'Kenny's charisma sparked revival'
Martin Skrtel believes Kenny Dalglish's winning personality was a major factor in the improvement that saw Liverpool secure a top six finish.
The Slovakia international admits he had a limited knowledge of the Scot's legendary status prior to his move to Merseyside but now sees just why he has his iconic status.
Skrtel told LFC Weekly: "Appointing him was definitely the best option.
"I'm happy because he is a nice person and a great manager. I can see the future under him being very good.
"To be very honest I didn't know an awful lot about Kenny (before arriving at the club). I was very young when he was the manager the first time. But in the four years I've been at the club I have seen him here and have learned about the history of the club and the part he's played in it. Now I know a lot more about him.
"He has told us the most important thing is a good team spirit and if we play together we can get some success. He has kept our confidence high and that has been the most important thing.
"He's done it through his personality. He's a nice guy and he's always joking and smiling. He has changed the atmosphere around the team."
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While a sixth-place finish wasn't what the Reds originally aimed for last season, the campaign wasn't without some individual success stories.
"For me personally I can say it's probably been my best season because I've played almost 50 games, including every game in the Barclays Premier League," Skrtel admits.
"But it's not about me it's about the team and the results we get. This season, especially during the first half of it, our results weren't good.
"Between the first and second half of the season the difference in results has been huge. Since January we've obviously been playing better. At the start of this year a lot of things changed.
"We changed the manager, then Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll came in. All of that helped us to regain our confidence and play better. On the pitch we started winning and things started to go well."
The full Skrtel interview and the LFC Weekly picks for player of the year are in this week's LFC Weekly magazine. Plus, Jim Beglin reveals what went through his mind during his famous spat with Bruce Grobbelaar in the 1986 FA Cup final.
The full Skrtel interview and the LFC Weekly picks for player of the year are in this week's LFC Weekly magazine. Plus, Jim Beglin reveals what went through his mind during his famous spat with Bruce Grobbelaar in the 1986 FA Cup final.