[FM14] Liverpool FC: Winning With Kids

DECEMBER 5TH, 2015. ANFIELD STADIUM, LIVERPOOL
FA CUP SECOND ROUND

They say the 3rd round of the FA Cup is where dreams are made...and Braintree were all that stood between us, and our destination. Life in the league had been tough without Jerome, who was still sidelined with his broken ankle, and probably would be for the next 2 months. Euan Smith and Ryan Hardie were filling that gap this evening, supported by Luis Alberto who would play at attacking midfield.

My two young strikers combined after just ten minutes to put us ahead: Ryan gathered a loose ball out on the left flank, and squared it for Euan, who headed home like a seasoned professional. 1-0, and we were bouncing. 7 Minutes later, Luis Alberto doubled our lead, dispatching with aplomb into the far corner of the Braintree net.

Jake Forster-Caksey was running the show in midfield, and he was certainly giving me cause to reconsider trying to sell him. His passing was first-rate, and his vision reminded me a little bit of Xabi... I shook my head. I'd promised myself a long time ago to leave the club's glory days in the past, until we were able to replicate them.

Before long, Jack Robinson had demonstrated exactly why he hadn't put a run together in the first team, getting himself sent off for a careless challenge, and leaving us very much in the lurch. I pulled Pedro off, bringing Tiago Illori on in his place, and pushing Aidan McIlduff back out to the left-back position. Pedro shook my hand, and then chased Jack down the tunnel, giving him a right earful. I'd fix that at half-time.

Back on the pitch, Euan Smith doubled his goal tally, firing home from the edge of the area to make it 3-0, and send our fans into raptures. The young Scot was jubilant as he danced in front of the fans. Another one who was giving me a headache around his future.

Half-Time came, and I headed down the tunnel to catch up to Pedro and Jack. I wasn't ready for what met me. Pedro was out cold on the dressing room floor, blood trickling down the side of his face. Jack sat, sullen, next to his tracksuit, glaring at the young Spaniard where he lay.

"What the fuck is this?" my voice was deadly. Behind me, the team were starting to file in. Jordan took one look at the situation, and turned them all round. As his team-mates waited outside, Jack looked at me.

"Little prick chased me down the tunnel boss, telling me I was selfish, that i'd ruined his game. He thought he was fucking Alan Sugar or something, trying to tell me how to be a team player, asking me what I was playing at..." I shook my head at him.

"That's not the point, Jack. Why did you hit him?"

"I just snapped, boss. Little fucker deserved it."

"No, Jack. No he didn't. Go home. I'll speak to you tomorrow."


LIVERPOOL 3-0 BRAINTREE
ATT: 37,956

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They may only have left Cambridge with a draw tonight, but Liverpool's squad selection showed some strength in depth at the Merseyside club. Still boasting big names such as Luis Alberto, John Flanagan, the Anfield club have looked to their youth academy to provide continued growth to the squad. Below, we look at some of the best players to have emerged from the Club's Academy, and analyse their progress over the past few seasons.

1.Jerome Sinclair
Sinclair has been at the club since his £750k transfer from West Brom in 2013, and after his recent form, the Baggies will be kicking themselves for letting him go. With 96 goals in 79 games for the Reds, he has become one of the club's most valued assets.

Currently sidelined with a broken ankle, Sinclair's development has slowed of late, but his pace, and deadly eye for goal have seen him become a defender's worst nightmare in League Two.

2.Jordan Rossiter
Another 'original', as they're affectionately known to fans, Rossiter is widely tipped to take over the Captain's armband from John Flanagan next season. With eight goals in 73 appearances, and notching 17 assists, the 18 year old is widely regarded as the engine room of the Liverpool midfield.

While his technique may not be the best, Rossiter's work rate and passing vision have seen him compared to manager Steven Gerrard, and even, once, to Kop favourite Xabi Alonso.

3. Jose Manuel Galindo
A member of the Academy Class of 2014, Galindo has made 12 appearances so far for his side. His passing and dribbling touch have seen him cause problems for defences across the league. Still only 17, this young Spaniard still has the world at his feet, and with some more game time, and the right training, could prove to be a fan favourite very quickly.

4. Devante Duerden
A 2013 Academy graduate, Duerden quickly displaced Benjamin Siegrist as the club's no.1 goalkeeper, and has gone on to make 49 appearances between the sticks so far, keeping 30 clean sheets, and conceding only 25 times. Growing in stature all the time, the youngster looks set for a long, and successful career at Liverpool, if he can keep up with the increase in quality his opponents will display as the club progresses.

5. Sam Speed
Touted in the media as the next Paul Gascoine, and drawing comparisons to former Kop Idol Luis Suarez, 17 year old Speed has impressed in his 21 appearances in the proud Red of Liverpool, scoring 8 goals, and contributing 12 assists. His never-say-die attitude has quickly endeared himself to the supporters, and he is only going to continue to develop under the watchful eye of the coaching staff.

Great analysis, I never realised Sinclair was so mind-blowingly good attribute-wise!

JANUARY 6TH, 2016. MELWOOD TRAINING GROUND, LIVERPOOL
STEVEN GERRARD'S PRESS CONFERENCE

As I took my seat, hundreds of flashbulbs were clamouring for the best shot. Journalists jostled for position, dictaphones ready to capture the key quote that would make it to the front pages of tomorrow's papers. I settled back, and waited for the questions to come flooding in.

Hi Steven, Brain for Sky Sports News: what are your thoughts on Jack Robinson's departure from the club this week?
"Hi Brian. Well, the first thing I would say is that i'm pleased to have gotten as much as we did for him: a £4.7m return on the work we did with Jack at the club is testament to the player he has become. Obviously its always hard to see a player leave the club, but the time was right for Jack to move on"

And what can you tell us about the rumours of a changing-room bustup in your FA Cup tie against Braintree?
"Erm, i'm not sure I know what you're talking about? Morale in the squad is flying high, and we're keen to keep that team spirit going strong. Anything you've read about discord amongst the squad is nothing short of nonsense."

Steven, BBC Sport here: how do you feel about the second half of the season?
"Well, obviously we've put ourselves in a very strong position going into the last 20 matches. It's good to have such a strong cushion at the top of the league. But i'm keen to make sure our heads don't drop, and we stay focussed, and carry out the task at hand. The league is, as always, my priority. Any cup success will be a welcome bonus."

Reports have linked you to some high-profile names lately: Indeed, one of your scouts was spotted at the Bernabeu last week, can you shed any light on that?
"...do you really think a League 2 side is going to be signing anybody from Real Madrid?"

Laughter rang around the room

"In all seriousness though i'm content with my squad: we've got a good group of lads, who can continue to bring this club back to it's previous glory. Our youth academy is producing some great talents, and that's something i'm keen to continue, and embed into the club's philosophy"

13TH FEBRUARY, 2016. ANFIELD, LIVERPOOL
FA CUP 5TH ROUND

The stadium was a sea of red and white, moving as one as the players stepped out onto the pitch. This had to rank as one of the biggest games we'd ever played. FA Cup, 6th Round...A good run here could see us push for a place in Europe, if we dreamt. In reality, Swansea looked dangerous.

The Welsh side kicked off, and we immediately put them under pressure: not allowing them to sit on the ball, forcing niggling errors. But we were also guilty of silly mistakes. Joao Teixiera lost the ball in the heart of midfield after just 7 minutes, but Aidan McIlduff's pace saw him beat the onrushing Swansea players to the ball. We had to tighten up.

Aidan lifted a nice ball through to Marcos Lopes, who was operating on the left wing. Marcos laid a clever pass to Sam Speed, who flicked the ball back over the Swansea defence, and Jerome made absolutely no mistake, slamming the volley home to make it 1-0 to us, 8 minutes played.

Swansea came back at us hard, forcing a save from Duereden, but squandered the corner. We had the better of possession, but we were still making too many mistakes, especially for a team clinging to a lead for dear life. We made it to half-time though, a couple of yellow cards down, and Nathan Bredbury looked exhausted...it was time for some changes.

John Flanagan replaced Bredbury at right-back, while Josh Passley made his first appearance in a long time, replacing the booked Illori. I left my attackers as they were just now, knowing I had 4 solid players on the bench should anything go wrong.

"You're playing well out there lads. Score early and we can wrap this up. Stay alert, don't let them get you on the back foot" There were nods all around, and my boys trotted back out onto the pitch.

With 20 minutes to go, we were still protecting that 1-0 lead. Harry Wilson hadn't really done much on the right flank, so i changed things up a bit, pulling him off, and sending Luis Alberto on in his place. I was hoping the Spaniard's pace would shake up the Swansea defence a little, maybe even force a mistake from them to double our lead.

It wasn't to be, as a lapse in concentration allowed Swansea to equalise right at the death. Replay it was to be...away from home.

MARCH 19TH, ANFIELD, LIVERPOOL
SKY BET LEAGUE 2

The stadium erupted. Euan Smith, Mr. Underrated, had just buried the ball in the Mansfield net, with 20 minutes until full time. 2-0 up, and well on our way to the league title.

I was over the moon. The boys have worked so hard this season to make the step up, and as they continue to grow, we keep on racking up the results. I felt bad for Jerome, sidelined with an ankle niggle, but we needed him fresh for the FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal. That would be a daunting task, but we've already beaten Swansea and Manchester City to get this far...reaching the final would bring European Football into our grasp.

As the final whistle went, the whole stadium went wild. 43 Thousand fans had packed into this stadium to support their side, and every single one of them would be taking home a commemorative plaque, celebrating our league win, and our promotion to League 1.

I knew, in my heart of hearts, that a lot of the players I celebrated with just now, would be leaving over summer. The board had told me to cut costs, to make the club as efficient as possible on the ascent to the Premier League. They'd also told me to start spending some of the transfer money i'd been hoarding, or i'd lose it. Deals would have to be made this summer...It broke my heart to think about saying goodbye to some of these boys, but needs must.

great update but is a shame people will leave your going up your going up, your going!!!!

MAY 14TH, 2016, WEMBLEY STADIUM CHANGING ROOMS
FA CUP FINAL

The room was silent. 16 broken men sat in front of me, as Chelsea celebrated out on the pitch. Runners-Up medals hung around their necks, a solemn reminder of what had just happened on the Wembley turf.

Eventually, Jordan Rossiter piped up: "Boys, why are we so gutted?! We've done fucking well to get this far - christ, we're playing European Football next season! FA Cup Runners up, and we're only just heading back into League 1! That's some achievement. Get up, get cleaned up, and lets go and give the Chelsea boys the credit they deserve!"

I was so proud. They pulled their tracksuit jackets on, and headed back out onto the pitch, just as the Chelsea players lined up to lift the trophy. I shook hands with Mourinho, and applauded with the rest of the players as our opponents lifted the FA Cup.

There's always next year.

We'd had an excellent year. League Champions, FA Cup Runners up...playing in Europe next season, and with some changes to be made in the squad, we were still on a continuous upwards run. I gathered my boys in, and we applauded the fans for all their support this season, and stayed to talk to the Chelsea stars after they'd retrieved their trophy

Next Year.

Next year. *nods*

So close and yet no shame... well played! Screw Chelsea and their billions, League 2/1 Liverpool FTW

Great update, and I agree with Rossiter, you're only at the start of your journey, and you're already playing European football, great achievement! Good luck in League 1 next season, and in the Europa League!

Analysis

While the result against Red Bull Salzburg was far from ideal, Liverpool fans will be happy with the way their side has played this summer, especially with several key players away on internation duty. Young goalkeeper Rasmus Hoyer particularly impressed this pre-season, proving himself an able second-line for Duerden, should he be injured at any time.

Another series of eye-opening performances came from Brazilian striker Madson, a product of the youth academy at Liverpool, having moved to the club from Manchester City - a move thought to have been heavily influenced by former City boy Marcos Lopes, who met up with Madson while the two were on holiday in their native Brazil last summer. The youngster scored 3 in 3 towards the end of last season, and fans will be hoping to see a partnership forming with Sinclair early on, with Ryan Hardie also available to bring a goalscoring edge.

In midfield, Gerrard is not short of options: Vice-Captain Jordan Rossiter has made the Defensive Midfielder spot his own in pre-season, despite the efforts of Pedro Chirivella. The two may yet make an excellent midfield duo, but with Danny Baldwin and Marcos Lopes also looking to fit into that midfield, competition is sure to be stiff.

League/Cup Standings

League One: 9th
FA Cup: Not Started
Johnstone's Paint Trophy: Not Started
Capital One Cup: First Round (v Wigan)

Good preseason, hopefully you can take that form into the regular season. Good to see Rossiter and Madson doing well

Legend: The Spaniard's Form Since 2013 Saw Him Become A Firm Fan Favourite

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Luis Alberto became the newest departure from Liverpool's temporary home at the City of Manchester stadium, heading for Inter Milan in a move which could prove to be worth up to £16m to the club, taking the total income from Transfers since Gerrard took over the club to over £60m.

The 23 year old Spaniard made 79 appearances for the Reds in his 3 seasons at the club, scoring 38 goals in the league to cement his place in fan's hearts as the club fought back to League 1. Holding a place in the club's Overall Best 11 over the last 3 years, Alberto has been a consistent performer for the Merseyside club, and very much deserves his switch to the Serie A.

Speaking to the media after Alberto's departure, Gerrard was empathetic towards the fans who have been voicing their displeasure at Alberto's departure, saying: "I know it's tough for the fans to take, losing a player like Luis, but i'm confident that we can carry on our progress without him. We've got a good bunch of players here, and every single one of them understands that the loss of revenue we're experiencing in these seasons means that some players may have to leave in order to keep the club's finances in the black. We've found a potential replacement for Luis, and i'm keen to close that deal and introduce him to the fans and the media as soon as possible."