Liverpool F.C. - Back on the Perch

Hello and welcome to my first ever Football Manager 2014 story! I ended and started my Football Manager 2013 'career' with Liverpool saves, and I will also be starting my Football Manager 2014 adventure with Liverpool. Liverpool have always been my favorite club to manage in FM partly because they are the team I support and partly because it is always quite a challenge in the first few seasons trying to get them back to where they belong.

The starting posts to this story will basically be copying and pasting of the starting posts of my last FM13 story with Liverpool so you may have read them before - but after that the real story can begin.

In this save/story, there are only three targets I have set for myself.

One - To stick with this save. I know plenty of storywriters say this and then become hypocrites, but trust me on this one.

Two - To win more Premier League titles than Manchester United. My primary goal and target throughout the entire save.

Three - To stick with Liverpool and become a Fergie-esque club legend. I feel sick mentioning a Manchester United legend in a Liverpool story.

I hope I get as much support as I got when I wrote David Beckham: From Hero to Zero. Hopefully Back on the Perch will become the new Hero to Zero.

Fun fact: There have already been three FM Scout stories with this title. I have no originality.

Index

Season One: 2013/14

Chapter 1: Carra's Journal: Saying Goodbye
Chapter 2: Brendan Rodgers: Sacked!
Chapter 3: Carra's Journal: The Offer
Chapter 4: Transfer Watch: Liverpool
Chapter 5: Carra's Journal: Decisions
Chapter 6: Carraher: The Man in Charge
Chapter 7: Liverpool: Squad Overview
Chapter 8: The Press
Chapter 9: Carra's Journal: The Backroom
Chapter 10: Carra's Journal: Skrtel's Departure
Chapter 11: Pre-Season 2013/14
Chapter 12: Carra's Journal: Emergency Decisions
Chapter 13: Carra's First Signings
Chapter 14: August: The Beginning
Chapter 15: Carra's Journal: First Loss
Chapter 16: August Transfers 2013
Chapter 17: Mamadou Sakho: A Talent
Chapter 18: Carra's Journal: Knockout
Chapter 19: Luis Suarez: Down Again
Chapter 20: September: Manchester Sucks
Chapter 21: October: Further Down
Chapter 22: Carra's Journal: Summer Woe
Chapter 23: November: Getting Closer
Chapter 24: Carra's Journal: Clean Sheets & Derbies
Chapter 25: December: Unbeatable
Chapter 26: World Award Winners 2013
Chapter 27: Bernhard Peters: A Helping Hand
Chapter 28: Carra's Journal: Making Decisions
Chapter 29: Cooling the Bench
Chapter 30: Carra's Journal: Rotten Luck
Chapter 31: FA Cup: Toon Advance

Not a bin dipper story!! Will read because your stories are always great! (no pressure!!)

Yes!! A Glenn story Best of luck mate!

2013-11-01 16:57#140742 BeanyUnited : Not a bin dipper story!! Will read because your stories are always great! (no pressure!!)

You forgot to say first

2013-11-01 16:58#140745 DeanByrne1995 : Yes!! A Glenn story Best of luck mate!

Thanks Dean

You are my favorite writer Glenn, will definitely follow this story!

2013-11-01 17:55#140760 kazza121 : You are my favorite writer Glenn, will definitely follow this story!

Thanks Kazza

A Glenn T story...I'm following

19 May 2013

It is done. I, Jamie Carragher, have completed my football career, and ending off with a win too. I couldn't have asked for more. The fans were fantastic, as they always have been, and it feels great leaving on a high.

Liverpool are in a rough patch and this season have been no different from the previous ones, but I am very confident that Brendan will soon be turning things around. He is a great manager and his philosophy is fantastic. Every Liverpool fan says it and I am no different - next year will be our year. We have been mocked so many times for this quote before but I genuinely believe we will be giving the likes of the Manchester sides a run for their money next year. Brendan just needed time to introduce his play style to the team and time has been given, so it'll be a smooth ride from now on, if all goes well.

Of course, I will miss playing for this great football club. I will also no longer get to experience the joy of lifting a trophy like the Champions League in 2005 and the Carling Cup just last year. However, good things must come to an end and I have decided to close the curtains on my chapter with Liverpool, what with me becoming an old fart and all. The younger ones can take it from here.

League-wise, the past few seasons have been nightmares. Finishing below the top four is bad for a club of Liverpool's stature. Despite this, I have enjoyed every season I've played with the team and have no regrets over my footballing career. While Liverpool and Brendan march on to a new season, I will be starting a new chapter myself with Sky Sports. It won't be pleasing to see Gary 'Rat Boy' Neville again but going into punditry was always the plan after retirement, and that's just what I will do.

I wish Liverpool Football Club all the best for their oncoming season.

YNWA.

Liverpool Football Club have shockingly confirmed the sacking of their Northern Irish manager Brendan Rodgers.

This has come as a surprise to Liverpool and various football fans alike with many expecting Rodgers to stay on to continue working on the passing philosophy he has introduced to the club since his arrival in June. However, Reds owners John Henry and Tom Werner have decided to relieve him of his duties after merely a season.

Despite the previous season looking bad on paper, with Liverpool only finishing 7th, a small improvement from their 8th-placed finish last year, as well as losing out in the Fourth Round of both the Capital One Cup and FA Cup, Rodgers has more or less won over the Liverpool fan base with the attractive brand of football he has brought to Anfield and not many will be pleased to see him go.

Liverpool refused to comment on the matter, simply stating that Rodgers had not lived up to expectations and that they already had a replacement in mind.


Various footballing figures have been quick to condemn the apparent rashness of the Liverpool board, with the most vocal being former Manchester United captain and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville.

"Their manager comes in for a season, doesn't do too poorly - and yet he gets sacked, because his side finished 7th and didn't go far in the cup competitions," said Neville, discussing the sacking with Sky Sports. "It is Liverpool we are talking about. They have to start getting used to doing poorly. They aren't the side they were years before and have to stop thinking that they are.

"This is why clubs like Liverpool and Chelsea will never have a managing great like Sir Alex Ferguson."

Rodgers has been conducting transfer businesses of his own and these dealings are not believed to be ceasing with his sacking. Henry and the club's Head of Youth Development Rodolfo Borrell are understood to be taking charge of sanctioning transfers until a replacement for the Anfield hot seat is brought in.

1 July 2013

What a crazy week it's been. Learning that Brendan had gotten sacked was a big shock - he didn't deserve it. He did very well and made some very good signings. He should have been given more time. Liverpool's owners are fantastic but they made the wrong decision this time around.

But what has come as a bigger shock - is that I've been offered the Liverpool job. Yes, as manager.

It was really unexpected. John called me to Anfield to talk about a job. I was expecting assistant manager, or coach, with Colin and most of the staff leaving and all with the departure of Brendan, and I was prepared to turn him down, because I really want to pursue this career as a pundit. But instead, he dropped a big bomb on me with his managerial offer. This is something that I really need to think about.

He has given me until Monday to think this through and I can tell he wants this manager problem settled quickly. I have questioned him over his decision to sack Brendan but his reply was vague, something about not living up to expectations, the same answer that was given to the press.

I've not signed a contract with Sky Sports yet, so I am readily available, if I want myself to be. But punditry was always something I've been interested in, and it will be tough to give that up before it has even started.

However, the Liverpool job is a big one and my dream has always been one day to take Liverpool to glory as a manager, instead of a player.

This is my split road of destiny, but which path do I take?

Hmm... what a dilemma.

I only have one question.
Will you tell us the three names in the envelop at the end of the season?
Good luck with the new story

A couple of Liverpool stories around at the minute so can't wait to see how yours will be different. Good luck Glenn.

2013-11-01 19:55#140786 Northwood : I only have one question.
Will you tell us the three names in the envelop at the end of the season?
Good luck with the new story

Haha Thanks!

2013-11-01 21:36#140809 Jamesg237 : A couple of Liverpool stories around at the minute so can't wait to see how yours will be different. Good luck Glenn.

Thank you

Lazy Glennifer :o

Despite being without a manager, Liverpool have been very busy, with caretaker manager Rodolfo Borrell finalizing no more than 8 transfers in.

"All transfer decisions were made by the owners," the Spaniard explained. "The players we brought in are just a few of Brendan's transfer targets for this season and we merely finalized things and concluded negotiations.

"The eight that we brought in are a talented group of people and I'm sure the new manager will be very happy to have them on board."

Regarding the departures of players like Pepe Reina and Stewart Downing, Borrell said, "We have to thank them for their service here but as of right now, the owners feel that these players aren't right for the club."


Joining Liverpool on the back of a rather successful loan spell at Barcelona B last season, where he made 38 appearances and scored 11 goals, Luis Alberto is ready to craft for himself a future in the Premier League. Having been a rising star in the Sevilla academy, the 20-year-old is going to be one to watch for the Reds.


Luis Alberto will not be the only Spaniard to make the move to Merseyside this summer, with compatriot Iago Aspas also penning a contract with the Anfield club. Aspas was a product of the Celta youth academy and made his senior debut for the club in 2008. He has been an important squad player ever since before signing off his Celta career with 46 goals in 136 appearances. One of the more impressive players in La Liga last season, Aspas will be looking to bring his form to his new club as he will have plenty to challenge for a starting role.


For the first time in eight years, the main man between the sticks for Liverpool will not be Pepe Reina. Instead it will be Simon Mignolet taking up the reigns. The young Belgian goalie has impressed many since his Premier League debut with Sunderland in 2010. He made 90 appearances over 3 years with the Black Cats, before answering the call to replace Reina at Anfield this season. Still only 25, Mignolet has a bright future ahead of him, and we will soon see if he has the quality needed to be the number one for one of Europe's biggest clubs.


Coming in to Liverpool on a free transfer, former Arsenal and Manchester City defender Kolo Toure will add a wealth of experience to the Reds. The 32-year-old has made more than 300 appearances in the Premier League and also has more than 100 caps for the Ivory Coast. At Anfield, Toure will most likely be needed for rotation purposes, and also as a first-team challenger to keep Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel on their toes.


With the Reds needing cover for Jose Enrique at left-back, a loan is what they have opted for. The player himself is Valencia's Aly Cissokho. Although having just joined Valencia from Lyon last year, he has now been shipped out on loan and will be looking to prove his worth in the Premier League with Liverpool.


20-year-old Tiago Ilori was brought in for a whooping £7 million and it remains to be seen if he can fulfill his price tag. £7 million is quite the sum for such a young player - but if his performances at Sporting's youth team have anything to say about the issue, it is that he will soon grow to be worth more than £7 million. The Portugal Under-21 international plays at center-back and is hopefully going to play an important part in Liverpool's future.


The former Paris Saint-Germain captain fell from grace and suffered from lost form in his native Paris, but is ready to regain it with his new club. Sakho, 23, injects even more young blood into the Liverpool squad and will be looking to get his professional career back on track. The defender will be challenging Kolo Toure and Martin Skrtel this season to be Daniel Agger's partner in the center of the defense.


Victor Moses completes the recruitment list, with the Nigerian winger arriving on a one-season loan from parent club Chelsea. His amazing performances for Wigan led to his breakthrough as he was picked up by Chelsea for £9 million. Unfortunately, he has been unable to achieve his potential with the heavy competition at Stamford Bridge, and this loan spell to Liverpool will probably do wonders for Moses.


Liverpool will not be proud of this sale, as they make a £20 million loss on the man they paid £35 million for in January 2011. Carroll was expected to hit the ground running after moving to Anfield from Newcastle, but it was the other way around instead. Although showing occasional flashes of brilliance, Carroll's time at Liverpool was otherwise a disaster. The target man will now be left in the hands of West Ham.


Jonjo Shelvey was widely hailed as Liverpool's next big thing. But with the Reds midfield getting increasingly packed, he has been allowed to leave after a disappointing season. The 21-year-old will now link up with Swansea City and Michael Laudrup after making 47 appearances over 3 years for Liverpool.


For ages, Pepe Reina has been the first-choice goalkeeper at Liverpool, and it would have seemed to be that way again this year on the back of a decent season. The club's decision to sign Simon Mignolet unfortunately forced him out and he will reunite with former manager Rafa Benitez on a season-long loan at Napoli. It will be interesting to see what lies ahead for Reina after the season, and if Napoli & Liverpool can come to an agreement to make his stay at Naples permanent.


Originally thought of as one of Liverpool's best young talents, Jay Spearing has suffered a severe drop down the pecking order among the club's midfielders. After a successful season on loan at Bolton when he was also named the Bolton Wanderers Supporters Association Player of the Season, Liverpool have now allowed him to join Bolton permanently, and he will now look to help propel the Championship club back to the top.


A sale that is another massive loss on Liverpool's part, comparing the £6 million West Ham paid to the £20 million shelled out for him to make the move to Anfield in the summer of 2011. Downing played incredibly well for Aston Villa but could not replicate that form with Liverpool, and he failed to score a single league goal nor grab an assist in his first season, despite making 36 appearances. An improvement of 3 goals in 29 appearances last season proved he might still have a chance of cutting it as a Liverpool player, but the club would not have it and he has been sent to West Ham before Liverpool make any further losses.


Described as a player that would excite the fans by Brendan Rodgers when he was signed last summer, Oussama Assaidi has failed to do much. Understandably so, as he was given the privilege of making only 4 appearances in the Premier League in an entire season. Probably one of the most meaningless buys of last season, he has now been sent out on loan to Stoke.


Fabio Borini, the first signing of Brendan Rodgers as Liverpool manager. The Italian forward was supposed to be a hit but injury problems resulted in him only scoring a single goal in 13 appearances. With the competition at Liverpool ever increasing, Borini has been sent to Sunderland to get more game time, as well as match fitness.