TTT: Buying and Selling Smart

TTT: Buying and Selling Smart

By Paul Tomkins. This piece will be submitted to the official site tomorrow (Wednesday). As ever, it appears first for TTT Subscribers. If you ever worry about Liverpool signing a player who is not a household name, I have something for you to think about. Member-only content – you need to subscribe to read it ! A subscription costs only £3.50 per month. Find out what you get with your subscription, or Subscribe now.

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A news article on 2013-06-18 11:48:00 from: The Tomkins Times

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TTT: A Time-Frame for Liverpool’s Youth Philosophy

TTT: A Time-Frame for Liverpool’s Youth Philosophy

By Paul Grech. The name of Horst Wein is unlikely to register with many football fans. He never played the game at any level nor has he made an impact as a manager. Football isn’t even his first love, hockey is. Even so, Wein is one of the deepest and most influential thinkers within the game. He was one of the first to strongly argue in favour of smaller-sided games (although he prefers the term ‘simplified games’) for younger players; views that everyone now seems to be accepting and enthusing about but which were considered as idiotic for a long time. In the process of his work at youth level, Wein has written some 34 sports text books including “Developing Youth Football Players” which is the official textbook of The Spanish Football Federation. Not a bad reference to be able to put on your CV given the success that they’ve had at developing players. He’s also worked for some of the world’s biggest clubs and national associations, helping them shape their strategies and thinking. In short, Wein knows a thing or two about how you go about implementing a system at a club because that’s what he has done for the past 20 years. So, when I got the opportunity to interview him, I asked how long it takes to introduce new ideas and change mentality at a club. “In some countries people are ready for new ideas, especially the “newer” soccer countries where there is no tradition. In others it may take many years. Usually it takes ten years for changes to take place,” was his reply. Let’s repeat that – or at least part of it: “usually it takes ten years for changes to take place”. If proof of that is needed, then one only needs to look at the most famous academy in world football: Barcelona.  La Masia was set up in the late seventies and, whilst good players came through it in the initial years, it is only in the past ten years that they’ve really been enjoying sustained success. For the first twenty years they were working on establishing the system; learning and modifying their ideas along the way. Good players still came through but there wasn’t the stream of talent that they currently enjoy. Looking at them now it is easy to forget that this process ever took place. But it did and there is no way around it. All of this is particularly poignant for Liverpool. Four years ago, Rafa Benitez was finally allowed to control what went on at the academy and he responded by bringing in two coaches from Barcelona to ensure that their expertise could be blended into a British system. The U18s and U21s are playing some good football and there are some players that quite clearly have got a lot of potential. In reality, however, this only means that the revolution that he brought about is already bearing fruit and not that everything is working as it should. It takes years for the changes to be accepted fully, for the coaches to assimilate what they need to be doing. The initial ideas resulting from discussions between Benitez and Pep Segura will have been modified along the way to better fit what they are doing. And that’s how it will keep on being for some time. In short there is a long way to go.  No need to rant when they are eliminated from the FA Youth Cup or lose to United in the U21 league. Sadly, there is no short-cut to implementing a system and instilling a particular mentality. All you can do is enjoy the progress and trust the process. The full interview with Horst Wein can be read on Blueprint for Football

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A news article on 2013-05-30 09:38:00 from: The Tomkins Times

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TTT: 2012/13: A Season In Review

TTT: 2012/13: A Season In Review

By Paul Tomkins. What follows is an article detailing my thoughts on the season, with a heavily edited-down version sent to the official website for publication at some point this week. The full, in-depth version will appear only on this website, for Subscribers. Member-only content – you need to subscribe to read it ! A subscription costs only £3.50 per month. Find out what you get with your subscription, or Subscribe now.

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A news article on 2013-05-21 15:17:00 from: The Tomkins Times

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ECHO – Liverpool FC News: Liverpool FC 2 Chelsea 2 – final whistle report

LUIS SUAREZ struck a dramatic 97th minute equaliser to ruin Rafa Benitez’s return to Anfield as Liverpool secured a 2-2 draw with Chelsea.

A news article on 2013-04-21 17:07:00 from: Liverpool Echo

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ESPN – Suarez could face action over ‘bite’ on Ivanovic

Liverpool forward Luis Suarez could face retrospective action from the Football Association after seemingly biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.

A news article on 2013-04-21 16:58:00 from: ESPN

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TTT: The Greatest Ever Liverpool Performance?

TTT: The Greatest Ever Liverpool Performance?

By Paul Tomkins. This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of Liverpool’s victory over Nottingham Forest, regarded by many to be the club’s finest ever, and arguably one that few sides in world football have bettered. With this in mind, I have watched the whole match again and provided my thoughts in an article that will later appear on the official Liverpool FC website. This post is for Subscribers only. Member-only content – you need to subscribe to read it ! A subscription costs only £3.50 per month. Find out what you get with your subscription, or Subscribe now.

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A news article on 2013-04-11 23:09:00 from: The Tomkins Times

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F365 – Stewart Downing aware he needs to maintain high standards at Liverpool

Stewart Downing concedes he only needs to look at the Liverpool bench to realise how important it is to maintain form.

A news article on 2013-04-11 10:41:00 from: Football 365

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METRO – Jordan Henderson hoping extra training can score him regular Liverpool role

Jordan Henderson has revealed he’s putting in extra training in front of goal in a bid to force himself into Brendan Rodgers’ permanent plans.

A news article on 2013-04-04 10:49:00 from: The Metro

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ECHO – Liverpool FC News: Brave Joshua Jackson to lead out his Liverpool FC heroes at Aston Villa

A LIVERPOOL FC-mad eight year old who is battling leukaemia for the second time will lead the Reds out at Villa Park this weekend.

A news article on 2013-03-30 09:00:00 from: Liverpool Echo

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TTT: Premier League Preview 2012/13: Spurs (H)

TTT: Premier League Preview 2012/13: Spurs (H)

By Gary Fulcher, Daniel Rhodes and Mihail Vladimirov. Liverpool will be hoping to claim a third consecutive league victory for the first time since April/May 2011 – when the Reds defeated Birmingham, Newcastle and Fulham – with victory over Andre Villas-Boas’ Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Sunday, 4pm kick off UK time. Spurs enter this fixture in fine form, having not tasted defeat in the league since suffering a 1-2 reverse against Everton at Goodison Park back in early December. Their 2-1 win over Arsenal in the North London derby last weekend was their fourth consecutive win in the Premier League – the second time they’ve won four in a row in the league this season – and they now sit in 3rd place, five points behind Manchester City in 2nd and 12 points above 7th placed Liverpool. Liverpool lost the reverse fixture 1-2 at White Hart Lane back in November and drew the corresponding fixture at Anfield last season 0-0. Premier League record since the two clubs met at the end of November: Liverpool – P: 14 W: 8 D: 2 L: 4 F: 35 A: 16 GD: +19 Pts: 26 Tottenham – P: 14 W: 9 D: 4 L: 1 F: 24 A: 10 GD: +14 Pts: 31 The match day officials for this fixture are: Referee: Michael Oliver. Assistant Referee: M McDonough. Assistant Referee: J Brooks. 4th Official: N Swarbrick. TEAM NEWS Liverpool are missing Fabio Borini (foot), Martin Kelly (knee) and Brad Jones (shoulder) through injury. Tom Huddlestone (knee) is absent through injury for Spurs. Liverpool Goalkeepers: Reina, Gulacsi Defenders: Johnson, Wisdom, Flanagan, Skrtel, Agger, Coates, Carragher, Enrique Midfielders: Lucas, Coutinho, Gerrard (c), Allen, Henderson, Downing, Shelvey, Suso, Sterling Strikers: Suarez, Sturridge Tottenham Goalkeepers: Friedel, Lloris Defenders: Kaboul, Vertonghen, Gallas, Naughton, Dawson (c), Walker, Assou-Ekotto, Caulker Midfielders: Lennon, Parker, Bale, Dembele, Sigurdsson, Holtby,  Livermore, Sandro Strikers: Adebayor, Dempsey, Defoe This post is for subscribers only. Member-only content – you need to subscribe to read it ! A subscription costs only £3.50 per month. Find out what you get with your subscription, or Subscribe now.

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A news article on 2013-03-07 09:50:00 from: The Tomkins Times

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