• Carling Cup

Reds owner eyes return to glory years

Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher with the Carling Cup © Getty Images

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Liverpool's principal owner John Henry believes success in the Carling Cup can be the first step towards the restoration of the club's former glories.

The Reds have long been regarded as one of the finest clubs in the world, and they remain England's most successful team on the continent and are second only to Manchester United in domestic league titles.

However, they had been suffering a six-year trophy drought until they defeated Cardiff in a penalty shootout at Wembley on Sunday to win the League Cup for the eighth time.

During the club's glory years, Liverpool had been renowned for their long line of 'Boot Room' managers - Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Kenny Dalglish - and, with one of those legendary names now back at the helm, Henry is hopeful that the good times will return to Anfield.

"We look at it as the first step in what we're trying to accomplish: putting the club back to where it has historically been," he said following Sunday's victory. "The whole club had a lot of pressure but Kenny has been extraordinary from day one.

"This is the first step for this club in trying to get to the point where we're talking about things on the field rather than off the field. It's been going on for so many years now that it was time for the club to step up and win a big match like this."

While Liverpool took on Championship opposition in the final, they had to eliminate Chelsea and Manchester City along the way and Henry added on the club's official website: "Beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on two days' rest, to beat Manchester City over two legs - it was a tremendous accomplishment just to get here.

"Even if we'd lost I would have felt we'd accomplished a lot, but we didn't. It doesn't matter how you win if you win."

Henry's business partner and Liverpool chairman Tom Werner expressed his delight at Sunday's victory.

"The key is that we accomplished something as a club and for our fans," Werner said. "I'm just proud we won because it's a first step and we're looking forward to more silver.

"I really have to pinch myself. I'm so proud of the club and so excited for all those fans around the world who watched. It's certainly at the very top (of what I've ever achieved), and to go into that dressing room and see the joy those players had - it's a memory we have and want to share with our fans."

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