The 60-year-old former Tottenham head coach shared the story while speaking on Stick to Football, via The Overlap on YouTubein which he describes how Liverpool became the center of his football world as a boy.
“I was crazy about Liverpool, right? I was obsessed with Liverpool.”
It is not the first time he has spoken about his love for the Reds, but that obsession intensified when Kenny Dalglish arrived on Merseyside in 1977 as Postecoglou said it changed everything about the way he watched the game.
“Then Kenny [Dalglish] came in ’77, it went to another level for me.
Postecoglou also spoke about his father’s influence, and how the Scot’s ‘magic’ became something they bonded over, to the point where it stayed with him long after childhood was over.
Postecoglou’s Anfield promise and Kenny Dalglish’s coincidence
The most striking part of the story wasn’t really about tactics or management, but a personal moment that Postecoglou took with him in his first season as a manager in the Premier League.
Postecoglou explained that his father died while he was working in Japan, meaning he never saw the later stages of his career that eventually took him to Celtic and then Tottenham.
When Tottenham played at Anfield in his first season, Postecoglou said he made a promise to himself to arrive early because he likes to walk out before the stadium fills up and the noise really starts.
“I promised myself, I said, ‘Look, you know, I’m going to walk through the tunnel under the sign just for my dad, just, you know. [to say] we kind of made it.”
Then came the surreal part, because Postecoglou said a voice called his name, and it was Kenny Dalglish.
Postecoglou described immediately feeling like a child again, caught between professional focus and a lifetime of admiration.
“I turn around and it’s Sir Kenny.”
Postecoglou said that moment ended with a realization that still makes him smile because it was the living version of a child’s poster come to life.
“I just walked through the Anfield tunnel with Kenny Dalglish, the man I had on my walls.”
Why Liverpool’s Dalglish legacy continues to reach around the world
There is a reason why this story reaches Liverpool supporters, because Kenny Dalglish’s impact has never been limited to those who grew up locally.
The Glasgow-born striker joined from Celtic for £440,000 on August 10, 1977 and built a groundbreaking record that still feels ridiculous when you break it down neatly.
Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool record
| Category | Total |
|---|---|
| Appearances in the Liverpool league | 355 |
| Goals in the Liverpool league | 118 |
| Assists in the Liverpool League | 115 |
| Liverpool appearances (all competitions) | 515 |
| Liverpool goals (all competitions) | 172 |
| Liverpool assists (all competitions) | 172 |
| Affiliated with Liverpool | 10/8/1977 (£440,000 from Celtic) |
Those figures help explain why an Australian kid could become ‘obsessed with Liverpool’ in the first place, because Dalglish combined output with an identity that felt unique.
Postecoglou’s story also ties in nicely with the modern rivalry angle, as Mo Salah’s message after Tottenham’s success in the Europa League showed that there is still respect for big personalities across the game, even when they are not wearing our shirt.
That’s the problem with Liverpool’s history, and especially the Dalglish years, because it continues to shape other careers in ways we don’t always see.
And when a Premier League manager admits that Anfield is the only place that made him feel something real, it reminds us why the stadium still matters, even in a sport obsessed with the future.
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