How are our new signings performing so far?

With the end of the international break on us, and no games to report on this week, I thought this might be a good time to have a look at how our summer signings have been doing so far. The season has been patchy as so many new players try to become part of the team, and our coaching staff try to work our tactics to make best use of them. Its not gone all according to plan really for any of our summer signings but we have seen pieces of brilliance from each one of them with only Enrique and Downing so far failing to find the back of the net. I've included marks out of 10 for each player, because I thought this may be useful if doing follow up articles at the midway point and end of the season. it will be good to see who I feel has improved, or not as the case may be, as the season unfolds. As always this is just my opinion and I welcome any comments from any reader in the section below the article.

Charlie Adam

He has certainly shown signs that he can be a potent attacking threat. We have seen many of the qualities which we hoped we would see, he can play some magnificent long range passes, this has been very useful when trying to switch the play quickly from one wing to the other or when trying to build quick counter attacks. He has been very good in possession and hasn’t shown many signs of stress at making the step up to such a big club from Blackpool. Unfortunately, we have also seen some of the drawbacks to his game of which we were forewarned by supporters of his previous clubs. He doesn’t seem to be the best tackler and when trying not to allow his man to get past him he gives away a lot of needless free kicks. He also seems to drift out of games when it gets to around the 60 minute mark. I actually think this is more of an issue around his fitness and conditioning, he doesn’t look like a natural athlete and his stamina suggests he isn’t one either. Overall I think he has done well , and although giving away free kicks can be very frustrating, his efforts when taking our free kicks have been a joy. Be it a fiercly driven shot, a sublime curling placer or a good delivery into the box Charlie can provide them all perfectly. It will be interesting to see what kind of role Kenny deems him worthy of when Steven Gerrard is fully fit. I see him as understudy to Stevie who can offer an alternative tactically as the 3rd man in a 3 man midfield but right now I don’t think he is a definite member of our strongest 11.

7/10

Jordan Henderson

Hendo is what he is, a youngster still learning his trade, albeit a youngster with a very hefty price tag around his neck. He certainly hasn’t done much wrong, but he hasn’t shown an awful lot to justify his price tag either. He has shown that he is capable of producing brilliance, particularly in the Bolton game when he scored a great goal and played some beautiful passes too. I just don’t think he brings an awful lot to the sideright now, certainly not as much as the more experienced and industrious Kuyt, or the more classy Maxi.  I certainly don’t think it harms us to have him in the team, as long as we appreciate what he is, a young inexperience player. Unfortunately a lot of our fans have fallen into this trap of writing him off already. When the results were briefly going against us he became a bit of a whipping boy to certain sections. Ridiculously, he has even been jeered by sections of the Anfield faithful. When judging Hendo I think everyone just needs to have a little perspective. The price-tag has much more to do with what he will become, than it does to what he is right now. Perhaps Kenny's faith is what is causing people to make harsh judgements, but you need to remember that he needs experience. He is not going to start every game (as evidenced by the game at Goodison) but when he is in the team he needs to be cut a bit of slack and be allowed to grow. As is true for nearly all players at his level of development, inconsistency will just have to be accepted until he matures. I have certainly seen enough to convince me that he can become an important player.  For now I think he should also be an understudy but Kenny can see something in him which has earned his trust

6/10

Stewart Downing

Another player who has shown bits of what he is capable but is yet to truly announce his arrival. He started off very brightly in the first few games, his performances improving simultaneous to the whole teams, but when the team hit a bad patch so did his form. He still looks fit and offers quality which no-one else can right now, genuine natural width and pace on the flanks. He has been useful as an outlet too as he always seems to be available for a pass when needed.I feel he is one where those who welcomed his arrival will be satisfied with what they’ve seen, but the doubters will not have seen much to change their minds as yet. It has been so long since Liverpool have had a natural winger, that by virtue of him being that I think his place in the team has been justified. There certainly arent many wingers i can think of in the premiership who match his level of experience in the league. Its important to remember too that his position on the left, is not being backed up by a veteran of the team, his main support comes from another newbie and as their partnership grows, each of their performances will surely improve.   I certainly think ive seen enough to justify his starting place right now and assure me that he will be a big success through the rest of the season. Andy Carroll too seems to be coming into better form and this can only help Downing.

6/10

Jose Enrique

Probably the most impressive summer signing has been the arrival from Newcastle, Jose Enrique. Different from the others, he has arrived without the burden of a big price. I think this has helped him in settling in so quickly. In his first game he kept his game simple and made defending his priority, rarely carrying the ball past the halfway line or overlapping Downing on the wing. In subsequent games he has shown more of his attacking ability, without ever compromising his defensive stability. Its been refreshing and exciting. Himself and Downing are still getting used to how each other plays and I feel that each of their performances will grow at the same time. Already as a change from last season, and seasons before most of our attacking play seems to come down the left hand side. . I think once Glen Johnson returns to the team this will change and we might begin to use the right flank as frequently as the left but until then, it seems that our left side is more of a potent weapon than it has been for many years. From starting last season with a very poor left back, with  an experienced and very classy but also very fragile substitue. We now have a very classy and exciting left back, with the same experienced and fragile player in reserve along with an impressively improving young player. The form shown by Enrique so far means he is definitely a member of our strongest 11, and in my eyes one of the top 4 left backs in England.

8/10

Craig Bellamy

Its a bit to early to make a major judgement on Beller's return to L4. The fact that he was a free transfer means that it really is a no lose situation for us. If it were not to work out we couldnt really have many complaints, but the early signs are that he is going to give everything to make a success of his second spell in red. He was impressive in his (second) first start, showing the pace, drive and tenacity we have come to expect. And adding a fine finish to get his (second) debut goal out of the way. His introduction at Goodison Park also seemed to give the team some much needed impetus and he was very much involved in the build up to Carroll's opening goal of the game. He can perform in pretty much any of the positions accross the front and so gives us options as well as putting a number of people under pressure for their place in the side simultaniously. He may not necesarily be a member of our strongest 11 on paper, but for different opponents when variable tactics are required he is very much part of the 11.

Too early to give a rating

A promising start to Transfer Season

We are only a couple of weeks into transfer season and already it is one of the most exciting I have ever experienced. As was the case during the FSG’s only previous transfer window, they have gone about their business in a manner befitting the clubs history and traditions by keeping their cards close to their chest and acting swiftly to ensure they captured their first priority at a price they deemed agreeable. Their first priority of course was Jordan Henderson, the England U-21 player signed from Sunderland for a fee in the region of €20 million. One transfer attempt which did leak was our bid for Phil Jones from Blackburn Rovers, another star for England U-21’s, this time a Centre Back. At the same time as signing Henderson, it was widely being reported that we were very close to capturing Jones’ signature, as the day wore on though it became apparent that Man Utd had also tabled a bid which had been accepted by Blackburn, and not only that, Jones was actually in Manchester completing a medical and discussing Personal Terms. It seemed we had been pipped at the post and that Jones to Utd was now a formality. It was strange however that such a formality did not seem to be being completed. The reasons for this became clear last night (11/0/2011) when the Guardian reported that a spanner had been thrown in the works by Liverpool attempting to gazump the deal by placing another bid of £22M for the player. This resulted in Rovers’ owners (Venky’s) calling a halt to the deal with Utd as they attempted to start a bidding war between the two neighbouring cities. At the moment there is a bit of a stalemate going on, it has been revealed that there is a clause in Jones’ contract which states that any club which bids more than £16M for the player is allowed to speak directly to him to discuss personal terms, It seems that the Utd hierarchy interpret this as a transfer clause, whereas Rovers’ Chiefs say that they are not obliged to accept the offer and can accept a larger off if available. Liverpool’s second offer, while obviously has a main objective of signing the player, has some further intentions too. It shows that for the first time in a long time, we are credible contenders for the best available players. It also proves that for the first time, maybe since Greame Souness sat in the hot seat, Liverpool can genuinely contend with Man Utd with regard to value in the transfer market. I personally think that after a bit of wrangling Jones will still end up a Man Utd player, he has already made his decision it seems, but isn’t it refreshing to see our great club showing Utd that no longer will they have it their own way. We might even cause them to spend an extra €7 million on a player they thought they had sewn up days ago. This could also be a tactic to ensure they have less cash should we go head to head on another target down the road. Wherever Jones ends up now, the manner in which our club have handled this transfer has given Liverpool supporters further cause for optimism as the window continues.

Damien Comolli spoke during the week about our targets going forward, saying there would definitely be more signings and that they would most likely be from within England stating "If a player is English, or British or has played in the Premier League, we'll look at that over someone abroad” This would be in-line with the players we have been linked with over the past 2 weeks, I’m sure you have heard most of the names by now, Downing, Adam, Wickham, Dann, all players who could add something to our squad. They may not be the exciting continentals that get fans pulses rating but they are all proven quality in England and could settle into the side with the minimum amount of adjustment required. I won’t go in depth with regard to any of the players until they are, if they are, signed but I am pleased with all of these names, in particular Wickham the exciting young goal scorer from Ipswich who fits perfectly with our current policy of signing the best young British talent available. The policy which Comolli has spoken of is easy to understand in that we will be signing players who don’t need as much time to adjust to life in Liverpool and the English culture, but I do hope this doesn’t mean we will forsake exceptional talent from abroad. Players we have been linked to recently, in particular Juan Mata from Valencia are true quality players with the ability to lift any team, and while I certainly will back Comolli and Dalglish’s choices I hope we are still considering every option available.

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On another note, thanks to everyone who voted for The Red Article’s player of the year. I don’t think it will come as much of a surprise that Lucas Leiva has won by a large amount picking up 47% of the votes. As we continue to sign midfielders lets hope Lucas can continue his rate of improvement and cement his place in the side again next season.

The Red Article - Player of the Season Poll

The end of a crazy season has come. I don’t want to keep treading over the same old ground, everybody knows how desperate things became under Hodgson when it became more likely you would hear a Liverpool fan talking of relegation battles instead of Champions League qualification. Of course, that’s not to mention the ownership situation which almost strangled this great football club to death. Both issues were resolved during the season which lead to a strong recovery. That recovery however, ultimately ended fruitlessly when losses in the two decisive, and final, games of the season put paid to our hopes of European football for next season. The impact of failure to qualify for the Europa League has effected Liverpool fans in different ways. Some find it a relief, some a disappointment, but regardless of how you feel the fact is we will not be playing in Europe next season and though it may be a major step backwards Liverpool fans are very optimistic about next season. This optimism is based on a few factors, the afore mentioned change of ownership, the return of King Kenny to the Anfield hotseat, the return to quick and offensive football. But another reason has been the Players. By which I mean the improvement of many previously underrated players, the maturing of some younger players and some high profile new additions.

That is the point of this article, to acknowledge the outstanding performers in the squad throughout the 2010/2011 season. These kind of decisions often split opinions, not everyone will agree on the number one so instead of just putting up my pick for best player of the season, i thought it would be best to pick my top 5 players of the season and then put it up to a vote for all The Red Article readers to vote on. So here are the options in no particular order.

LUCAS LEIVA

Lucas has been Mr. Consitency this season and has already been named the official Liverpool FC player of the year, as well as being revealed as the choice of Steven Gerrard. According to official statistics Lucas completed more tackles than any other premiership player this season. Lucas has been much maligned since coming to Liverpool, ridiculed by most although now of course those who slagged him off will swear blind they always thought he was a great player and never gave him stick. He is the unspectacular but always dependable player every team needs, and boy, didn’t he show everyone this year!

DIRK KUYT

Another player who has split opinions a lot during his time in Liverpool, Dirk also converted a number of non-believers this season. He looked lost at times under Roy, then again who didn’t, but since Kenny has returned, accompanied by a more intense pressing game, Dirk’s form returned to its previous levels too. For a time when Carroll was injured and Suarez was acclimatising Dirk lead the line imperiously. He also forged a formidable partnership with Suarez, which culminated in an unforgettable hat-trick against Man U.

MARTIN KELLY

Young Martin Kelly was one of the very few outstanding performers under Roy Hodgson. I mentioned at one point in the season that every time i did a “positives and negatives” article Martin Kelly was mentioned as a positive. At first this was down to encouraging performances from a youngster but increasingly due to him being a standout performer in a struggling side. Kenny believed in him so much that he moved Glen Johnson to the left back position to accommodate him. Strong defensively and exciting going forward he gave Liverpool fans some great excitement throughout the year. His season was unfortunately cut short by injury but there is no doubt that this youngster will go on to cement a place in the side.

RAUL MEIRELES

The one lasting legacy of Roy Hodgson’s reign has been, and will be Raul. We are still to find his strongest position but he has performed very well in a number of positions. Deep Midfield under Roy, Attacking midfield under Kenny, and a few games at right midfield under both. He plays intelligent football and is very much a Liverpool type of player. Everyone will remember his purple patch in the early Kenny days as when they took full notice of him, but he has done more for the team throughout the season than just his goals. He has been, and to a certain degree, still is acclimatising to football in the premiership. If he’s this good now, he can only improve next year!

LUIS SUAREZ

When FT’s departure from Liverpool was announced, most Liverpool fans just couldn’t imagine when we would have another player of his type. It seemed like dark days were ahead. That was until Suarez made his debut, he wasn’t quite there yet, but even in a short cameo we could see that we had reasons to be optimistic. Although he was only with us for half the season his performances were so exhilarating and exciting that it helped Liverpool fans believe again, and for this alone he deserves to be considered for this award.

So there you have it. 5 choices, as well as the option of “Other” for those who don’t agree with the 5 I have laid out here. The Poll is located in the top right corner of this page.

Please everybody vote as it is the only way we can pick an outright winner.

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I just found out a few people have been having trouble using the vote on this page when reading on their phones. If you do have trouble feel free to tell me your vote through Twitter, Facebook, email, text or whatever way you can.

All votes will be counted!

Sunderland 0 - 2 Liverpool (Talking Points)

After the bitter disappointment of leaving the Europa League at the hands of FC Braga, Liverpool reminded us that we still have hope (albeit slim) of qualifying for European competition next year. It was a performance which was at the other extreme of the dour, listless performance on Thursday night. The performance was aided in no small part by the endeavour of our new number 7 who seems to excite more with every passing week.

A Midfielder comes of age:

Jay Spearing has been on the periphery of the side now for almost 3 years. He has been given time in less important games of low intensity and has never let anyone down when called upon. The thing is though, he has rarely shone that brightly either. There have been moments of promise but nothing to suggest that he was close to forcing his way into the starting 11 on a regular basis. This performance had plenty of that however as he began to grow into the game as the first half wore on. He showed intelligence and a little experience in cleverly cutting across John Mensa following the Sunderland man’s mistake which forced the foul which won the penalty, yes it was a fortuitous decision but more on that later. Spearing was surprisingly influential on the game throughout with stern tackling, crisp passing and some driving forward runs, one of which culminated in a curling shot which Sunderland Keeper Mignolet did brilliantly to keep out. One positive of the season so far has been the promise shown by a number of Liverpool’s youngsters. If Spearing can keep his performances to a similar level to the end of the season he will give us yet another reason to be excited.

I Just Can’t Get Enough: Luis Suarez:

What a Player, What a Song! To show how quickly and how fully the Liverpool faithful have taken our new Uruguayan to their hearts they had a brand new song which could be heard booming around the stadium of Light on Sunday. Its a proper Liverpool song, and is a worthy successor to the last hero’s song. Expect to hear it being copied poorly , with no shame and sang at clubs all over England in tribute to their own hero’s. At least we’ll remember who came up with it! As for the man himself he was brilliant on the day and just showed us all further reasons to be extremely happy with our winter transfer business. He also showed he likes to work hard and is happy to put in as much effort when chasing the ball and he does when chasing a goal. The finish was sublime and from a ridiculous angle. On Match of the Day I heard the couch potatos scoffing at the keepers efforts, but I think that ignores the skill shown by Luis in convincing the keeper he would cross and then dispatching a rocket into the back of the net. Altogether now:

To the tune of Just Can't Get Enough by Depeche Mode...

His name is Suarez, he wears the famous Red

I just can't get enough, I just can't get enough

When he scores a volley or when he scores a head

I just cant get enough, I just can't get enough

He scores a goal and the Kop go wild

And I just can't seem to get enough Suarez

Do-do-do-do-do-do-do

Do-do-do-do-do-do-do

Do-do-do-do-do-do-do

Luis Suarez!

The Partnership was finally given a go:

Due to Andy’s Injury when he arrived in L4 and Luis’ ineligibility for the Europa League fans have had to wait a long time to see the two new stars start a game in tandem. From this performance it was easy to see who was more match fit and I have spoken about Suarez’ performance above. The colossus had a few decent touches and caused trouble with his height on a number of occasions but it wasn’t exactly a blistering performance, although having said that he did have 2 good chances to open his account in Red (one of them a n absolute sitter). The Mackem’s, due to their fierce rivalry with their black and white neighbours were never going to give Andy an easy time, and his fitness levels at the moment made him look a little rusty which just made it all the easier for them. There were however enough contrasts on view however to assure all reds fans that this partnership is going to be something special. Andy flicked on to Luis a number of times and his aerial victories allowed us to keep possession on a number of occasions. When Luis had made a great run in the first half Andy dithered on the ball and wasted a half decent opportunity but that should not be dwelt upon. This is the type of flaw that will be corrected only through game time and match fitness.

Karma is a B*TCH!

I think even the most rose tinted red supporter can admit that the foul on Jay spearing took place (just) outside the area. The referee awarded a penalty and we were one nil up. The commentators jumped on top of it as if this were some huge controversy. Granted it was a contentious decision, which through the magic of instant replay we can see to be incorrect but really, don’t we see this kind of thing every week? Judgement calls which swing one way or the other often go in the wrong direction that’s just part and parcel of football. Its not like a goal was scored by the ball bouncing off a Beach Ball and past the goal keeper is it? No, that was last season in the same venue except this time it was scored against the home team!

Steve Bruce was up in arms after the game saying: I knew and [fourth official] Martin Atkinson knew within five seconds that it was outside the box with the technology we have got. Surely it has got to be time for those sort of things to be brought into play with all the technology we have got today."

Steve wasn’t so annoyed on the 6th of March when Sunderland benefited from a questionable decision by a linesman in their 0-0 draw at Arsenal. Steve Bruce laughs the call off, chuckling: "Well done the linesman."

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That’s it for this article, Liverpool have no game this week as there is an international break, I will put up a new Top 5 early next week just to keep things ticking over. Dont forget to use the comments section below to suggest any future articles you’d like to see.

Top 5 - Irish Liverpool Players

Given that it has been a bit slow over the last week as a result of Liverpool being knocked out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle, I have found it hard to come up with a blog. The lack of news regarding off field maters is also due to the newfound (or recently remembered) refreshing code of silence at the club. No longer are there leaks to the press from board room level, no longer is there power struggles from the manager and (for the moment at least) there are no players, or their agents, angling for a transfer away from the club. This of course is something we should be very happy about, unless of course youre a journalist desperate for a story to tell. The closest thing to a story this week has been the “absolutely sensational story” that Kenny Dalglish and Andy Carroll attended a Boyzone concert in the Echo arena, hardly a big story I know but as I said, when there is no real news this is what we have to put up with I guess.

Click here for Proof.

I had already been thinking for a while of doing a series of Top 5’s in different categories, when in Athens for the Champions League Final in 07 my sister and I were drinking with a pair of hardcores on the day of the game and we started going through our top 5’s in various categories and it was a great way to keep the conversation (and beer) flowing, so I thought that this slow week might be a good time to start so here is the first of what I hope will be a new fortnightly article.

Please use the comments section to suggest Top 5’s for the future or debate the entries here.

TOP 5

IRISH LIVERPOOL PLAYERS

5. Steve Finnan – Stevie was brought in by Gerard Houllier after a great season for Fulham after which he was voted into the players team of the season at right back. He was a very steady defender who was quite underrated in his forward play. He didn’t start as brightly as many hoped and there was talk that he would leave once Rafa took control of the club, but this ended up having a good effect on him as he went on to cement his position at right back under the Spaniard. His crowning achievement was winning a Champions League Medal in Istanbul 2005, although unfortunately for the Limerick man he had to go off injured at half time. He ended the game a lot happier of course.The medal marked a signifigant pinnacle for a player who had at that point played in every professional League in England.

4. Mark Lawrenson – Lawro has unfortunately tarnished himself in the eyes of many reds fans in the years since he became a football pundit. His often hyper critical analysis of Liverpools performances are hard to swallow for many. We should not however, allow this to tarnish the memory of a fantastic Liverpool player and a loyal servant to the club for many years. Brought to the club from Preston he became the very epitomy of a ball playing vcentre half. Excellent on the ball and in the tackle he formed a formidable partnership with Jockey Hansen. He regurarly played in the centre of midfield for Ireland and did so at Liverpool on occasion too. His medal haul would be the envy of many past, and present footballers. He was in fact so good that its hard to understand how he seems to know nothing about football when he is on MOTD!

 

3. John Aldridge – Aldo is simply the most Irish Scouser in the world, People often talk about how he only played for Ireland because England didn’t want him and he freely admits he never thought of playing for Ireland until approached by Jack Charlton, but so what, once he made his decision he adopted the Irish culture to a T, and has never lost his Irishness even all these years after hanging up his boots. He was bought by Kenny to replace the Italy bound Ian Rush and he did so with aplomb. He scored goals by the bag full and only made way upon Rushie’s return. Its fair to say he was probably bombed out too soon but regardless, he was overjoyed to have played for the hometown club he once supported from the Kop, and the Kop were overjoyed to have enjoyed so many goals from one of their own.

2. Ronnie Whelan – Signed from Home Farm the Dubliner made an immediate impact at Liverpool when he was voted Young Player of the Year and scored 2 goals in the League cup final in his debut season. He turned out to be a less spectacular player than that first season suggested but he was hugely important to Liverpool’s success over the8 years he wore the red shirt. He was still capable of the spectacular as he showed when scoring 2 absolutely spectacular goals against Man U, again in the League Cup final this time in 83. He won 12 Major honours at Liverpool

1. Steve Heighway – When rebuilding his aging side in 1970 Bill Shankly signed your Irishman Steve Heighway from Skelmersdale United in what turned out to be an inspired transfer. The Dublin born winger went on to play 475 times for Liverpool and scored 50 goals. Heighway was a very pacy winger, with incredible control and was a great passer of the ball. His place in Liverpool history was further cemented when he rejoined the club in 1989 to take over the clubs youth academy. While in this role he saw the club produce talents such as Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Dominic Matteo, David Thompson and Michael Owen. He is immortalised by the Anfield faithful with a line dedicated to himin the Kop Anthem "Fields of Anfield Road"

Honourable Mentions:

Elisha Scott (Wish I could have included Elisha here)

Steve Staunton

Ray Houghton

Michael Robinson

Jim Beglin

Jason McAteer

Is this the next generation of Liverpool Heroes?

With the news that Kenny Dalglish has called 5 youth players into the squad for the trip to play Sparta Prague in the Europa League I thought i would do an article on the players in question. Just a little background info on each of them, and a picture so you will recognise them if they end up getting a run on Thursday. Not every prospect makes it but the Europa League can be a good place to get experience and make a name for yourself in the first team..... Just ask Martin Kelly!

First Name - Conor

Surname - Coady

Squad Number - 35

Position - Central Defender

D.O.B. - 25 Feb 1993

Town of Birth - Liverpool

Nationality - English

Conor Coady: Coady played a key role and was captain of England’s Under 17 side that were victorious at the European Championships in 2010. This was England’s first ever triumph at the Championships. He is equally adept at playing either Centre Back or in Holding Midfield, starting mostly for Liverpool U18’s at Centre Back and in Holding Midfield when wearing white. His reputation for England is that of a midfield enforcer who breaks up attacks and starts his own team’s movements. This year he has moved into the senior set-up at Anfield and made his mark in the reserves when helping the second string to a senior cup double in the summer. A composed figure in possession, Coady is also regarded as a player with great leadership skills. I have heard him described as being similar to Carra in tenacity while similar to Stevie G in touch.

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First Name - John

Surname - Flanagan

Squad Number - 38

Position - Right Back

D.O.B. - 1 Jan 1993

Town of Birth - Liverpool

Nationality - English

John Flanagan: Flanagan starred for the U18’s last year and made the step up to the reserve team this season. He is a tough tackling full-back who doesn’t just like to tackle he loves it. He is a fully committed player with a never say die attitude but he also has a good touch and great attacking instincts, getting forward to deliver good crosses into the box whenever an opportunity arises. He is a strong reader of the game which enables him to take up great defensive positions, he also shows an impressive maturity rarely giving away silly free-kicks. If comparing his style of play to a current star, he would be most closely linked with Carra, a player who it’s said that he models his game on.

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First Name - Jack

Surname - Robinson

Squad Number - 49

Position - Defender

Height - 1.68m

D.O.B. - 1 Sep 1993

Country of Birth - England

Jack Robinson: Robinson became the youngest player to ever feature for Liverpool’s first team when he made a substitute appearance against Hull City in what proved to be Rafa Benitez’s last game as Liverpool manager, he was aged 16 years and 250 days and broke a record previously held by Max Thompson since 1974. Jack is an attacking full back who is said to be quite fond of producing thunderous challenges. Jamie Carragher recently said this of Robinson “"I've heard a lot of positive things about him. I wasn't even in the youth team when I first went full-time and he was a regular at 15 so it shows you he has something about him."

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First Name - Raheem

Surname - Sterling

Squad Number - 31

D.O.B. - 8 Dec 1994

Country of Birth - Kingston, Jamaica

Nationality - English

Raheem Sterling: Sterling is the most intriguing of all the call up’s for this European game. Aged 16 years and 71 days, if he were to make an appearance he would break Jack Robinsons record. As recently as Monday Sterling scored 5 goals in a 9-0 rout of Southend, a scoring record more noteable for the fact that he is not a striker and scored all 5 from the wing. He is a talented winger in the traditional mould with a reputation for pace and flair. It sounds a bit too early to be making such comparisons and this could have something to do with his Jamaican roots but his play is said to be reminiscent of John Barnes. If that statement turns out to be half true we are going to have some player on our hands!

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First Name - Thomas

Surname - Ince

Squad Number - 45

Position - Left Midfield

D.O.B. - 30 Jan 1992

Town of Birth - Stockport

Country of Birth - England

Nationality - English

Thomas Ince: Son of famous Liverpool captain Paul, Tom has been tipped for stardom for a long time even though he is still only 19. Ince can play left wing but he has also looked excellent playing just behind the striker in the Gerrard / Meireles role. In november he went on loan to his fathers Notts County team on a short term loan and scored 2 goals in his 6 appearances.

Transfer Window Arrivals

Our first permanent signing of the summer was one that had been rumoured since Rafael Benitez had been in charge and an outstanding performance in the 2010 world cup, the signing of Uruguayan player Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz from Ajax for a figure which is reported as between £22million and £27million. Suarez has been a huge success in his time in Europe so far, albeit in Holland which is no longer recognised as one of the top leagues. His record for Ajax was a phenomenal 81 goals in 110 games, and I have seen some people trying to say that because these goals were scored in Holland that doesn’t prove they will translate to England which is fair enough, but it doesn’t mean that they won’t. For every example of players who cannot translate their talent between the leagues there are examples of players who can. Ruud Van Nistelrooy, for one, never missed a beat when moving from PSV to Utd so there is every chance Suarez can fit straight in, especially now that he has scored on his home debut.

Suarez was certainly bought to play with our now departed Spaniard but obviously immediately after signing it became apparent that this would not be happening. He is a rare breed in that he is most certainly a support striker who is very creative for his partner and others, but he also scores by the bag full and is a very accomplished finisher.

If the Suarez signing was one that was in the pipeline, our second transfer was a bolt from the blue. Andy Carroll arrived from Newcastle at a price of £35million to become Liverpool’s new number 9. It is a deal which has caused a lot of mouths to drop to the floor. Andy at 22 is a giant. Not just tall but big in stature and strength too, in fact his unveiling handed Kenny the perfect chance to mimic Bill Shankly’s famous introduction of Ron Yeats to the press pack when Shanks called Rowdy a “Colossus” and invited the journalists to “come in and take a walk around him”. Let’s just get something out there, I’m not going to argue with anybody who says that he was overpriced, I will however argue with anybody who says that this was a panic buy and a case of the reds just throwing money out there. There are a whole host of things which add up to mean that his value increased above what you might expect. He’s 22 so add on a few million, He’s English that’s another few million, It’s the January transfer window that’s another few million and of course one of the more important, his club didn’t want to sell. He may not have lot of experience behind him but he has dealt with some things at his tender age that others never do. This year was his debut season in the premiership and just to add on an extra bit of pressure he was handed the number 9 shirt at Newcastle, worn by club legends such as Malcolm MacDonald and Alan Shearer. This pressure didn’t make him wilt, it actually seemed to encourage him to his fantastic start to the season, 11 goals in his 19 appearances so far show this. He is a pretty unique player, the strengths he has don’t come around very often and he brings a completely new dimension to our play. He can score as well as bring others into play (a quality shared with his new partner Suarez). He is a good footballer who can really smash the ball and his incredible body strength teamed with his height can make at times unstoppable in the air something which we have not had for a long time (Yeah Crouch was tall but would you actually call him strong in the air?)

At the end of this window we have something which seemed impossible when we realised Torres was leaving and that is excitement. We have 2 players who when combined could be incredible. People have suggested they could form a partnership similar to that of Toshack and Keegan and if that turns out to be nearly true then the rest of the premiership better watch out! Suarez is 24 and Carroll is 22 so realistically they could form a famous partnership for the next number of years, it’s no exaggeration to say we could very well be better off when now we have 2 players to do the job that for a number of years now we have been relying on 1 man to do on his own.


FOR PART ONE OF THIS ARTICLE ON DEPARTURES CLICK
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Transfer Window Departures

Well the first transfer out of the club in this January window was Ryan Babel who went to Hoffenheim in Germany for a fee of about €6million. Babel was always a frustrating player at Liverpool, when he was on the bench we all called for his introduction as the unknown quantity full to the brim with Speed, Skill and a ferocious drive, but more often than not his impact made little difference. In his first season he put in some mouth watering displays that had everybody thoroughly believing we had a superstar in our hands but unfortunately he never kicked on from there. In fact you could make the argument that he actually regressed as a footballer following this purple patch rather than building on it. I still think Ryan is a quality footballer and he still has the potential to be a very good player, it’s just that he needs to be treated a certain way. He needs to be given top billing and play every week. He might just get that at Hoffenheim but he never would at Liverpool where rotation is now accepted as a necessity, as it is by most clubs who play so many games each season

Ryan was also famous for being a twit-ter, the Howard Webb in the Utd shirt shenanigans ensured this, and although this gained him a lot of bad press it was never anything more than a bit of fun. It was naive and silly of course but I think a lot of Liverpool fans enjoyed it, I know I certainly did mainly because it was just good to see a player react in a similar way to how fans do. Another (less publicised) result of Ryan’s Twitter antics, was this goodbye message he posted just as the details of Torres’ duplicity began to emerge:

“Yeah the football world is sometimes a very strange world !!!

A player who don't play a lot complains and wanna leave but the club don't let the player go

A player who plays every game and is important and very loved at the club wants to leave and get the permission to leave

But that's why we love football,

There is no other club then Liverpool with the anthem " YNWA " !!! #Beautiful

But hey I'm gonna dedicate a few tweets to some lfc fans

Wanna thank ALL of you fans but the ones in particular who believed in me and supported me all those years..

Its definitely a shame it didn't worked out for me and the club, but that's how it is sometimes..

I was blessed to work with one of the greatest football players and I learned a lot

I learn to love the lfc way, the city, the people and I made lots of friends in Liverpool

I learn to love the lfc way, the city, the people and I made lots of friends in Liverpool

And thanks for still following me on here .. #YNWA”

I thought I would print it here for anyone who isn't on twitter as it was a good reminder after witnessing Torres’ actions that it is possible to leave a club on good terms and wish your old club well without getting on the wrong side of your new fore this transfer window opened I never thought there would be a point when I would be wishing Torres could be more like Ryan Babel but there you go.

Then came a transfer which we had feared happening but never truly believed that it would. Our hero, the player we put our faith in, the player we loved and understood like no other and who said he loved us back suddenly let it be known that he wanted to leave. Not only that though he wanted to go to Chelsea, a club with values and history which are the very opposite to what Liverpool hold dear. Over the next few days the level of Torres’ deceit became clear, he had been discussing the move since July and his heart had left Anfield then, as evidenced by his performances on the pitch. When it happened it was so hard to take, I found myself going through the 5 stages of grief, something people usually associate with having their heart broken:

1. Denial – “No way it’s just paper talk, the anti-Liverpool media trying to destabilise us.”

2. Anger – “Well if he wants to go F*CK him”

3. Bargaining – “Well he could still change his mind, it would just take an apology”

4. Depression – “That’s it, were finished. We may as well just write the season off”

5. Acceptance – “Actually, maybe we’ll be alright these new lads could work out even better than he did.

The thing about it is it wasn’t even just the fact that we were losing Torres the player, the very fact that he wanted to leave hurt in itself. Upon signing for Chelsea he threw a few thinly veiled insults at the Liverpool supporters, which were simply uncalled for and was the final act in the dismantling of his reputation. It ensured that he will never be remembered at Liverpool for his phenomenal skill, blistering speed, outstanding goal ratio or beautiful goals. He will be revered amongst Liverpool fans for the pain he caused, as a comedy villain. Closer in reputation to El Hadji Diouf than Robbie Fowler.

Once emotions are put to the side, and the mask has been removed we can stop remembering Torres as the player he was two years ago and suddenly see him as he has the player he really has been for the last year or more, the sulking, injury prone, lazy version of a world class player. Sure he has shown his quality at certain points but never anything to compare to that first season. It’s with that in mind that we must be pleased to have received €50million. I still feel he could come to regret his decision but of course I am biased. It’s still a gamble though, he has ruined his reputation and tainted his character in the eyes of many. If it turns out that he does not win the medals he so desires it will all have been for nothing.

FOR PART TWO OF THIS ARTICLE ON ARRIVALS CLICK
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