I WILL never forget the late, great Brian Clough waxing lyrical about Kenny Dalglish, the footballer. ’Ol Big ’Ed said: “When Kenny scores the sun seems to come out. And that’s just the lovely smile on his face.”

For Dalglish the manager, that smile has turned into a scowl. Because right now it is all doom and gloom in the red half of Merseyside with even Scousers questioning whether – or not – he is the man to lead Liverpool back to the promised land of League title glory.

The stark reality is that Liverpool have never won the Barclays Premier League – despite 18 First Division titles, a record only overhauled by the phenomenon that is Manchester United (which doesn’t help). It is an unbelievable statistic.

And now it would appear that success in the cup competitions – a Carling Cup won and a mouth-watering Merseyside derby in an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley next month – is still not enough to convince certain pundits that Dalglish’s second coming at Anfield is all that it is cracked up to be.

Kenny’s old Liverpool colleague Alan Hansen mocks: “For Liverpool to be known only as a cup team is an insult.”

It is hardly surprising the flak is flying Kenny’s way when you consider they have won only five league games at once fortress Anfield this season – their worst record since 1955.

Added to which are cries of “what a waste of money” over the £35m spent on Andy Carroll, £20m spent on Stewart Downing and £18m on Jordan Henderson (who?).

Let it be said, also, that Kenny didn’t do himself any favours leading the stand-off and siege mentality over the Luis Suarez affair.

The return of the prodigal son now seems to be just a distant memory.

All this negativity really gets my goat. It is so easy to forget in this run of poor league form the club he inherited not that long ago.

A club torn apart by their former American owners Hicks and Gillette who were only in it for a fast buck. A club torn apart by the unfortunate appointment of Roy Hodgson who was hopelessly out of his depth. No disrespect to the now thriving Hodgson but the Albion – or Fulham – are his sort of club. Not Liverpool with its weight of aspiration and expectation.

What Kenny has done most of all is to restore stability to Anfield. No mean feat after the shambles of what had gone on before.

And fans should always remember the old adage that in the pursuit of greatness there will always be greatness in error.

Opinion is also divided here in Weymouth. Joe, the youth pastor at the Baptist Church on the Esplanade, is a die-hard Red. “I was against Kenny being appointed in the first place. It was an emotional decision – and not a footballing decision.”

But the lovely Jodie, a sales assistant in St Alban Street, is “astonished” at all the criticism.

This Liverpool fan says candidly: “Just what do people want? After we win the FA Cup to go alongside the Carling Cup don’t anyone tell me that this season has been a disappointment. How many clubs would like to be in our position. Get off Kenny’s back.”

Jodie is so right. But it is the monster that is the Champions League, and the commercialism and riches that it brings, which dictates the modern game. As Kenny will discover sooner rather than later.