Kenny Sacking Sad for Carragher

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has labelled Kenny Dalglish's sacking as a "sad day" but is refusing to dwell on the Scot's departure.

Dalglish saw his contract terminated by Liverpool on Wednesday following a disappointing Premier League season in charge of the Reds, as the club finished in eighth place.

Speculation has already begun over who will replace the coach at the helm - with former Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas the current bookmakers' favourite.

Carragher has admitted to his disappointment at seeing the club legend part ways with the Anfield side, but trusts the owners to make the right appointment.

Speaking at this morning's ITV Sport Euro 2012 launch in central London, Carragher said: "I spoke to him just before he was getting on his flight and asked: 'is it Kenny now or gaffer?'. He said 'it is Kenny now'.

"I am sorry to see him go, but that is football. It is a sad day for him, but we respect the owners' decision and we have to look forward now. I will be fully committed to whoever the manager is."

Dalglish Admits Liverpool Nerves

Kenny Dalglish admits there is plenty of nervous tension inside the Liverpool camp as they ready themselves for an FA Cup final showdown with Chelsea.

He is of the opinion that a few nerves are a good thing, with it important for players to fully appreciate the importance and history of the occasion.

Dalglish claims even he is getting a few butterflies as he prepares to take Liverpool to Wembley for the third time this season and in search of their second piece of silverware.

He has never suffered defeat against Chelsea in 13 previous meetings as a manager, but the Scot considers such statistics to count for little in all-or-nothing encounters.

"It doesn't matter if you have never won or never lost, it makes no difference. It is what happens on the day what counts," he said.

"We got the results because we played well and deserved to win.

"Chelsea have a different manager and the results they are getting are more positive than they were in the earlier part of the season and it is a fantastic achievement for them to get into the Champions League final with two huge performances against Barcelona.

"We know what they are, we know how good they are - but I don't think we are too bad either on our day.

"I think everyone is nervous. The fans are nervous, the management, staff, owners, directors, everyone, but it is the same for both teams.

"If you are not nervous I think you have a bit of a problem."

Dalglish has also sought to play down talk suggesting Saturday's encounter could be a defining moment in the recent history of both sides.

"It is an achievement to get there and a greater achievement to win it," he said.

"It's always special when you win a game and somebody puts a bit of silverware in your hand afterwards.

"But I don't think it's a defining result for either club.

"They've got the cup final and they've got the Champions League coming up so they're fighting on three fronts (Chelsea are still challenging for the top four) to try to get success."

OSM news service

Damien Comolli Leaves Liverpool

Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli has left the club by mutual consent, the Reds have announced.

Comolli was appointed by club co-owners John W. Henry and Tom Werner following their takeover of the club in September 2010.

He oversaw a major spending spree which included the signings of Andy Carroll for £35m and Luis Suarez for £22.7m.

Comolli said: "I am happy to move on from the club and go back to France for family reasons."

He added: "I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to work at Liverpool. I wish the club all the best for the future."

The announcement was made as Liverpool prepare for their FA Cup semi-final against Everton at Wembley on Saturday.

Liverpool chairman Werner said: "The club needs to move forward and we now have a huge game on Saturday. It is important that everyone joins us in supporting the manager and gets behind Kenny [Dalglish] and the team and focuses on a strong finish to the season."

Principal owner Henry added: "We are grateful for all of Damien's efforts on behalf of Liverpool and wish him all the best for the future."

Comolli, 39, was appointed by Liverpool in November 2010 to work alongside former manager Roy Hodgson.

At the time of his appointment the Frenchman said Hodgson, who was replaced by Kenny Dalglish in January 2011, had the final say on all transfers.

He said his role was identifying targets and meant he was responsible for overseeing Dalglish's £112.8m spending spree last year.

As well as Carroll and Suarez, the Reds also paid a combined £36m forAston Villa winger Stewart Downing and Sunderland midfielder Jordan Henderson.

Last September Comolli said he was not looking for new players as he believed Liverpool's squad was "complete".

Following Comolli's departure on Thursday, Dalglish said: "He has been really helpful in every transfer target that we've gone for.

"Everyone who has come into the club since Damien has been here was of my choice.

"Once I made the choice who I wanted, Damien went away and did a fantastic job of bringing them in.

"It's sad to see anyone leave the football club and he goes with my best wishes."

Comolli's appointment marked a return to the Premier League for the Frenchman, who spent three years as Tottenham's director of football before he was sacked by the north London club in October 2008.

Initially he worked alongside Martin Jol, who complained that Comolli recruited players without his consent following his own dismissal in October 2007.

Comolli returned to former club St Etienne, where he was technical director in 2004, before switching to Merseyside as he looked to rebuild his reputation in England.

After a modest playing career in Monaco's youth team, Comolli gained his French coaching licence and worked at the club under then manager Arsene Wenger.

Wenger employed Comolli as his European scout when he took over at Arsenal in 1996 and Comolli received credit for the signings of Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Eboue and Gael Clichy.

LIVERPOOL'S 2011 BUYS

Luis Suarez (£22.8m)

Andy Carroll (£35m)

Jordan Henderson (£16m)

Charlie Adam (£8m)

Stewart Downing (£20m)

Doni (Free)

Jose Enrique (£5m)

Sebastian Coates (£6m)

Craig Bellamy (Free)

Total: £112.8m