Topic: Charlie Adam - 2nd season

[Matt8Pie]

I would quite happily get rid of him. I'd be very happy not to see him in a Liverpool shirt again.

[Cpt_Reina]

Rodgers' arrival will thankfully put Adam on an even keel with the rest of the squad, seeing as he was clearly a favourite of Kenny's.

Adam wasn't terrible last season (he wasn't very good either), and as a player he has his merits.

But I can't see him doing anything but struggle in a Rodgers team. Put simply;

He doesnt look after the ball enough
He's not fit enough to play the high pressure game that Rodgers prefers
When he does get close enough to a player to tackle them he prefers to just push them over
He doesnt look after the ball enough
He lacks awareness and has to do that patented 360 spin whenever he gets the ball to see what's around him
He cant move the ball on quickly because of his lack of awareness
And he doesnt look after the ball enough

He wont get anywhere near CM for Rodgers as he's completely unsuited to it.

When pushed forward however he's much improved.

He can shape a decent cross
Has a good eye for goal
Backs himself to be able to score one and generally has an attitude of being the man to step up.

Trouble for Charlie Adam is that Gerrard is better than him in every single way in that role. And that Sigurdsson too would be an improvement on him there. Shelvey last season even showed that he can play there and play well (with the added bonus of being younger and with more chance of improving further).

To me it all points to Adam not getting a 2nd season with us. Unless his injury saves him by putting other clubs off. I wont be shedding a tear as I dont particularly rate him, added to the fact that Sigurdsson would be imo an upgrade.

He tried, did some good last season, but ultimately came up short. Added to the fact that he doesnt appear to mould well with Rodgers' philosophy I think his days are numbered.

[Kovai Red]

I would quite happily get rid of him. I'd be very happy not to see him in a Liverpool shirt again.

Care to explain? What wrong he did?

[Matt8Pie]

Care to explain? What wrong he did?

I've explained many times on here. I think he's crap, I think his attitude stinks (in the sense that it's all an act) and I don't think he's suited to us at all.

[AKABillyGee]

Adam was a major disappointment.  If you analyse his shortcomings the positive column looks pretty barren.  One or two exceptional passes but overall slow in action and in thought, an inability to tackle leading to free kicks in dangerous positions.  He will be given a chance and I hope he steps up and takes it but I seriously doubt he has overall ability to make it at LFC.

[Andy @ Allerton]

I've explained many times on here. I think he's crap, I think his attitude stinks (in the sense that it's all an act) and I don't think he's suited to us at all.

There are players whose attitude stinks more than his. If you agree with should get rid of them as well then I'll agree with you. If we're going to keep others with bad attitudes then Adam isn't the worst at the club. And he adds to our playing staff.

[Get]

Rodgers' arrival will thankfully put Adam on an even keel with the rest of the squad, seeing as he was clearly a favourite of Kenny's.

Adam wasn't terrible last season (he wasn't very good either), and as a player he has his merits.

But I can't see him doing anything but struggle in a Rodgers team. Put simply;

He doesnt look after the ball enough
He's not fit enough to play the high pressure game that Rodgers prefers
When he does get close enough to a player to tackle them he prefers to just push them over
He doesnt look after the ball enough
He lacks awareness and has to do that patented 360 spin whenever he gets the ball to see what's around him
He cant move the ball on quickly because of his lack of awareness
And he doesnt look after the ball enough

He wont get anywhere near CM for Rodgers as he's completely unsuited to it.

When pushed forward however he's much improved.

He can shape a decent cross
Has a good eye for goal
Backs himself to be able to score one and generally has an attitude of being the man to step up.

Trouble for Charlie Adam is that Gerrard is better than him in every single way in that role. And that Sigurdsson too would be an improvement on him there. Shelvey last season even showed that he can play there and play well (with the added bonus of being younger and with more chance of improving further).

To me it all points to Adam not getting a 2nd season with us. Unless his injury saves him by putting other clubs off. I wont be shedding a tear as I dont particularly rate him, added to the fact that Sigurdsson would be imo an upgrade.

He tried, did some good last season, but ultimately came up short. Added to the fact that he doesnt appear to mould well with Rodgers' philosophy I think his days are numbered.

have to agree.. he lacks awareness which slows him down, and the ball at his feet in a system where ball is suppose to be constantly moving and he is far to slow physically to play a high pressure game, his tackling is awful which would just end up in commiting fouls and giving the ball to the oposition . He lacks dynamics

He isn't a bad player, he just isn't good enough for us.

[Get]

There are players whose attitude stinks more than his. If you agree with should get rid of them as well then I'll agree with you. If we're going to keep others with bad attitudes then Adam isn't the worst at the club. And he adds to our playing staff.

Downing is the worst of them, shithouse and hiding in games. Espescially the away game to united, never seen such a cowardish preformance from a liverpool player.

[Jason_King]

Slow, poor positioning although he could just be slow hering into position.
Needs 3 touches and will slow down our possession play(as he has done). Doesn't look fit enough to press for extended periods. Should use the money we get for him on a replacement. No way should be start ahead of Aquila I under Rodgers

[Kovai Red]

I've explained many times on here. I think he's crap, I think his attitude stinks (in the sense that it's all an act) and I don't think he's suited to us at all.

I dont think his attitude is a problem. After the injury of Lucas, everybody's opinion on him has changed.

[Melbred]

If we can get our money back for him, I'd happily get rid.

He's just not good enough. We bought him for his passing ability and set pieces. Passing has been erratic and set pieces have been absolutely woeful.

[Get]

I dont think his attitude is a problem. After the injury of Lucas, everybody's opinion on him has changed.

maybe because without lucas he is useless? Lucas had to cover for him defensivly. Lucas makes everyone look world class, jay spearing, adam, meireles..

Seriously we should have a Lucas worshiping thread instead of this. Lucas should have a fucking statue thats how good he is. Future captain

[WavertreeRed]

I think every player deserves a chance under a new manager, I can't see how Adam will fit in with our new style of play but he does deserve the opportunity to prove whether or not he can do it.

[Matt8Pie]

I dont think his attitude is a problem. After the injury of Lucas, everybody's opinion on him has changed.

My opinion has been the same since the day he signed and I've made my reservations clear about him before he even kicked a ball for us.

There are players whose attitude stinks more than his. If you agree with should get rid of them as well then I'll agree with you. If we're going to keep others with bad attitudes then Adam isn't the worst at the club. And he adds to our playing staff.

You're right, there are other players whose attitude is worse than his and I do think we should get rid of them as well and that includes our legend vice captain. I just find the whole thing bringing him in baffling but I put it down to Kenny liking him. We apparently couldn't afford to make Meireles' 30k a week rise to something better but happily signed Adam on 60k a week. I don't hold that against Adam, but the situation was perplexing.

[Cpt_Reina]

Not buying that Adam's performances only went downhill after Lucas got injured.

They just became more regular. They were still there before December.

[Pistolero]

It isn't difficult to form a partnership with Lucas, as we have seen. This has everything to do with Lucas's intrinsic quality and very little to do with Adam/Spearing. If players are not capable of offering enough on a consistent basis, and to displaying a modicum of intelligent versatility to the team without Lucas then they should be vulnerable to an upgrade.

as I said..MOM against Man U when Lucas was anonymous........and btw Toshack would've been shite without Keegan.

[LondonRedMan]

Think he could well have a really good season this year under the right system. He showed some good signs and good play last season before his injury. Plenty of decent work to be built upon.

[Hazell]

as I said..MOM against Man U when Lucas was anonymous........and btw Toshack would've been shite without Keegan.

Lucas wasn't 'anonymous' against Man Utd. he didn't have a great game but he wasn't anonymous.

[DyingAtheist]

One of the good things about the Rodgers appointment is that all the players brought in last summer, Adam et al. will actually have to work for their spot.
I think most of us thought at some point that Kenny was picking them simply because he felt he had to, due to the financial outlay. This season, without the same pressure on Rodgers, maybe we'll see some of them really fighting for their place.
Adam deserves the chance under the new manager to show what he can do, if he doesn't take it or he's simply not going to be good enough in the system, then look to sell.
I doubt Rodgers will sell anyone until he's seen them for himself, in his style of play.

[Pistolero]

Lucas wasn't 'anonymous' against Man Utd. he didn't have a great game but he wasn't anonymous.

<sigh>...the point was (as i suspect you know) that it is possible for Adam to raise his game without necessarily needing the crutch of a quality player to support him....if he can do it on a more regular basis this season by increasing his fitness and game intelligence then he'll be a good squad man.....if he cant do that then he'll be history

[Hazell]

<sigh>...the point was (as i suspect you know) that it is possible for Adam to raise his game without necessarily needing the crutch of a quality player to support him....if he can do it on a more regular basis this season by increasing his fitness and game intelligence then he'll be a good squad man.....if he cant do that then he'll be history

I know what the point was but it's still not true to say Lucas was anonymous in that match. Adam did indeed play well in that game but he hasn't shown enough with or without Lucas to suggest he can step up.

[Z e u s]

I didn't want us to sign Adam last season.  I didn't think he was good enough defensively, with his movement, lack of pace, lack of intelliegence with his positioning and tackling.

I think Adam proved me wrong on most of those fears.  We had the third best defensive record in the league, so Adam can't have been such a liability.  Also I don't remember him being at fault for many goals (Bolton away was one off the top of my head?).

He is a better player than most people make out on here.  But for me I think we have other players better than him for the position he would play for us.  Gerrard, Aquilani, Henderson, Shelvey are for me all better players.

But if he stays he would be an asset and those stats posted in the first post of the thread show that.  But personally I would like to see him sold and I think we'd get a similar fee (maybe slightly lower) than what we paid for him.

[Pistolero]

I know what the point was but it's still not true to say Lucas was anonymous in that match. Adam did indeed play well in that game but he hasn't shown enough with or without Lucas to suggest he can step up.

I say potato you say potaato.

[Tony18:5]

He was certainly not our worst performer last season and (not exactly sure of his stats) but it was something like 2 goals, 6 assists and 47 chances created, doesn't seems that bad in a team which had a very poor goal scoring record in the PL. Might not be in the first XI, maybe just a decent squad player.

Here's a thought Rogers may like him ?

Talk about giving the lad a chance fuckinell ?

[Cybertom]

Since he has had ligament damage, it's going to be very difficult to get him off our hands as it is; we're stuck with him for a while at least.
Factoring that in, I think we should give him a chance. Very few players performed to their potential under Dalglish and Adam proved at Blackpool he can be an extremely creative and effective outlet.
The obvious problem is that Adam doesn't seem like the kind of a player who can effectively press for the duration of a game, and I don't feel that Rodgers will cut him any slack. It appears that Rodgers is off the opinion that any player not pressing is a weakness and something the opposition could exploit.
If Adam could increase his stamina and work-rate, he could work well under Rodgers because although he isn't necessarily the slow-tempo, patient type, he offers a lot from a killer-ball point of view and is technically sound - I challenge anyone to argue and prove he isn't LFC standard technically.
One key problem for me under Rodgers is that I feel (unless a major turn around is performed) that Gerrard and Adam cannot play in the same team, as both players portray that they cannot press to the standard of Rodgers' previous teams.

[DyingAtheist]

Would he be happy being a squad player though?
He'd go from being the main man at Blackpool to a backup at Liverpool. Now obviously in terms of career that's still a step up, but he might prefer to be first choice at a West Ham or something.

[Camarero25]

I didn't want us to sign Adam last season.  I didn't think he was good enough defensively, with his movement, lack of pace, lack of intelliegence with his positioning and tackling.

I think Adam proved me wrong on most of those fears.  We had the third best defensive record in the league, so Adam can't have been such a liability.  Also I don't remember him being at fault for many goals (Bolton away was one off the top of my head?).

Seriously, he proved you wrong? The way you describe him in your first paragraph is exactly how I'd describe him now. I don't really think our defensive record is a reflection on Adam's defensive abilities. He's possibly one of the worst players off the ball that I can remember playing for us.

[Shauno]

Seriously laugh at some of the Mystic Meg's on this forum, no-one knows nothing until he plays under the new regime.

[Drinks Sangria]

Before you cross the road, check both sides for oncoming Fordy's. I wouldn't mind us selling him. If we were to keep him, he should probably be utilised in a squad role, offering something a bit different against certain sides and allowing players to be rested in the Europa League. He may actually start to step up in this instance. He's too slow a recycler of possession, something Rodgers will not allow. I doubt that he'd be too pleased with his 'big diags' that he constantly looks for. (Although they're sweet when they work, they should be a last resort). If we can recoup the entirety of the fee (maybe make a little on him actually) then I'd be for letting him go. If the rumours are to be believed, Sigurdsson's fee could be completely covered by an outgoing Adam.

[Z e u s]

Seriously, he proved you wrong? The way you describe him in your first paragraph is exactly how I'd describe him now. I don't really think our defensive record is a reflection on Adam's defensive abilities. He's possibly one of the worst players off the ball that I can remember playing for us.

He proved me wrong in the sense, I thought he would cost us a lot of goals, would struggle to tackle and would be a complete liability in centre midfield and he wasn't.

I am not going to disagree with you, as I also think he should be sold.  But he proved me wrong in the sense I thought he was worse defensively than he was.  But he was contributing to goals and when we had a good defensive record as a team that is a positive for Adam.

[Kovai Red]

My opinion has been the same since the day he signed and I've made my reservations clear about him before he even kicked a ball for us.

Apologies for putting everybody, it should've been most of them.

Not buying that Adam's performances only went downhill after Lucas got injured.

They just became more regular. They were still there before December.

We failed as a team. The team performance was like that even after Adam was out injured. It is unfair to single out a player who has had played just about 6 months.

It is true that Adam will not be suited to the playing style of Brendan. But saying that you would easily get rid of him, his attitude sucks, blah blah blah is just over the top.

[dernaroy]

I dont think his attitude is a problem. After the injury of Lucas, everybody's opinion on him has changed.

Not mine, I didn't rate him at Blackpool and still don't rate him.

[Alex7]

Has it really gotten to the point where we want to sell a £7m squad player who had to play too much due to first-team injuries yet provided a decent amount of assists/goals and only played 2/3rds of a season? He's not the complete deal by any means, but, I remember him coming on in a couple of games when Gerrard first came back in September and he really changed the emphasis of the game. He's a good squad player, and for £7m and I'd bet low wages, he deserves a full season at LFC.

Didn't he cover the most distance for the team also? Can't argue with his work ethic on the pitch. He played too much, that's all. We need to keep players like Adam to be part of the squad.

[Cpt_Reina]

We failed as a team. The team performance was like that even after Adam was out injured. It is unfair to single out a player who has had played just about 6 months.

It is true that Adam will not be suited to the playing style of Brendan. But saying that you would easily get rid of him, his attitude sucks, blah blah blah is just over the top.

He's not being singled out. This is his thread. Try and find an unlocked Downing thread and you'll see the exact same, same with Carra and so on.

FWIW I think his attitude is fine (although the fact that he's never looked all that fit might convince me otherwise). It's his feet that are the problem.

[It's Jimmy Corkhill]

He forces the play far too much, he is actually a lot worse even than Gerrard when he has one of his mad half-hours.

I'd move him on, personally. If we are playing a 'V' in the middle, Lucas is the base, and I don't think he has the engine to either cover or break out of his zone.

[Hazell]

I say potato you say potaato.

Whatever. Adam, like some others, needs to improve upon his performances from last season if we're to get to where we want to be.

[Aigburth73]

I say potato you say potaato.

That works better with tomato. Spud or Shpud is a good alternative.

Anyway, I don't think anyone who is good enough to be a squad player is good enough for Liverpool. If we start accepting players who can just "do a job" we're on a slippery slope. This is Liverpool FC we're talking about.

[Alex7]

That works better with tomato. Spud or Shpud is a good alternative.

Anyway, I don't think anyone who is good enough to be a squad player is good enough for Liverpool. If we start accepting players who can just "do a job" we're on a slippery slope. This is Liverpool FC we're talking about.

John O'shea, Jonny Evans, Nicky Butt, Wes Brown and a host of other squad players that would not have got into any other top 4 sides first team, say otherwise.

[Carlos: Very Kickable]

He's a good player used in the right way. A couple of players alongside him chasing things down frees him up to utilise his attacking game - particularly suited to fast-breaking teams hitting on the counter. He is certainly creative.

However BR prefers busy players who move inteligently with a good short passing game who rarely give away possession and can press effectively when we don't have the ball.

We could shoehorn him in but the question would be whether it would be worth the effort given the disruption it would cause.

[DanA]

I think if you look back I was very much in the pro Adam camp and had we kept Kenny I'd still be their. Had Rafa come on board or Martinez I think Adam would  be even more suited. But I can't see how he fits in under Rodgers.

I'm not negative on Adam's season. Thought he made some massive improvement by dropping weight and lifting his work rate. His pass completion went from 68% to 80% which I was hoping for. I'm also very aware that he was asked to do a job he's ill suited for after Lucas went down.  I think he's got more goals and assists from set pieces in him than we got this season too.

But I don't see how Adam is going to lift his pass completion from 80% to 90%+. I don't see how were going to get him to slow his game down and be more patient, less ambitious. And I don't see his long raking balls as a benefit. It's one of the reasons I don't want Benat from Real Betis despite being a very good DM. It doesn't look like the style Rodgers wants to implement.