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!

Top 5 - The Super Mac's

For this Top 5 i have decided to celebrate Liverpool's Super Mac's.

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

5. Jason McAteer

Or Jason Macintyre as my Mam liked to call him was captured from Bolton Wanderers in 1995 after starring for Ireland in the World Cup as well as for Bolton in the 1st Division where he was a Central Midfielder. Jay is a bona-fide boyhood red and it literally was a dream come true when he joined the reds. He was an exciting player on the ball and was always willing to sacrifice himself for the team. He played in one of our more attacking sides under Roy Evans but ultimately the team was unsuccessful and he left Liverpool without becoming a legend, he is however a player remembered fondly by the Kop, even more-so now that his attitude in the media is respected for being honest and informed the way a true Liverpool fan should be.

4. Gary McAllister

Gary Mac, Gary Mac, Gary Gary Mac. He’s got no hair, we don’t care Gary Gary Mac! Picked up by Gerard Houllier in 2000 at 35 year of age, to say Gary Mac was a surprise signing would be a huge understatement. Man U and Everton fans were lining up to slag Liverpool fans for this most crazy of signings. Hs career at Liverpool was never going to be a long one but his experience and intelligence proved absolutely invaluable as we went on to win an unprecedented treble in 2001. He left Liverpool at the end of the following season with an emotional send off from the Liverpool faithful who couldn’t help but wonder what could have been had he signed for the club earlier in his career.

3. Steve McManaman

Shaggy emerged from Liverpool’s youth set up in 1990 but really went onto establish himself as one of the most exciting young English players under Graeme Souness. He starred as we won the FA Cup in 1992. And over the next few years, along with his bezzie mate Robbie Fowler, he was a small glimmer of light over a couple of very dark seasons. Under Roy Evans he was given a free role and he really played this role in a unique way and was an essential cog of the stylish side and starred in the League Cup final of 1995 scoring both goals in a 2-1 win. He besmirched his memory and status amongst Liverpool fans when he became the first high profile “Bosman Ruling” departure in England when he left for Real Madrid. I still choose to remember what excitement he gave me over the barren years. This video should remind everybody what a truly exciting player shag was..

2. Steve McMahon

Macca was Kenny Dalglish’s first signing in his first stint as Liverpool manager and went on to fill the void left in the side since Greame Souness’ departure a year earlier. Steve was the leader in the middle of the park and the hardman of the side, although this never took away from his skills on the ball which were the equal of any other player in the squad. As the Liverpool side went on the play some of the most attractive football ever seen in 87/88 Macca was an ever present in the side and scored a fair amount of goals for a player in his position. He left Liverpool having won 3 League Medals and 2 FA Cups. He also has the honour of being one of few player to have played for both Everton and Liverpool.

1. Terry McDermott

Terry Mac was an outstanding player for Liverpool. He was signed by Bob Paisley in 74 and went on to play for Liverpool 324 times. He was a dynamic attacking player who formed an incredible partnership with Souness over a few seasons. He had many notable achievements while at Liverpool, notable a goal in the 1977 European Cup final and in 1980 he became the first player to win the Football Writers' and PFA's Player of the year awards in the same season. He is one of my favourite Liverpool players and he scored some truly outstanding and important goals. The video below should so plenty of reasons as to why he has come top of this particular Top 5

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