Welcome to LFC Charlie Adam

[Mostar]

See who is using a treadmill in the background again.

[Reece]

It looks like Carragher is shouting "what the **** is he doing here!"

[Mostar]

Few more gym picks from yesterday.

[Mostar]

It looks like Carragher is shouting "what the **** is he doing here!"

[Craig_H]

See who is using a treadmill in the background again.

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/6996/118469317.jpg

Who is it? Cant make it out.

[Mostar]

Degen

[Vermilion]

Haha, i thought they were pics of players on the walls.

[Craig_H]

Degen

[dww]

Can Charlie Adam succeed at Liverpool?

By Michael Cox
Special to ESPN.com

Liverpool's new midfielder Charlie Adam may have been playing beside the seaside at Blackpool last season, but he was the ultimate big fish in a small pond. Ian Holloway was frank about Adam's impact upon his side. "If he plays well, we play well," Blackpool's manager said.

Holloway put that belief into practice by basing his entire side around the Scottish midfielder. Adam was fielded alongside two players, generally Keith Southern and David Vaughan, who did lots of running and kept things neat and tidy on the ball, leaving Adam to drift around the midfield finding space to play his long, ambitious diagonal balls to the flanks.

The overall strategy of the Blackpool side was attack-minded. As a unit, it played high up the pitch, squeezing the opposition into its own half and playing a wide 4-3-3 that put two wingers in a position to receive those diagonals from Adam. The mutual dependence between Adam and Blackpool's system worked excellent for the first half of the season. It was arguably when Adam had his head turned by bigger clubs in the January transfer window that things started to fall apart.

Perhaps aware of the attention on him, Adam started to overplay. Killer passes were attempted from impossible positions, and as the superb Blackpool site Tangerine Dreaming illustrates with a graph, his pass completion ratio fell drastically after January. Adam started the season finding a teammate 75 percent of the time, but that number was frequently below 60 percent towards the end of the campaign.

Holloway acknowledged the problem. "What he has got to do is concentrate on playing simply, quickly, nicely and neatly and forget all his World Cup Willie shots from the halfway line," he told the media in early May. "I've spoken to him about it, saying, 'You've got to be 75/25, son.' It's got to be 75 percent short and quick and tidy and 25 percent lovely jubbly, not the other way around, which is probably what he's doing now."

Elite central midfielders average an 85 percent-plus pass completion rate. Paul Scholes managed 90 percent in his final season with United, while Xabi Alonso, Liverpool's last master of the long diagonal pass, recorded 85 percent for Real Madrid. Adam's was at 72 percent for the 2010-11 season.

To immediately dismiss his ability to fit in at Liverpool based upon these statistics would be foolish, of course. Adam's role on a struggling team necessitated ambitious passes. It's undeniable, however, that Adam will have to adjust his game -- or, to put it another way, he'll have to revert to the football he was playing at the beginning of 2010-11. The test for Adam is not about his technical ability, but about his mental ability.

His promotion to a big club is one half of the change. The other is his diminished status within his club, from the star player to a man not assured of a starting position. Liverpool may yet lose midfielders before the end of the transfer window, but as things stand, he'll be competing with Lucas Leiva and Raul Meireles, players who enjoyed good campaigns last year, plus captain Steven Gerrard, fellow new signing Jordan Henderson and the returning Alberto Aquilani. Jay Spearing is likely to be loaned out, and Christian Poulsen will be offloaded, but it's still a daunting challenge for Adam.

That said, a lower profile might suit him. Holloway believes Adam had difficulty coping with the pressure placed upon him at Blackpool, and becoming an "ordinary" squad member could be a welcome change.


With question marks hanging over the future of many of Adam's new teammates, it's too early to speculate upon how Liverpool will line up next season. His playing style demands a 4-3-3 rather than a 4-4-2, where his lack of mobility would be exposed. Liverpool probably needs to invest in another winger to play that system comfortably, as their current pursuit of Stewart Downing shows.

Adam's most obvious impact will be in terms of set-pieces. In January, Sir Alex Ferguson saw his side concede headed goals from two Adam corners, and opined that Adam's corner-kick ability was worth 10 million pounds alone. That's an area Liverpool need to improve upon. This past season, it scored the 16th most goals from set-pieces in the Premier League, from 20 teams. All of Adam's assists from corners came from right-wing, in-swinging corner kicks.

A more obscure possibility is the idea of Adam slotting in as a defender. Adam revealed in the program for that Manchester United game that he believes center back is his best position, a rather surprising comment considering he's never played there before as a professional.

At 6-foot-1, he'd have the ability to compete in the air, and since he loves seeing the whole of the pitch to spring his long-range balls, it might suit him if Liverpool plays with less width than Blackpool. It seems doubtful that he'd be deployed at the back permanently, but with flexibility from a four- to a three-man defense in possession increasingly common among top sides, we might become used to seeing Adam launching attacks from between his own center backs.

One thing's for sure: In Liverpool colors, Adam will have to play less hit-and-hope and more pass-and-move.

Michael Cox is a freelance writer for ESPN.com. He also runs zonalmarking.net.

[dww]

The Blog post mentioned above:

Charlie Adam – An Honest Appraisal
Posted on June 13, 2011 by tangerinedreaming

Charlie Adam will move on from Blackpool this summer and he will begin the new season at a new club. His time at Blackpool was a tremendous success for him and the club and he will be remembered as one of the finest players to grace the pitch at Bloomfield Road.

This article will openly and honestly assess his ability and hopefully give fans of his prospective new club an idea of the player away from limited highlights that may have been packaged up by your regular media outlets.

Information:


Charlie Adam - Blackpool's Number 26

Full name: Charles Graham Adam

Date of birth: 10th December 1985

Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)

Place of birth: Dundee, Scotland

Current club: Blackpool Football Club

Previous clubs: Rangers, Ross County (loan), St Mirren (loan)


Made to measure

To start here’s a quick look at his key statistics from the season.



Those may be the stats that give a feel for what Charlie Adam is all about, however, that is within the context of Blackpool’s team structure and the season they had and it is important to keep them in that context. What cannot be detailed here is where this places Adam in the context of his Premier League peers as that data isn’t readily available for the purposes of this article.

However, here are some observations that will add depth to the understanding of the player and what he will bring to his new club.

Passing

He is equally adept at finding both corners of the pitch with long penetrating passes either lofted or drilled low and flat, although the pass from left to right is his most natural play. He can execute them through a normal passing technique or via a higher risk volley pass which can be very potent when executed accurately. His first time passing (without looking up) can be sublime and well disguised, however, these carry a high tariff and don’t always work. If intercepted early enough then he can compromise his own team’s shape in the defensive phase. His passing over a short range is excellent and very reliable. His passing is equally excellent regardless of pitch location, edge of the box passing can be as good as passing from the deep. Near the edge of the box he will attempt a diagonal ball cut between and behind defenders getting them to turn.

He does however, need time on the ball in order to pick his pass and if a team puts him under pressure, he can be caught in possession by an astute opponent. If his awareness allows him to sense danger he will surge forward to create space to release the pass. However, his accuracy can suffer in these situations as his focus tends to be disturbed.

Below you can see how his pass completion fluctuated throughout the season from a high of 81% to a low of 45%.



Note: Where the line is thicker it means the number of successful passes was higher.

Pace

He has pace, a common misconception is that he isn’t quick. He’s certainly not a hundred metre runner, however, his pace over the first few metres is enough to take him away from most opponents especially given his upper body strength and ability to fend off tacklers (he has a take on success rate of 49%). However, this pace cannot be sustained over distance and will look to a drag of the ball or a nutmeg to beat his man rather than engage in a foot race.

Strength & Stamina

Physically he looks strongly built, if anything he may be carrying too much body fat which would improve given the right circumstances as Blackpool’s approach to fitness conditioning isn’t comparable to an established Premier League team. However, his stamina doesn’t appear to be an issue. He is strong in head to heads, tough in the tackle, a decent leap is met with a good sense of timing and a strong neck gives him above average aerial power which he utilises more in his own box rather than the attacking one, more due to his positioning and role within the Blackpool team. He doesn’t appear to be overly susceptible to injury, tends to pick up very occasional knocks as opposed to serious injuries either by overuse or accident.

Shooting & set pieces

He is excellent at delivering set pieces. Wide free kicks are better delivered from wide on the right hand side and generally hits them just above head height swinging inwards. His free kick delivery from wide left have a tendency to be hit low towards feet and behind the defensive line, swinging away from goal. He generally takes the majority of his corners from the right side, in-swinging, although has a tendency to over hit the ball. His striking of the corner can be inconsistent with a scuffed low and running corner being the key fault. His goal against West Ham was scored in this fashion, but it wasn’t deliberate as his celebration would confirm.

His direct free kicks are especially dangerous, he is able to force a powerful strike hard and low or hard and at wall height or float and curl in to the corners. He is at his most dangerous when the kick is right of centre with the strike curling to the top right corner. His penalties used to show a tendency to be struck low to the right corner, however, recently his penalties have shown his variation, with occasional strikes to the left making him hard to read. His placement shows reliability and will often strike them with power to evade the ‘keepers dive.

Mentality

He is a team player and selfless with it, he has filled in when the team are short of cover and has played centre forward, centre back and left back in games albeit for short periods. He leads his team by example, interacts with the crowd as well as appearing to be very vocal towards his team mates. He appears equally spirited between his own team and the opposition and plays hard, but fair. He appears to take time to recover from mistakes and possibly has highly critical self talk that might impinge on him delivering over a course of a match when a mistake has occurred. For example, an early misplaced pass or the own goal at home to Blackburn or being caught in possession prior to Birmingham’s second goal at St Andrews.

His disciplinary record is marked by his persistent collecting of yellow cards (11 this season), however, it is rare that he loses his temper, even though he was sent off on his Blackpool for a stamp on an opponent. He does appear to have moments of passion where his focus is lost and can lead him in to the occasional rash challenge.

Technical ability

He has good close control, the ball rarely escapes him. He is strong at taking the ball down with the chest and will shield the ball well. He is however, very left footed, passing and shooting accuracy suffer when he uses his right foot. An opponent who can make him turn on to his right side will enjoy an advantage.

Positional play

Within Blackpool’s 4-2-3-1 formation, he forms a part of the deeper two midfielders, but is more progressive than his partner and acts as a link from holding midfielder to the man at the tip of the midfield triangle. When Blackpool play their flatter 4-3-3 he will normally gravitate towards the centre left of the midfield three.



He can set up plays from the middle and left of the pitch (1 & 2), but is given license to support the attack in the final third (4) and can easily play in that more advanced role. He tracks back well to close out space in the defence and will support his left back when under attack, covering runs in behind. He can hold the deeper position (3), although it tends to be against his natural attacking instinct. He made some of his early appearances for Rangers wide left (5), although his lack of pace means he wouldn’t necessarily penetrate the opposition back line, but his delivery from out wide could be utilised more often as well as his link up passing to bring others in to the game.

As revealed in the programme notes for the game at home against Manchester United it is interesting to note that he believes his best position to be at centre half (6) and this hints at the possibility of him covering as a sweeper in some schemes. He is adept at dropping deep between the centre backs when then spread to cover full back raiding forward. From this position he will comfortably hit long diagonal passes (left to right is the most common) or revert to short passes.

Should he be employed in a 4-4-2 then he can be exposed against the opposition central midfield pair, should they work hard to pressurise him and to cut off the link from his midfield partner. It would be unwise to utilise him in this formation given his propensity for needing more time on the ball. A midfield three gives him support and passing options as well as cover for when he breaks forward.

Awareness and vision

He has an excellent understanding of the pitch in front of him and where the space is in front of him in which to pass the ball. He can often see the plays that his Blackpool team mates cannot which can lead to misplaced passes. Should he be surrounded with players of a greater understanding, anticipation and pace his passes may link up more often. However, his vision tends to be limited and doesn’t possess a good awareness of a full 360 degrees which often means he is unaware of what is going on behind him, which not only reduces his passing options, but leaves him susceptible to a timely intervention by an opponent from behind.

Conclusion

Adam is a good central midfielder, with excellent passing range, good technical ability but at times tries to repeat the extravagant pass a little too often. He has great value to his set piece delivery and is tough and good spirited. Physically strong, but requires a better base fitness which might improve his speed and stamina. His vision needs improvement as do his reactions to working in tighter spaces. What is possible is that his drive, desire, ambition and determination to learn and develop suggests that he will improve given the right conditions.

[Gaz]

Charlie26Adam Charlie Adam
Just to let everyone know ill be wearing number 26 jay spearing has kindly givin me it

[BigChief]

Wow, from those stats he sounds like Stewart Downing. Why not just utilise him from time to time as the left of the 3 centre mids (in a 4-3-3)? That would cancel out his 'fitness issues' and the oppos forcing him on to his weaker right side.

[dww]

Wow, from those stats he sounds like Stewart Downing. Why not just utilise him from time to time as the left of the 3 centre mids (in a 4-3-3)? That would cancel out his 'fitness issues' and the oppos forcing him on to his weaker right side.

I thought it said he was dangerous at crossing from the right?

I thought the most interesting things were about his aerial ability and tendency/desire to drop back into defence. The more I think about it the more I like the idea of a 4-2-3-1 based system with him and Lucas as the 2.

[Shaggy]

Charlie26Adam Charlie Adam
Just to let everyone know ill be wearing number 26 jay spearing has kindly givin me it

[Lee]

So Adam is apparently a United fan but desperate to join us. Why? Is he going to do a Hodgson on us?

God help him should he ever score an OG.

Wasn't too impressed with our chase initially, but I've changed my mind over the last few days and I'm looking forward to how he'll perform with us.

Lang may yer lum reek!