Jordon Ibe is an exciting, pacy winger with outstanding technical skills. Definitely a star in the making, and I'm particularly glad to see that he's not following the lead of his chum, Sterling.
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| Flanno being shy and retiring... |
Thursday, 21 May 2015
Ibe & Flanno Sign New Contracts!
Liverpool have announced that Jordon Ibe and Jon Flanagan have both signed new contracts. I'm delighted for the club and both players!
Jordon Ibe is an exciting, pacy winger with outstanding technical skills. Definitely a star in the making, and I'm particularly glad to see that he's not following the lead of his chum, Sterling.
As for Flanno, well he is the kind of player I really admire: a fighter! Despite originally being far down on the pecking order for Right Back, he has kept his head down and worked his way into sides under both Kenny Dalglish and Brendan Rodgers. He has struggled with injury since his breakthrough season when he almost helped us to win the league in 2013/14, and his recovery can't come too soon. Aside from his composure on the ball, another element to his personality that has impressed me is his leadership; I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him making the captain's armband his own.
Jordon Ibe is an exciting, pacy winger with outstanding technical skills. Definitely a star in the making, and I'm particularly glad to see that he's not following the lead of his chum, Sterling.
You Must Believe You Are The Best
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| Would you argue with this man? I wouldn't... |
A lot of football success is in the mind. You must believe you are the best and then make sure that you are.As with many of the great man's words of wisdom, this is an outwardly simple, yet deceptively powerful, statement. It applies to many other aspects of life too, not just the football field.
Tuesday, 19 May 2015
Rodgers: Should He Stay, or Should He Go?
I can't make up my mind about Brendan Rodgers.
I think there's little doubt that he's been a positive influence on the younger players in the Liverpool squad, and I loved watching the team towards the end of the 2013/14 season putting the ball in the back of the net with almost boring regularity.
But the magic seems to have worn off pretty quickly. OK, so Luis Suárez has moved on, and Rodgers wasn't helped by the prolonged injuries suffered by Daniel Sturridge, but the poor performance this year is surely more than just the lack of a potent striker.
Here, I try to analyse the Pro's and Con's of Rodgers' reign, and whether it's time for someone new to lead the team.
I think there's little doubt that he's been a positive influence on the younger players in the Liverpool squad, and I loved watching the team towards the end of the 2013/14 season putting the ball in the back of the net with almost boring regularity.
But the magic seems to have worn off pretty quickly. OK, so Luis Suárez has moved on, and Rodgers wasn't helped by the prolonged injuries suffered by Daniel Sturridge, but the poor performance this year is surely more than just the lack of a potent striker.
Here, I try to analyse the Pro's and Con's of Rodgers' reign, and whether it's time for someone new to lead the team.
Time to Make a Sterling Deposit
Raheem Sterling is a precocious talent: confident on the ball, physically strong (particularly surprising given his slight physique), fast and intelligent. Or, at least, he has a lot of football intelligence.
However, he still has a long way to go. His finishing is poor for a player plying his trade in the final third, his passing isn't as accurate as it could be, there's certainly room for improvement in his defensive capabilities, and his on-field decision-making could be better.
His off-field decision-making could hardly be worse. I don't think he appreciates how lucky he is. He is playing for one of the top clubs in the UK, cheered on by the most passionate supporters in the world, and he has a manager in Brendan Rodgers who believes in him and who has overlooked his many off-field indiscretions, shaping him into a potential world-class footballer. At Liverpool, he has a role to play as a key member of the squad. At any other big club, he's just another wannabe who'll likely spend more time warming the bench than worrying defenders.
However, he still has a long way to go. His finishing is poor for a player plying his trade in the final third, his passing isn't as accurate as it could be, there's certainly room for improvement in his defensive capabilities, and his on-field decision-making could be better.
His off-field decision-making could hardly be worse. I don't think he appreciates how lucky he is. He is playing for one of the top clubs in the UK, cheered on by the most passionate supporters in the world, and he has a manager in Brendan Rodgers who believes in him and who has overlooked his many off-field indiscretions, shaping him into a potential world-class footballer. At Liverpool, he has a role to play as a key member of the squad. At any other big club, he's just another wannabe who'll likely spend more time warming the bench than worrying defenders.
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