Why Charlie Adam Is Not Good Enough For Liverpool

By Harrison Page. Follow him on Twitter @mrharrisonpage

• 25-year-old signs for undisclosed fee.
• Adam 'delighted' to be at Anfield.

New Liverpool signing Charlie Adam will be hoping to
make an impact at Anfield.

Scottish international midfielder Charlie Adam has finally completed his long awaited move to Liverpool for an undisclosed fee, but why has a club with aspirations of European qualification even considered to sign such a mediocre player?

The former Blackpool captain has certainly played an instrumental role in the meteoric rise of the Seasiders’ notoriety over the past two seasons, scoring 16 goals on the way to Championship Play-Off Final success in 2010 and 12 goals in the Tangerines’ subsequent debut season in the Premier League. This success however conjures up the notion of ‘a big fish in a small pond’ and in my opinion, Adam will struggle to have the same impact in the ocean of class he’ll face at Anfield.

Harrison Page believes Charlie Adam's move to Liverpool
will mirror that of Steve Sidwell's unimpressive stint at Chelsea.

It’s not too difficult to stand tall amongst the likes of Elliot Grandin, Keith Southern and Gary Taylor-Fletcher, but when the former Rangers midfielder will have to exert his presence over Portuguese international Raul Meireles, £20million man Jordan Henderson and a certain Mr Gerrard, one finds it difficult for him to be able to do so.

Liverpool’s acquisition of Charlie Adam reminds me of Steve Sidwell signing for Chelsea after a similarly two productive seasons with, no disrespect, a Premier League minnow. On arriving at Stamford Bridge, Sidwell claimed he was not simply there to make up the numbers and believed that his own game would improve through training with experienced internationals such as Frank Lampard and Michael Essien.  However, regardless of whether the former England U21 international’s footballing aptitude improved during his time in West London or not, the fact that he was no longer ‘a big fish in a small pond’ demonstrated that he was simply not good enough for a club of Chelsea’s stature and consequently made just 15 fleeting appearances.

Charlie Adam scored 12 goals in the Premier League last season, an impressive figure for a midfielder, until you mention that eight of those were in fact penalties. Yes, he provided a number of assists, but many of those were from corners and I’m sure that Kenny Dalglish hasn’t signed him for his set pieces alone. So what does the 25-year-old actually offer a club like Liverpool? Well, in my mind, very little.

Adam scored 12 goals in the
Premier League last season, but
8 were in fact penalties.

At Blackpool Adam was the talisman, the driving force behind every attacking move, the captain, a leader. At Liverpool however, Adam will be cast aside in the shadows by the players around him. His whole game is based around his influence over less technically gifted players and being the spearhead for a side like Blackpool to galvanise around. At Liverpool however, Adam’s unique selling point simply is not required, for the Anfield club already have their talismen, in the form of Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez.

Charlie Adam is certainly a talented individual, but what he thrives on is being that ‘big fish in a small pond’ and it was this primary attribute of influence that set him apart at Blackpool. A player of Adam’s mould needs a team to be built around him in order for him to flourish and at Liverpool, that simply is not going to happen. Of course he deserves the opportunity of playing in the Premier League again this season after his exploits over the past 12 months, but unfortunately he is not the calibre of player Kenny Dalglish should be looking for to get Liverpool back into Europe where they undoubtedly belong. Adam can undoubtedly be a talisman for sides in mid-table, but at the top-end of the league, I simply can’t see it.

What are your thoughts on Charlie Adam moving to Liverpool? Do you think he will prove Harrison Page wrong and be a success at Anfield or will he simply be Steve Sidwell Mark II? Share your views and opinions in the comments box below.

Norwich Hammer Ipswich in East Anglian Derby

Norwich City sent a strong message to their promotion rivals last night as they hit five past local rivals Ipswich Town.

In a game in which the Blues hoped to earn revenge for their 4-1 humiliation in the reverse fixture at Carrow Road earlier in the season it was Norwich who came out on top, gaining a valuable three points and subsequently moving back up to second in the Championship table.

Andrew Surman sets Norwich on their way with the
first goal in a 5-1 rout at Portman Road.

With a fantastic atmosphere inside Portman Road, complete with the equally fantastic glittered costumed Suffolk samba band, the home side looked to snatch an early lead when Jason Scotland fired a shot towards goal after just eight minutes, but the low drive was saved comfortably by Norwich ‘keeper John Ruddy at his near post. Five minutes later however, it was the visitors who were in front. A low cross from the left hand side by the impressive Wes Hoolahan was tipped straight into the path of Andrew Surman by Town stopper Aaron Lee-Barrett, with the Canaries midfielder driving the ball home into an empty net.

With Ipswich trying to press but all too often lacking any vision or creativity in the final third, it was Norwich who doubled their lead in the 24^th minute. A corner from David Fox into the six yard box evaded three Town players, as well as goalkeeper Lee-Barrett, before striking Ipswich defender Gareth McAuley and rebounding into the Ipswich net. For all of the Blues possession, it was Norwich celebrating a two goal lead courtesy of two horror shows from the Ipswich back line.

Ipswich defender Gareth McAuley stands helpless
as he diverts the ball into his own net to make
the score 2-0.

With both sides continuing to create few clear opportunities in front of goal, the half-time whistle blew with the visitors in front and the Canaries supporters celebrating the prospect of their team’s first league double against the Tractor Boys since the 2003/04 season.

The start of the second half saw a change for Paul Jewell’s side, with the hugely ineffective Jason Scotland replaced by Andy Drury. The substitution certainly seemed to spring a new life into the home side, with Town’s creator-in-chief Jimmy Bullard firing a volley just wide on 47 minutes. Ipswich continued to dominate possession in their opponents half and had a number of opportunities to reduce the deficit, but the Blues’ efforts were repeatedly too far out to cause the Norwich ‘keeper any real problems.

For all of the Tractor Boys domination in the second period, it was the Canaries that scored the game’s third goal in the 73^rd minute. City striker Grant Holt held off Town defender Damien Delaney before crossing in low at the by-line to Simeon Jackson who finished well at the Ipswich near post. It was a bitter pill to take for the Blues who had looked a different side in the second half and certainly could have got something from the game if their pressure had indeed created a goal.

Ipswich's Jimmy Bullard to
manage to pull one back for
Paul Jewell's side. 

Town managed to pull a goal back in the 78^th minute thanks to a thunderous 25 yard strike from Jimmy Bullard – ironically the goal of the game despite the Londoner being on the losing side – picking up the ball up from David Norris before unleashing a shot into the top corner of the net. Town’s goal was all too late to spark a comeback however and Norwich reinstated their three goal lead just two minutes later. With Ipswich caught short at the back, Russell Martin found himself on his own at the far post and fired the ball through a ghostly Lee-Barrett to make the score 4-1.

Clearly unhappy with simply matching the score line from earlier in the season at Carrow Road, City substitute Daniel Pacheco lashed home a rebound from close-range after Simeon Jackson hit the bar as the Canaries sprinted three-on-one towards the Ipswich goal. Pacheco’s first goal for his loan club signalled a record 5-1 win, the Norfolk’s side biggest ever victory over their East Anglian rivals.

The 27,000 Town supporters left Portman Road dejected, losing at home to Norwich for the first time in three seasons and ending their already slim chances of reaching the Play-Offs. Paul Lambert’s men on the other hand are now safe in the knowledge that they will at the very least finish in the top six this year and could even go one better and win automatic promotion to the Premier League.  

What are your views and opinions on Norwich City's resounding win over Ipswich Town and how do you rate their promotion chances this season? Share your thoughts in the comments box below.

There’s Nothing Quite Like Derby Day

Every year when the forthcoming season’s fixtures are released, the two matches that you first go looking for are those against your local rivals. In terms of the league, they may not be the most important fixtures when it comes to hunting at the top for promotion and the play-offs, or indeed scrapping at the bottom to avoid the dreaded phrase of relegation, but for pure excitement, nerves, passion and exhilaration, there’s nothing quite like derby day.

Norwich City striker Grant Holt
scored a hat-trick last time out
against Ipswich Town.

Many of you will have seen last night’s thrilling North London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at White Hart Lane. It was a game that had just about everything, as you can read about in the match report below, and epitomised the very essence of a contest between two bitter rivals. The work rate and commitment of both sides was there for all to see and the atmosphere inside the stadium was incredible, it was certainly a real feast for the neutral football fan. However, when it is your own team that it is participating in a derby, as it will be for me tonight, you will be hoping for a match far less strenuous on your blood pressure.

In just a few hours time my team, Ipswich Town, will take on local rivals Norwich City in the so-called ‘Old Farm’ derby. It will be the 97^th time the two sides will have faced each other and the game at Portman Road is set to be a cracker. But tonight I am not really interested in the quality of the game. I am not really interested in the goals. I am not really interested in anything to tell you the truth. The one thing that I am only interested in is the result, and that is a positive result in Ipswich Town’s favour.

Ipswich Town youngster Josh
Carson will be looking to keep up his
good run of form against local
rivals Norwich tonight.

For years fans all over the world boast that their team’s derby is the greatest in the world. El Classico between Barcelona and Real Madrid, the Milan derby between Inter and AC, the Old Firm derby between Celtic and Rangers. Yes, undoubtedly all of these are fantastic rivalries and produce some fantastic matches for neutral supporters to observe, but the only derby that really matters is the one that consists of your local team.

A local derby is unrivalled in the football calendar and victory in such a match rewards you with the delight of bragging rights for the next six months. Yes tonight’s ‘Old Farm’ derby may not be the most glamorous in the world of football, but it does not matter. For the supporters of Ipswich Town and Norwich City, tonight is their cup final, just as last night was the cup final for the fans of Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. There truly is nothing quite like derby day. 

What are your views and opinions on tonight's game between Ipswich Town and Norwich City? Share your thoughts on that and great football rivalries in the comments box below.

The Football League Awards 2011

The 2011 edition of the Football League Awards was held at a glittering ceremony in London last night, and Can We Play You Every Week casts its eyes over the winners from the Championship, League One and League Two.

The biggest prize of the night was undoubtedly the award for the Championship Player of the Year. From a shortlist that certainly raised eyebrows for the omissions of leading scorer Danny Graham and Jay Bothroyd, who received an England call-up last November, it was Queen Park Rangers’ Adel Taarabt who deservedly took home the trophy over fellow nominees Grant Holt and Scott Sinclair. I was fortunate enough to see Taarabt play earlier in the season and he is by far the most talented individual I have witnessed in the division. His contribution to Rangers’ position at the top of the table is unquestionable, with the attacking midfielder either scoring or assisting almost half of his team’s goals this season. Although the Moroccan international had a fairly mixed degree of success at former club Tottenham Hotspur, he has more than demonstrated his credentials in the Championship this season and I for one am looking forward to him plying his trade in the Premier League next term.

Peterborough forward Craig Mackail-Smith
won the League One Player of the Year Award.

In League One, Peterborough striker Craig Mackail-Smith beat Glenn Murray and Bradley Wright-Phillips to the Player of the Year Award. Mackail-Smith has scored an impressive 22 league goals this season and has managed 91 goals in 199 appearances during his five seasons with Posh, a record that understandably has put him firmly on the radar of clubs in the higher divisions, with Championship promotion hopefuls Norwich City the most recent team to have had an offer rejected for 27 year old forward.

The winner of the League Two Player of the Year Award was Bury’s Ryan Lowe, who won the prize ahead of Gareth Ainsworth and Adam Le Fondre. Lowe is currently the Football League’s highest scorer with 23 goals in 37 appearances. Lowe was also Bury’s leading scorer last term and has this season broken a 53 year old club record by scoring in 10 consecutive league games.

Ipswich Town striker Connor
Wickham won the Football League
Young Player of the Year Award.

The Football League Young Player of the Year trophy is always one of great celebration, as it not only is awarded to a player who has performed well over the duration of the season, but also points to the recipient being a rising star in the game, with former notable winners including Gareth Bale, Michael Kightly and Fabian Delph. This year’s winner was Ipswich Town striker Connor Wickham, who beat Henri Lansbury and Will Buckley to the award. The 17 year old looks set to have a bright future in the game and has impressed under new Tractor Boys’ boss Paul Jewell, scoring six league goals and earning his first cap for the England U21s. Wickham was last night also presented with his second award of the evening, the Championship Apprentice of the Year, which awards the most successful under-18 of the season.