Ian Rush explains why Kenny Dalglish was so far out of his comfort zone at SPOTY
Sir Kenny Dalglish found himself out of his comfort zone after receiving his well-deserved BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award.
For the Liverpool and Celtic legend, who also rocked the football establishment by winning the Premier League title with unfashionable Blackburn, personal awards are anathema to someone who has always placed teamwork above individual egos.
A week earlier he had appeared far more at ease holding court in a Southport Chinese restaurant – the traditional annual venue for a Christmas get-together for Liverpool greats and a few old scribes - with hilarious stories from down the years.
Quick and witty one-liners in a social football environment complete with the odd glass of white wine is more his style than hobnobbing with sporting royalty at a glitzy televised extravaganza.
Ian Rush along with ‘King Kenny’s’ family and close Liverpool associates from the past including Alan Hansen who presented him with the award, Graeme Souness, John Barnes and Alan Shearer helped the overwhelmed Scot just about keep it together on the Salford stage Tuesday night.
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Rush said: “He has always been very humble, someone who puts the club first. When people praise him he wants to divert it to other people. He was more nervous going up to receive the award than playing in any big game. That’s Kenny because he doesn’t like talking about himself. I don’t think I’ve seen him as emotional. I think that was because he had all his family there. It illustrated what it all meant to him.”
During his playing and managing career, the Scot often appeared spikey and monosyllabic in front of the cameras. But away from the lens for those privileged to be in his company ‘King Kenny’ is humble and self-deprecating but a fantastic storyteller.
“Away from public view he just takes the p**s out of everyone in the nicest sense,” Rush added. “In front of the cameras, he just did what is necessary and no more. He comes from the old school of Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan where you don’t have to talk for 10 minutes to get your point across. All of them could do it in one sentence.
Kenny Dalglish received the BBC Sports Personality Lifetime achievement award (PA)“We are closer now more than ever. When we played we didn’t really socialise that much because Kenny was into his golf and I went horse racing. It’s only really since we have been back at Liverpool in our respective roles at the club that we have enjoyed each other’s company, often sitting next to each other at games.”
Rush has always attributed many of his record-breaking 346 goals for Liverpool to Dalglish’s unerring ability to find the Welshman with a through pass. Rush smiled: “As a player, we did have a telepathic understanding on the pitch which was just as well because I couldn’t understand a ruddy word that he said to me.
“I remember early on he told me when he got the ball for me to run into a space. He had his back to goal with the ball nowhere near him so I just stood there thinking there was no chance of him making the pass. You should have seen his face when he kept his side of the bargain. I almost s**t myself. The next time I made sure I did what he said and I lost count of the number of times he sent me through on goal.”
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