Anfield Manager's Office Still Empty

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Liverpool train today under the watchful eye of the coaching staff

The Manager's office at Anfield remains empty, a month after the departure of Brendan Rodgers. Fans of the Merseyside club are becoming restless now, as more information is not forthcoming surrounding Rodgers' departure.

Speculation suggests that Liverpool have run into some financial problems, and that we may see an increase in the number of Home-Grown players in the line-up over the coming seasons.


In an interview with Sky Sports, Liverpool Captain Steven Gerrard has told Liverpool fans not to worry, and that everything is at hand with the managerial situation.

"The chairman and owners have told the guys that they're working on finding a new manager for the club before the start of the new season. They've also spoken about some of the issues behind the scenes, and there are some players who are gonna have to leave to save the club. We're not sure how we got to this stage, but it's something we're going to have to deal with and keep moving forward as best we can."

Fans of the club are understandably annoyed at what they perceive as irresponsible ownership of their club, and not for the first time. However, FSG have said that, when their new manager is announced, he will be safe in the knowledge that, after the clubs finances have stabilised, there will be a large pool of funding to rebuild the squad.

Liverpool Announce New Manager

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Dietmar Hamann has today been announced as the new manager of Liverpool FC. Hamann (also known as Didi Hamann) (born 27 August 1973) is a German footballer who was most recently manager at Stockport County. Throughout his career, he has played for Bayern Munich, Newcastle United, Liverpool, and Manchester City primarily in a defensive midfield position. He also spent time at Milton Keynes Dons as a player/coach before joining Leicester City as a first team coach. He was a member of the German national side from 1997 until 2006. He is known in Ireland as a soccer pundit on RTÉ's live coverage of major European and International competitions.

Throughout his playing career Hamann gained a reputation for being a highly consistent and reliable player. He is highly respected by supporters of Liverpool due in large part to his involvement in the 2005 Champions League Final.

On 5 July 2011, Hamann was named as the new manager of Stockport County, replacing former manager Ray Mathias. He resigned from the post on 7 November 2011 after only four months with Stockport struggling in 17th place in the Conference Premier citing failure of a proposed takeover by Tony Evans.

Hamann Happy To Be In Charge

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Liverpool's new manager has welcomed the press to Anfield for a press conference following his appointment as Liverpool manager. Journalists present came from media outlets such as the BBC, Sky sports, Liverpoolfc.co.uk and the Daily Telegraph.

BBC:"Didi, you sit here as the successor to Brendan Rodgers...can you shed any light on why he left?"
Didi: "I'm afraid not; the issues Brendan had with the board are of his own concern. I'm here to take the club forward in the long run. The board have assured me that, even if results are not ideal, I will have until the end of the 2016/17 season to bring home results. The club is not financially in a position to bring in players, but I'm confident we can build a squad which can compete with the best teams from the Homegrown players already here. As of January 2016, the board anticipate we will have significant funding to challenge in all competitions again, and bring in new faces of a high standard."

Sky Sports:"so you're telling us there will be no incoming signings until 2016? Isn't that a long time to wait for the fans?"
Didi: "Of course, 3 years is a long time for fans to wait on new players, but we have some excellent prospects in the youth and reserve teams, and i'm confident they can make the difference here."

The press conference continued in this vein for a while, the press and Hamann exchanging questions and answers, but Didi was playing it safe, not giving out much information.

Starlets Talk About Coming Season

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Liverpool starlets Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling took time out of training today to talk to us about how they were looking at the coming season.

LFCTV:"So guys, how do you think this coming season will go?
RS: "I'm pretty confident; we've got a good squad here, one which can go a long way this season...the important thing is that we continue moving forward."
JH: "Yeah, i'm feeling pretty confident about this season. We've got a good mix of youth and experience, and its a mix which can do some great things."
LFCTV: "So are there any players you'd advise keeping an eye on this season?"
RS: "Coutinho's a great player. He's talented, quick, intelligent and he's ready and raring to go for the season ahead."
JH: "Jordon Ibe and Jordan Rossiter from the youth teams, and probably Harry Wilson as well...maybe not so much this season, but definitely in the next couple of seasons and in cup matches, these guys could do a real job and develop as players."
RS: "Definitely...we've got some great talent in the Academy and reserves which is great to see."
LFCTV:"So...what're your predictions for the club this season?"
RS: "Top 4"
JH: "Top 4 and we're aiming for a trophy too!"

Liverpool Ready For New Season

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Liverpool are preparing for their opening-day match against Swansea, on the back of 8 wins from 9 in pre-season. The Reds weren't goal-shy during pre-season either, scoring a grand total of 19 goals in those 9 matches, conceding 10.

Several fans have pointed to a youthful energy which surrounded the pre-season squad, with Harry Wilson (above) featuring in 5 of these games, also netting his first senior goal for the side against Southend, after coming on as a substitute. Wilson impressed during pre-season, adding to his burgeoning reputation within English football.

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Players such as Coutinho, Jordan Henderson and Jordon Ibe also impressed during pre-season, and Liverpool's supporters were vocal in support of the young players throughout pre-season, but none more so than Jordan Rossiter, who made five appearances, set up a goal, and endeared himself to the fans with some battling performances in the centre of the pitch.

Liverpool Preseason Results

Fan's Player/Young Player Of Pre-Season

Player of Pre-Season: Daniel Sturridge
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Young Player of Pre-Season: Harry Wilson
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Reds Start Season With a Mixed Bag

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Daniel Sturridge's 60th minute winner completed a month which saw the Reds go unbeaten in the league, following a 0-0 draw with Swansea, and a 3-0 win over Tottenham, but which also saw them slide out of the Capital One Cup away from home to Leyton Orient, in a result which manager Didi Hamann has branded "Embarassing and totally unacceptable"

Liverpool were unlucky not to take 9 points from their first 3 games, with Swansea proving a tough opponent on the opening day of the season. Liverpool went close several times, and only Swansea's woodwork saved them from what could have, and probably should have, been a Liverpool win.

However, not to be disheartened, Liverpool bounced back against Spurs at Anfield, with goals from Skrtel, Sakho and Lucas seeing the Reds run out 3-0 winners, and sending a clear message that they have a point to prove.

League Table and Stats

Player and Young Player of the Month

Player of the Month:Mamadou Sakho
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Young Player of the Month:Coutinho
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Gerrard: Young Stars Are Key

Steven Gerrard has today stated his belief that Liverpool's newest batch of young stars hold the key to a successful season.

"I'm not saying we're going to be champions; not by a long shot. There's still a lot of work to do at the club, and Didi is the man to build on what Brendan managed. There's a lot of young players here who are eager to impress, and they're giving us depth without needing to spend ridiculous amounts of money.

Gerrard's claim has been backed up by some of the solid performances we saw from the younger players during pre-season, with Jordon Ibe, Jerome Sinclair and Harry Wilson all netting goals before the season start.

"Obviously, these guys aren't going to be perfect, but Didi has the older guys working closely with them to build their games and personalities, helping them to progress both on and off the pitch. Personally, i'm working with Jordan [Rossiter], and he's a really exciting player...definitely one to watch in coming seasons!

After endorsing the club's young talent, the conversation turned to England's World Cup squad, and who Gerrard thought would be on the plane to Brazil:

"Well, to be honest, it's not something i've thought about in great depth...obviously there's some guys here at Liverpool who could force their way into contention: Jordan [Henderson] and Raheem [Sterling] are both young and exciting enough to stake a claim...but there's obviously players at other clubs too; Look at Southampton for example, they've got Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez just for starters! Its definitely still an open question; come back to me in March and I might be able to narrow it down for you!

Liverpool travel to West Brom on Saturday, looking for a 4th league game unbeaten

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