Who Will be the Next King of Anfield? The Candidates

So the 2nd least surprising dismissal of the post English Premier League season (first being Alex McLeish from Villa) has occurred - or most surprising depending on which side you're on. King Kenny has been officially dethroned by his American benefactors who deemed that the club's 8th place in the league was not good enough despite the club having won it's first trophy in 7 years in the same season.

The quest is now on for a manager who will fit FSG's philosophy and ambitions - and they'll have to find one quick to appease the fans or a repeat of the Gillett-Hicks saga could suffice.

So who's in line to step up to the throne at Anfield? Here are my 5 contenders:

Roberto Martinez
The Wigan manager appears to be the early favourite to replace Kenny Dalglish as manager after inspiring a Wigan side that is of Championship class only to survival in the Premier League twice. Martinez is young and hungry for success and was somehow not considered for the Aston Villa role after he guided Wigan to survival the first time. However, will Liverpool be too big a next step for the former Wigan player? My concern is that the appointment of Martinez could be just a repeat of the appointment of Roy Hodgson and Martinez is a better manager of teams who are underdogs. Mind you, Ferguson started at an underdog club at Aberdeen and the rest is history.

Paul Lambert
Same boat as Martinez having guided Norwich to safety easily in their first season back in the Prem but in my opinion, might have more kudos than Martinez and may even have a bit more of an emotional link to Liverpool than the Spaniard given he is a Scot, a Glaswegian and a former Celtic player. Lambert has also played at the highest level in Europe having won a Champions League Final with Borussia Dortmund and almost won the UEFA Cup with Celtic. As is the case for Martinez, Liverpool would be a huge step-up for Lambert too but I did think he would be the next Tottenham manager had Redknapp taken the England job. His time at a big club will come for sure, and it may be sooner than you think.

Brendan Rodgers
The other young managerial shining light in the Premier League having guided highly unfancied Swansea to Premier League survival at their first attempt but a bit of an outsider at this stage. However, Rodgers was youth team coach at Chelsea before taking on the Swansea job so has experience at a big club but that is quite different from being the gaffer, the manager, where the buck stops. I think Rodgers may be better off having another season at the helm of Swansea before going to a bigger club.

Andre Villas-Boas
Prior to taking the big job at Stamford Bridge, AVB was considered one of Europe's brightest managerial talents. That reputation has somewhat been tarnished now especially with allegations of a split dressing room during his time in West London. However, Anfield's environment may be more suited to the Portuguese manager who was once touted as the next Special One, but it would be a huge gamble by FSG even if AVB does suit the type of manager they're after.

Rafael Benitez
Why not Rafa? He has had a proven track record at Anfield and should have guided Liverpool to their first league title in eons. However, it was clear towards the end of his last season that Rafa's tenure at Anfield had finished and that like Houllier, he had taken the club as far as he could. Highly unlikely but his name will be mentioned given he is still without a job since being sacked by Internazionale.