January Not a Bad Month for Deals

January, the start of a new year, is often seen as a month of hope.  Resolutions made as the previous year came to an end are still fresh in the mind as is the belief that they will be maintained.  That similar resolutions were made (but not kept) before doesn't matter.  This time round will be different, this time round I will make it.

Football, however, is much more cynical and allows no space for such naive hope.  So it is that January is seen as the month for the desperate, when those who are in trouble trash about in a made bid to change the flow of things.  Only they look imploringly at the transfer window that January brings with it, praying that it will deliver that player which could save their season.

With choice not being on beggars' menu, so it is that they must make do with what is available.  And pay exceedingly for it.  They have to look for players that others don't want; those who are either playing badly or whose character has proven to be too difficult to handle. Or else take punts on young players who are on the fringes of others' squads in the hope that their talent makes up for their lack of maturity and experience.

That is how the January transfer window is seen.  There is no value in it and you cannot get the players you really want unless you're willing to spend far more than they are worth.  It is a sellers' market, and that's never a good thing for those on the other side of the bargaining table.

Such truth holds most of the time, but not always.  The £23 million that Liverpool paid Ajax last January, when they exploited the Dutch club's financial worries, was a pretty good deal.  It was the same when Maxi Rodriguez joined with Atletico Madrid unwilling to keep paying his wages.  So too when Deportivo La Coruna opted to cash in on Alvaro Arbeloa so desperate were they to get their hands on the money.

Then there were those instances where January happens to be an off-season month.  It was such a timing anomaly that brought Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel to Liverpool.

This does not mean that Liverpool will sign any players during this transfer window much less that they will be successes if so.  But it does show that there can be exceptions to any theory, regardless of how firm the wide spread belief in it is.

And that should be enough to allow you to enjoy transfer rumours in hope, rather than look at them in cynicism.

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Why Carroll Needs Patience and Time

It only takes one bad touch for the criticism to start.  You know that it's coming as soon as Andy Carroll misplaces a pass or fails to control a ball; the comments that he's not worth the money spent on him, how he's a big mistake, that he's too lazy to try and make it work.

You can even sense some wanting him to fail so that they can tell everyone that they told you so.

There is a lesson about not writing players off prematurely in Lucas Leiva's transformation from Liverpool's fall guy into one of the team's most important players. Yet, judging by the negative feeling towards Carroll, there are quite a few who seem unwilling to heed it.

It is undeniable that so far Carroll hasn't really delivered.  Just as there's no arguing that he has struggled to make an impact.  But there have also been enough glimpses of his potential to see that there is something quite interesting there.  That game last season against Manchester City where Carroll scored twice by itself should be enough to convince just how good he could become.

That is hardly surprising.  Carroll has all the characteristics that you could want in a striker: incredible strength, a tremendous shot, virtually unbeatable in the air, the willingness to sacrifice himself for the team and also a good technique.  

Yet in his lack of experience he is missing one very important element.  Barely eighteen months of first team football - most of which were in the Championship - aren't enough for a player to have developed fully.  He still has to learn about his own game as much as anything else.

What has made Carroll's life particularly hard is the £35 million Liverpool paid to get him.  Had he joined for even half of that amount, there would be far greater acceptance and willingness to allow him to grow. But instead people look at the size of the fee and decide that for that kind of money Liverpool should be getting a player who is at the peak of his ability.

Yet he isn't.  The fee was simply a product of the circumstances that preceded the transfer and not really an evaluation of Carroll's value at that point in time.  Liverpool were willing to pay such an inflated amount because they had the cash and wanted to send out a message of their ambition.

But they were also willing to pay it because they believed in Carroll's potential.  The trick with potential, however, is that it can be difficult to coax especially when the player is under pressure.  Young players will go through rough patches, they will make mistakes and they will struggle.  It is all part of the learning process.

That's what's happening to Carroll who has to get used to a team playing in a different manner and with greater expectations then he's been accustomed to.  The potential is definitely there but the pressure is eroding his confidence.  As he doesn't yet have the maturity to deal with it so the problem keeps getting bigger with every game where he disappoints.

It is a vicious cycle that only Carroll himself can break.  Just as Lucas found the inner strength to dig deep and eventually prove his critics wrong, so too must Andy Carroll.  With time hopefully he'll manage to do just that so that Liverpool will finally get the player worthy of all that money they paid for him.

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Time To Prove Worth for Spearing

It is an unfortunate reality of the game of football, one which dictates that an injury to one player means an opportunity for another. So it will be for Jay Spearing who seems to be the player within Liverpool's squad who can best replicate the job that Lucas Leiva carried out and which someone else will now have to do in the Brazilian's injury forced absence.

Ironically, in certain aspects Spearing's career mirrors Lucas'.  He too has been deemed as not being good enough by fans unwilling to look past first impressions.  His is a presence that many look at skeptically with the belief being that he isn't big enough to play in such a central role that is normally the fighting ground of giants like Yaya Toure.

Like Lucas, no one would have blamed him had he asked to leave or if he'd accepted one of the opportunities to go out on loan placed before him.  But instead he chose to stay at Liverpool to fight it out despite the apparent futility of such a decision.

Unfortunate or not in its origin, this then represent his make or break moment.  Now is the time for him to show that he is fit for a starring role and not just a supporting one.

It won't be easy.  Implausible as this might have seemed two years ago he will have to play in Lucas' shadow where his every game will be analysed using the standard set by the Brazilian as a measuring stick.  Which, given how well Lucas has been playing, is a tough ask.

Yet such thoughts do a dis-service to Spearing who has been playing very well whenever opportunities have presented themselves.  Perhaps his displays haven't been as eye-catching as Lucas' but they have been effective, confident and determined.

Not that this should be surprising.  Pushed forward by Steve Heighway as being ready for the first team when he captained the FA Youth Cup winning team in 2007, Spearing eventually progressed as one of the better players at reserve level.  There he rarely failed to impress, dominating most games and showing that he was on a different level to most of the other players on the pitch.

That, however, wasn't enough to get him into the first team.  It was only when Kenny Dalglish took over as manager that he started being looked at as a squad member who could be relied on, rather than simply someone for the occasional meaningless cup game.  Still, with the investment in central midfield during the summer, he was the one who ended up suffering the most.

Now he can show his true value.  Now he has the opportunity to prove that there's no need for Liverpool to bring someone else in that role in January.  Now he can prove that he's big enough for Liverpool.

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Players Must Show That Liverpool Aren't a One Man Team

Back in the nineties teams would travel to Anfield with one plan in mind: that of stopping Steve McManaman.  The thinking was that if they managed this then they were well on their way to getting something out of the game.  It wasn't a tactic that worked as much as its reputation suggested yet it worked often enough for it to continue being used.

That tactic seems to be back in fashion.  It would be incorrect to say that the last three teams to have come to Anfield all did so with the aim of going away with a point but all three paid particular attention to Luis Suarez.  The belief that by limiting him you limit Liverpool is growing.

Yet at its core it is a false belief.  Last season Stewart Downing was often Aston Villa's match winner whilst Blackpool's valiant fight against relegation was largely down to Charlie Adam.  These two players have the potential to turn a game in Liverpool's favour.  Only they haven't been doing it.

Nor has anyone else.

Liverpool's problem isn't the over-reliance on Suarez but rather the deficiencies of other players.  Just as players used to stand back and let Steve McManaman and, later, Steven Gerrard try to save games, so too it seems that the current batch are abdicating their responsibility and hoping that Suarez comes up with an invention that wins the game.  But, as we've seen in recent weeks, it cannot work that way.

That this is happening is partly down to the number of new players that there are.  These are still getting used to playing in a different environment that has new (and greater) pressures to what they were used to.  They are also still trying to fit into a system the workings of which are still new to them with team-mates whom they don't know and who don't know them. And rather than letting their instincts take over they let fear rule.  It is much safer to try to get the ball to Suarez then try something yourself.

This was increasingly apparent against Swansea when preying at the back of the minds of most players was the thought of dropping more points like they did against Norwich.  As the game wore on and the fear grew, so did the misplaced passes which resulted in Liverpool ceeding control of the game.

Over the course of the season, only rarely have Liverpool's midfield players really taken control and been dangerous.  Rarely has anyone other than Suarez really shown the mental strength and determination to push up a notch.  When that happened - Henderson's cameo appearance against Manchester United springs to mind - then we saw midfielders really in with a chance to score.

Suarez, being Liverpool's best player, will inevitably always feature prominently in attacking moves; it would be foolish to structure the team otherwise.  But he cannot and, with the talent that there is in the squad, he need not be the only focus.

Yet if the other players keep deferring to him then it is only natural that other teams start reacting to that.  The problem, then, isn't that Liverpool's main threat is Luis Suarez it is that the other players are acting as if that they believe that he is the only one.

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Reserves Let Down

No games won and no points on the table, this has been a dismal start to the season for Liverpool's reserves team.  Or, rather, that  would be conclusion if you fail to look at the most significant column, that for games played, the one that shows that this week's defeat at Newcastle was only their second game of the season.

Ten weeks into the 2011/12 season and they've played only two games.  It is a fact that is so astounding that it bears repeating.

If it weren't for the involvement in the NextGen series, these players would have spent virtually all of the past three months training.  This at a crucial stage of their career when they need games in order to progress.  It is a ridiculous and frustration situation, one that has been dragging on for a long number of years which would indicate a lack of desire to do anything to fix it.

Rather than fostered, players' development is being stunted.

The current bandwagon seems to dictates looking at Barcelona as the standard bearers for what is good about football.  This, therefore, might easily seem like a lazy comparison but it has to be pointed out that Barcelona and Real Madrid's second teams have played eight games and this despite their leagues staring almost a month after the English does.  Is there anyone willing to look and listen to this, though?

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Why Walking Alone Is Not A Good Idea

A year after becoming the heroes who saved Liverpool from financial armageddon, Fenway Sports Group opted to to become the villains of the day. Not necessarily in the eyes of Liverpool fans but certainly in those of the rest of the football world. Sooner or later, one of the big clubs was going to start making noises about the splitting of television rights. That much has been inevitable ever since the Premier League's creation and the rapid commercialisation of the game that followed. The recent case where a pub landlady won the right to buy the sports service from another country's provider - and the possibility of a decrease in the overseas revenues that it threatens to bring about - simply accellerated this. Yet it is still disappointing that Liverpool were the ones to do so. There's no escaping that the club is being greedy, that it doesn't really care about the fate of the rest of English football and those are not the kind of principles you want your club to admit to. It is, undoubtedly, an egotistical stance. And inevitably there will be those who defend it. The belief that winning is the only thing that matters - regardless of how that win is achieved - is so prevalent that there will be those who will see this as a good team. Who cares if Bolton struggle as long as Liverpool get more money? What's most important is that there are the finances in place to buy more players because that is how you ensure that you're among the best. That is the sort of reaction that Ayre tried to encourage when mentioning the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid who have the power to negotiate their own deals and therefore the potential to earn more. Liverpool need to be in a position to make more money if it wants to compete with them. Of course, it is important to have a team that is capable of challenging. But this is not the way to go about it. Not least because Ayre's argument is actually flawed. His reasoning is that foreign fans only want to watch specific clubs. Well, as a foreign fan I don't agree. I want to see Liverpool on television every time they play, that much is obvious. But I also enjoy watching other teams play and in the model that Ayre is proposing the likelihood is that I won't be able to do that. What would happen is that the top six clubs would be able to negotiate their own deals whilst the rest negotiate a collective deal. So far, so good even if it will mean a smaller pot of revenue to be shared against the bulk of the teams making up the league. Yet what that would also mean is that in each country the rights to the Premiership would be split among two or more providers. Meaning that if I want to keep watching the number of games that I do today I would have to take out two or more subscriptions. Would that happen? Of course not: who would be willing to pay that much money? I'd either drop my interest or else look for cheaper alternatives like going to watch games at some pub or else turning to the internet. Eventually, the television channels will realise that there isn't enough money to be made out of such deals and back out of them. And the clubs pushing for such a model would find themselves with a dead goose and no golden eggs.

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Sports Book Chat: Joe Fagan Biography Co-Author Mark Platt

Despite achieving an unprecedented treble in his first season in charge, Joe Fagan remains something of a marginalised figure in Liverpool's history.  For many his success was down to the team he inherited from Bob Paisley whereas his work in the backroom staff is often overlooked. 

A much more truthful picture of Fagan's role both as a coach and as a manager is presented by the recent biography titled Joe Fagan: A Reluctant Champion. We spoke to Mark Platt, one of the book's co-authors,about the story behind this book and the experience of writing it.

How was the idea to write this book born?  And how did you get involved?

The idea stems from a show I produced for LFC TV (my full-time job) about Joe back in 2007. It was called ‘No Ordinary Joe’ and during its production I got to know two of Joe’s sons Stephen and Michael. We got talking about the fact he was such an unsung figure and that there’d never been a book written about him. With the family’s blessing I then pressed ahead with putting this right. Not long afterwards I met Joe’s grandson Andrew, a journalist based in London. He too was planning on writing a similar book so we decided to work together.

What was your role in the writing of this book?

I probably did more of the research but the workload was split pretty evenly and together we carried out interviews with many of Joe’s ex-colleagues and former Liverpool players, and then pieced everything together.

What was the process like?  How long did it take to write and was it a difficult book to write?

I’d be lying if I said it was easy. With me based in Liverpool and Andrew in London it was difficult at times but we got together as often as we could and spoke regularly over the phone and via email. Writing a biography of a person who is no longer with us is always going to be a complex project, especially someone who before he became manager kept himself very much out of the public eye. Piecing together Joe’s early life was certainly a challenge because not much was known about him. His time at Liverpool was little easier as I like to think I have sufficient knowledge of this and there was no shortage of people who worked with him and for him willing to cooperate.

Why did you feel that it was important that there was a book about Joe Fagan?

Like I said earlier he was such an unsung figure but the role he played in Liverpool’s success of the sixties, seventies and eighties can never be underestimated. Everyone knows about Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley, there have been countless books written about these – and rightly so – but Joe’s role was just as important.

Did you yourself ever get to meet Joe? 

I did briefly. It was at Melwood one day back in the mid-1990s. I was working for a magazine called XTRA Time and I was at the training ground to interview one of the players when I spotted Joe. At the time I was also working on a feature about the treble-winning season, it must have been 1994 and the tenth anniversary, so I approached Joe and asked if I could interview him. He kindly declined the offer and typically said ‘thanks son but no-one will want to hear what I want to say, it’s the players you want to speak to, they were the ones who deserve the credit.’ While disappointed not to have got an interview with I totally respected his decision. He was such a private man and wanted to stay very much in the background.

A lot of research has evidently gone into it.  How was that?  Was it difficult to choose what to put in and what to leave out?

The research was extensive but it really was a labour of love and I enjoyed every minute of it. When I set out on the project I feared that there might not be enough material but I couldn’t have been more wrong. To be honest there wasn’t much stuff that had to be left out and I hope the readers agree that the end product is a very comprehensive overview of Joe’s life and career.

The diaries that Joe used to keep are at the heart of this book.  What did it feel like reading them?  Was it tough to choose what to leave out?

Yes, this is where we had to be a bit more selective about what to include and not to include. It was fascinating to flick through the diaries and it really gave you sense of what it must have been like to be in the bootroom all those years ago. The diaries provided Joe with a voice in the book and this helps us paint a much clearer picture of what must have been going through his mind, which I feel was vitally important to the book. The diaries aren’t reproduced in full as a lot of entries in them are quite repetitive when it come to training routines and tactics, but I’m sure his private thoughts on certain players, situations and matches will be of great interest to the fans.

What amazes me from the snippets that you've included in the book is how simple those diary entries were yet, at the same time, what depth of thought and analysis they contained.  It was as if he could take a complex issue and strip away the frills until the basic concept remained.  That for me is a true mark of genius.  Don't know if I've explained myself well enough and, at the same time, don't know whether you agree or not?

I totally agree. Where Joe and his bootroom colleagues were concerned simplicity was the key and this common sense approach to the day-to-day running of the football club was what made Liverpool so special.

Was there anything that surprised you as you were writing this?

I always knew Joe was a highly respected figure but from the interviews we carried out I’d say he was held in even greater esteem than I thought. Every person we approached to be interviewed about the book was more than willing to co-operate and no-one had a bad word to say about him.

Do you think that Joe is appreciated enough both by Liverpool supporters and by the general footballing world?

I’d say he’s appreciated by the Liverpool fans, hopefully even more so after they’ve read this book, but beyond the confines of Anfield I don’t think people know that much about him. Yes he guided Liverpool to the treble in 1984 but his stint in management was so short that football fans in general quickly forgot about him.

How gut wrenching was it to write the Heysel part?

I was only twelve in 1985 and watched it all unfold on TV. That was gut-wrenching at the time and writing the chapter on it brought everything flooding back. In fact, it hit home even more so. It was a tragedy that so easily could have been avoided. For the 39 people who lost their lives it was such a tragic and unnecessary waste of life and, of course, a sad, sad way for Joe to bow out of the game he loved.

What's next for you?

On a day-to-day basis I’ll carry on in my full-time job as a producer for LFC TV, the club’s television channel, but I’ve got plenty of ideas for future books and in my spare time at the moment I’m working on one with the original ‘Supersub’, Liverpool legend David Fairclough. It’s still early days on that so no news yet on when that will be published but hopefully it won’t be too long.

You can read our review of Joe Fagan: A Reluctant Champion here.  Mark Platt can be followed on Twitter as can, obviously, A Liverpool Thing.

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