Quantcast
View from the Kop

The best signing Rodgers could make this summer

|
Image for The best signing Rodgers could make this summer

Carragher and Liverpool FCWHEN Sami Hyypia left Liverpool FC for Bayer Leverkusen, there was a huge gap left not only on the field, but in the dressing room and also in the backroom staff.

Sami should have been told he was part of becoming something brilliant at Anfield, and there were even rumours that if FSG were to approach Rafa as manager before Brandan Rodgers was appointed, then Sami was the man he wanted by his side.

Even more bizarrely was the decision by Roy Hodgson not to pay whatever it cost to get Hyypia back from Leverkusen when he first joined, as the whole deal fell apart from a financial backing standpoint.

Sami has gone onto Bayer and not only did he play consistently for two whole seasons (something he might not have been guaranteed at Liverpool), he then joined the staff when he retired, becoming assistant manager to Robin Dutt. When Dutt was sacked, Sami, being the calm-headed but authoritative figure he is, was chosen to be a co-manager of Leverkusen alongside Sascha Lewandowski.

So far it has worked wonders, with Bayer in the top 3 of the Bundesliga and playing some brilliant football. Both managers have been similarly praised for their tactical astuteness and being able to get the best out of the players at hand.

Liverpool simply must not make the same mistake with Jamie Carragher. Carragher knows the game inside out, and in the 700 (and counting) games he has played, has organised more defences than a Vietnam war Major. Carragher breathes football, he lives football, he probably has more scouting knowledge than most scouts do, such is his passion for the game that has seen him win every major and domestic honour except the Premier League title.

Whereas Gary Neville has gone into punditry, albeit whilst coaching with England, Carragher also has the same option. Neville has been a revelation for the Sky pundit team but if Carragher were to follow suit, Liverpool would be losing out on all his knowledge and potential. Carragher is a future manager of this club, make no bones about it, and to steady his progression he should be convinced to join the backroom staff and be one of Rodgers’ main men as soon as his boots are hung up.
[ad_pod id=”unruly-video” align=”center”]
Carragher is respected by every single Liverpool player from the under 18s to the first team. When he speaks, they listen; they might need him to slow down a little when he speaks due to his Scouse shrieking, but they listen and take on board all the advice and knowledge that comes from his Bootle husk.

Carragher is the type of personality that will put his body on the line for this club, and will not rest until we are back where we belong. His value to Rodgers goes further than being “the best defender at the club, even at 35, as Rodgers said this week. Rodgers should be tapping into Carra’s experience and knowledge even now, before inviting him to his round table.

Liverpool have lost that local “boot room” feeling that we used to have; Fagan, Paisley, Evans, Moran et al were the driving force behind the managers, whether it was Shankly or Paisley, and as a club so heavily steeped in tradition and “The Liverpool Way” then inviting Carra (and indeed Gerrard too, when he sadly decides to hang up his boots), to join the coaching staff will do wonders for any player, seeing two absolute legends of the club in the dugout or just around Melwood or Anfield, for advice or to help them train.

Dalglish wanted to bring back the ‘Boot Room’ feel when he rejoined the club for his second managerial stint, but he never truly got it working. Rodgers can and should do everything in his power to bring back such a fantastic part of LFC’s history. Carra and Gerrard can be this millennium’s Paisley and Fagan, given the chance.

Hyypia has shown what an excellent asset to football he has become, and Carra can surely follow suit. It might even give the same effect as when Steve Clarke managed to drill the defence into becoming a unit again. Something is not right at the back lately, with Skrtel and Agger both becoming nervous and error-strewn in front of Reina, who isn’t a beacon of consistency himself this season.

Liverpool cannot simply afford to make the same mistake again, so sign him up Brendan for all our sakes, not least your own.

You can follow Liam on twitter @Jolly_Conductor
[ad_pod id=’DFP-MPU’ align=’right’]
Live4Liverpool is recruiting columnists. For further info contact the site editor at live4liverpool@snack-media.com

Follow us on Twitter here: @live4Liverpool and ‘Like’ us on Facebook

Share this article