Having been heavily restricted in the transfer market in recent years due to terrible ownership and massive interest payments, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has looked to make the most of new owners John Henry and FSG’s willingness to commit funds in order to achieve success. Undoubtedly football is run as a business for most owners today and Liverpool fans can be thankful that their new owner, who also lists the Boston Red Sox in his portfolio, is a firm believer that the best way to make money out of a sports team is to make that team successful, spending to achieve this if necessary.

Since the signing of Andy Carroll in January for £35m, eyes have been on the Anfield outfit’s movements in the transfer market. Many people, including a surprisingly large amount of people calling themselves Liverpool fans have been quick to question the clubs summer signings before they have even kicked a ball, deeming the club to have drastically overpaid for what they consider to be nothing more than average to good players.

Whilst FSG are prepared to spend freely to achieve the success they crave (something backed up by their dealings in baseball as well as the first two transfer windows for Liverpool), what is also clear is that they have a set model they prefer to follow. Henry is a firm believer in the ‘Moneyball’ model in baseball using ‘sabermetrics’ to determine a player’s value to the club and why they may be a success, all based on statistics.

Although they have openly admitted that they realize this model cannot be directly applied to football (soccer), the concept of buying young players that will have some resale value certainly can and has been applied. It also seems apparent that Director of Football Damien Comolli and manager Kenny Dalglish are keen to look into the stats of their targets to discover a more detailed outlook of the players game.

Here’s my analysis of their recent signings:

Jordan Henderson

The first target identified by the club this summer was Jordan Henderson, a young English centre-midfielder who is also equally capable at playing in a wide right position. Most people were surprised to learn of the Merseyside club’s interest in the youngster, having had a mixed season for former club Sunderland. Henderson started last season in great form winning plaudits along the way and even picked up his first full England cap in November. However, his form started to wane around the turn of the year, much in keeping with the whole clubs downturn in form – possibly one of the effects of selling their main goalscorer Darren Bent without replacement.

Football is an extremely subjective topic of conversation and as such the reality is often quite different to the argument presented. This could be true in the case of Henderson. A look at his stats show that he can compete with the top players in the Premier League, but playing for an average side may have caused these stats to be hidden. For example, when compared to Jack Wilshire – a player largely considered to be one of England’s brightest prospects and a top midfielder, Henderson’s stats are favourable having scored 3 and assisted 4 last season compared to Wilshire’s 1 goal and 3 assists. Both players have pass completion percentages that are excellent and that are in the 80% bracket. However Henderson created an average of 2.1 chances per game compared to Wilshire’s 1.6. Whilst these stats are no guarantee of a player becoming a success at a new club, they should at least be respected and allow the player to prove himself before being questioned.

Charlie Adam

Liverpool’s signing of Charlie Adam has also been criticized by many who deem him to be below the standard required for a title challenging team. What is clear is that the Scotsman has been a clear target for Dalglish since January and the Liverpool boss is convinced that his services will improve the squad. The standard of Adam’s set-pieces is not in question having created and scored numerous goals from them last season in a team that ultimately was relegated. Although with Liverpool already having several top central midfielders in the squad it remains to be seen what Adam’s main function in the side will be.

Stewart Downing

The last major signing to arrive at Liverpool so far this summer is Stewart Downing, possibly one of the most underrated Premier League players in recent years.

Liverpool has been in dire need of a winger for many years having tried and failed to find the solution many times in recent years. The former Villa wide man should tick all the boxes yet his arrival earlier this month was greeted with a very mixed response. When signing the player Comolli reiterated his practice of studying the stats and data of a player to gauge his potential value to the side. A quick look at the stats from last season’s shows that Liverpool fans should infact be very enthusiastic about the winger’s arrival. When playing on the left Downing managed a successful cross percentage of 20% (meaning his cross found a member of his team) coupled with 22% when on the right, showing that he is a versatile winger that is equally capable of producing on either wing.  It is clear that Downing is not a ‘one season wonder’ and has performed consistently over a number of years. Since 2004, when Downing fully broke into the Middlesbrough team, he has created 421 chances in the Premier League – only Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Cesc Fabregas and Ryan Giggs have produced more.

When analyzing the signings it is clear they make sense and are logical, and if they had foreign names there is no doubt a much larger percentage of fans would be excited, in this day and age a lot of fans want to hear their club have signed Joao Henderez or Silvio Downinho. But the stats don’t lie – between them Downing, Adam, Henderson created 239 chances in PL last season, equivalent to 56% of Liverpool’s total last season. Although they might not be the most popular, they very well may be successful.

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Liverpool manager Bob Paisley

These days the type of manager you’re most likely to witness on a touchline will be wearing a perfectly fitting designer suit, carefully standing so as to not dirty his smartly polished shoes. It’s common place. People would hardly bat an eyelid – just like they wouldn’t if their teams latest big money signing turned up on a match-day with bright pink hair and a new tattoo illustrating his love of the latest girl-band member.

But football wasn’t always like this. In the not so distant past things were far removed from this ‘glitz and glamour’. Managers up and down the country were cladded in tracksuits, kicking every ball at training sessions and relishing the chance of instructing their pupils. But when/why did this change? And is it necessarily a bad thing?

Bill Shankly took charge of Liverpool in December 1959, and the first thing he changed was training. He hopped onto a bus with the first team squad, armed with nothing more than a few footballs, a clipboard and a set of ideas. He worked tirelessly with his players in a very hands-on fashion and as a result built a dynasty that lasted decades. Similarly, Brian Clough could be seen as almost a complete ‘control freak’, with meticulous attention to detail in every aspect of the club from top to bottom.

Undoubtedly the game has evolved since these ‘old school’ managers were at the helm, with most in agreement that the overall quality has improved. Also apparent is the correlation between the change of manager and evolution of the game. The hazier question is which change was dictating the other.

The introduction of the Premier League signified the start of an unprecedented amount of TV coverage, and with it a newfound wealth and interest – suddenly football was readily accessible. The ‘Sky TV’ generation whetted the appetite for televised football, along with a desire to watch these top teams competing in Europe. The thirst has proved difficult to quench, and the requirement for Premier League teams to be seen competing amongst the top teams has developed. The timing could not have been better for English teams, having just returned to European football following a five year ban, leaving them hungry to prove they were worthy.

To maintain this desire to be competitive, improvements in the English game were required. After a few unsuccessful seasons for English clubs in Europe, it was clear that they had begun to fall behind the other leading European countries.

Advancements in ‘Sports Science’ were indicating that the English methods needed to change. A pre match pie and chips and a ruck of ale on a weekend was no longer something players could get away with – not now the rest of Europe had fully embraced modern dietary and training methods.

It can be argued that any transition to new sporting lifestyles could be adopted by the other European nations a lot easier than England. Like most islands England has a more isolationist stance on life. The stubborn nature in English society does not lend itself well to dramatic change, and as such any radical alteration is in danger of being viewed with skepticism.

The entire nutrition and performance based training was something English managers were largely unaware of (or at least its degree of importance), and as such in order to reap its benefits managers would have to relinquish the monopoly of control they exuded over training. Foreign coaches and dieticians were employed to instruct players on certain aspects of their routine. Managers were no longer solely in control, and began to share the responsibility with their coaches. This opened the door for managers to ‘move to the office’. Coaches could now be trusted with coaching the players under the manager’s guidelines, something that has become increasingly important as the game and its tactics have developed.

Football has changed with society. Ask anybody in the street if they are part of a social networking website and the answer is almost certainly yes, and this is a key measure of today. The demand is for all news to be instantly available, and media presence has never been more prominent. Managers are largely embroiled in this circus and a great deal of their time is spent satisfying this. It has become a prerequisite of the role that they be able to handle the media through press-conferences, interviews, and even the occasional punditry appearance. The media has even become a weapon for some managers who use it to their advantage by playing mind-games with their opponents, aiding player transfers, and even attempting to influence referees.

Another newly found concept for managers to deal with is the formation of the role known as a director of football or its equivalent. Whereas a manager used to highlight his transfer targets and attempt to sign them, the role of the director of football is primarily to conduct this for them. It results in another relationship being formed as managers have to communicate their requirements and rely on their director of football to fulfill them.

Whilst there are still examples of managers who don their tracksuit and still oversee all aspects of club life, the shift in responsibilities and duties has seen the term ‘Manager’ take on a different meaning than that of previous decades. Society has changed over the years and football has rolled with it. It’s had no choice – without doing so it would have been left behind and found itself unable to compete for fans interest. Managers are no different, as the game has moved, so have they. You may not see them running up and down the touchline like Barry Fry. It’s not that simple. Time constraints and different duties perhaps mean they struggle to have the same bond with players – or at least have more trouble expressing it.

The job may have changed but the passion still remains (it has to, without it football wouldn’t exist). So as fans we have to evolve just as they have.  Under it all our managers really are just a tracksuit-clad football hungry ‘Gaffer’ with a presentable shiny corporate wrapper on.

Follow me on Twitter – @86CAMMY

The failure of the next generation of English talent in the recent Under 21 European Championships has again led for a need to discover the root of the problem, and just why it’s still going wrong.

On Sunday, Stuart Pearce’s England side crashed out of the Championships in Denmark at the group stage, having failed to win a single one of their three group games. Pearce looked to defend himself and his youngsters by claiming England had been unlucky to come up against one of the best Under 21 teams in the world in Spain, a team who set out purely to defend – Ukraine, and a very well organized Czech Republic side. Is this a valid excuse? Or should his team have been capable of adjusting their game in accordance to their opposition?

Much in keeping with the senior side’s performances in big tournaments, Pearce’s team looked distinctly flat and jaded. Often appearing short of ideas, and showing signs of technical deficiencies. But where does the blame lie? Are too many English players incapable of following instructions under the pressure of a tournament? Is the coaching and development of players in England failing, and if so why? Is too much importance placed on club football in England? Or are England simply not as good as they (fans and media included) think? All of these aspects certainly seem to carry some weight.

The English media is arguably the most invasive around, even more so around the time of a football tournament. Players are micro-analyzed and have their every move followed by journalists hoping to stumble across the next story or revelation, often obliviously at the detriment to the squad’s preparation and stability. The recent World Cup in South Africa provides a fitting example. The amount of non-football related media attention surrounding the squad was un-paralleled, and eventually reached the stage where the squad struggled to train and prepare for games in a manner they would have liked. The media hype becomes inescapable and as such it becomes abundantly clear to the players that anything short of winning the tournament is deemed failure. The weight of expectation increased further by the media appointed title of the ‘Golden Generation’, apparently signifying to the players that a country’s main hopes for years to come are placed firmly on their shoulders.

An excuse that has become popular in recent years is the fatigue of players due to the Premier League (PL) season being too demanding. The league is arguably the most physical around, and the schedule when coupled with two domestic cup competitions, European football, and the lack of a winter break is demanding. However, the league is very cosmopolitan, and indeed had more representatives at the last World Cup than any other league – yet no excuse of fatigue is used from any other nation with players playing in the PL.

With the evolution of the PL into one of the biggest leagues in the world, and by far the most financially lucrative, the importance of the top clubs players being fit for their clubs has begun to outweigh that of playing for England. Whilst players still claim that it is a real honor to play for their country, unfortunately their clubs feel differently. PL clubs are reluctant to release players for international games (particularly friendlies) as they feel it may hinder their own chances of success – a risk they feel is unwarranted when it’s them paying big fees and wages for the players.

It is this English desire for success at all levels of club football can be deemed another potential reason why England falls short. Such is the demand for glory that other important aspects are neglected in an attempt to fast track players for success. This mantra is deep-rooted in the English system and is noticeable even at grass-roots level.

Whilst all countries recognize the importance for success, at youth level, most countries also appreciate the value of training players the fundamentals of the game. Take Spain as an example. At a young age importance is placed on improving player’s technique, ball control, basic skills etc – all aspects that will provide a player a solid basis with which to develop within the game. Compare this to England, where from a young age players are thrown into matches with league systems in place, the focus of priority shifting towards winning matches at the cost of improving a player through proper coaching. Not all blame should be placed at these local run clubs however. The English FA’s lack of adequate funding for decades has left the grass-roots football in tatters, with facilities and coaching schemes not being able to match up to that of most of their neighbours in western Europe.

Thankfully in recent years the need to change this grass-roots philosophy has been identified, and the addition of foreign youth coaches at professional clubs has helped speed the process along – although a hangover period is still present. Clubs changing coaching styles at youth level was implemented in a fairly short space of time, however with the talent pool from England not up to scratch immediately an influx of young foreign players arrived to bridge the gap. So whilst the current generation may struggle, there are promising signs for the future.

At present, the bottom line, and something that English fans widely refuse to acknowledge or entertain, is the fact that the current batch of England players (and their processors) may simply not be as good as people think. The rarity of a talented English player often leads to an initial period of hysteria surrounding the individual, who often can be subject to a degree of bias praise. English fans hold their players in high esteem; they are heroes to millions of people. The masses are unable to live out their own dreams of playing for England and as such look to the players to live out their dreams for them. With thinking like this it’s easy to see why people can become blinkered, believing the players to be better than they in order to fuel their hopes of success.

England gave the game to the world – but there is still plenty of work to be done before it ‘comes home.’

Follow me on Twitter – @86CAMMY

Prawn Sandwiches, floppy jester hats, a brand new replica kit and a camera memory card being used to the point of melting. These are all increasingly common sights at Premiership grounds, particularly for the ‘Champions League clubs’.

Depending who you speak to, this ‘new generation’ of fan can be considered to be ruining the game or providing the funds essential for clubs to continue competing at the highest level. Which came first – the chicken or the egg? Did a club’s success bring about more fans or did more fans and increased revenue bring about success? It’s increasingly obvious that the two co-exist.

With the Premier League having lucrative deals for TV rights all over the world, football truly has become a global commodity, something clubs understand the importance of milking. By opening their doors to the global market, clubs can vastly increase their net profit, often with little direct effort. The right placed advert, prize competitions, access to live games, club TV channels with exclusive access and copious amounts of memorabilia and merchandise all provide easy money for big clubs. Couple this with the odd pre-season tour, giving thousands of fans the chance to see their heroes in the flesh and a club can really hit the jackpot.

The concept is not exclusive to foreign shores. Times have changed, and football culture has evolved over the years – at pace. Whilst the financial benefits are abundantly clear, there’s a fine line to be tread. It has become extremely easy for a club to lose its identity. In the past, youngsters would not pick and choose who they supported, they were told. Children would grow up supporting the team their family had done for generations, learning the clubs history and traditions as a ‘right of passage’ on the terraces.

These days geography has less and less bearing. It matters not where you are from, or what long-standing connection you have to a club. These aspects have been replaced, when picking a team youngsters will be more likely to question how likely it is they will be successful, how often will they be able to watch them on TV, what does their kit look like and who makes it, and will they beat other friends teams so they can gloat away on the latest most popular social networking site. These days Darren from Dover is as likely to support Manchester City as Steve from Salford (they’ve recently even produced a bluffers guide to supporting the club).

Although everyone has an equal right to support whoever they want regardless of geographical location, and there are undoubtedly keen and knowledgeable fans amongst these – there is a blurred area between a club reaping the new found commercial rewards and opening its doors to the world, and a club being able to maintain it’s traditions. The further removed a fan is from a club the stronger the ‘Soccer AM’ influence can become. Age old songs unique to each club and historic terrace rituals can easily become lost in chants of “easy, easy, easy” and “who are ya”. Clubs employ people to gauge their new perceived popularity, increasing ticket prices accordingly, running the risk of becoming soulless money making machines all too happy to abandon their roots in exchange for a few extra pounds.

Football fans are not stupid. They know the game has changed and the only way to remain competitive is with large amounts of money. As a result, in recent years fans have developed a ‘thirst for Sheiks’, and are now happy for their club to be taken over by the latest billionaire looking for a new toy to play with – A dangerous philosophy that can backfire badly, as any Portsmouth fan can testify. Thankfully steps are being taken to minimize the risk with tests being required before a takeover can occur (whilst still not being stringent enough, it is at least a step in the right direction).

But who are the real losers in this modern craving to support one of the ‘big boys’, a club deemed popular enough for a fan to be seen walking around their nearest town centre sporting the latest seasons 6th away strip?

Attendances in the lower leagues have been steadily falling in recent years and the smaller clubs are alarmingly flirting with administration on an ever increasing basis. With the exception of Brighton & Hove Albion, no club in the bottom two divisions of the English league (nPower League 1 and 2) achieved more than 68% attendances per capacity on average over the course of last season. For clubs at this level of the footballing ladder the bulk of income comes on matchday, so dwindling attendance figures present a real danger.

A quick look at the league tables will show you that there are some big names currently presiding in the depths of the lower leagues. Unfortunately for these clubs it becomes increasingly likely they may become trapped in a vicious circle – needing fans to turn up to increase gate receipts allowing money to be available to investment in the squad, but fans only willing to pay to see the top players. The choice is available now and for a little extra money fans have the choice of going further down the road to see some of the best players around.

Unfortunately as a result clubs are therefore often limited in their options. Gamble, take out loans, invest in playing staff and hope for promotion and the fan base and money that inevitably follows. Or tread water, give up hope of returning to ‘the glory days’ and be thankful they aren’t one of the unlucky ones to be hit with administration.

Nobody begrudges the new breed of fan. It’s their choice. They spend their money and can argue they have as much right to support their chosen club as any other. Football is completely globalised and geography bears little relevance these days (although you shouldn’t need a map to find your own club’s ground). There are however 92 clubs that make up our league system, so spare a thought for your local club – you might just miss them when they’re gone.

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Photo by wekkuzipp. Dalglish (pictured center).

In 1959, following a successful start to the decade, Liverpool found itself a club in decline – lying mid-table in the Second Division. But then a man by the name of Bill Shankly walked through the door. Shankly immediately set about plans to overhaul every aspect of the club, releasing 24 players he deemed not fit to wear the shirt, as well as revitalizing the way the players trained and creating a close-knit team of backroom staff.

Needless to say the club never looked back and after gaining promotion and stabilizing the club in the top flight, Liverpool clinched their first league title under the new regime in 1963-64. The foundations were laid and along with his successor Bob Paisley, Liverpool went on to dominate the game in both England and Europe for two decades during the 70’s and 80’s.

Fast forward to now and similarities can be drawn between that December back in 1959 and the start of ‘King’ Kenny Dalglish’s first full season in charge. Granted Dalglish need not worry about the state of the club’s training facilities, and with the modern day salaries he will not be hiring a bus to take the players from Anfield to Melwood – times have changed. He has however inherited a squad that is stumbling, finishing 7^th and 6^th in the last two seasons respectively.

A quick look at the Liverpool squad will show you that over the past few years it has become littered with deadwood on inexplicably high wages. The blame for which should lie mainly at the feet of the previous owners, who by bleeding the club dry through loans and interest payments forced then manager Rafa Benitez into taking gambles on these mercenaries.

As a result the task facing Dalglish is a sizeable one, although thankfully for him he has the backing of Fenway Sports Group (FSG) – an altogether different set of owners from cowboys Tom Hicks and George Gillett. Led by principal owner John W Henry, FSG have stated their belief that in order for the club to make money it must be successful, and therefore funds to build a squad capable of challenging will be available.

The signings of Andy Carroll, Luis Suarez and Jordan Henderson not only provide an example of the financial muscle FSG are prepared to flex, they also illustrate the preferred model of purchasing youth with potential (and resale value). Had Fernando Torres been signed by FSG he would have been a perfect example of the model – signing for Liverpool aged 23 for around £22m and after scoring a lot of goals for the club being sold for £50m.

The strategy of buying the best young talent is a perfect way of ensuring Liverpool can once again build a dynasty to be proud of. With this blend of youth and experienced players such as Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Dirk Kuyt to name a few, if Dalglish and Director of Football Damien Comolli manage to get the right players in over this summer period, Liverpool could have a settled squad capable of challenging for honors for years to come.

Whilst signing the top young players could provide Liverpool with a squad to be feared it does still represent a risk in the fact that not all players with plentiful potential will eventually go on to be a success at the highest level – just ask Ryan Babel. A problem FSG appears willing to offset with their ‘Moneyball’ model of being willing to ‘plug gaps by paying big money where necessary’.

The willingness to pay big money for top potential coupled with a successful youth policy could well produce a solid sustainable model. With the top coaches and academy facilities, along with a manager with a willingness to promote players through the ranks Liverpool becomes a desirable place for top youngsters to come to develop their game. It only takes a couple of these players to make the grade and substantial savings will have been made, freeing up money to plug any immediate holes that may appear with higher profile, established players.

As Chelsea’s squad ages and players from Manchester United’s golden generation slowly start to retire, the importance of Liverpool making the right choices over this transfer window could be paramount. There’s a gap to be filled at the top and with ‘King’ Kenny Dalglish being backed by what appear good owners coupled with adoring fans, there appears no reason why Liverpool cannot be the team to fill it.

Watch out – The Liver bird is rising from the ashes.

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I was sitting in a plush screening room at the Sony Pictures Lot in Culver City, CA – just a short walk down the hallway to anything and everything Spider-Man (hell, Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst may have been on premises for all I know – the studio lot was so infested with Spider-Man promos) but when The Damned United kicked-off I was no longer in warm Los Angeles.

The movie begins in rainy, dark, windy Leeds. 1970s England. A far cry from a plush LA screening room in 2009. Don Revie’s Leeds United are top of England – in the midst of a glorious run and Elland Road is filled to capacity.

But it’s not what transpires on the pitch that’s really important here.

This isn’t just a football movie. In fact, the game scenes are rare. Director Tom Hooper’s brilliant adaptation of David Pearce’s novel is a character study, a drama, and a dark comedy rolled into one – it just happens to be set within the brilliant and dramatic English First Division of football.

Michael Sheen (of Frost/Nixon and The Queen fame) stars as Brian Clough, the larger than life cocky, witty motor mouth who succeeds Revie at Leeds. Revie has moved on to the England job. A big promotion, that. And there you have it. The stage is set. Clough has some pretty big boots to fill – quite similar in fact to the modern day Jose Mourinho / Avram Grant scenario that played out at Stamford Bridge just 2 years ago.

And Clough is certainly a fascinating man – a man of extremes – contradictory, outspoken, extraordinary. Sheen is the show-stealer – putting together as brilliant of a performance as Arshavin did last year when he hit for four goals at Anfield. Sheen is that good.

Through a combination of flash-backs and flash-forwards (Hartlepool – Derby County – Leeds) the audience is treated to the gritty, beautiful footballing landscape of the ‘60s and ‘70s in England – where players smoked cigarettes in the dressing room, and two footed tackles in training were the norm, not the exception to the rule.

The film succeeds because it is able to traverse the precarious tightrope between being just a “brilliant football film” and an actual “brilliant film” and so it will be loved by not only football addicts but by those who appreciate a great piece of art. This is the type of film you can take your wife/girlfriend/significant other too, it’s just that universal.

Clough’s relationship with his Assistant Manger and best friend Peter Taylor (played by Timothy Spall) is perhaps a perfect example of the film’s success on a non-football level. The relationship is an emotional rollercoaster and the best examination of a working relationship and close friendship I can remember seeing on film.

Clough is opinionated, charming, almost heroic. This movie makes me believe that he is the greatest British manager of all time who never managed the national team.

The Damned United is a must see film- for any football fan, and any lover of true drama, heartbreak, and larger than life characters.

I would give the film a rating of four soccer balls out of five, a Champions League contender if there ever was one. Basically – the equivalent of Nottingham Forest in 1979 and 1980. Legendary.

Thanks to Ibracadabra of Never Captain Nicky Butt for the review.