s other marquee investment – and the Seattle Mariners on Monday night.

The Reds boss still has two years to run on the contract and only last week he spoke about planning for the new season in August.

Guardian Service