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!

Fulham 2 - 5 Liverpool (Positives and Positives)

 

As the season approaches its end Liverpool’s form continued to soar as we romped to a 5-2 victory against Fulham at Craven Cottage. At some points this season it has seemed like most Liverpool’s fans wish would have been to just have the season end, just to put us out of our misery. Now of course, the exact opposite is true. Our wish now would be for us to be in this kind of form at the start of the season. All of a sudden people are pointing out how if you extrapolate Kenny’s points per game haul over the season we would now lie in second place in the table and still have a shout of winning the title. Such talk of course is absolutely pointless! We are where we are, and where we are is 5th place in the table, that’s not where we want to be by any means but it is a long way from the levels we had dropped to before the Kings return! There are an awful lot of positives for Liverpool fans right now, the style of play, the players, the academy not to mention the owners. We should keep these positives in mind when we are watching the club from down the road win the race to number 19. This hurts like hell of course, but it would hurt an awful lot more if had still not got our ship in order. At the moment we are poised and ready. I generally don’t like talking about next year this and next year that. Its become a cliché from Liverpool fans and is an easy stick for our detractors to beat us with. This year, however is an exception to that. I am genuinely excited about how much we can improve next year and I wouldn’t begrudge any Liverpool fan the same privilege. We have spent enough time with dejection as our driver, so now that positivity is snapping in its seat belt we should all take the opportunity to sit back and enjoy the ride!

Maxi Rodriguez goes down the wing for me:

In Kenny’s first few games in charge it seemed that for one reason or other he simply didn’t fancy our Argentinean star. He kept plugging away and working in training and forced himself back into the side. Since then he has scored 7 goals in his last 3 games, you don’t need me to tell you that includes 2 hat-tricks! Maxi is a classy player. I think some fans found it hard to take to take to Maxi for a while for a couple of reasons. One being that he was a cut price transfer deal due to his contract running down (which means some people don’t immediately respect him) and two he is not a tricky pacy winger, more a wide sided midfielder. While its true he is not a traditional winger , he is however a very intelligent player and he oozes class. He is the very epitome of a “squad player” in this Liverpool side. He is good enough for the starting 11 most weeks but when he is not in he doesn’t huff or slack off. He works harder so that when he is called upon he is 100% ready.

Six hundred and sixty six:

Jamie Carragher captained Liverpool as he moved clear of Emlyn Hughes and Ray Clemence to go second in our Liverpool’s all time appearance list. He may not be happy to have conceded two goals on such an occasion, in fact he is never happy to concede one goal.... even in friendlies! There’s not much more that can be said about Jamie, he is simply a Legend! He’s not done yet of course, who’s to say how many appearances he will have by the time he hangs up his boots. You can be sure of one thing though, Liverpool will have picked up more points because of him!

Hard work:

This team worked hard from the first minute through to the last. There were simply no passengers in red on that pitch. Every player worked their socks off from first minute to last. Even at a point when the game had clearly been won, in the 90th minute you could still see our strikers chasing down defenders, putting them under pressure. This shows great attitude and a real team spirit, and its another positive which we hope will improve next season too.

***

I saw an interesting stat this week which just highlights how important Luis Suarez has alredy become to Liverpool FC

“Liverpool have averaged 2.7 goals per PL game this season with Luis Suarez playing, compared to 1.28 in his absence. “

Arsenal 1 -1 Liverpool (Talking Points)

Fighting Spirit

The game against Arsenal ended in a draw which will have taught Kenny Dalglish more about his players than any victory could have. It was a performance full of grit, fighting spirit, commitment, team work and a visible camaraderie amongst the squad. We were dealt blow after blow throughout the game but we kept coming back and doing enough to ensure we were not beaten. Our performances had improved (to levels unrecognisable compared to the first half of the season) of late, but while we have won a few games with flair we have also wilted on a few occasions when things didn’t quite go to plan from the off. This was a game where we may not have been in control from start to finish but we never weakened even when put under intense pressure.

Just how many of these kids are ready for the 1st team?

Throughout this season a number of our youth players have been given their opportunity to prove themselves at the top level, each time this has happened the players have shown themselves to be capable at least and in a number of instances truly impressive. Martin Kelly and Jay Spearing have cemented their places in the first team picture to a level whereby we will be purchasing players to challenge them rather than to push them back into the reserve squads this summer. Kelly may be injured at the moment but Spearing put in another accomplished performance in the middle of the park. John Flanagan got another run out following his impressive debut on Monday night and continued where he left off, he was caught in possession and misplaced 1 or 2 passes but on the whole he seems a confident lad who doesn’t let any error get him down. Another success story was Jack Robinson, this was not his debut of course, his debut came in Rafa’s last game when he became the youngest player to ever wear the red shirt, but it was his first time playing in such a game against an opponent of the standard of Theo Wallcott. He defended resolutely and to my mind was only caught out of position on one occasion. He has pace and seems to be strong in the tackle, he still needs work but has at least shown he has the talent required.

As well as the youngsters who have already excelled in the first team, the U18’s are also proving that there may be more ready sooner than expected with an emphatic 6-0 victory over their Manchester United counterparts over the weekend. The result was impressive enough but the style on display has whetted appetites, as long as they keep proving when called upon, they will keep getting called!

It aint Over till its Over

Two players broke premier league records during the game, unfortunately for one of them it was the same record. Van Persie held the record for the latest ever Premier League goal for a grand total of 4 minutes when he netted his 98th minute penalty. Dirk Kuyt then took the title from him when he pushed home his effort in the 102th minute. When Arsenal took the lead it would have been very easy to take it that the game had been lost, for Liverpools players to drag themselves back into the game at that point showed fantastic character and proved that until the final whistle goes there is always a chance!

Aurelio, is his time up..... again?

There is no doubting Fabio Aurelio is a very good player. He is a player who when fit definitely warrants a place in our squad. The problem is he simply is not fit enough of the time. Rafa Benitez recognised this at the end of last season when he offered him a Pay as you Play contract which the player rejected. He was brought back from the wilderness by Roy Hodgson and given a new 2 year contract by Purslow (which by many accounts is quite lucrative given the fact that he was signed as a free agent). He has impressed on some occasions this season, as he has done in every season since his arrival, but every time he gets a run of form together he breaks down. We simply cannot rely on him going forward. Maybe its time to cut our losses hopefully there will be some clubs interested in him over the summer because as said, when fit he can certainly be an asset.

Justice for the 96!

Today is the anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster when 96 football fans went to watch their team play the semi-final of the FA Cup but never came home.

Due to the lies printed in the media and by one Rag particular, misconceptions still exist about what caused the disaster and who is to blame. The fight for justice goes on so do yourself a favour, click some of the links below to either educate yourself or remind yourself what the fight for justice is all about.

And Always remember: LIVERPOOL FANS DON'T BUY THE SUN!

To Learn about the campaign for JUSTICE click:  

HERE

http://www.contrast.org/hillsborough/home.shtm

For the true story of what happened on the day click:

HERE

http://www.contrast.org/hillsborough/history/history-html.htm

To Learn why the people of Liverpool and all Liverpool fans throughout the world dont buy the Sun click:  HERE

http://www.anfieldroad.com/dont-buy-the-sun/

 96 needless deaths. 96 people who will never be forgotten.
RIP

Y.N.W.A

John Alfred Anderson (62)


Colin Mark Ashcroft (19)

James Gary Aspinall (18)

Kester Roger Marcus Ball (16)

Gerard Bernard Patrick Baron (67)

Simon Bell (17)

Barry Sidney Bennett (26)

David John Benson (22)

David William Birtle (22)

Tony Bland (22)

Paul David Brady (21)

Andrew Mark Brookes (26)

Carl Brown (18)

David Steven Brown (25)

Henry Thomas Burke (47)

Peter Andrew Burkett (24)

Paul William Carlile (19)

Raymond Thomas Chapman (50)

Gary Christopher Church (19)

Joseph Clark (29)

Paul Clark (18)

Gary Collins (22)

Stephen Paul Copoc (20)

Tracey Elizabeth Cox (23)

James Philip Delaney (19)

Christopher Barry Devonside (18)

Christopher Edwards (29)

Vincent Michael Fitzsimmons (34)

Thomas Steven Fox (21)

Jon-Paul Gilhooley (10)

Barry Glover (27)

Ian Thomas Glover (20)

Derrick George Godwin (24)

Roy Harry Hamilton (34)

Philip Hammond (14)

Eric Hankin (33)

Gary Harrison (27)

Stephen Francis Harrison (31)

Peter Andrew Harrison (15)

David Hawley (39)

James Robert Hennessy (29)

Paul Anthony Hewitson (26)

Carl Darren Hewitt (17)

Nicholas Michael Hewitt (16)

Sarah Louise Hicks (19)

Victoria Jane Hicks (15)

Gordon Rodney Horn (20)

Arthur Horrocks (41)

Thomas Howard (39)

Thomas Anthony Howard (14)

Eric George Hughes (42)

Alan Johnston (29)

Christine Anne Jones (27)

Gary Philip Jones (18)

Richard Jones (25)

Nicholas Peter Joynes (27)

Anthony Peter Kelly (29)

Michael David Kelly (38)

Carl David Lewis (18)

David William Mather (19)

Brian Christopher Mathews (38)

Francis Joseph McAllister (27)

John McBrien (18)

Marion Hazel McCabe (21)

Joseph Daniel McCarthy (21)

Peter McDonnell (21)

Alan McGlone (28)

Keith McGrath (17)

Paul Brian Murray (14)

Lee Nicol (14)

Stephen Francis O’Neill (17)

Jonathon Owens (18)

William Roy Pemberton (23)

Carl William Rimmer (21)

David George Rimmer (38)

Graham John Roberts (24)

Steven Joseph Robinson (17)

Henry Charles Rogers (17)

Colin Andrew Hugh William Sefton (23)

Inger Shah (38)

Paula Ann Smith (26)

Adam Edward Spearritt (14)

Philip John Steele (15)

David Leonard Thomas (23)

Patrik John Thompson (35)

Peter Reuben Thompson (30)

Stuart Paul William Thompson (17)

Peter Francis Tootle (21)

Christopher James Traynor (26)

Martin Kevin Traynor (16)

Kevin Tyrrell (15)

Colin Wafer (19)

Ian David Whelan (19)

Martin Kenneth Wild (29)

Kevin Daniel Williams (15)

Graham John Wright (17)



Liverpool 3 - 0 Manchester City (Talking Points)

This strange season continued on Monday when Liverpool completely outclassed the Billionaires plaything that is Manchester City. Right from the kick off Liverpool attacked their opponents by passing the ball quickly and fighting with total commitment to win the ball back whenever possession was conceded. Were the performance versus WBA the previous week had been pedestrian, bereft of effort and totally flat, this performance was full of verve with every player putting in the required 100% to ensure this victory. The performance was all the more impressive due to the absentee’s, Liverpool were deprived of 4 players who have been regulars in our starting line-up but that wasn’t obvious from the display. Manchester City may have a bottomless pit of cash at their disposal and 2 of our goals came our most expensive ever signing but this result showed that money is not the be all and end all, hard work and passion can still win the day.

Sweet Carroll 9:

Following the WBA game i heard a lot of commentators beginning to mention the fact that Carroll had not yet gotten off the mark, completely ignoring the fact that he is still recovering from injury. This of course was ridiculous criticism but due to his price tag pressure, even if it was unreasonable, was beginning to gather. As soon as the ball hit the Anny Road net all that pressure disappeared. The fact that it was a screamer and a great show of what he can bring to the side was just a bonus. Liverpool fans weren’t worried about the time when his first goal came but pressure is a funny thing, the longer it goes without a first goal the harder it can become (Just ask Chelsea’s number 9). To get it out of the way now just buys him some more space to acclimatise at his own pace. His first goal was actually fairly similar to the one he scored against us earlier in the season and the second was a gal which is more typical of his reputation. He was taken off by the King with a minute to go which meant he received a deserved standing ovation from the Anfield faithful.

You can rely on Dirk:

We were without our talismanic captain for this game, we had players who were still bedding into the side and had a few youngsters in the line up, we needed someone to set the tone and lead by example, as ever Dirk Kuyt stepped up. Its pretty widely acknowledged that Dirk is a big game player as he proves this time and time again but a friend pointed out something to me that his girlfriend had noticed during the game, Dirk seems to perform well when Gerrard is out of the side. It made me think that while its not something i have paid much attention to up to now there could very well be some truth in it. Either way in this game Dirk showed all his qualities, he was simply everywhere, with Martin Tyler even remarking at one point “are you sure there is only 1 Dirk Kuyt on the pitch tonight?”He deserved his goal, a goal which means he now has scored as many goals for Liverpool this season as Torres has. He was also chosen by Sky to present Andy Carroll’s Man of the Match trophy, an award which he probably should have won himself, but Dirk wont be bothered by that. He will know the award will mean more to Andy Carroll as he beds in.

Lucas keeps proving his critics wrong:

Lucas is still a cause of disagreement among Liverpool fans. Depending on what side of the fence you sit he is either an integral part of our squad who breaks up play and keeps the ball moving or he is a waste of space who epitomises everything that is wrong with our squad right now. Me? I personal am a big fan of our Brazilian midfielder. I’m a fan of him as a player and even more so as a man. This is a player who has been vilified by many from the moment he arrived at Anfield. He has even been boo’ed by sections of his own supporters but always he kept his dignity by just plugging away and doing the job he is there for. He has now been trusted by 3 different Liverpool managers and has become an important member of the Brazil national team since the world cup. His performance in this game showed a lot of his qualities. He still gets caught on the ball pretty often but it’s important to remember that he is still only 23. He has improved every year since being at the club and he has just been awarded a new contract which means he should still be wearing red as he enters the prime of his career.

Youth is the way forward:

John Flanagan, an 18 year old Liverpudlian made his debut at right back and looked like he’d been in the team all season. Due to our current injury crisis in defence Flanno was given an opportunity he probably hadn’t expected yet but my word did he prove the decision right? Its always difficult with young players because you cant really tell if they are ready until they are given a chance. This is even more true with youngsters who play in defence because the slightest mistake can lead to a goal conceded. Flanno looked comfortable when in possession and never panicked on the ball, he also showed for the ball at every opportunity which is encouraging. He made important tackles at times and showed strength against much more experienced players. Jay Spearing had another encouraging performance in Centre Mid. He still has a lot to learn, and he needs to be more consistent game to game but he has shown enough this year to convince that he may be able to force his way into the team. This is of course going to be more difficult for him next season after Kenny has had a chance to spend some money but if he is good enough he will get more opportunities, and its up to him to keep proving himself.

Its great to see smiling faces again:

Of course I’ve spoken before about how Kenny’s return has re-united the squad but isn’t it great to see the players all smiling again, especially a smiling number 9, God knows its been a while!