Kenny Dalglish to Help Torres Kick Start His Season

Kenny Dalglish will offer Fernando Torres full access to his wealth of knowledge in an attempt to revive the ailing striker's form.When Liverpool supporters spend idle hours choosing the club's definitive dream team, many select Dalglish as a partner for Torres in the belief that an avalanche of opportunities would be created and scored.Having struggled so badly during Liverpool's bleak midwinter, Torres could do with some inspiration and the return of Dalglish might just be a catalyst for an upturn in his fortunes. As Ian Rush would testify, Liverpool No 9s flourish in the presence of King Kenny. Out of form: Fernando Torres is experiencing a similar lull to one his new manager did during his playing daysFew understand forward play better than Liverpool's greatest player and he will leave no stone unturned to ensure his striker can start producing the thrilling performances which were once the norm.Significantly, though, Dalglish - who takes his side to Blackpool for a re-arranged Barclays Premier League clash on Wednesday night - can also empathise with the problems Torres is having.The Spaniard is obviously vexed by his return of one goal against Bolton since November 10 but it is nothing compared with the 22 games without scoring that Dalglish suffered during his playing days as part of a side that had only just won the European Cup. There was also a 17-game drought at the start of the 1982-83 campaign, so it is little wonder Dalglish sports a telling smile when he is asked for his thoughts on where Torres has been going wrong. Advise: Dalglish has vowed to use his past experience to help Torres shake off his poor form'Someone asked me if I had a magic wand for Fernando,' said Dalglish. 'I said I don't need one, he has got one himself. He might lack a little bit of confidence but he is still a top goalscorer and someone everybody fears when he goes on to the pitch. I went through a worse spell than that. King Kenny speaks from experience For Fernando Torres there is perhaps no-one better to turn to for advice about being a Kop idol out of form than Kenny Dalglish. The Scot's longest run without a goal came 26 years ago when he went a marathon 22 matches without scoring. After notching in a 3-3 draw with Luton on September 4, 1984, King Kenny had to wait until January 19, 1985 before finding the back of the net again, in the 4-0 trouncing of Norwich. 'I can pass on advice and I will try and help him in any way, shape or form, but, as I say, it's the same for all the players. We've got to try and help each other. 'We've got to have respect and believe in what we're doing and carry that on to the pitch. We have got to continue working as hard as we possibly can to turn it around.' The irony is that Dalglish predicted something like this might happen. In a chapter from his recently published memoirs, the 59-year-old raised concerns about Torres. 'His summers have been filled with Euro 2008, the Confederations Cup in 2009 and the World Cup in 2010,' he wrote. 'Those demands have taken a toll. Fernando is a thoroughbred footballer and nobody would exhaust a race horse like that.' If Dalglish is to achieve only one thing during his six-month stint in charge at Anfield, many fans would happily accept it to be coaxing Torres back to the form that, until recently, made him the most feared striker in the Premier League. Buck the trend: Torres' only noteworthy performance can in the win over ChelseaApart from one sublime display against Chelsea in November, Torres has been struggling and his poor body language ensured press conferences rarely went by without Roy Hodgson being asked what he felt was wrong with the Spaniard.After a run of one goal in eight games many are now wondering whether Dalglish called it right in My Liverpool Home is the 26-year-old burnt out? Fear: Ian Holloway is wary of the wounded Liverpool animalBut heading into the fixture at Bloomfield Road, Dalglish has allayed such fears and was encouraged by the hard work Torres put in at Old Trafford on Sunday.'If he bangs a couple in I'll be looking up to him,' said Dalglish. 'It's all about relationships between players and staff, and what they can get out of each other. I've got fantastic respect for Fernando, not only as a footballer but also as a person.'Meanwhile, Blackpool boss Ian Holloway fears Dalglish's return could end in failure and rejection. Citing the example of Newcastle favourite Alan Shearer, who was not offered the manager's job on a permanent basis after failing to save his hometown club from relegation, Holloway said he hopes Dalglish does not come to regret his decision.'To come back into it after 10 years is a big step,' said Holloway. 'I hope they get it right because Kenny deserves to not ruin what he's got with the fans and football fans can be fickle. He can't carry the can for all this. It will take time. 'I don't see him as being the great golden saviour. I just see him as someone Liverpool fans trust at a time when they've lost faith.'  


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