Kenny preparing his shopping list

WHILE Alex Ferguson appears to have ruled out raiding the transfer market next month, the same cannot be said of Kenny Dalglish.

Last January, Dalglish invested £58 million on scoring talent yet Liverpool’s worrying lack of goals have prompted suggestions he could once again bring in new faces when the window opens in three weeks.

Although Luis Suarez now has five league goals this season after sinking Queens Park Rangers with his head, Dalglish’s side have found the net just 18 times in 15 league games.

Three have come from own goals. Even bottom-of-the-table Bolton Wanderers have scored more.

With the possibility of Suarez facing a lengthy ban after being hit with two Football Association charges and Andy Carroll enduring another frustrating Saturday afternoon on the substitutes bench, it is little wonder Dalglish is refusing to follow Manchester United manager Ferguson, who insists he is not planning to buy, despite a spiralling injury list at Old Trafford.

Suarez, who was subjected to more taunts from opposition supporters, missed a hat-trick of chances before connecting with Charlie Adam’s cross to earn Liverpool a first home league win since September 24.

“Do I feel the need to go out and do something about that? Yes, whichever side comes along here next, we’ll ask them to come without a keeper. That’s the best way to do it, isn’t it?” said Dalglish.

“Irrespective of what I say, it’s not going to stop speculation we are going out in January to sign Joe Bloggs up front, or whoever.

“I don’t need to say anything.”

After defeat to Fulham and Suarez’s latest FA charge, it was vital Dalglish’s side bounced back. It was hardly vintage Liverpool — more a laboured win. Yet Maxi Rodriguez marked his return to the side with an exceptional performance while Suarez made headlines for the right reasons this time.

“You can’t keep him quiet,” said Neil Warnock, the QPR manager, of the controversial Uruguay international afterwards.

“I think what you have to do with Suarez is hope that he is suspended when you play him. That is what I was hoping.

“He has got everything. To me he gives 110% every game, he never lets the defender settle, he twists and turns, alright his finishing wasn’t so good this time, but he still won the match.

“Whatever they paid for him, it was worth every penny.

“He is not a great finisher is he? But you can’t have everything. If he scored every chance he would be £50m, £60m, £70m wouldn’t he?

“But any team without him is a far poorer side. I just thought he was head and shoulders the best player on the pitch.”

On a day when the result was more important than the performance after a testing week for the club, Adam said Liverpool’s first 1-0 win of the campaign may not be the last.

“We just want to take each game as it comes and if it’s 1-0 every game for the next few weeks, we’ll take that and be happy with it,” said the Scottish midfielder following Liverpool’s final home game before Christmas.

Liverpool might not have had much to celebrate in recent seasons, but Stewart Downing hopes victory will see Dalglish give the green light to the players’ Christmas party.

“I think it’s been mentioned once,” said the England winger. “Obviously it’s quite hard to fit in with our busy schedule. We have a lot of games coming up.

“This is probably our busiest time of the year.

“I think first and foremost we need to get back to winning ways and get a run of good results together again before anything like that can be arranged.

“The other thing is the manager has to approve the idea. So we can plan one but it’s only pending until Kenny gives it the go ahead.”