Topic: Anthony Le Tallec

[IrishRed]

can't blame him....

 

but i'm sure they'll all be fine....

is the wait nearing an end...

[sirKennyDaggers]

Great prospect,exciting to think how good this kid could become.

[realtarragona]

Ged is naturally taking the pressure off and rightly so but after watching the kid so far, it wouldn't surprise me if he started to feature a fair bit especially towards the end of the season.

[RedBoywonder]

It seems everyone has an opinion on what Ged should do with Le-Tallec, Do you agree with the manager that a year in the reserves will do him good?

[ttnbd]

I don't believe this "if he is good enough, he's old enough" milarky.  Playing them young means a couple of things

1.  They run the risk of getting serious injuries through being played too much in the first team.

2.  The burden of expectation put on him by the press/fans will be huge.  Don't need that sort of pressure on young shoulders.

[Spartacus.]

I'll leave it with Ged  

[Skeeve]

I'd have voted for regular appearances off the sub's bench personally.

[RedBoywonder]

I'd have voted for regular appearances off the sub's bench personally.

Wouldnt that just be the same as 1st team?

[Adeemo]

I'd have voted for regular appearances off the sub's bench personally.

Same as.

He seems ideal to come off the bench and add an extra attacking dimension to open games up if we're struggling to brake teams down.

[Tony19:6]

interesting one this...

Saw an interview with Matt Le Tissier who basically said he lost 2/3 of his early years through a manager refusing to play him at 18/19 when he was clearly good enough.

Moyes made mistakes by restricting Rooney to 10/15 minute cameo appearances until he changed his mind later in the season..
Ok Le Tallec cant play every single minute of every match but if he is as good as he looks then theres only one way to find out... 25/30 games is not too much to ask a young player IMO....

Football has many examples of players who have come in at 17/18/19 and have played for years ..look at St Michael for one - he dont look too burned out to me

[smicer07]

"Moyes made mistakes by restricting Rooney to 10/15 minute cameo appearances until he changed his mind later in the season."

Which is probably why Rooney is now injured.

[Pheeny]

Mikey was good enough at 17 why not Tony?

[Brick Tamland]

"Moyes made mistakes by restricting Rooney to 10/15 minute cameo appearances until he changed his mind later in the season."

Which is probably why Rooney is now injured.

I would like to argue that his injury was not caused by his young age, but by the tackle, the circumstance and the bad luck. A 28 year player could have been injured from the same incident.

[unny]

Looks the part already to me I must admit, and despite being a bit on the rakey side, he looks like he can look after himself - he's stood up to a few stiff challenges in the friendlies.

[Brick Tamland]

Plus he's already had a year of football in France.

[Americaner...]

It would be nice to play him as a sub. He would be able to have an impact on the game and build understandings with teammates on the field without too much pressure or risk of injury. Also, I think having a hungry 18 yr old on the bench will keep other players on top of their games as well. They will play hard as possible to show why they are given starting positions.

[mercury]

Doubt if he could be above Smicer/Diouf/Murphy for a bench place for league games at the moment but would be nice if he could manage at least a handful.  Definitely he should play some some cup games.

[KFC]

From what I have seen so far he is definitely good enough in the pre-seasons, but so were Traore last year -- so I think I am going to give the benefit of the doubt to GH on that.

His vision / passing / technique is fantastic, no doubt, but he seemed to be a bit lightweight to me and I think he would need to get used to some heavy tackles so that he knows how to protect himself in more competitive games.

I think he would end up having a few sub appearences (touchwood we don't have too many injuries this year) and then maybe featuring in the League Cup.

[KFC]

interesting one this...

Saw an interview with Matt Le Tissier who basically said he lost 2/3 of his early years through a manager refusing to play him at 18/19 when he was clearly good enough.

Moyes made mistakes by restricting Rooney to 10/15 minute cameo appearances until he changed his mind later in the season..
Ok Le Tallec cant play every single minute of every match but if he is as good as he looks then theres only one way to find out... 25/30 games is not too much to ask a young player IMO....

Football has many examples of players who have come in at 17/18/19 and have played for years ..look at St Michael for one - he dont look too burned out to me

Mikey was good enough at 17 why not Tony?

While I think you might have a point, I think the main reason for Rooney and then St. Michael to get their 1st team place is because at that time the team(s) simple don't have good enough cover at their corresponding positions.

I couldn't even remember now who was playing as Robbie's partner against Wimbledon before Michael was introduced    Was it Stan and Man?

And I don't think the fat b*stard would get the chance if Kevin Campbell (or even Ferguson) stayed healthy, because Radzinski + big man seems to be Moyes's choice.

Not taking anything away from St. Michael or the fat b*stard, but I think if not for the thin cover in their teams they would not make it so early in their career.

But there comes my biggest question : who in Southampton was stopping Le Tisser from claiming his 1st team place at age 18/19?  Couldn't remember a decent player in their team by then  

[WOOLTONIAN]

If he's good enough and confident enough, play him in the cup games. If his form is better than the player in front of him, play him.
I agree he should be available as a sub most games.
If we're tonkin someone, give him a game.

[Armin]

Owen and Gerrard were put in early due to the lack of quality in the squad at the time, this is clearly no longer the case.  The 'gems' are part of a long term strategy of sourcing replacement players early (and thus cheaply) getting them used to the Liverpool style of play and then bringing them into the fold.

If we throw Le Tallec in from the beginning and he doesn't do well we risk shattering his confidence and putting back his development.  We pay Cheyrou, Smicer, Murphy and Kewell a lot of money to play in Le Tallec's position and I rate all of them as good players.  

Like Wooly says the (early round) League Cup games offer a chance to sample first team action and maybe when injuries bite around the New Year we might see the new kids on the fringes of the team.  Its good news if we don't however as it means the senior players are doing their jobs properly.

With a season in the reserves or on loan under their belts they'll be better equipped to take the league by storm next year.

To see talent like this, coveted throughout Europe, at Anfield does great credit to the club management.  Well done GH, this is the sort of planning and preparation that wins trophies year on year on year

[Andy]

"Football has many examples of players who have come in at 17/18/19 and have played for years ..look at St Michael for one - he dont look too burned out to me"

Owen is still only 23, so it is pretty hard to assess how it has effected his long-term career.

Also, would he have had to do all his extra training last year if he had been kept in the reserves...who knows!

[Armin]

At one point it wasn't looking good for Michael and a lot of people were pointing the finger at his schedule - games for Liverpool, summer tournaments for England etc.. At a young age its putting a lot of stress on a player and at a time when they have plenty to learn on the training ground.

I also believe Owen is the exception rather than the rule, most players are not as mature as he was at 17, very very few are as talented.

Finally,  Owen had his family around him, was playing in his own country at a club he's been at for years with his mates on the team or on the side.  Comparisons with Tallec n' Pongy are a bit unfair.

[Zach]

I wouldn't rule him out for this season, he looks top class and should deffo be given a chance to show what he's got, perhaps later in the season.

[Life]

The "leave him be for awhile" voices are very sensible and probably right.

But he looks good.  And I'm easily excited.  I want him on the bench from the start.  A bench of Carragher, Cheyrou, Le Tallec, Heskey, Biscan and Kirkland is a pretty good one I reckon - a few players there who could either "do a job" or change a game.  In fact - I think we're in danger of having too big a squad.

[Skeeve]

Wouldnt that just be the same as 1st team?

I don't think so, I saw the 1st team option as relating more to the starting 11, using him as a sub to ease him into things is a different enough option to that i'd say.

[Olly]

I think that we all need to recognise that we haven't really played anyone good during our pre-season games, and that they are just that - pre-season friendlies.

Both our young french lads will need to time to settle in, and time to get used to the pace and power of the English league, otherwise the shock of it all could very easily knock away at their confidence, much as it did with Cheyrou last season.

Give them a few months in the reserves and then slowly put them on off the bench. Gh will no doubt do the best thing by them though.

[Skeeve]

But he looks good.  And I'm easily excited.  I want him on the bench from the start.  A bench of Carragher, Cheyrou, Le Tallec, Heskey, Biscan and Kirkland is a pretty good one I reckon - a few players there who could either "do a job" or change a game.  In fact - I think we're in danger of having too big a squad.

Judging by your attempt to get an extra player onto the bench, we already have too big a squad especially when you consider that you missed out players like smicer and at least one of murphy/didi/diouf.

[Stanfo]

He is 18 not 16. He is a fully developed, if a little bit skinny man, if he is better than the next man play him. We are getting too much like old women these days, believing the crap talked by so called experts, Pele, Maradona, Rush, Owen and many more were good enough to play at 18, most played hundreds of games after this, did it harm them.

[philmcevatt]

Think the sensible and the likely thing is he will play the majority of reserve games to get him more used to english football, culture and language.

If he impresses he will probably get a few games from the bench or the odd cup game early doors.

If he does well there then maybe give him a start, but at least that way if he doesnt do to well he can go back into the reserves without much fuss and we can try again later in the season or next year.

There's no rush really unless we have a terrible run of injuries.

A lot of this imho will be up to him and how well he does and how well he takes it.

But Ged knows he's got two quality young players in him and Polgole and i'm sure he knows from talking to the players and his staff whats best for them.

So i would say i trust Ged to do the right thing for the player and the club.

[Roddysul]

i think his performances pre-season have shown him to be pretty much ready to step up.  When he came on in both Asia matches he caused all sorts of problems because the opposition just didn't know what to expect.

Ready for subs bench now I think  - especially in some of the more minor PL games.

FSP I'm not sure about yet - think I'd keep him in the ressies although in Thailand he was getting really stuck in for a friendly and caused HK all sorts of problems.

[Olly]

You back now Roddy? Good time?

[Armin]

He is 18 not 16. He is a fully developed, if a little bit skinny man, if he is better than the next man play him. We are getting too much like old women these days, believing the crap talked by so called experts, Pele, Maradona, Rush, Owen and many more were good enough to play at 18, most played hundreds of games after this, did it harm them.

I take your point but I think the game has moved on since then.  In the Premier League we're playing at a pace and intensity far removed from that of 10 or even 5 years ago.  There are far more injuries now than I remember (unless they're faking them).  I'm not saying we should wrap them in cotton wool but we have a large squad for a reason and one of the reasons is the ability to blood players gradually.

[AndyJ]

"We're playing at a pace....."

Christ and there was me thinking it was the team. I'll leave the playing to the players thanks!

[Paul Tomkins]

He's 18, and will be 19 soon; Rooney was 16 when he made his debut, Mickey 17. Le Tallec has had a season in the French second division, and a season in the top division.

Whilst we shouldn't overburden 19-year-olds, they are not weak-limbed lambs or frail children. They are professional sportsmen. If Le Tallec can offer something above and beyond Smicer and Cheyrou, then he should feature; no, that doesn't mean starting every game, but it does mean playing his part.

Reserve-team football is *almost* a waste of time, especially for someone already blooded in the French top flight. In amongst the hard-working pros fighting for attention are disgruntled superstars who can't be arsed, players who are unfit and working their way back from injury, and - during International week - YTS boys who will never be good enough. The reserve league includes Sheffield Bloody Weds and Bradford, whose first teams wouldn't be much use to play against.

The pace of the reserves bears no resemblance to top flight English football, so while it will help them settle in this country, and get to know their teammates (mainly in training), if the momentum is with them and they are playing well, they deserve consideration.

I fully understand Ged trying to deflect the pressure from Le Tallec, and that's only fair. But if he trains better than other players, and does better if he comes of the bench than other players, he must start some Prem games, it's as simple as that.

[ttnbd]

He is 18 not 16. He is a fully developed, if a little bit skinny man, if he is better than the next man play him. We are getting too much like old women these days, believing the crap talked by so called experts, Pele, Maradona, Rush, Owen and many more were good enough to play at 18, most played hundreds of games after this, did it harm them.

Rush didn't get in the Liverpool first team until he was 21 if I remember my history correctly. (and that was after a year in the reserves)

[Stanfo]

Neither were quite right about Rush, he was born 20th October 1961 so when he played in the League Cup Final Replay in March 1981 he would have been 19. I'm sure he may have played a few games before that also.

[adamski]

Isn't this conversation a little premature? Yes, he did play well against Crewe and score against Hong Kong Select but they're hardly world class opposition.  I think the kid is going to require more time to settle, as Ged has suggested.  Until I see him play well against Premiership opponents, I wont be convinced that he's ready.  

[Roddysul]

You back now Roddy? Good time?

Long time  

[RedBoywonder]

Anthony Le Tallec. A name for so long synonymous with the future. Here was a player with a reputation that exceeded any of his peers across an entire continent, who had signed for Liverpool Football Club, yet would not arrive until the future.
This future seemed like a glass ceiling to many Reds fans. They could read the headlines, they could watch the highlights and they could listen to the plaudits flood in from the footballing world yet Liverpool fans wanted to see Anthony with their own eyes - more specifically wearing a Liverpool shirt.

It was a source of frustration, like a child who begins the countdown to Christmas the moment the summer holidays are done. We had sent our letters up the chimney to Mr Houllier and were left to look into a future that seemed far away on the horizon.

We had to wait two years for our gifts, but on a Saturday afternoon in July the future finally arrived.

Anthony Le Tallec's name was no longer accompanied by a perplexed, "How good is he then?" The travelling Liverpool fans who left Gresty Road, Crewe, mesmerised, were asking the very same question, now accompanied by more than a hint of a rhetorical overtone.

Le Tallec's second-half display against Crewe Alexandra that Saturday earned him the Man of the Match award and was without question one of the most impressive debut performances in many a season.

His range of passing was exquisite, his touch equally so. If a performance ever personified the Liverpool way, this was it. His progress continued with two fine displays against Thailand and Hong Kong, hitting the crossbar in the former and netting with a sweet finish in the later.

Anthony Le Tallec has created a buzz and with Kewell-mania finally beginning to reach a plateau, the young Frenchman is now the name on the lips of every Liverpool fan. This is his story...

Born in Hennebont in October 1984, Anthony's talent was never in doubt. He was always regarded as something a little special after signing for Le Havre at the tender age of eight. He progressed through the ranks at the-then lowly French club and was recognised by France at schoolboy level.

As a 12-year-old, Le Tallec first encountered his great friend and fellow Anfield arrival Florent-Sinama Pongolle. Pongolle made the trip across the Indian Ocean to sign for Le Havre and moved in with the Le Tallec family.

From that moment on, the pair have become almost one. One cannot be mentioned without the other and "The two French kids" were close to taking the form of a single entity in the build up to their arrival on Merseyside.

While this occasionally annoys the prodigious young talent, he also revealed that, "If we were to play together for the whole of our careers, it wouldn't bother me."

The two have formed an Owen/Gerrard-like telepathic understanding and it has worked wonders at whatever level they have played. With Anthony's superb skills and vision combining magnificently with Florent's goalscoring ability, the future looks bright for Liverpool.

Three months before making his debut for Le Havre against Grenoble in August 2001, the football world was forced to stand up and take notice of one Anthony Le Tallec. In May at the European U16 Championships in Spain, Anthony hammered home 5 goals as France advanced to the final. It was where Gerard Houllier first spotted the player whom he may well be building the Liverpool football club's future around.

If this tournament allowed Anthony Le Tallec to say hello to the world, the U17 Would Cup that September handed him a megaphone to scream his arrival from the highest peak.

He was a sensation as France romped to tournament success. Pongolle received the golden ball and boot, with Anthony weighing in with the silver ball awarded to the tournament's second best player.

Le Havre coach Jean-Francois Domergue revealed that he received enquiries from twelve different clubs following the tournament but the Anfield supremo had already pounced - a masterstroke from Houllier, much to the chagrin of Europe's elite.

Securing the services of the most talked about young players in Europe, even elicited a congratulatory phone call from Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, who had also hoped to entice the duo to England.

Le Tallec was to be left at Le Havre for the next two years by Gerard Houllier "to bloom quietly." It's been a very long two years for Liverpool fans, but Le Havre certainly benefited from the decision, earning promotion to Le Championnat that season, thanks largely to the contribution of Anthony and Florent.

The most dedicated of Reds were privileged enough to get a first glimpse of his talents as the Liverpool travelled to Le Havre for a pre-season friendly last summer. Word got back very quickly, Le Tallec was the real deal and the-now year-long wait was about to feel that little bit longer.

A month later, he made his debut for the France U21s in a friendly win against Iceland at the age of just 17. A year later and he is an established regular - another step on the road to stardom.

Le Havre endured a difficult first season in the top flight and were relegated on the final day of the season despite a 2-1 win over Nice, a game in which Le Tallec scored. Le Havre's relegation prompted Gerard Houllier to finally end the wait and bring his "gems" to Melwood to begin pre-season training. Le Tallec seemed delighted to finally complete his dream switch. He said: "Liverpool is one of the great European clubs. The stadium is magnificent and they have many excellent players. I'm going to do all I can to be successful."

The expectation was high as Anthony took the field for the second half against Crewe, almost reaching the level which accompanied Harry Kewell's opening forays as Liverpool's new number seven.

There would have been few in the Liverpool end that would have predicted such a boisterous arrival from Anthony. Surrounded by players the calibre of Gerrard, Heskey and Henchoz, he was not in the slightest bit overawed. Some would question the impudence of this young upstart, having the nerve to upstage the aforementioned stars, but it was exactly what he did. Can anyone remember such a thrilling debut?

Liverpool should have netted at least four second half goals, due to his supreme creative talents and with the Reds at times looking bereft of inspiration and imagination last season, he could prove to be just an important signing as the Aussie.

Patience may still be required before us Reds see the best of him, but Anthony Le Tallec has arrived and aims to play a very big role in the future of this football club - the waiting is over and Kopites can finally say that the future is now.

Chris Smith.