Heroes don't always wear capes, this one wore a football strip and a big, winter coat. People who aren't LFC fans are surprised by who wins the 'greatest Liverpool player of all time' polls, it's not Stevie G or Mo it's always the same man, Kenny; and he wins by a country mile. It's not unusual for players to be adored, but it tends to be transient, Kenny joined LFC 49 years ago, it is much deeper than the usual club & player relationship.
Kenny Dalglish was simply the best footballer I have ever seen play for Liverpool. In 1986 he became player manager, winning league titles & FA cups. He was aware of the tragic side of football, he was at Ibrox in 1971 when 66 people died, was at Heysel in '85 when 39 died and was Liverpool manager at Hillsborough in 1989. That was when he went from a club hero to legend. The efforts of Kenny & Marina cannot be overstated. They held the club together during the awful time after. Kenny and/or Marina went to so many of the 97 funerals and opened Anfield for all who needed it. Margaret Aspinall, the mum of one of the 97 and former chair of the HFSG, described him as 'a tower of strength for the bereaved families and the city of Liverpool,'
What is less known is the work done by the Dalglish family to support cancer treatment in the city. So far the total is over £15m. Marina was successfully treated for breast cancer 20+ years ago, and everyone in the 'Liverpool family' wish him well in his own fight.
YNWA - thank you Arne for #20, such a shame how it ended
Mike
Hi Mike
Ah, King Kenny! My best friend had a signed photo of him by her bed when we were teenagers!
He is my OH’s absolute favourite of all time (Liverpool Fan) and I’ve even seen him myself at Anfield (I’m not a football fan, but Anfield is a very special place).
I was sorry to read he’d had a cancer diagnosis, and hope he’ll be ok. The family have done much to help others in the past.
Sarah xx
