Mellor scored 4 goals in his return to the Liverpool reserves as they beat West Brom 6-2. Ostemebor also made his return. Vladimir Smicer also scored in his first game back from injury. My question...what went wrong at West Ham? I wonder if this kid will ever be good enough for first team football at Liverpool.
Two things went wrong for Mellor at West Ham. First, the manager who brought him to the club was sacked. Then he was laid off with an injury and never got back into the first team. Not that he impressed in the early matches that he played. He looked poor in pre-season for Liverpool and by all accounts his bad form carried over to his new club.
With Djibril Cisse coming to Liverpool next season and Michael Owen hopefully signing a new contract, Neil Mellor should probably be moved on.
He suffered at West Ham for a variety of reasons, including the sacking of Glenn Roeder, the arrival of David Connelly from Wimbledon (an established First Division big-hitter) and injury. Plus, quite frankly he was a bit pap when he first got his chance. The First Division is every bit as different to EPL reserve team football as EPL first team football is. And don't forget, this all happened when Jermaine Defoe, easily the best striker in the First Division until his move to Spurs, was still at the club and in the team. The later arrival of Marlon Harewood hardly helped either. He showed potential in his few first team cameos for Liverpool last season and I think the consensus was that a season spent playing regularly for a side like West Ham would be the making of him ... or, of course, the breaking. Sadly, it appears the latter has proven more accurate and, as others have said, the striker's line-up next season is likely to be Owen, Cisse, Baros and FSP and possibly still Heskey. Only if Heskey is sold can I see Mellor getting a further chance to have a tilt at the first team. As to Otsemobor, I think I have mentioned on here before that the local word is that the management team have already decided he has no future at the club. For whateve reason that may be ...
If Cisse comes to us as expected, I think that does leave Mellor out. But I think Heskey will and should stay; although promising, FSP is still very young--and Cisse will have to prove himself in the Prem. Finally, let's face it, we can nearly always count on one striker to be unfit, and another to be off-form. That would leave two starters and a sub from the list of Cisse, FSP, Owen, Baros and Heskey. Is it possible that Semmy's departure has to do with the possible return of Markus Babbel? It's clear he wants to come back: http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N144475040406-0857.htm The Club, I assume, would welcome him back? ----
I don't know -- remember the incident when he stormed off after being taken off and the reserve game incident. I suspect he's in the same dog house as Henchoz and it'll be tough to get out. I think we need to buy one or more defenders this summer. As to Semmy, too bad if another Scouse academy grad gets let go without a true and proper trial.
Yea, but I thought GH threw him a lifeline after that?? I'd like to see him back here and making runs up the right side...I still think he'd do better than Finnan right now, even at his age.
Babbel would be a welcome returning asset. Let's face it - since his illness took him out of the first team, we have struggled to regain the balance we had in 2001 with him on the right and Carra on the left. Reports today, just on the topic of defenders, link us with a double raid on Auxerre this summer, with Philippe Mexes joining Djibril Cisse on the flight to John Lennon Airport. Daniel van Buyten and Micheal Dawson are pencilled in as back-ups should that fail.
Liverbird, Lanky and I were discussing the need to strengthen our choice of defenders before the DC match on Saturday. I am glad to see were are not the only ones thinking this way. Sami needs a tall, fast, strong and athletic partner (hey this sounds like a personal ad!). Biscan and Henchoz aren't doing it right now.
Babbel only wants to come back because Liverpool will be in the Champions League. He made those comments in case Liverpool got into the Champions League.
Mexes would be a very good addition. van Buyten looked Ok when I saw City play but I must admit I didn't think "Gosh the Reds need to sign him!".
No, he made those comments because his year here was one of the most enjoyable he's had. He was an extremely valuable member of the team and a big time fan favorite. Don't comment on things you don't know about. But since you brought it up, if we built a team on players who honestly, 100%, did not care about the Champions League, we wouldn't ever be in the tournament in the first place. Do you ever, EVER, say anything positive, you f'ing spoilsport??
Well, I've seen him play and Liverpool have more capable people. That's my opinion and I think it is a fair one.
Who is more capable as an FB or CB than Babbel on the current Liverpool defensive staff? Carra is as good defensively, but nowhere near as good going forward. Riise is neither better defensively or offensively and he hides when it really matters. Finnan has been a massive disappointment since the turn of the year and although he deserves to settle in, Babbel was an instant success when he came. Traore, Biscan and Otsemobor are either rubbish, inconsistent or unproven. Henchoz is a great defender but he and Hyypia both lack the required pace. Even if you leave the 'Aitches out of the equation, that still leaves us one short of a first-choice back four with genuine merit, never mind cover. Babbel will be welcomed back to Liverpool with open arms by every fan in the place. He would walk straight back into the team and it must be our fervent hope that Houllier also sees it this way.
Hey, you're perfectly entitled to not rate him, if that's your opinion. But to say that he only wants to use Liverpool as a chance to play CL football doesn't show a large amount of knowledge of Babbel's time spent here.
No. Babbel is 31, turning 32 in August. http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/squad/babbel/ Babbel is a viable option for the year or two it's going to take us to transition to a new back line. ----
Plus, we don't need Babbel long term. Clearly, we'll be getting around two new backs this off season and having someone like Babbel around for a year or so would be a good way to ease in their transition. He can cover, and he can teach them how it's done. He's on the smartest defenders I've seen.