Source: Daily_Mail
Emotions run high as Kenny Dalglish leads Liverpool in Europe
Winning run: Dalglish with the European Cup after scoring the only goal in the 1978 final against Bruges at WembleyKenny Dalglish will fill the one glaring omission on his glittering c.v. but any pride he feels about finally leading Liverpool in Europe will be diluted by an overwhelming sense of regret.While it has often been wondered what Dalglish might have achieved had he had the chance to compete on the continent with the Liverpool side he led to three league titles, the man himself never lets his mind drift from the practical to the hypothetical.VIDEO: Liverpool have a five-star secret weapon in RaheemThere is one very simple and wholly tragic reason for the Scot's refusal to wallow in self-pity or curse a missed opportunity. The events of May 29, 1985 in the Heysel Stadium render any debates about football's great imponderables irrelevant.As Dalglish took time out from preparing for the first leg of Liverpool's Europa League tie with Sparta Prague for a place in the last 16, he was not interested in discussing whether his domestic Double winners of 1986 or the swaggering 1988 and 1990 champions would have gone on to emulate the all-conquering sides he played in.But he did speak with great poignancy and emotion about the tragedy that unfolded before the 1985 European Cup f inal between Liverpool and Juventus, when 39 fans perished after a wall collapsed. The horror that unfolded in Belgium led to English clubs being jettisoned from Europe for five years.'We just wish the ban had never happened but we wish Heysel had never happened,' said Dalglish, who took over from Joe Fagan in the days after the catastrophe. 'We had to pay some punishment and that was the punishment we received.'There is nothing to be done by living in the past. There has been a lot of conversations about what might have happened; whether we would have been good, bad or indifferent. We had fantastic teams with fantastic players. It would have been nice to have seen them being given the opportunity.'I don't know if they would have won the European Cup, I just know they were fantastic players. It is not as if they were not winning anything at home. But the fact we were not in Europe might have been helpful to us in a way because we didn't have those European games to play. I regretted more what happened at Heysel. I haveanother opportunity (to manage Liverpool in Europe) but there are a lotof people who never get second chances. Sleeping beauty: Dalglish can't bearto part with the European Cup aftervictory in 1978 'Other people have to hold themselves accountable for what had happened. They did what they thought was right.'Clearly, though, Dalglish still feels hurt at the way UEFA handled the situation, as Heysel Stadium was never in a fit condition to stage a game of such magnitude. Encouraged by the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, UEFA banned Liverpool for an extra 12 months.'People might not agree with that but they did what they thought was right,' he said. 'It was not just Liverpool that suffered. Everton won the championship (in 1985) and never got to play in the European Cup. It was not just us, it was other people who suffered and they were innocent. Heysel horror: 39 people died when fans rioted before the 1985 European Cup final'There were people with greater grievances than we could have had. Heysel was a terrible tragedy. For so many people to lose their lives at a football game was appalling and it was only right that somebody was punished.'If Dalglish, whose playing career yielded three European Cups, was eager to leave the past behind, a glance at the relatively young squad that touched down in the Czech capital yesterday confirmed that his thoughts are firmly focused on the future.Raheem Sterling, scorer of five goals inMonday night's FA Youth Cup demolition of Southend, Conor Coady, Jack Robinson, John Flanagan and Thomas Ince are held in the highest esteem and there is a chance Sterling will enter the history books at some point.Should the 16-year-old be given a run out against a Sparta side who have not played a competitive game for two-and-a-half months, he will become the youngest player in Liverpool's history and hopes are soaring that he could blossom into a superstar.'We will have to wait and see if they will be on the bench or be involved in some way,' said Dalglish who, understandably, was guarded when discussing Sterling.'If we have to call on them or whatever happens, it will be a fantastic experience for them. They deserve to be where they are - it is not as if this is a publicity stunt in any shape or form, we have brought them along because we needed them and they deserve it. But it would do everybody a favour if it was a bit realistic. It would help everybody if that happened.'We don't want to spoil a fairytale of a story, but we don't want to spoil a young boy's career either. So if we can help them, I think common sense can prevail a little bit. And if it does I think the boys can have a better chance.'Andy Carroll travelled with the squad to Prague but will not play a part, neither will ?22.8million signing Luis Suarez, who is cup-tied. VIDEO: Dalglish on his European debut as boss. Sterling rate set to soar! Liverpool have a five-star secret weapon in RaheemCarra carrying on! Liverpool defender determined to play at top until 2013All the latest Liverpool news, features and opinion Explore more:People: Margaret Thatcher, Andy Carroll, Kenny Dalglish Places: Prague, Liverpool, Belgium, Europe