Kenny Dalglish may have guided Liverpool to a cup final, but TEAMtalk's Matt Stead is uninspired by the prospect of a long reign for the King.

Progress - the eight-letter word on every Liverpool fan's lips in the summer, and the word that remains on their ever-worshipping lips even now.

To give a dictionary definition, the word progress means "development or growth". Under club legend 'King' Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool have undeniably made progress in terms of performances on the pitch, slashing the wage bill and first and foremost, stabilising a ship in danger of capsizing.

Perhaps the crowning moment of Dalglish's second coming is so far yet to come, with a Carling Cup final date against Cardiff next month following a 3-2 aggregate victory over Manchester City.

Harking back to the word 'progress' though, it holds another definition - "a ceremonial journey made by a sovereign through his or her realm" - that appears more apt considering its religious connotations and the almost unerring praise of the 'Messiah' Dalglish. His ascension back to the Liverpool throne in January 2011 restarted his "ceremonial journey" through the red streets of Merseyside, otherwise known as the Scotsman's realm.

However, looking ahead, this journey and the worship of Liverpool fans could cause a proud club that once sat atop world football's glorious perch to stand still in reverence. For now, Dalglish has steadied the ship of Liverpool - but he's not the right man to lead it forward.

Obvious and expected comparisons are made to the previous captain of the ship, Roy Hodgson, and Dalglish rightfully comes out on top. For example, when Hodgson's doomed reign was brought to an end on January 8, 2011, Liverpool's ship was left barely afloat in 12th, battling the stormy weather of relegation or mid-table mediocrity at best.

Dalglish's overdue return coincided with a "feel-good factor" surrounding Anfield, and he managed to lift the crew and finish in 6th, playing free-flowing, expansive football by all accounts.

But that was just half a season, four months in which the Liverpool ship rode on the crest of a wave following the King's return.

In Dalglish's first full season, there have been positives. An unbeaten home record is often cited, as is Liverpool being the only league team unbeaten in English cup competition so far this season. The quality of football has continued, and improved performances from the likes of Craig Bellamy, Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel are all combining to create a good season. But that's all it is - a good season. Dalglish did a brilliant job at stabilising Liverpool after Hodgson's tenure, but his weaknesses are being uncovered since he took full responsibility for the club.

And it appears that a small fraction of the manager's once adulating support is slowly looking to overthrow the ship's leader. A woeful 3-1 defeat away at relegation-battlers Bolton coupled with the uninspiring and abject performance from the players on Saturday evening was the catalyst for mutiny among Reds fans, and while the performance in Wednesday's Carling Cup semi-final draw against Manchester City was a marked improvement, might it just have been papering over the cracks?

For example, as we know, Liverpool's proud unbeaten home record this season is not all it seems. They've dropped 14 points from 11 home matches in the Premier League so far this season, in comparison to 10 in 10 matches in Hodgson's infamous half-season in charge. Also, the seven home draws so far this season match the combined total of the last two league campaigns.

Many Liverpool fans claim that the woodwork - having hit it 18 times in 22 Premier League games so far - is to blame for their low return of 25 goals, but surely a number of such magnitude owes more to poor finishing than poor luck?

Yet the one excuse often heard amongst the Merseyside faithful is that Dalglish's Liverpool squad is the sixth best in the league, and so the current placing of seventh is on track for this season.

What they must accept however, is that Dalglish has himself assembled this expensive squad, with an expenditure of just over £100million during his year in charge. His transfer approach is to sign English talent with Premier League experience, including the likes of £20million Stewart Downing, £16million Jordan Henderson and much-maligned British transfer record-breaking £35million signing Andy Carroll. It could even be argued that these purchases were based predominantly on statistics, with little consideration given for the cohesion of the squad.

Dalglish's obsession with English talent with Premier League experience not only screams of a stubbornness adopted from his earlier management career, but of a naivety and short-sightedness.

While Liverpool can no longer attract players of Champions League calibre, Newcastle have brought in Yohan Cabaye, Sunderland have drafted in Stephane Sessegnon, Swansea have signed Michel Vorm, Fulham have signed Bryan Ruiz and QPR have loaned in Taye Taiwo. All of these are clubs with smaller ambitions, smaller budgets and a smaller attraction than Liverpool, but Dalglish's insistence not to look abroad for talent has meant he's missed out on the likes of these players and many more.

The 60-year-old's tactics also leave a lot to be desired. Selections such as Dirk Kuyt as a lone striker, with three central defenders marking Peter Crouch against Stoke at home, are bewildering. Surely 6ft 3in Carroll should be played in such a physical game? And his reluctance to make a substitution before the 70-minute mark shows a tactical naivety that Liverpool must remove before they can continue.

While it has to be admitted that Liverpool are playing much better football under Dalglish than they were under Hodgson, that matters for little when they've scored almost exactly the same number of goals under both managers at the same stage of the season.

Dalglish was the perfect appointment to stabilise a rocking ship after Hodgson's departure, but he's the wrong man to oversee long-term investment and a squad overhaul.

Progress remains the slogan at Anfield for now, with a cup final at Wembley to look forward to - but beyond that February assignment, the eight-letter word most heard around Anfield could very well be 'stagnate'.

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