A new mural of Liverpool FC legend Sir Kenny Dalglish has been painted on the side of The ARC Hotel in Anfield. The artwork, created by Anthony Donnelly of Urban Canvas, features a well-known image of the football icon surrounded by newspaper clippings and banners from his career, including a banner made by Alan Spearritt in 1978 when he was 15 years old.
Alan, now 63, expressed his surprise and delight at seeing the banner his mother helped him create 48 years ago displayed prominently near Liverpool's home ground. Speaking to the ECHO, he recalled the story behind the banner: 'It was 1978. I was 15 and Liverpool had beaten Mönchengladbach in the European Cup and got through to the final at Wembley versus Club Brugge. My family and friends were planning to go to Wembley to watch the game. I suggested making a banner saying 'Kenny's from heaven', inspired by the TV show Pennies from Heaven. My mum got the red banner, I cut out the letters, and she stitched it together. We took it to Wembley, where Dalglish scored the winner in a 1-0 victory.'
A few months later, Alan and his brother met Kenny Dalglish, who signed the banner. 'At the start of the next season, Liverpool always met at the Holiday Inn on Paradise Street. A friend who worked with Dalglish arranged a meeting. My brother and I took the banner, and Kenny signed the letter K for us. It was amazing,' Alan said.
The banner accompanied Alan to many cup finals over the years. It gained attention in 1986 when Liverpool faced Everton in the FA Cup final, and John Watson mentioned it to Kenny during an interview. After Dalglish left Liverpool, the banner was stored away and forgotten until it appeared in a recent Netflix documentary about Kenny. Alan had no idea the banner would be featured in a mural until his children took him to see it on June 17.
'I'd been decorating, and our kids had seen the mural and planned to take me without me knowing. They took me under the pretence of going to the club shop. Then my lad said there was a new mural and we went to see it. I didn't notice the banner at first, but then I saw it: 'Kenny's from heaven'. They had brought my banner for a photo. It was brilliant,' Alan said.
The ARC Hotel staff decided to update the side of the building, which previously featured Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Robbie Fowler, and Virgil van Dijk. A spokesperson said: 'It was looking tired. We agreed Kenny is a man of the people and should be up there. We contacted Anthony Donnelly, and the result exceeded our expectations. It's fantastic.' The mural took three weeks to complete and is located at The ARC Hotel on Anfield Road.
