"I think it is down to the Kenny factor. This time last year the season was over and there was doom and gloom around the place. Kenny coming in gave everyone a big lift and slowly brought belief and confidence back. I was delighted he got the job. Kenny’s a hero of mine and even more for my dad, because he was around when he played. He is a lot closer to the players, he’s a very good man manager.I don’t think there’s a problem with managers who are distant. I have worked with managers who handle players differently. With Kenny it’s like he still thinks he’s a player, still trying to get a game on the training ground, still laughing and joking with the players. But from a serious point of view he’s very loyal and honest with the players and that’s all you can ask for. As a player you want to deliver something back for him, which we have done by getting to the Carling Cup final. We want to do the same in the FA Cup and it would be nice to get to May with two trophies in the bag and a top-four finish. That would be a dream season for us in Kenny’s first full year."  -

Steven Gerrard

(via withasingleballoon)