Which Fringe Players To Be Loaned, Sold or Retained?
Each footballer’s pathway requires a specific and unique approach when starting out at any elite club. So many young prodigies and supposed generational talents will always emerge, yet can be lost within the shuffle of upper tier entities. With the need for success now so desperate, we are witnessing managers come and go, as frequent as the campaigns pass. Footballing ideologies and the willingness to immerse academy products, can be differing and forever dependent on who is the current holder …
Tyler Morton - An Opportunity To Shine
Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman, Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Trent Alexander Arnold all graduated through the Liverpool academy. The success of each is part of the clubs illustrious history, and it is always a joy to see homegrown talent succeed as Liverpool players.
Within any historical football club, there are times when talent struggles to emerge due to the level of competition. There has been multiple false hopes in my lifetime, but there is still excitement when any …
The Brilliance of Steve McManaman
When listening to Champions League matches on BT Sport, there’s perhaps younger viewers unsure of the ex footballer on co-commentary. For the past few seasons a certain Scouse voice has echoed through the midweek coverage, and everyone should be made aware of what this man was, as a player himself.
When thinking of the former Liverpool player, Steve McManaman, I try not to immerse myself too much into what he offers from the gantry, but the absolute brilliance he brought …
Robbie Fowler believes Jurgen Klopp is returning Liverpool to its rightful place
Liverpool's legendary former striker Robbie Fowler firmly believes that Jurgen Klopp is taking his club back to its rightful place among the best in Europe.
Fowler was being interviewed by Liverpoolfc.com ahead of The Reds' Champions League tie with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich at Anfield next Tuesday night.
When asked if he feels that Liverpool can overcome FC Bayern to progress, Fowler said:
“When it comes to Liverpool, I’m always quietly confident. “We are a great team, we’ve got great …
Reviewing A Banquet Without Wine - A History of the Reds in the PL Era
When offered the opportunity to read an advance copy of A Banquet Without Wine, I eagerly accepted; it was a welcome break from the academic historical literature which my studies demand, and, given my experience with previous works from The Tomkins Times, my qualitative expectations were high. Beyond that, I remained open to hearing an interpretation of Liverpool's recent history, that I, like many fans, have lived through, and is well versed in.
For Liverpool fans, the story detailed within A Banquet …
What I've Learned About Liverpool FC This Season
Once again, I’ve found myself schooled in football fandom over the last nine months. Some lessons I’ve been educated in for the first time, others I’ve shamefully realised should have been taken on board many years ago.
That shame stemmed from the age-old occurrence of once again counting my chickens before the eggs were even laid. I got carried away, sucked in by the gathering speed of that train called ‘Momentum’. Yes, at Christmas I allowed myself to believe that …
Desert Island Reds: My Dream Liverpool XI
My Desert Island Line-Up is made up of players who have represented Liverpool from 1989, when I first started supporting the club, to the present day. The formation is 4-3-3:
GK Pepe Reina
Liverpool have had some truly dodgy goalkeepers in the past 28 years (David James, Sander Westerveld, Jerzy Dudek to name but three) so any who was even half consistent would get into this team. Reina was more than that. Not only a hugely reliable presence for the …
Are the Kids All Right for Liverpool?
Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard and Raheem Sterling. Six names that invoke differing opinions amongst Liverpool fans, but whatever their legacy, those six names are the only ones to have come through the youth academy system and successfully establish themselves as first team regulars during the Premier League era.
There have been others, such as Dominic Matteo, Martin Kelly and Jon Flanagan who have had spells in the first team, but never really established themselves …
Another Crocked Liverbird: Liverpool's Knee-Hilistic Past
Some weeks make you wish God had come up with something other than knees - weeks when you can't wear shorts for fear of seeing your own knees in a mirror and losing all sense of what it means to 'be'. It has been a year since the beginning of one such week, when as a result of two Liverpool employees falling over in unconnected incidents, the phrase ‘anterior cruciate ligament’ achieved unprecedented frequency of use.
At the time, Danny Ings …
Can Emre Be The Heir Apparent to Gerrard & Souness?
Emre Can is a player who somehow divides opinion. Some think he’s overrated and others, myself included, see him as a future captain of the club.
There is often talk of a lack of leadership in the team and as we know there are different types of leaders. Two of the most talked about leaders of Liverpool in my lifetime are Steven Gerrard and Graeme Souness.
Souness, to my Dad’s generation is the last of a dying breed. He led …