http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/service/getFeed.kickAction?quantity=25 New blogs from MarkJones86 on The Kop Tue, 11 Dec 2012 16:30:32 GMT Tue, 11 Dec 2012 16:30:32 GMT reportedposts@liverpoolfc.tv (lfcAdmin) reportedposts@liverpoolfc.tv (lfcAdmin) KickApps Feed Builder 2012-12-11T16:30:32Z 8 http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/service/searchEverything.kickAction?as=173471&sortType=recent&tags=null 0 http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/_Joe-Coles-new-goal/blog/6486613/173471.html Joe Cole has scored twice for Liverpool since he made a return from France that not many people saw coming. Almost typically considering the stop-start Reds career he’s had, he wasn't really able to celebrate either. There were 18 minutes left on the clock when Cole struck at the Kop end against Young Boys last month, scoring his first Liverpool goal for 18 months and standing on the verge of becoming the man who was going to fire the Reds into the knockout stages of the Europa League. He departed the pitch three minutes later to warm applause from the Anfield faithful, no doubt dreaming of the positive headlines that were going to come his way the following morning. Elsad Zverotic hadn’t read the script. The Montenegrin struck an equaliser for Young Boys just two minutes from time to steal those headlines away from Cole, ensuring that the Reds would have to wait for a hero to keep them progressing in Europe. That honour was to go to Jordan Henderson in Udine a fortnight later. Cole, an unused substitute, wouldn’t have admitted it at the time but he was probably more than a little jealous. Three days later his next chance to impress came at a ground he used to call home, with Jose Enrique’s injury seeing Brendan Rodgers move Stewart Downing to left-back and bring Cole on to add to his attacking contingent. In a match in which the Reds were already missing Luis Suarez, fans might have looked at a front trio consisting of an emergency ‘False 9’, a player who’d only turned 18 the day before and one of the great enigmas in Liverpool’s history and felt that Sunday wasn’t going to be the club’s day. It ended up being one of the most celebrated of the season so far, and Cole played a large part in that. Yet when the midfielder scored the Reds’ equaliser to make it 2-2 he decided to follow Glen Johnson’s lead and not celebrate. Two former Hammers were treating their old club with the respect that an English football institution deserves. It was hugely respectful from both, particularly true in the case of Cole given that he must have wanted to scream Upton Park down with joy. This was his first Premier League goal since the fifth strike of the 5-0 win over Birmingham City in April 2011. To herald it as a turning point in his – as he admits – underwhelming Liverpool career might be going too far, but as a 31-year-old with over half a century of international caps and the experience of going to four major tournaments under his belt then it could just be the start of something different. Cole is one of the most decorated players in a largely young squad, and as such he could provide a valuable sounding board for the many youngsters in Rodgers’ group. That advice will be taken far more seriously if he’s making contributions on the field such as he did on Sunday. He didn’t plan on getting off to the worst possible start in his Reds career with that red card against Arsenal. He didn’t ask for injuries to strike him down either. His face might not seem to fit given the new, youthful direction that the club are heading and he might have been written off by many – and I‘ll include myself in that – but maybe, just maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And I’m not talking about him getting the Eurostar back to France. There will be others who contribute more to Liverpool’s season than Cole – some of them might not even have arrived at the club yet – but as long as he is at Anfield and working under Rodgers then there are likely to be more moments like Sunday’s to come. After he was denied the chance to be a hero against Young Boys and then to celebrate against West Ham perhaps it’ll be third time lucky for Cole sometime soon. He might just deserve that luck too. @Mark_Jones86   For more of Mark's blogs as well as top fantasy football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. Joe Cole has scored twice for Liverpool since he made a return from France that not many people saw coming. Almost typically considering the stop-start Reds career he’s had, he wasn't really able to celebrate either. There were 18 minutes left on the clock when Cole struck at the Kop end against Young Boys last month, scoring his first Liverpool goal for 18 months and standing on the verge of becoming the man who was going to fire the Reds into the knockout stages of the Europa League. He departed the pitch three minutes later to warm applause from the Anfield faithful, no doubt dreaming of the positive headlines that were going to come his way the following morning. Elsad Zverotic hadn’t read the script. The Montenegrin struck an equaliser for Young Boys just two minutes from time to steal those headlines away from Cole, ensuring that the Reds would have to wait for a hero to keep them progressing in Europe. That honour was to go to Jordan Henderson in Udine a fortnight later. Cole, an unused substitute, wouldn’t have admitted it at the time but he was probably more than a little jealous. Three days later his next chance to impress came at a ground he used to call home, with Jose Enrique’s injury seeing Brendan Rodgers move Stewart Downing to left-back and bring Cole on to add to his attacking contingent. In a match in which the Reds were already missing Luis Suarez, fans might have looked at a front trio consisting of an emergency ‘False 9’, a player who’d only turned 18 the day before and one of the great enigmas in Liverpool’s history and felt that Sunday wasn’t going to be the club’s day. It ended up being one of the most celebrated of the season so far, and Cole played a large part in that. Yet when the midfielder scored the Reds’ equaliser to make it 2-2 he decided to follow Glen Johnson’s lead and not celebrate. Two former Hammers were treating their old club with the respect that an English football institution deserves. It was hugely respectful from both, particularly true in the case of Cole given that he must have wanted to scream Upton Park down with joy. This was his first Premier League goal since the fifth strike of the 5-0 win over Birmingham City in April 2011. To herald it as a turning point in his – as he admits – underwhelming Liverpool career might be going too far, but as a 31-year-old with over half a century of international caps and the experience of going to four major tournaments under his belt then it could just be the start of something different. Cole is one of the most decorated players in a largely young squad, and as such he could provide a valuable sounding board for the many youngsters in Rodgers’ group. That advice will be taken far more seriously if he’s making contributions on the field such as he did on Sunday. He didn’t plan on getting off to the worst possible start in his Reds career with that red card against Arsenal. He didn’t ask for injuries to strike him down either. His face might not seem to fit given the new, youthful direction that the club are heading and he might have been written off by many – and I‘ll include myself in that – but maybe, just maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And I’m not talking about him getting the Eurostar back to France. There will be others who contribute more to Liverpool’s season than Cole – some of them might not even have arrived at the club yet – but as long as he is at Anfield and working under Rodgers then there are likely to be more moments like Sunday’s to come. After he was denied the chance to be a hero against Young Boys and then to celebrate against West Ham perhaps it’ll be third time lucky for Cole sometime soon. He might just deserve that luck too. @Mark_Jones86   For more of Mark's blogs as well as top fantasy football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. Wed, 12 Dec 2012 08:35:33 GMT http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/_Joe-Coles-new-goal/blog/6486613/173471.html MarkJones86 2012-12-11T16:30:32Z Midfielders The Kop Joe Cole has scored twice for Liverpool since he made a return from France that not many people saw coming. Almost typically considering the stop-start Reds career he’s had, he wasn't really able to celebrate either. There were 18 minutes left on the clock when Cole struck at the Kop end against Young Boys last month, scoring his first Liverpool goal for 18 months and standing on the verge of becoming the man who was going to fire the Reds into the knockout stages of the Europa League. He departed the pitch three minutes later to warm applause from the Anfield faithful, no doubt dreaming of the positive headlines that were going to come his way the following morning. Elsad Zverotic hadn’t read the script. The Montenegrin struck an equaliser for Young Boys just two minutes from time to steal those headlines away from Cole, ensuring that the Reds would have to wait for a hero to keep them progressing in Europe. That honour was to go to Jordan Henderson in Udine a fortnight later. Cole, an unused substitute, wouldn’t have admitted it at the time but he was probably more than a little jealous. Three days later his next chance to impress came at a ground he used to call home, with Jose Enrique’s injury seeing Brendan Rodgers move Stewart Downing to left-back and bring Cole on to add to his attacking contingent. In a match in which the Reds were already missing Luis Suarez, fans might have looked at a front trio consisting of an emergency ‘False 9’, a player who’d only turned 18 the day before and one of the great enigmas in Liverpool’s history and felt that Sunday wasn’t going to be the club’s day. It ended up being one of the most celebrated of the season so far, and Cole played a large part in that. Yet when the midfielder scored the Reds’ equaliser to make it 2-2 he decided to follow Glen Johnson’s lead and not celebrate. Two former Hammers were treating their old club with the respect that an English football institution deserves. It was hugely respectful from both, particularly true in the case of Cole given that he must have wanted to scream Upton Park down with joy. This was his first Premier League goal since the fifth strike of the 5-0 win over Birmingham City in April 2011. To herald it as a turning point in his – as he admits – underwhelming Liverpool career might be going too far, but as a 31-year-old with over half a century of international caps and the experience of going to four major tournaments under his belt then it could just be the start of something different. Cole is one of the most decorated players in a largely young squad, and as such he could provide a valuable sounding board for the many youngsters in Rodgers’ group. That advice will be taken far more seriously if he’s making contributions on the field such as he did on Sunday. He didn’t plan on getting off to the worst possible start in his Reds career with that red card against Arsenal. He didn’t ask for injuries to strike him down either. His face might not seem to fit given the new, youthful direction that the club are heading and he might have been written off by many – and I‘ll include myself in that – but maybe, just maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And I’m not talking about him getting the Eurostar back to France. There will be others who contribute more to Liverpool’s season than Cole – some of them might not even have arrived at the club yet – but as long as he is at Anfield and working under Rodgers then there are likely to be more moments like Sunday’s to come. After he was denied the chance to be a hero against Young Boys and then to celebrate against West Ham perhaps it’ll be third time lucky for Cole sometime soon. He might just deserve that luck too. @Mark_Jones86   For more of Mark's blogs as well as top fantasy football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. cole, joe, midfielders nonadult false Joe Cole’s new goal text blog cole,joe,midfielders 5634 16 5.0 http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=30518662&as=173471 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/173471/photos/PHOTO_15646832_173471_30518662_ap_160X120.jpg false 10 Midfielders 1 6486613 30518662 Kopite 12180 http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/_Upton-Parks-loss-can-be-Udines-gain/blog/6483559/173471.html It may have been suggested that he would ‘drive people away from the game’ earlier this season, but plenty of the people who’ll visit Upton Park on Sunday will doubtless be wishing that they could get a glimpse of Luis Suarez. Alright, the vast majority of West Ham supporters will be delighted that their team don’t have to face the Premier League’s joint-top scorer, but Suarez’s absence will undoubtedly see the fixture lose a little of its sparkle and its star quality. It could however give Liverpool’s European aspirations a huge shot in the arm. After being booked in three of his first four Premier League games of the season, the Uruguayan was always walking a disciplinary tightrope the longer the campaign went on, and with Liverpool’s lack of striking options perhaps one of the few things talked about more often than Suarez this season, a suspension for the No.7 was always going to be big news. After weeks of fans picking and choosing the fixture that they felt would be easiest to negotiate without the club’s star man, the booking picked up for instinctively handling the ball against Southampton last weekend now means that it’ll be West Ham who’ll be spared the prospect of facing the forward. Just who starts upfront in east London at the weekend remains to be seen, with Jonjo Shelvey an early favourite amidst calls for the likes of Dani Pacheco, Adam Morgan and even Steven Gerrard (a personal preference would be Sebastian Coates, or failing that Roger Hunt), but Suarez’s absence there at least signifies that he should be seen in northern Italy about 68 hours earlier. You can knock the Europa League all you want, you won’t be alone, but progression in the tournament is surely vital to the Reds at a time when the club are desperate to cling to the coat-tails of those at the summit of the European game. The presence of Suarez in Udine on Thursday – where he will surely start given that his next fixture will be all of nine days later at home to Aston Villa – will give the Reds some much needed attacking prowess on an evening when Udinese will have to be beaten for European football beyond Christmas to be definitely secured. Although capable of the quality that we saw during their 3-2 win at Anfield in October, Udinese are nevertheless out of the competition already. Thursday’s match is nothing but an inconvenience to them. Brendan Rodgers will doubtless turn to members of his squad not seen so much in recent weeks such as Oussama Assaidi and Nuri Sahin, but the presence of Suárez is likely to lift whoever steps out onto the pitch for the Reds at the Stadio Friuli. The prospect of chasing around the Uruguayan for 90 minutes for little reward isn’t one that the home defenders will relish. So what Liverpool will be missing at the weekend is sure to be on full show on Thursday, when Suarez’s presence could just be the catalyst for a Reds win which secures qualification for the knockout stages. Marrying together good domestic and European form is a tough ask of course, but should the squad – as expected – be refreshed by a couple or more new faces come January then those demands aren’t likely to faze Rodgers or his players when the next stages of this admittedly bloated competition kick into gear in the New Year. Suarez is of course vital to everything Liverpool do and hopefully he will be for some time yet, but as the frustrations remain over his suspension for what will be a tough task at the weekend – just ask Rafael Benitez – the crumb of comfort should come with his availability in Italy. After experiencing declining fortunes on the continent in recent years then progress in the Europa League will at least show Europe that the Reds are still to be reckoned with. Inadvertently, Suárez might have helped that cause with what could be the kindest of yellow cards. @Mark_Jones86 For more of Mark's blogs as well as top fantasy football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. It may have been suggested that he would ‘drive people away from the game’ earlier this season, but plenty of the people who’ll visit Upton Park on Sunday will doubtless be wishing that they could get a glimpse of Luis Suarez. Alright, the vast majority of West Ham supporters will be delighted that their team don’t have to face the Premier League’s joint-top scorer, but Suarez’s absence will undoubtedly see the fixture lose a little of its sparkle and its star quality. It could however give Liverpool’s European aspirations a huge shot in the arm. After being booked in three of his first four Premier League games of the season, the Uruguayan was always walking a disciplinary tightrope the longer the campaign went on, and with Liverpool’s lack of striking options perhaps one of the few things talked about more often than Suarez this season, a suspension for the No.7 was always going to be big news. After weeks of fans picking and choosing the fixture that they felt would be easiest to negotiate without the club’s star man, the booking picked up for instinctively handling the ball against Southampton last weekend now means that it’ll be West Ham who’ll be spared the prospect of facing the forward. Just who starts upfront in east London at the weekend remains to be seen, with Jonjo Shelvey an early favourite amidst calls for the likes of Dani Pacheco, Adam Morgan and even Steven Gerrard (a personal preference would be Sebastian Coates, or failing that Roger Hunt), but Suarez’s absence there at least signifies that he should be seen in northern Italy about 68 hours earlier. You can knock the Europa League all you want, you won’t be alone, but progression in the tournament is surely vital to the Reds at a time when the club are desperate to cling to the coat-tails of those at the summit of the European game. The presence of Suarez in Udine on Thursday – where he will surely start given that his next fixture will be all of nine days later at home to Aston Villa – will give the Reds some much needed attacking prowess on an evening when Udinese will have to be beaten for European football beyond Christmas to be definitely secured. Although capable of the quality that we saw during their 3-2 win at Anfield in October, Udinese are nevertheless out of the competition already. Thursday’s match is nothing but an inconvenience to them. Brendan Rodgers will doubtless turn to members of his squad not seen so much in recent weeks such as Oussama Assaidi and Nuri Sahin, but the presence of Suárez is likely to lift whoever steps out onto the pitch for the Reds at the Stadio Friuli. The prospect of chasing around the Uruguayan for 90 minutes for little reward isn’t one that the home defenders will relish. So what Liverpool will be missing at the weekend is sure to be on full show on Thursday, when Suarez’s presence could just be the catalyst for a Reds win which secures qualification for the knockout stages. Marrying together good domestic and European form is a tough ask of course, but should the squad – as expected – be refreshed by a couple or more new faces come January then those demands aren’t likely to faze Rodgers or his players when the next stages of this admittedly bloated competition kick into gear in the New Year. Suarez is of course vital to everything Liverpool do and hopefully he will be for some time yet, but as the frustrations remain over his suspension for what will be a tough task at the weekend – just ask Rafael Benitez – the crumb of comfort should come with his availability in Italy. After experiencing declining fortunes on the continent in recent years then progress in the Europa League will at least show Europe that the Reds are still to be reckoned with. Inadvertently, Suárez might have helped that cause with what could be the kindest of yellow cards. @Mark_Jones86 For more of Mark's blogs as well as top fantasy football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. Thu, 06 Dec 2012 21:10:02 GMT http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/_Upton-Parks-loss-can-be-Udines-gain/blog/6483559/173471.html MarkJones86 2012-12-05T03:44:41Z Luis Suarez The Kop It may have been suggested that he would ‘drive people away from the game’ earlier this season, but plenty of the people who’ll visit Upton Park on Sunday will doubtless be wishing that they could get a glimpse of Luis Suarez. Alright, the vast majority of West Ham supporters will be delighted that their team don’t have to face the Premier League’s joint-top scorer, but Suarez’s absence will undoubtedly see the fixture lose a little of its sparkle and its star quality. It could however give Liverpool’s European aspirations a huge shot in the arm. After being booked in three of his first four Premier League games of the season, the Uruguayan was always walking a disciplinary tightrope the longer the campaign went on, and with Liverpool’s lack of striking options perhaps one of the few things talked about more often than Suarez this season, a suspension for the No.7 was always going to be big news. After weeks of fans picking and choosing the fixture that they felt would be easiest to negotiate without the club’s star man, the booking picked up for instinctively handling the ball against Southampton last weekend now means that it’ll be West Ham who’ll be spared the prospect of facing the forward. Just who starts upfront in east London at the weekend remains to be seen, with Jonjo Shelvey an early favourite amidst calls for the likes of Dani Pacheco, Adam Morgan and even Steven Gerrard (a personal preference would be Sebastian Coates, or failing that Roger Hunt), but Suarez’s absence there at least signifies that he should be seen in northern Italy about 68 hours earlier. You can knock the Europa League all you want, you won’t be alone, but progression in the tournament is surely vital to the Reds at a time when the club are desperate to cling to the coat-tails of those at the summit of the European game. The presence of Suarez in Udine on Thursday – where he will surely start given that his next fixture will be all of nine days later at home to Aston Villa – will give the Reds some much needed attacking prowess on an evening when Udinese will have to be beaten for European football beyond Christmas to be definitely secured. Although capable of the quality that we saw during their 3-2 win at Anfield in October, Udinese are nevertheless out of the competition already. Thursday’s match is nothing but an inconvenience to them. Brendan Rodgers will doubtless turn to members of his squad not seen so much in recent weeks such as Oussama Assaidi and Nuri Sahin, but the presence of Suárez is likely to lift whoever steps out onto the pitch for the Reds at the Stadio Friuli. The prospect of chasing around the Uruguayan for 90 minutes for little reward isn’t one that the home defenders will relish. So what Liverpool will be missing at the weekend is sure to be on full show on Thursday, when Suarez’s presence could just be the catalyst for a Reds win which secures qualification for the knockout stages. Marrying together good domestic and European form is a tough ask of course, but should the squad – as expected – be refreshed by a couple or more new faces come January then those demands aren’t likely to faze Rodgers or his players when the next stages of this admittedly bloated competition kick into gear in the New Year. Suarez is of course vital to everything Liverpool do and hopefully he will be for some time yet, but as the frustrations remain over his suspension for what will be a tough task at the weekend – just ask Rafael Benitez – the crumb of comfort should come with his availability in Italy. After experiencing declining fortunes on the continent in recent years then progress in the Europa League will at least show Europe that the Reds are still to be reckoned with. Inadvertently, Suárez might have helped that cause with what could be the kindest of yellow cards. @Mark_Jones86 For more of Mark's blogs as well as top fantasy football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. europa, league, luis, luis suarez, suarez nonadult false Upton Park’s loss can be Udine’s gain text blog europa,league,luis,luis suarez,suarez 15349 19 4.78947 http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=30518662&as=173471 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/173471/photos/PHOTO_15646832_173471_30518662_ap_160X120.jpg false 16 Luis Suarez 0 6483559 30518662 Kopite 12180 http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/_71-minutes/blog/6479963/173471.html Seventy one minutes. It’s not really an awful lot is it? You could watch The Godfather for 71 minutes and you wouldn’t long be past the day of his daughter’s wedding. The horse’s head would still be placed squarely on the horse. Seventy one minutes is the entire amount of Premier League football that Lucas Leiva has played in the past year. Michael Corleone hasn’t even entered the restaurant yet never mind planted the gun in the toilets. Those 71 minutes of Lucas action are made up of just over an hour in the defeat at West Brom on the opening day of this season and four uncomfortable minutes in the 2-2 draw at home to Manchester City after he’d picked up an injury in the warm-up. The knee problem sustained in the League Cup win at Chelsea exactly a year ago on Thursday has – given his subsequent problems – forced Lucas to sit on the sidelines for all but those 71 minutes of league action, depriving Liverpool of the club’s 2010/11 player of the season and leaving Brendan Rodgers without one of the most vital cogs in the Reds machine whilst he’s still piecing together the parts and reading the manual. When Rodgers arrived in the summer it was impossible not to openly debate just who and just who would not fit into the new manager’s now famed style of football. Some players instantly didn’t seem suited to it – with Rodgers seemingly sharing that view – whilst others were going to adapt to this new way of playing seamlessly. Lucas was in the latter category. Once he was over that Stamford Bridge injury he was going to be this team’s Sergio Busquets, with the initial lowering of expectations perhaps meaning that he’d have to settle for being the team’s Leon Britton at first. It might be a little too far-fetched to claim that his is the most important position in this style of play, but it surely can’t be far off. In Lucas’s absence Joe Allen has been forced to play further back; forced to be the Welsh Busquets as opposed to the Welsh Xavi. The team’s Britton and not the team’s Allen. He’s done admirably of course, but as Rodgers hinted earlier on in the season the 22-year-old is better suited to a more advanced midfield role, whilst the same can surely be said of Steven Gerrard, Jonjo Shelvey and Nuri Sahin given their potential for attacking prowess. In addition, Jordan Henderson has recently spoken of his ongoing determination to plug any holes in the Reds midfield and you won’t find many more willing to do just that than him. His is a strength of character which is shared by Lucas too. After all you have to be strong when you are restricted to just 71 minutes of league football in a year. The Brazilian’s return to action in last Friday’s under-21 match against Middlesbrough has already got supporters thinking ahead to his long-awaited comeback into the first-team, with Saturday’s match against Southampton pencilled in by many. The structure of Rodgers’ team is likely to change with Lucas in it, but just as Kenny Dalglish experienced for the majority of last season that team suffers without the Brazilian’s presence, and it’s not too outlandish to believe that he’ll be one of the first names on the teamsheet once he rediscovers his full fitness and sharpness. It’s also quite exciting too. There are few better players in Liverpool’s or indeed anyone’s squad who are capable of providing the platform for those ahead of them to go and win matches, and with winning proving to be the most difficult of habits for the Reds to get into this season then Lucas’s return should be celebrated by all of a Red persuasion. And for a lot more than 71 minutes too. @Mark_Jones86   For more of Mark's blogs as well as top fantasy football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. Seventy one minutes. It’s not really an awful lot is it? You could watch The Godfather for 71 minutes and you wouldn’t long be past the day of his daughter’s wedding. The horse’s head would still be placed squarely on the horse. Seventy one minutes is the entire amount of Premier League football that Lucas Leiva has played in the past year. Michael Corleone hasn’t even entered the restaurant yet never mind planted the gun in the toilets. Those 71 minutes of Lucas action are made up of just over an hour in the defeat at West Brom on the opening day of this season and four uncomfortable minutes in the 2-2 draw at home to Manchester City after he’d picked up an injury in the warm-up. The knee problem sustained in the League Cup win at Chelsea exactly a year ago on Thursday has – given his subsequent problems – forced Lucas to sit on the sidelines for all but those 71 minutes of league action, depriving Liverpool of the club’s 2010/11 player of the season and leaving Brendan Rodgers without one of the most vital cogs in the Reds machine whilst he’s still piecing together the parts and reading the manual. When Rodgers arrived in the summer it was impossible not to openly debate just who and just who would not fit into the new manager’s now famed style of football. Some players instantly didn’t seem suited to it – with Rodgers seemingly sharing that view – whilst others were going to adapt to this new way of playing seamlessly. Lucas was in the latter category. Once he was over that Stamford Bridge injury he was going to be this team’s Sergio Busquets, with the initial lowering of expectations perhaps meaning that he’d have to settle for being the team’s Leon Britton at first. It might be a little too far-fetched to claim that his is the most important position in this style of play, but it surely can’t be far off. In Lucas’s absence Joe Allen has been forced to play further back; forced to be the Welsh Busquets as opposed to the Welsh Xavi. The team’s Britton and not the team’s Allen. He’s done admirably of course, but as Rodgers hinted earlier on in the season the 22-year-old is better suited to a more advanced midfield role, whilst the same can surely be said of Steven Gerrard, Jonjo Shelvey and Nuri Sahin given their potential for attacking prowess. In addition, Jordan Henderson has recently spoken of his ongoing determination to plug any holes in the Reds midfield and you won’t find many more willing to do just that than him. His is a strength of character which is shared by Lucas too. After all you have to be strong when you are restricted to just 71 minutes of league football in a year. The Brazilian’s return to action in last Friday’s under-21 match against Middlesbrough has already got supporters thinking ahead to his long-awaited comeback into the first-team, with Saturday’s match against Southampton pencilled in by many. The structure of Rodgers’ team is likely to change with Lucas in it, but just as Kenny Dalglish experienced for the majority of last season that team suffers without the Brazilian’s presence, and it’s not too outlandish to believe that he’ll be one of the first names on the teamsheet once he rediscovers his full fitness and sharpness. It’s also quite exciting too. There are few better players in Liverpool’s or indeed anyone’s squad who are capable of providing the platform for those ahead of them to go and win matches, and with winning proving to be the most difficult of habits for the Reds to get into this season then Lucas’s return should be celebrated by all of a Red persuasion. And for a lot more than 71 minutes too. @Mark_Jones86   For more of Mark's blogs as well as top fantasy football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. Wed, 28 Nov 2012 20:05:43 GMT http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/_71-minutes/blog/6479963/173471.html MarkJones86 2012-11-28T20:05:43Z Midfielders The Kop Seventy one minutes. It’s not really an awful lot is it? You could watch The Godfather for 71 minutes and you wouldn’t long be past the day of his daughter’s wedding. The horse’s head would still be placed squarely on the horse. Seventy one minutes is the entire amount of Premier League football that Lucas Leiva has played in the past year. Michael Corleone hasn’t even entered the restaurant yet never mind planted the gun in the toilets. Those 71 minutes of Lucas action are made up of just over an hour in the defeat at West Brom on the opening day of this season and four uncomfortable minutes in the 2-2 draw at home to Manchester City after he’d picked up an injury in the warm-up. The knee problem sustained in the League Cup win at Chelsea exactly a year ago on Thursday has – given his subsequent problems – forced Lucas to sit on the sidelines for all but those 71 minutes of league action, depriving Liverpool of the club’s 2010/11 player of the season and leaving Brendan Rodgers without one of the most vital cogs in the Reds machine whilst he’s still piecing together the parts and reading the manual. When Rodgers arrived in the summer it was impossible not to openly debate just who and just who would not fit into the new manager’s now famed style of football. Some players instantly didn’t seem suited to it – with Rodgers seemingly sharing that view – whilst others were going to adapt to this new way of playing seamlessly. Lucas was in the latter category. Once he was over that Stamford Bridge injury he was going to be this team’s Sergio Busquets, with the initial lowering of expectations perhaps meaning that he’d have to settle for being the team’s Leon Britton at first. It might be a little too far-fetched to claim that his is the most important position in this style of play, but it surely can’t be far off. In Lucas’s absence Joe Allen has been forced to play further back; forced to be the Welsh Busquets as opposed to the Welsh Xavi. The team’s Britton and not the team’s Allen. He’s done admirably of course, but as Rodgers hinted earlier on in the season the 22-year-old is better suited to a more advanced midfield role, whilst the same can surely be said of Steven Gerrard, Jonjo Shelvey and Nuri Sahin given their potential for attacking prowess. In addition, Jordan Henderson has recently spoken of his ongoing determination to plug any holes in the Reds midfield and you won’t find many more willing to do just that than him. His is a strength of character which is shared by Lucas too. After all you have to be strong when you are restricted to just 71 minutes of league football in a year. The Brazilian’s return to action in last Friday’s under-21 match against Middlesbrough has already got supporters thinking ahead to his long-awaited comeback into the first-team, with Saturday’s match against Southampton pencilled in by many. The structure of Rodgers’ team is likely to change with Lucas in it, but just as Kenny Dalglish experienced for the majority of last season that team suffers without the Brazilian’s presence, and it’s not too outlandish to believe that he’ll be one of the first names on the teamsheet once he rediscovers his full fitness and sharpness. It’s also quite exciting too. There are few better players in Liverpool’s or indeed anyone’s squad who are capable of providing the platform for those ahead of them to go and win matches, and with winning proving to be the most difficult of habits for the Reds to get into this season then Lucas’s return should be celebrated by all of a Red persuasion. And for a lot more than 71 minutes too. @Mark_Jones86   For more of Mark's blogs as well as top fantasy football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. leiva, lucas, midfielders nonadult false 71 minutes text blog leiva,lucas,midfielders 43548 23 4.82609 http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=30518662&as=173471 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/173471/photos/PHOTO_15646832_173471_30518662_ap_160X120.jpg false 29 Midfielders 0 6479963 30518662 Kopite 12180 http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/_Transformers-Blessings-in-disguise/blog/6464623/173471.html The idea that the modern footballer has to be adaptable might lead some to think of players negotiating image rights one moment and securing sponsorship deals the next, but on the pitch that versatility has grown increasingly vital. As fans we have a desire to become obsessed with formations, demanding that our teams line up in a certain way because it is, in our eyes, the best way to approach a fixture. Perhaps that will all change soon though, and instead of seeing television graphics which place certain players in certain areas of the pitch we’ll instead just see a list of names; names who could take up any number of positions at any number of times. Probably the best recent Liverpool example of ‘Changing Places’ came in Turin in the Champions League quarter-final second leg in April 2005. Juventus, the Italian champions – Fabio Capello, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Alessandro Del Piero, Pavel Nedved et al – were expecting to line up against a Liverpool back four in a second leg in which they were to attempt to come back from 2-1 down, and indeed that is what they did face up to as kick-off approached in Turin. Yet mere seconds into the match, Rafael Benitez moved Djimi Traore inside to become a third centre-back, with John Arne Riise and Steve Finnan converted to wing-backs as Xabi Alonso and Igor Biscan looked to patrol the midfield. It resulted in a stifled, slightly confused Juve struggle to break the Reds down, and although Liverpool enjoyed more than a slice of luck in keeping out Capello’s men it was surely deserved for the tactical bravery shown by their manager in the toughest of settings. Very few away days have been celebrated in the manner of those on the road to Istanbul since 2005, but the last two might just have hinted that Brendan Rodgers is ready, willing and able to make similarly brave tactical choices during a match. This isn’t supposed to be a comparison of a manager who took Liverpool to the kind of heights that many fear we’ll never see again and one who has been in a now tougher job for just over six months, but the manner in which Rodgers impressively altered his approach at Everton and Chelsea in the past few weeks has perhaps provided a hint of what is to come. Of course there is an argument that if you’ve had to change your tactics during a match then that means you didn’t start it in the right manner – which is probably true of the Chelsea game on Sunday – but, to quote an old Benitez line, it is all about ‘controlling the game,’ and if that means switching things around from your initial plans then you have to be brave enough to do it. Everton were on a high after coming back from 2-0 down to level at Goodison Park last month, but after the half-time introductions of Sebastian Coates, Jonjo Shelvey and a new formation it was difficult to think of anything that they did to threaten the Reds’ goal in the second half, and we all know what happened in injury-time there. Similarly on Sunday at Stamford Bridge, the switches which saw Andre Wisdom become an orthodox right-back, Glen Johnson moved to the left, Jose Enrique pushed further forward and Suso arrive into the action saw the Reds become an attacking force in the game, with Luis Suarez grabbing an equaliser and then Enrique almost pinching two more points at the death. These away draws were all well and good, but perhaps when he is afforded a few more attacking talents we’ll see Rodgers employ such switches in a more forward-thinking sense (Benitez once fielded ‘double wingers’ in Albert Riera and Nabil El Zhar on the left, and Yossi Benayoun and Jermaine Pennant on the right as the Reds chased a game against Wigan. It worked) but given his squad situation, the current Reds boss has to be happy with the amount of ‘transformers’ he can call upon. Transforming draws into wins is the next challenge of course, and getting points on the board is essential in the next few weeks and beyond. Liverpool might be an armchair tactician’s nightmare at the moment, but it’s time for the players to start giving the opposition sleepless nights too. However they’re lined up. @Mark_Jones86   For more of Mark's blogs as well as top fantasy football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. The idea that the modern footballer has to be adaptable might lead some to think of players negotiating image rights one moment and securing sponsorship deals the next, but on the pitch that versatility has grown increasingly vital. As fans we have a desire to become obsessed with formations, demanding that our teams line up in a certain way because it is, in our eyes, the best way to approach a fixture. Perhaps that will all change soon though, and instead of seeing television graphics which place certain players in certain areas of the pitch we’ll instead just see a list of names; names who could take up any number of positions at any number of times. Probably the best recent Liverpool example of ‘Changing Places’ came in Turin in the Champions League quarter-final second leg in April 2005. Juventus, the Italian champions – Fabio Capello, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Alessandro Del Piero, Pavel Nedved et al – were expecting to line up against a Liverpool back four in a second leg in which they were to attempt to come back from 2-1 down, and indeed that is what they did face up to as kick-off approached in Turin. Yet mere seconds into the match, Rafael Benitez moved Djimi Traore inside to become a third centre-back, with John Arne Riise and Steve Finnan converted to wing-backs as Xabi Alonso and Igor Biscan looked to patrol the midfield. It resulted in a stifled, slightly confused Juve struggle to break the Reds down, and although Liverpool enjoyed more than a slice of luck in keeping out Capello’s men it was surely deserved for the tactical bravery shown by their manager in the toughest of settings. Very few away days have been celebrated in the manner of those on the road to Istanbul since 2005, but the last two might just have hinted that Brendan Rodgers is ready, willing and able to make similarly brave tactical choices during a match. This isn’t supposed to be a comparison of a manager who took Liverpool to the kind of heights that many fear we’ll never see again and one who has been in a now tougher job for just over six months, but the manner in which Rodgers impressively altered his approach at Everton and Chelsea in the past few weeks has perhaps provided a hint of what is to come. Of course there is an argument that if you’ve had to change your tactics during a match then that means you didn’t start it in the right manner – which is probably true of the Chelsea game on Sunday – but, to quote an old Benitez line, it is all about ‘controlling the game,’ and if that means switching things around from your initial plans then you have to be brave enough to do it. Everton were on a high after coming back from 2-0 down to level at Goodison Park last month, but after the half-time introductions of Sebastian Coates, Jonjo Shelvey and a new formation it was difficult to think of anything that they did to threaten the Reds’ goal in the second half, and we all know what happened in injury-time there. Similarly on Sunday at Stamford Bridge, the switches which saw Andre Wisdom become an orthodox right-back, Glen Johnson moved to the left, Jose Enrique pushed further forward and Suso arrive into the action saw the Reds become an attacking force in the game, with Luis Suarez grabbing an equaliser and then Enrique almost pinching two more points at the death. These away draws were all well and good, but perhaps when he is afforded a few more attacking talents we’ll see Rodgers employ such switches in a more forward-thinking sense (Benitez once fielded ‘double wingers’ in Albert Riera and Nabil El Zhar on the left, and Yossi Benayoun and Jermaine Pennant on the right as the Reds chased a game against Wigan. It worked) but given his squad situation, the current Reds boss has to be happy with the amount of ‘transformers’ he can call upon. Transforming draws into wins is the next challenge of course, and getting points on the board is essential in the next few weeks and beyond. Liverpool might be an armchair tactician’s nightmare at the moment, but it’s time for the players to start giving the opposition sleepless nights too. However they’re lined up. @Mark_Jones86   For more of Mark's blogs as well as top fantasy football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. Wed, 14 Nov 2012 11:11:26 GMT http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/_Transformers-Blessings-in-disguise/blog/6464623/173471.html MarkJones86 2012-11-14T11:11:26Z Players The Kop The idea that the modern footballer has to be adaptable might lead some to think of players negotiating image rights one moment and securing sponsorship deals the next, but on the pitch that versatility has grown increasingly vital. As fans we have a desire to become obsessed with formations, demanding that our teams line up in a certain way because it is, in our eyes, the best way to approach a fixture. Perhaps that will all change soon though, and instead of seeing television graphics which place certain players in certain areas of the pitch we’ll instead just see a list of names; names who could take up any number of positions at any number of times. Probably the best recent Liverpool example of ‘Changing Places’ came in Turin in the Champions League quarter-final second leg in April 2005. Juventus, the Italian champions – Fabio Capello, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Alessandro Del Piero, Pavel Nedved et al – were expecting to line up against a Liverpool back four in a second leg in which they were to attempt to come back from 2-1 down, and indeed that is what they did face up to as kick-off approached in Turin. Yet mere seconds into the match, Rafael Benitez moved Djimi Traore inside to become a third centre-back, with John Arne Riise and Steve Finnan converted to wing-backs as Xabi Alonso and Igor Biscan looked to patrol the midfield. It resulted in a stifled, slightly confused Juve struggle to break the Reds down, and although Liverpool enjoyed more than a slice of luck in keeping out Capello’s men it was surely deserved for the tactical bravery shown by their manager in the toughest of settings. Very few away days have been celebrated in the manner of those on the road to Istanbul since 2005, but the last two might just have hinted that Brendan Rodgers is ready, willing and able to make similarly brave tactical choices during a match. This isn’t supposed to be a comparison of a manager who took Liverpool to the kind of heights that many fear we’ll never see again and one who has been in a now tougher job for just over six months, but the manner in which Rodgers impressively altered his approach at Everton and Chelsea in the past few weeks has perhaps provided a hint of what is to come. Of course there is an argument that if you’ve had to change your tactics during a match then that means you didn’t start it in the right manner – which is probably true of the Chelsea game on Sunday – but, to quote an old Benitez line, it is all about ‘controlling the game,’ and if that means switching things around from your initial plans then you have to be brave enough to do it. Everton were on a high after coming back from 2-0 down to level at Goodison Park last month, but after the half-time introductions of Sebastian Coates, Jonjo Shelvey and a new formation it was difficult to think of anything that they did to threaten the Reds’ goal in the second half, and we all know what happened in injury-time there. Similarly on Sunday at Stamford Bridge, the switches which saw Andre Wisdom become an orthodox right-back, Glen Johnson moved to the left, Jose Enrique pushed further forward and Suso arrive into the action saw the Reds become an attacking force in the game, with Luis Suarez grabbing an equaliser and then Enrique almost pinching two more points at the death. These away draws were all well and good, but perhaps when he is afforded a few more attacking talents we’ll see Rodgers employ such switches in a more forward-thinking sense (Benitez once fielded ‘double wingers’ in Albert Riera and Nabil El Zhar on the left, and Yossi Benayoun and Jermaine Pennant on the right as the Reds chased a game against Wigan. It worked) but given his squad situation, the current Reds boss has to be happy with the amount of ‘transformers’ he can call upon. Transforming draws into wins is the next challenge of course, and getting points on the board is essential in the next few weeks and beyond. Liverpool might be an armchair tactician’s nightmare at the moment, but it’s time for the players to start giving the opposition sleepless nights too. However they’re lined up. @Mark_Jones86   For more of Mark's blogs as well as top fantasy football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. brendan, players, rodgers, tactics nonadult false Transformers: Blessings in disguise text blog brendan,players,rodgers,tactics 5822 14 4.92857 http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=30518662&as=173471 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/173471/photos/PHOTO_15646832_173471_30518662_ap_160X120.jpg false 4 Players 0 6464623 30518662 Kopite 12180 http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/_Inspiring-a-generation/blog/6452981/173471.html Playing 600 games of professional football at the highest level is a remarkable achievement given the stresses and strains that the sport puts on your body as well as the thousands of hopefuls that you’ve left trailing in your wake along the way. Plenty of those hopefuls will have played a few matches amongst the elite – perhaps a handful if they were lucky – and then they’ll have dropped down through the leagues, possibly coming back into the collective consciousness a few years down the line when part of a team attempting an FA Cup ‘giantkilling’ in front of the TV cameras. “He came through the ranks at Liverpool and made two appearances off the bench for the first team,” the commentator will say. “Oh yeah,” you’ll think. “I remember him.” Steven Gerrard could have been just such a footnote in Liverpool history. He could have been just another skinny Academy kid given brief exposure to the bright lights of Anfield before falling away, being replaced by a foreign import and shipped out on a loan spell that no-one would ever have expected him to come back from. Yet Gerrard was different. Almost from the very start you sensed that there was something special about this one. Maybe it came from a backstory which included a brush with a pitchfork as a child which could have ended his football career before it began, or perhaps it came from the growing pains which led to numerous injury problems into his late teens. Whatever it was it was something which, looking back now, just seemed to fit perfectly. Of course no-one could have predicted that Gerrard would go on to be one of the finest midfield players of his generation when he was slowly introduced into the team as a right-back in 1998, but the manner in which he grabbed hold of his starting XI shirt as a teenager and has kept possession of it ever since must echo with a lot of the young talents in and around the squad which Gerrard captains today.  Raheem Sterling was a week-and-a-half away from turning four years old when Gerrard made his Liverpool debut, and by the time Sterling and his family had emigrated to London a year later Gerrard was becoming an increasingly important member of the Reds squad. When Sterling and his fellow young players look at Gerrard today they see somebody who has done more than anybody to keep Liverpool near the top end of the modern game, striving for every inch of success so that one day, when the time comes, Sterling and company will have a high enough platform from which to go on and both repeat and improve upon those successes. Obviously it hasn’t gone perfectly smoothly, and there is one glaring omission from Gerrard’s list of honours which will in all likelihood never be achieved, but that only adds to the story. Who knows, had Liverpool won the league instead of finishing as runners-up to Arsenal in 2001/02 – Gerrard’s third full season and one which came hot on the heels of 2001’s treble cup success – would Liverpool’s heartbeat still be at the club today? He’d have won everything it was conceivable to win and there would have been new challenges elsewhere. Yet despite temptations further down the road he stayed, helping achieve the inconceivable in 2005 and now – with Jamie Carragher fading into the background – operating as the elder statesman in a young team who are being asked to grow up fast and with the spotlight shining brightly upon them. Gerrard knows a thing or two about that, and if those young players are looking for inspiration then they need look no further than a captain whose wealth of experience should offer all the motivation they require. Playing 600 games of football at the highest level is indeed a remarkable achievement, but to play all of them for one club and to leave the kind of legacy that Gerrard has requires someone truly special. If Gerrard has set the standard for those who follow then bring on the next 600 games. He might not be able to feature in all of them, but his attitude, influence and advice would be welcome additions to each and every one. @Mark_Jones86    For more of Mark's blogs as well as top fantasy football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. Playing 600 games of professional football at the highest level is a remarkable achievement given the stresses and strains that the sport puts on your body as well as the thousands of hopefuls that you’ve left trailing in your wake along the way. Plenty of those hopefuls will have played a few matches amongst the elite – perhaps a handful if they were lucky – and then they’ll have dropped down through the leagues, possibly coming back into the collective consciousness a few years down the line when part of a team attempting an FA Cup ‘giantkilling’ in front of the TV cameras. “He came through the ranks at Liverpool and made two appearances off the bench for the first team,” the commentator will say. “Oh yeah,” you’ll think. “I remember him.” Steven Gerrard could have been just such a footnote in Liverpool history. He could have been just another skinny Academy kid given brief exposure to the bright lights of Anfield before falling away, being replaced by a foreign import and shipped out on a loan spell that no-one would ever have expected him to come back from. Yet Gerrard was different. Almost from the very start you sensed that there was something special about this one. Maybe it came from a backstory which included a brush with a pitchfork as a child which could have ended his football career before it began, or perhaps it came from the growing pains which led to numerous injury problems into his late teens. Whatever it was it was something which, looking back now, just seemed to fit perfectly. Of course no-one could have predicted that Gerrard would go on to be one of the finest midfield players of his generation when he was slowly introduced into the team as a right-back in 1998, but the manner in which he grabbed hold of his starting XI shirt as a teenager and has kept possession of it ever since must echo with a lot of the young talents in and around the squad which Gerrard captains today.  Raheem Sterling was a week-and-a-half away from turning four years old when Gerrard made his Liverpool debut, and by the time Sterling and his family had emigrated to London a year later Gerrard was becoming an increasingly important member of the Reds squad. When Sterling and his fellow young players look at Gerrard today they see somebody who has done more than anybody to keep Liverpool near the top end of the modern game, striving for every inch of success so that one day, when the time comes, Sterling and company will have a high enough platform from which to go on and both repeat and improve upon those successes. Obviously it hasn’t gone perfectly smoothly, and there is one glaring omission from Gerrard’s list of honours which will in all likelihood never be achieved, but that only adds to the story. Who knows, had Liverpool won the league instead of finishing as runners-up to Arsenal in 2001/02 – Gerrard’s third full season and one which came hot on the heels of 2001’s treble cup success – would Liverpool’s heartbeat still be at the club today? He’d have won everything it was conceivable to win and there would have been new challenges elsewhere. Yet despite temptations further down the road he stayed, helping achieve the inconceivable in 2005 and now – with Jamie Carragher fading into the background – operating as the elder statesman in a young team who are being asked to grow up fast and with the spotlight shining brightly upon them. Gerrard knows a thing or two about that, and if those young players are looking for inspiration then they need look no further than a captain whose wealth of experience should offer all the motivation they require. Playing 600 games of football at the highest level is indeed a remarkable achievement, but to play all of them for one club and to leave the kind of legacy that Gerrard has requires someone truly special. If Gerrard has set the standard for those who follow then bring on the next 600 games. He might not be able to feature in all of them, but his attitude, influence and advice would be welcome additions to each and every one. @Mark_Jones86    For more of Mark's blogs as well as top fantasy football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. Wed, 07 Nov 2012 14:52:27 GMT http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/_Inspiring-a-generation/blog/6452981/173471.html MarkJones86 2012-11-07T14:52:27Z Steven Gerrard The Kop Playing 600 games of professional football at the highest level is a remarkable achievement given the stresses and strains that the sport puts on your body as well as the thousands of hopefuls that you’ve left trailing in your wake along the way. Plenty of those hopefuls will have played a few matches amongst the elite – perhaps a handful if they were lucky – and then they’ll have dropped down through the leagues, possibly coming back into the collective consciousness a few years down the line when part of a team attempting an FA Cup ‘giantkilling’ in front of the TV cameras. “He came through the ranks at Liverpool and made two appearances off the bench for the first team,” the commentator will say. “Oh yeah,” you’ll think. “I remember him.” Steven Gerrard could have been just such a footnote in Liverpool history. He could have been just another skinny Academy kid given brief exposure to the bright lights of Anfield before falling away, being replaced by a foreign import and shipped out on a loan spell that no-one would ever have expected him to come back from. Yet Gerrard was different. Almost from the very start you sensed that there was something special about this one. Maybe it came from a backstory which included a brush with a pitchfork as a child which could have ended his football career before it began, or perhaps it came from the growing pains which led to numerous injury problems into his late teens. Whatever it was it was something which, looking back now, just seemed to fit perfectly. Of course no-one could have predicted that Gerrard would go on to be one of the finest midfield players of his generation when he was slowly introduced into the team as a right-back in 1998, but the manner in which he grabbed hold of his starting XI shirt as a teenager and has kept possession of it ever since must echo with a lot of the young talents in and around the squad which Gerrard captains today.  Raheem Sterling was a week-and-a-half away from turning four years old when Gerrard made his Liverpool debut, and by the time Sterling and his family had emigrated to London a year later Gerrard was becoming an increasingly important member of the Reds squad. When Sterling and his fellow young players look at Gerrard today they see somebody who has done more than anybody to keep Liverpool near the top end of the modern game, striving for every inch of success so that one day, when the time comes, Sterling and company will have a high enough platform from which to go on and both repeat and improve upon those successes. Obviously it hasn’t gone perfectly smoothly, and there is one glaring omission from Gerrard’s list of honours which will in all likelihood never be achieved, but that only adds to the story. Who knows, had Liverpool won the league instead of finishing as runners-up to Arsenal in 2001/02 – Gerrard’s third full season and one which came hot on the heels of 2001’s treble cup success – would Liverpool’s heartbeat still be at the club today? He’d have won everything it was conceivable to win and there would have been new challenges elsewhere. Yet despite temptations further down the road he stayed, helping achieve the inconceivable in 2005 and now – with Jamie Carragher fading into the background – operating as the elder statesman in a young team who are being asked to grow up fast and with the spotlight shining brightly upon them. Gerrard knows a thing or two about that, and if those young players are looking for inspiration then they need look no further than a captain whose wealth of experience should offer all the motivation they require. Playing 600 games of football at the highest level is indeed a remarkable achievement, but to play all of them for one club and to leave the kind of legacy that Gerrard has requires someone truly special. If Gerrard has set the standard for those who follow then bring on the next 600 games. He might not be able to feature in all of them, but his attitude, influence and advice would be welcome additions to each and every one. @Mark_Jones86    For more of Mark's blogs as well as top fantasy football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. gerrard, steven, steven gerrard nonadult false Inspiring a generation text blog gerrard,steven,steven gerrard 8236 11 4.18182 http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=30518662&as=173471 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/173471/photos/PHOTO_15646832_173471_30518662_ap_160X120.jpg false 8 Steven Gerrard 0 6452981 30518662 Kopite 12180 http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/_The-other-derbies/blog/6435433/173471.html Regardless of cup draws there are always at least four Merseyside derbies a season. Two of them take place either side of Stanley Park and then two more happen in the days, weeks, months and sometimes years following the final whistle. These third and fourth derbies used to be confined to smoky back rooms in pubs such as The Sandon on Oakfield Road in the shadow of Anfield, the very place where derbies were born when Liverpool split from Everton in 1892. They’d also take place around the Albert Dock, the market stalls in and around St John’s and the pubs of London Road, as Liverpool and Everton fans locked horns and debated the often controversial incidents of the match they’d just witnessed. These days of course, technological advancements mean that arguments can be had between a Red from Birkenhead and a Blue from Timbuktu simply with the click of a mouse button, especially when there is enough fuel around to throw on the fire that we saw produced on Sunday afternoon at Goodison Park. Incidents in the match are examined until the Reds are Blue in the face and vice versa, and whilst there are those involved who seem to thrive on fishing for reactions – Steven Gerrard has dangled the bait and it’s been taken – this derby was always likely to produce lively debate whatever happened. As those arguments continue, fans of both teams have reasons to feel both delighted and deflated. Liverpool were superb in going 2-0 up inside the opening 20 minutes at Goodison, but then after seeing that lead evaporate the Reds had to suffer the indignity of seeing a perfectly good winner disallowed. Everton, by contrast, would have felt down that they couldn’t turn the momentum they’d built up in brilliantly coming back to level the game at 2-2 into a strong second half performance, whilst still relieved that Luis Suarez’s last minute winner was somehow not allowed to stand. Ah yes, Suarez. If he’d been around in 1892 then the split which led to the formation of two clubs in Liverpool would have been a lot bitterer. It’s hard to think of a player in Liverpool’s history who has been treated in the way that Suarez has by opposition fans and increasingly by the opinion formers of the game – one radio commentator has even gone as far to suggest that Fernando Torres was sent off against Manchester United on Sunday because of the actions of Suarez, almost as though the pair were fused together during the brief hours they spent together as Liverpool players in January 2011 and then destined to both hit the headlines on the same day almost two years later – and whilst the reasons for these beliefs are already so well documented they have produced a bizarre, pantomime-like quality to every Reds match, particularly ones as highly-charged as Sunday’s. Waking up on the morning of the game and given the chance to predict one headline that you’d see on the BBC Sport website later that day, the chances that you’d go for “Suarez deserved red card – Moyes” would be pretty high. The challenge on Sylvain Distin that Moyes referred to was undoubtedly clumsy, but the hysteria surrounding everything that Suarez does was always going to make it out to be more than that. In amongst the sideshow there is of course a world class footballer, one with a sense of humour judging by the way he celebrated Sunday’s first goal and one whose performances this season under a new manager and in a new philosophy have probably been his best at the club. He has six Premier League goals to go with those displays, and would have joined top scorers Demba Ba and Robin van Persie on seven at the end of Sunday were it not for a linesman’s flag. At one point the forward even seemed to receive a tip from the crowd too. As long as he’s around – which will hopefully be for a long time – these ‘other derbies’ will go on and on and spread further and further afield, even involving fans of other clubs. Pending the FA Cup draw the third one of the season, to be played on the Anfield pitch, will be at the beginning of May. The second one, still taking place in all four corners of the globe, might have finished by then. @Mark_Jones86   For Mark’s blogs and top fantasy football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. Regardless of cup draws there are always at least four Merseyside derbies a season. Two of them take place either side of Stanley Park and then two more happen in the days, weeks, months and sometimes years following the final whistle. These third and fourth derbies used to be confined to smoky back rooms in pubs such as The Sandon on Oakfield Road in the shadow of Anfield, the very place where derbies were born when Liverpool split from Everton in 1892. They’d also take place around the Albert Dock, the market stalls in and around St John’s and the pubs of London Road, as Liverpool and Everton fans locked horns and debated the often controversial incidents of the match they’d just witnessed. These days of course, technological advancements mean that arguments can be had between a Red from Birkenhead and a Blue from Timbuktu simply with the click of a mouse button, especially when there is enough fuel around to throw on the fire that we saw produced on Sunday afternoon at Goodison Park. Incidents in the match are examined until the Reds are Blue in the face and vice versa, and whilst there are those involved who seem to thrive on fishing for reactions – Steven Gerrard has dangled the bait and it’s been taken – this derby was always likely to produce lively debate whatever happened. As those arguments continue, fans of both teams have reasons to feel both delighted and deflated. Liverpool were superb in going 2-0 up inside the opening 20 minutes at Goodison, but then after seeing that lead evaporate the Reds had to suffer the indignity of seeing a perfectly good winner disallowed. Everton, by contrast, would have felt down that they couldn’t turn the momentum they’d built up in brilliantly coming back to level the game at 2-2 into a strong second half performance, whilst still relieved that Luis Suarez’s last minute winner was somehow not allowed to stand. Ah yes, Suarez. If he’d been around in 1892 then the split which led to the formation of two clubs in Liverpool would have been a lot bitterer. It’s hard to think of a player in Liverpool’s history who has been treated in the way that Suarez has by opposition fans and increasingly by the opinion formers of the game – one radio commentator has even gone as far to suggest that Fernando Torres was sent off against Manchester United on Sunday because of the actions of Suarez, almost as though the pair were fused together during the brief hours they spent together as Liverpool players in January 2011 and then destined to both hit the headlines on the same day almost two years later – and whilst the reasons for these beliefs are already so well documented they have produced a bizarre, pantomime-like quality to every Reds match, particularly ones as highly-charged as Sunday’s. Waking up on the morning of the game and given the chance to predict one headline that you’d see on the BBC Sport website later that day, the chances that you’d go for “Suarez deserved red card – Moyes” would be pretty high. The challenge on Sylvain Distin that Moyes referred to was undoubtedly clumsy, but the hysteria surrounding everything that Suarez does was always going to make it out to be more than that. In amongst the sideshow there is of course a world class footballer, one with a sense of humour judging by the way he celebrated Sunday’s first goal and one whose performances this season under a new manager and in a new philosophy have probably been his best at the club. He has six Premier League goals to go with those displays, and would have joined top scorers Demba Ba and Robin van Persie on seven at the end of Sunday were it not for a linesman’s flag. At one point the forward even seemed to receive a tip from the crowd too. As long as he’s around – which will hopefully be for a long time – these ‘other derbies’ will go on and on and spread further and further afield, even involving fans of other clubs. Pending the FA Cup draw the third one of the season, to be played on the Anfield pitch, will be at the beginning of May. The second one, still taking place in all four corners of the globe, might have finished by then. @Mark_Jones86   For Mark’s blogs and top fantasy football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. Tue, 30 Oct 2012 10:30:09 GMT http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/_The-other-derbies/blog/6435433/173471.html MarkJones86 2012-10-30T10:30:09Z Luis Suarez The Kop Regardless of cup draws there are always at least four Merseyside derbies a season. Two of them take place either side of Stanley Park and then two more happen in the days, weeks, months and sometimes years following the final whistle. These third and fourth derbies used to be confined to smoky back rooms in pubs such as The Sandon on Oakfield Road in the shadow of Anfield, the very place where derbies were born when Liverpool split from Everton in 1892. They’d also take place around the Albert Dock, the market stalls in and around St John’s and the pubs of London Road, as Liverpool and Everton fans locked horns and debated the often controversial incidents of the match they’d just witnessed. These days of course, technological advancements mean that arguments can be had between a Red from Birkenhead and a Blue from Timbuktu simply with the click of a mouse button, especially when there is enough fuel around to throw on the fire that we saw produced on Sunday afternoon at Goodison Park. Incidents in the match are examined until the Reds are Blue in the face and vice versa, and whilst there are those involved who seem to thrive on fishing for reactions – Steven Gerrard has dangled the bait and it’s been taken – this derby was always likely to produce lively debate whatever happened. As those arguments continue, fans of both teams have reasons to feel both delighted and deflated. Liverpool were superb in going 2-0 up inside the opening 20 minutes at Goodison, but then after seeing that lead evaporate the Reds had to suffer the indignity of seeing a perfectly good winner disallowed. Everton, by contrast, would have felt down that they couldn’t turn the momentum they’d built up in brilliantly coming back to level the game at 2-2 into a strong second half performance, whilst still relieved that Luis Suarez’s last minute winner was somehow not allowed to stand. Ah yes, Suarez. If he’d been around in 1892 then the split which led to the formation of two clubs in Liverpool would have been a lot bitterer. It’s hard to think of a player in Liverpool’s history who has been treated in the way that Suarez has by opposition fans and increasingly by the opinion formers of the game – one radio commentator has even gone as far to suggest that Fernando Torres was sent off against Manchester United on Sunday because of the actions of Suarez, almost as though the pair were fused together during the brief hours they spent together as Liverpool players in January 2011 and then destined to both hit the headlines on the same day almost two years later – and whilst the reasons for these beliefs are already so well documented they have produced a bizarre, pantomime-like quality to every Reds match, particularly ones as highly-charged as Sunday’s. Waking up on the morning of the game and given the chance to predict one headline that you’d see on the BBC Sport website later that day, the chances that you’d go for “Suarez deserved red card – Moyes” would be pretty high. The challenge on Sylvain Distin that Moyes referred to was undoubtedly clumsy, but the hysteria surrounding everything that Suarez does was always going to make it out to be more than that. In amongst the sideshow there is of course a world class footballer, one with a sense of humour judging by the way he celebrated Sunday’s first goal and one whose performances this season under a new manager and in a new philosophy have probably been his best at the club. He has six Premier League goals to go with those displays, and would have joined top scorers Demba Ba and Robin van Persie on seven at the end of Sunday were it not for a linesman’s flag. At one point the forward even seemed to receive a tip from the crowd too. As long as he’s around – which will hopefully be for a long time – these ‘other derbies’ will go on and on and spread further and further afield, even involving fans of other clubs. Pending the FA Cup draw the third one of the season, to be played on the Anfield pitch, will be at the beginning of May. The second one, still taking place in all four corners of the globe, might have finished by then. @Mark_Jones86   For Mark’s blogs and top fantasy football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. derbies, everton, gerrard, luis, luis suarez, steven, suarez nonadult false The other derbies text blog derbies,everton,gerrard,luis,luis suarez,steven,suarez 26005 32 4.84375 http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=30518662&as=173471 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/173471/photos/PHOTO_15646832_173471_30518662_ap_160X120.jpg false 10 Luis Suarez 0 6435433 30518662 Kopite 12180 http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/_Running-through-barbed-wire-fences/blog/6424493/173471.html There can’t be too many pieces on these pages which start by recalling words from Sir Alex Ferguson, so apologies for breaking with tradition. “Young players rarely let you down,” was the gist of Ferguson’s point after his young Manchester United side – the second youngest United XI he’d named in Premier League history – beat Tottenham 3-0 at Old Trafford at the beginning of last season. A few miles along the M62 and over a year later, Liverpool might just be proving Ferguson right. Brendan Rodgers has his own ideas on youth of course, and it was just weeks into his Anfield tenure when he affirmed the belief that is likely to encompass so much of his first season as Liverpool manager. “Young players will run through barbed wire fences for you,” was what Rodgers said. If only they were being asked to do something that easy. Not that the responsibility Rodgers has placed in teenagers has made any of them shirk any challenges of course. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Raheem Sterling, Suso and Andre Wisdom have started the last three Premier League matches together, with Sterling now beginning the last seven and topping them off with the winning goal against Reading last Saturday. The 17-year-old is very much the poster boy of the new Liverpool, with his fearless nature and determination surely making him the player that Rodgers had in mind when he uttered that now potentially season-defining quote. There is always so much talk of how young players can learn from the older, more experienced heads around them the moment that they start to break into the big time – and indeed Sterling could hardly wish for better role models when he looks around Melwood – but instead perhaps it should be the older players who are learning from him. At a time when the tough fixtures just keep on coming, adopting Sterling’s attitude is surely the right way forward for a group of players who are very much still getting to know each other. There will be frustrations and setbacks but they will only make the highs seem higher, and it is surely better to approach these hurdles with a spring in your step rather than worrying what lies on the other side of them. It is that confidence and fearlessness which is so apparent in Sterling’s game. Young players have come in to the Liverpool side before but instantly seemed weighed down by the pressures and expectations, almost as though the Liver bird upon their chests had been taken straight from the top of the Liver Building and placed squarely on their shoulders. Big money established internationals have suffered from this syndrome too, and some of them are still around to witness the hungry youngsters from the substitutes’ bench or up in the Anfield stands. The trust placed in Sterling, Suso, Wisdom and any number of other young players who have been and will be given their chances by Rodgers is refreshing to see, and at a time when the Reds are facing a daunting battle to claw their way back towards those at the summit of the game, their courageous attitude is exactly what is needed. Reputations can still be respected, but that doesn’t have to mean that they have to be feared too. If Liverpool keep on running through those barbed wire fences, it won’t be long before the Fergusons of this world are forced to sit up, take notice and perhaps resort to throwing a few more blocks in the road. Confident young players could skip over those too. @Mark_Jones86   For more of Mark's blogs and top Fantasy Football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. There can’t be too many pieces on these pages which start by recalling words from Sir Alex Ferguson, so apologies for breaking with tradition. “Young players rarely let you down,” was the gist of Ferguson’s point after his young Manchester United side – the second youngest United XI he’d named in Premier League history – beat Tottenham 3-0 at Old Trafford at the beginning of last season. A few miles along the M62 and over a year later, Liverpool might just be proving Ferguson right. Brendan Rodgers has his own ideas on youth of course, and it was just weeks into his Anfield tenure when he affirmed the belief that is likely to encompass so much of his first season as Liverpool manager. “Young players will run through barbed wire fences for you,” was what Rodgers said. If only they were being asked to do something that easy. Not that the responsibility Rodgers has placed in teenagers has made any of them shirk any challenges of course. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Raheem Sterling, Suso and Andre Wisdom have started the last three Premier League matches together, with Sterling now beginning the last seven and topping them off with the winning goal against Reading last Saturday. The 17-year-old is very much the poster boy of the new Liverpool, with his fearless nature and determination surely making him the player that Rodgers had in mind when he uttered that now potentially season-defining quote. There is always so much talk of how young players can learn from the older, more experienced heads around them the moment that they start to break into the big time – and indeed Sterling could hardly wish for better role models when he looks around Melwood – but instead perhaps it should be the older players who are learning from him. At a time when the tough fixtures just keep on coming, adopting Sterling’s attitude is surely the right way forward for a group of players who are very much still getting to know each other. There will be frustrations and setbacks but they will only make the highs seem higher, and it is surely better to approach these hurdles with a spring in your step rather than worrying what lies on the other side of them. It is that confidence and fearlessness which is so apparent in Sterling’s game. Young players have come in to the Liverpool side before but instantly seemed weighed down by the pressures and expectations, almost as though the Liver bird upon their chests had been taken straight from the top of the Liver Building and placed squarely on their shoulders. Big money established internationals have suffered from this syndrome too, and some of them are still around to witness the hungry youngsters from the substitutes’ bench or up in the Anfield stands. The trust placed in Sterling, Suso, Wisdom and any number of other young players who have been and will be given their chances by Rodgers is refreshing to see, and at a time when the Reds are facing a daunting battle to claw their way back towards those at the summit of the game, their courageous attitude is exactly what is needed. Reputations can still be respected, but that doesn’t have to mean that they have to be feared too. If Liverpool keep on running through those barbed wire fences, it won’t be long before the Fergusons of this world are forced to sit up, take notice and perhaps resort to throwing a few more blocks in the road. Confident young players could skip over those too. @Mark_Jones86   For more of Mark's blogs and top Fantasy Football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. Thu, 25 Oct 2012 17:13:06 GMT http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/_Running-through-barbed-wire-fences/blog/6424493/173471.html MarkJones86 2012-10-25T17:13:06Z Players The Kop There can’t be too many pieces on these pages which start by recalling words from Sir Alex Ferguson, so apologies for breaking with tradition. “Young players rarely let you down,” was the gist of Ferguson’s point after his young Manchester United side – the second youngest United XI he’d named in Premier League history – beat Tottenham 3-0 at Old Trafford at the beginning of last season. A few miles along the M62 and over a year later, Liverpool might just be proving Ferguson right. Brendan Rodgers has his own ideas on youth of course, and it was just weeks into his Anfield tenure when he affirmed the belief that is likely to encompass so much of his first season as Liverpool manager. “Young players will run through barbed wire fences for you,” was what Rodgers said. If only they were being asked to do something that easy. Not that the responsibility Rodgers has placed in teenagers has made any of them shirk any challenges of course. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Raheem Sterling, Suso and Andre Wisdom have started the last three Premier League matches together, with Sterling now beginning the last seven and topping them off with the winning goal against Reading last Saturday. The 17-year-old is very much the poster boy of the new Liverpool, with his fearless nature and determination surely making him the player that Rodgers had in mind when he uttered that now potentially season-defining quote. There is always so much talk of how young players can learn from the older, more experienced heads around them the moment that they start to break into the big time – and indeed Sterling could hardly wish for better role models when he looks around Melwood – but instead perhaps it should be the older players who are learning from him. At a time when the tough fixtures just keep on coming, adopting Sterling’s attitude is surely the right way forward for a group of players who are very much still getting to know each other. There will be frustrations and setbacks but they will only make the highs seem higher, and it is surely better to approach these hurdles with a spring in your step rather than worrying what lies on the other side of them. It is that confidence and fearlessness which is so apparent in Sterling’s game. Young players have come in to the Liverpool side before but instantly seemed weighed down by the pressures and expectations, almost as though the Liver bird upon their chests had been taken straight from the top of the Liver Building and placed squarely on their shoulders. Big money established internationals have suffered from this syndrome too, and some of them are still around to witness the hungry youngsters from the substitutes’ bench or up in the Anfield stands. The trust placed in Sterling, Suso, Wisdom and any number of other young players who have been and will be given their chances by Rodgers is refreshing to see, and at a time when the Reds are facing a daunting battle to claw their way back towards those at the summit of the game, their courageous attitude is exactly what is needed. Reputations can still be respected, but that doesn’t have to mean that they have to be feared too. If Liverpool keep on running through those barbed wire fences, it won’t be long before the Fergusons of this world are forced to sit up, take notice and perhaps resort to throwing a few more blocks in the road. Confident young players could skip over those too. @Mark_Jones86   For more of Mark's blogs and top Fantasy Football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. andre, brendan, players, raheem, rodgers, sterling, suso, wisdom, young nonadult false Running through barbed wire fences text blog andre,brendan,players,raheem,rodgers,sterling,suso,wisdom,young 18048 32 4.84375 http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=30518662&as=173471 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/173471/photos/PHOTO_15646832_173471_30518662_ap_160X120.jpg false 22 Players 0 6424493 30518662 Kopite 12180 http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/_Tattooed-artists-lay-the-foundations-for-success/blog/6408843/173471.html Everywhere you look around Anfield these days there are changes taking place, and the events of the past week only indicate that those changes will get more and more visible in the months and years to come. Well-known structures will be altered and backdrops will disappear altogether, but on the pitch the foundations laid by Brendan Rodgers will provide solid support for the hopefully successful times ahead. Unlike most other foundations though, these ones are covered in tattoos. Body art might be visible on the likes of Glen Johnson, Jonjo Shelvey and Suso, but even they would have to bow down to Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger and crown them Liverpool’s tattoo kings. Skrtel has – amongst many others – the Latin motto ‘Veni, vidi, vici’ (I came, I saw, conquered) tattooed on his ribs, whilst qualified tattoo artist Agger is covered in drawn on Vikings. It is the signatures applied by both onto new long-term contracts in the past two months which remain their most significant applications of ink in recent times though. With Dirk Kuyt gone, Jamie Carragher slowly being eased into the background and Steven Gerrard and Pepe Reina’s importance to the club long since established, Skrtel and Agger’s evolution into part of the Anfield furniture could hardly be coming at a better time. With so many young, talented, but raw team-mates around them and with a manager who is still getting his feet under the table, the availability and willingness of Liverpool’s Slovak-Danish alliance at the back has surely never been more important. As well as being linked by terrific ability, the pair are binded by difficult beginnings to their Anfield careers. Anyone who saw Skrtel’s first Reds start against a Havant & Waterlooville side ranked 122 places below Liverpool in the league ladder in early 2008 would have been surprised to still see him at the club now, let alone wanted him to be. But the Slovakian has improved from those early, often nervy days, and now finds himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet and last season’s Player of the Year. Early season hiccups in this campaign can be blamed on efforts to come to terms with the Rodgers football philosophy but Skrtel is nothing if not a tryer, and the good news is that he’ll be here to try for a while longer. It was injuries which blighted Agger’s formative years at Anfield, and to a certain extent they still do. There can’t have been a Liverpool fan around the world who didn’t fear the worst when the Dane went down injured against Manchester United last month, and similarly when he was heavily linked with a move to Manchester City in the summer. The path to the first team was blocked by Carragher and Sami Hyypia when Agger first arrived as a 21-year-old in January 2006, but he could hardly have had better role models to learn from and has since evolved into one of the most comfortable defenders with the ball at his feet. Last season he managed the joint-most Premier League games of his seven seasons at the club, and he’s playing with a broken kneecap in a bid to better that tally this time around. He’s also playing with that new ‘YNWA’ tattoo adorned on the knuckles of his right hand. As symbols of pride and devotion to the club they don’t get much starker in Agger’s world – or indeed Skrtel’s – and the ink hadn’t even dried on the Dane’s right hand before supporters were celebrating the commitment of one of their idols. So much of the talk around the new Rodgers regime has been based around the patient, passing, possession-based approach, but the tattooed foundations are there to keep everything in place as a potentially brighter future is constructed. Fortunately for Liverpool, these foundations are as solid as they come. @Mark_Jones86   For more of Mark's blogs and top Fantasy Football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. Everywhere you look around Anfield these days there are changes taking place, and the events of the past week only indicate that those changes will get more and more visible in the months and years to come. Well-known structures will be altered and backdrops will disappear altogether, but on the pitch the foundations laid by Brendan Rodgers will provide solid support for the hopefully successful times ahead. Unlike most other foundations though, these ones are covered in tattoos. Body art might be visible on the likes of Glen Johnson, Jonjo Shelvey and Suso, but even they would have to bow down to Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger and crown them Liverpool’s tattoo kings. Skrtel has – amongst many others – the Latin motto ‘Veni, vidi, vici’ (I came, I saw, conquered) tattooed on his ribs, whilst qualified tattoo artist Agger is covered in drawn on Vikings. It is the signatures applied by both onto new long-term contracts in the past two months which remain their most significant applications of ink in recent times though. With Dirk Kuyt gone, Jamie Carragher slowly being eased into the background and Steven Gerrard and Pepe Reina’s importance to the club long since established, Skrtel and Agger’s evolution into part of the Anfield furniture could hardly be coming at a better time. With so many young, talented, but raw team-mates around them and with a manager who is still getting his feet under the table, the availability and willingness of Liverpool’s Slovak-Danish alliance at the back has surely never been more important. As well as being linked by terrific ability, the pair are binded by difficult beginnings to their Anfield careers. Anyone who saw Skrtel’s first Reds start against a Havant & Waterlooville side ranked 122 places below Liverpool in the league ladder in early 2008 would have been surprised to still see him at the club now, let alone wanted him to be. But the Slovakian has improved from those early, often nervy days, and now finds himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet and last season’s Player of the Year. Early season hiccups in this campaign can be blamed on efforts to come to terms with the Rodgers football philosophy but Skrtel is nothing if not a tryer, and the good news is that he’ll be here to try for a while longer. It was injuries which blighted Agger’s formative years at Anfield, and to a certain extent they still do. There can’t have been a Liverpool fan around the world who didn’t fear the worst when the Dane went down injured against Manchester United last month, and similarly when he was heavily linked with a move to Manchester City in the summer. The path to the first team was blocked by Carragher and Sami Hyypia when Agger first arrived as a 21-year-old in January 2006, but he could hardly have had better role models to learn from and has since evolved into one of the most comfortable defenders with the ball at his feet. Last season he managed the joint-most Premier League games of his seven seasons at the club, and he’s playing with a broken kneecap in a bid to better that tally this time around. He’s also playing with that new ‘YNWA’ tattoo adorned on the knuckles of his right hand. As symbols of pride and devotion to the club they don’t get much starker in Agger’s world – or indeed Skrtel’s – and the ink hadn’t even dried on the Dane’s right hand before supporters were celebrating the commitment of one of their idols. So much of the talk around the new Rodgers regime has been based around the patient, passing, possession-based approach, but the tattooed foundations are there to keep everything in place as a potentially brighter future is constructed. Fortunately for Liverpool, these foundations are as solid as they come. @Mark_Jones86   For more of Mark's blogs and top Fantasy Football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. Thu, 18 Oct 2012 19:02:07 GMT http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/_Tattooed-artists-lay-the-foundations-for-success/blog/6408843/173471.html MarkJones86 2012-10-18T19:02:07Z Defenders The Kop Everywhere you look around Anfield these days there are changes taking place, and the events of the past week only indicate that those changes will get more and more visible in the months and years to come. Well-known structures will be altered and backdrops will disappear altogether, but on the pitch the foundations laid by Brendan Rodgers will provide solid support for the hopefully successful times ahead. Unlike most other foundations though, these ones are covered in tattoos. Body art might be visible on the likes of Glen Johnson, Jonjo Shelvey and Suso, but even they would have to bow down to Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger and crown them Liverpool’s tattoo kings. Skrtel has – amongst many others – the Latin motto ‘Veni, vidi, vici’ (I came, I saw, conquered) tattooed on his ribs, whilst qualified tattoo artist Agger is covered in drawn on Vikings. It is the signatures applied by both onto new long-term contracts in the past two months which remain their most significant applications of ink in recent times though. With Dirk Kuyt gone, Jamie Carragher slowly being eased into the background and Steven Gerrard and Pepe Reina’s importance to the club long since established, Skrtel and Agger’s evolution into part of the Anfield furniture could hardly be coming at a better time. With so many young, talented, but raw team-mates around them and with a manager who is still getting his feet under the table, the availability and willingness of Liverpool’s Slovak-Danish alliance at the back has surely never been more important. As well as being linked by terrific ability, the pair are binded by difficult beginnings to their Anfield careers. Anyone who saw Skrtel’s first Reds start against a Havant & Waterlooville side ranked 122 places below Liverpool in the league ladder in early 2008 would have been surprised to still see him at the club now, let alone wanted him to be. But the Slovakian has improved from those early, often nervy days, and now finds himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet and last season’s Player of the Year. Early season hiccups in this campaign can be blamed on efforts to come to terms with the Rodgers football philosophy but Skrtel is nothing if not a tryer, and the good news is that he’ll be here to try for a while longer. It was injuries which blighted Agger’s formative years at Anfield, and to a certain extent they still do. There can’t have been a Liverpool fan around the world who didn’t fear the worst when the Dane went down injured against Manchester United last month, and similarly when he was heavily linked with a move to Manchester City in the summer. The path to the first team was blocked by Carragher and Sami Hyypia when Agger first arrived as a 21-year-old in January 2006, but he could hardly have had better role models to learn from and has since evolved into one of the most comfortable defenders with the ball at his feet. Last season he managed the joint-most Premier League games of his seven seasons at the club, and he’s playing with a broken kneecap in a bid to better that tally this time around. He’s also playing with that new ‘YNWA’ tattoo adorned on the knuckles of his right hand. As symbols of pride and devotion to the club they don’t get much starker in Agger’s world – or indeed Skrtel’s – and the ink hadn’t even dried on the Dane’s right hand before supporters were celebrating the commitment of one of their idols. So much of the talk around the new Rodgers regime has been based around the patient, passing, possession-based approach, but the tattooed foundations are there to keep everything in place as a potentially brighter future is constructed. Fortunately for Liverpool, these foundations are as solid as they come. @Mark_Jones86   For more of Mark's blogs and top Fantasy Football advice, comment and opinion visit Fantasy Yirma. agger, daniel, defenders, lfc, liverpool, martin, skrtel nonadult false Tattooed artists lay the foundations for success text blog agger,daniel,defenders,lfc,liverpool,martin,skrtel 9067 16 4.75 http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=30518662&as=173471 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/173471/photos/PHOTO_15646832_173471_30518662_ap_160X120.jpg false 1 Defenders 2 6408843 30518662 Kopite 12180