Kenny rings the changes: but are Liverpool fans singing from the same hymn sheet?

For those of us who scoffed at the re-appointment of 'King' Kenny Dalglish at Liverpool, last week's transfer deadline day drama was an eye-opener. I was amongst the mockers. I thought it was an appointment borne out of sentimentality, undertaken in desperation by misguided American owners.

But King Kenny has already stamped his authority on the club.

The transfer dealings - seeing £50m spent and simultaneously recouped - overshadowed the subtler on-pitch changes, but the bottom line is that Kenny has got the team winning games in the short-term, whilst also making a clear statement about the future of the club.

No player is bigger than Liverpool Football Club.

Liverpool fans might disagree with letting Fernando Torres go. Most of them seem to be lamenting the loss of El Nino. Liverpool legend and Sky pundit Phil Thompson, on the other hand, reckons that Torres wanted out, and that this was reflected in his performances on the pitch. Torres himself has stated that he had to "follow his ambition" by moving to Chelsea, which doesn't make great strides towards proving Thommo wrong.

Opinions aside, it is a fact that Liverpool have badly under-performed over the last two seasons, and that has coincided with a period in which Torres has struggled with injuries and loss of form.

That, in itself, might fuel an argument that Torres is indispensible to the club - and that Liverpool needed to keep him, keep get him fit and nurture him back to form in order to be successful once more.

"A sulky Torres is a burden"

Dalglish seems to have taken a different view, and credit to him for that astuteness. A sulky, unfit Torres was a burden on Liverpool, while even a fit one was a restricting factor. In the Torres-Gerrard era Liverpool have been entirely reliant on certain star players, only able to play one way and hamstrung in the absence of their main assets.

Forget the money - the tangible reality is that instead of the talismanic Torres, Liverpool now have a duo of headline strikers - Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll. The fruition of their partnership will be fascinating to see, and it could be deadly.

Suarez is new to the Premier League but, on first indications, he looks a quick, intelligent and goal-hungry striker. His scuffy debut goal will have already helped to endear him to the fans. At 22, Carroll has massive potential, but it will not be easy for him at a club where strikers are literally hit or miss.

Andy Carroll: "Hit or Miss"

With his inflated £35m price tag comes a noose, with which the media-driven football community is ready and waiting to hang him. If he doesn't hit the ground running, he will be in trouble - Liverpool have a history of persecuting 'goal-shy' strikers. Carroll will be tried by goals.

Emile Heskey is the most obvious victim in recent years of such treatment, for Liverpool and also for England. If you ask any defender whether they enjoy playing against Heskey, and they will tell you they hate it. But if you asked his strike partners over the years, they will say they absolutely love playing with him. Heskey's work-rate and physical presence grinds defences down, wears them out, and creates opportunities for his team-mates. It's the thankless 'target-man' side of forward-play, too often ignored by fans and pundits, but acknowledged as essential by intelligent managers. Ask Fabio Capello or Gerard Houllier why they want Emile Heskey in their team - it certainly isn't for his goals ratio.

Carroll has all the Heskey attributes. In fact, he's even bigger and stronger. He needs to cherish the work-rate side of his game and he needs to perform the selfless Heskey role for his team. The fans might not cherish it, but Suarez and co certainly will.

The difference between Carroll and Heskey is that the former has shown he can score goals. Heskey has always failed with the finishing side of his game. There are very few Premier League strikers who can boast the physical game of a Heskey or a Kevin Davies as well as the scoring record of an out-and-out goal-scorer, like Jermaine Defoe or Darren Bent. Didier Drogba springs to mind, but even he has looked this season very much like a man in the twilight of his career. Lesser Premier League sides are littered with big men who lead the line but don't score goals and little men who contribute little but the goals they score.

It's difficult to reconcile the two mentalities - selfless provider and ruthless finisher. But if Carroll can do that, then Liverpool will have exactly what they have paid for - potentially the most complete striker in the league. Whether the fans and media give him the required time to fulfil that potential is another matter entirely.