Liverpool F.C. Reserves

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Liverpool Reserves
Full name	Liverpool FC Reserves
Nickname(s)	The Reds
Founded	1892
Ground	Racecourse Ground Wrexham
Capacity	15,500
Chairman	Tom Hicks (co-chairman) George Gillett (co-chairman)
Manager	Gary Ablett
League	FA Premier Reserve League
2005-06	Premier Reserve League North, 6th
Home colours 　 Away colours

Liverpool F.C. Reserves are the reserve team of Liverpool F.C.. They play in the Barclays Premiership Reserve League North, of which they were Champions in 2000. They competed in the Lancashire Combination from 1896 to 1911, with the exception of the 1898-99 season, in which they joined The Combination. From 1911 on they took part in the Central League until becoming inaugural members of the Premier Reserve League North in 1999. They also participate in the Liverpool Senior Cup, although in recent years the teams entered in this competition have featured an increasing number of youth players.

The current Reserve team manager is Gary Ablett, who was appointed in the summer of 2006. His assistant will be Hughie McAuley. Liverpool Reserves play their home games at Racecourse Ground, the home ground of Wrexham A.F.C.. In previous seasons the team has also played at Haig Avenue, the home of Southport F.C. and Knowsley Road, the home of St. Helens RFC.

The team was the subject of a famous quote from legendary Liverpool F.C. manager Bill Shankly, who while telling a joke at the expense of local rivals Everton, declared In my time at Anfield we always said we had the two best teams on Merseyside, Liverpool and Liverpool Reserves. Another version of the quote has Shankly saying There's only two teams in Liverpool: Liverpool and Liverpool Reserves.

The most successful Liverpool Reserves coach has been Roy Evans. Evans spent most of his playing career as a reserve team player, making only 11 appearances for the first team. After an injury ended his career in 1974, he was appointed coach of the reserves by Bob Paisley. Evans subsequently led the reserves to victory in a series of Central League championships, including three in his first three seasons, a four in a row sequence from 1978 and two more in the early 1980s. Throughout the history of Liverpool F.C. many of the club's best known players have progressed through the reserve team. These include current first team squad members Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Robbie Fowler as well as the likes of Michael Owen and Steve McManaman.

Contents 1 Players 1.1 Reserve team 1.2 Academy (Under-18s) 2 Staff 2.1 Reserve team manager history 3 Honours 4 The Academy 5 Noted graduates 5.1 Pre-WW2 5.2 1940s 5.3 1950s 5.4 1960s 5.5 1970s 5.6 1980s 5.7 1990s 5.8 2000s 5.9 And those that made it elsewhere 6 Sources 7 External links

[edit] Players

[edit] Reserve team

The following players are expected to play for the team during the 2006-07 season. In addition, members of the first team squad are eligible to play for the reserves, as are players from the Academy:

No. Position Player 26 MF Paul Anderson 29 DF Gabriel Paletta 30 GK Daniele Padelli (on loan from Sampdoria) 34 DF Miki Roque (on loan to Oldham Athletic) 35 MF Danny Guthrie (on loan to Southampton) 36 MF Adam Hammill (on loan to Dunfermline Athletic) 37 DF Lee Peltier (on loan to Hull City) 38 FW Craig Lindfield 39 DF Stephen Darby 40 GK David Martin (on loan to Accrington Stanley) 42 FW Nabil El Zhar 45 DF James Smith (on loan to Ross County)

No. Position Player GK David Roberts DF Godwin Antwi (on loan to Accrington Stanley) DF Jack Hobbs DF Ronald Huth DF Emiliano Insua (on loan from Boca Juniors) DF Danny O'Donnell (on loan to Crewe) DF Robbie Threlfall MF Francisco Durán MF Ryan Flynn FW Besian Idrizaj (on loan to Luton Town) FW Jordy Brouwer

• Squad Numbers refer to players' first team squad number, where applicable. Reserve and youth games are 1-11.

[edit] Academy (Under-18s)

Year Name Pos. Nat. DOB (age) Profile 1st Martin Hansen GK June 15, 1990 (age 16) View 2nd Josh Mimms GK August 5, 1989 (age 17) View Pro David Roberts GK December 10, 1988 (age 18) View 2nd Stephen Behan DF October 4, 1988 (age 18) View Pro Stephen Darby DF October 6, 1988 (age 18) View 1st Laurence Gaughan DF February 14, 1990 (age 17) View 1st Martin Kelly DF April 27, 1990 (age 16) View 1st John Routledge DF November 23, 1990 (age 16) View 2nd Jay Spearing DF November 25, 1988 (age 18) View Pro Robbie Threlfall DF November 25, 1988 (age 18) View 1st Astrit Ajdarevic MF April 17, 1990 (age 16) View 1st Mattone Awang MF September 20, 1989 (age 17) View 3rd Paul Barratt MF September 15, 1987 (age 19) View

Year Name Pos. Nat. DOB (age) Profile 2nd Charlie Barnett MF September 19, 1988 (age 18) View 2nd Michael Burns MF October 4, 1988 (age 18) View Pro Ryan Flynn MF September 4, 1988 (age 18) View 1st Shane O'Connor MF April 14, 1990 (age 16) View 2nd Raymond Putterill MF March 2, 1989 (age 18) View 1st Ben Parsonage MF August 29, 1990 (age 16) View 2nd Jimmy Ryan MF September 6, 1988 (age 18) View 1st Michael Collins FW July 12, 1990 (age 16) View Pro Craig Lindfield FW September 7, 1988 (age 18) View 2nd Jonathan Pringle FW June 21, 1989 (age 17) View 1st Michael Scott FW September 1, 1989 (age 17) View 2nd Ryan Wignall FW March 12, 1989 (age 18) View 2nd Lee Woodward FW September 27, 1988 (age 18) View

[edit] Staff

• Reserve team manager: Gary Ablett
• Reserve team coach: Hughie McAuley
• Academy director: Steve Heighway
• Under-18s coach: John Owens
• Under-16s coach: Dave Shannon
• Academy goalkeeper coach: Billy Stewart
• Academy head of recruitment: Malcolm Elias

In addition, the reserves and academy employ staff from the first-team.

[edit] Reserve team manager history

• Joe Fagan
• Ronnie Moran
• Roy Evans
• Joe Corrigan (?-2004)
• Paco Herrera (2004-06)
• Gary Ablett (2006-)

[edit] Honours

• FA Premier Reserve League North Champions: 1
  • 2000

• Central League Champions: 16
  • 1957, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1990

• Lancashire Combination: 2
  • 1897, 1900

• Liverpool Senior Cup: 38
  • 1893, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1905, 1907, 1909, 1910 (shared), 1912 (shared), 1913, 1915, 1920, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1930, 1936 (shared), 1937, 1939, 1942, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1951, 1952, 1962, 1964 (shared), 1968, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982 (shared), 1997, 1998, 2002, 2004

• FA Youth Cup: 2
  • 1996, 2006

[edit] The Academy

In 1998, a new starte-of-the-art Youth Academy was opened in Kirkby, to the north of Liverpool. It replaced the older, more informal youth system, and and enables the club to focus their youth development and scouting, employing new techniques and FA standards.

It is overseen by former Liverpool FC player Steve Heighway, who had been the Director of Youth development at the club. The Academy now allows the main training ground at Melwood to be kept solely for the first team squad and allows all the areas there to be kept in tip top condition. It also provides is a stepping stone for youngsters to progress to the highest levels of football at Liverpool.

Scouts attend many local youth matches looking for talented boys. A boy will then be invited to attend training sessions at the Academy. They are taken in as young as the age of eight. Current England International player Jamie Carragher started at Liverpool when he was aged just nine (Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard joined at the age of eleven). At this age the boys start by simply attending after-school training sessions, but as they reach their middle-teens their academic needs will be taken over by the Academy if they are deemed athletically talented enough. As such the Academy has a lecture theatre and a computer-equipped classroom.

The Academy can handle up to twenty boys in each year group though more usually the figure is around eighteen. Between the ages of eight and twelve the boys play in eight-a-side games of three twenty minute periods. It allows the boys play as defenders or as attackers in small groups within a system and is not as physically demanding as playing eleven-a-side.

There are four full size grass pitches and one with an astroturf surface. There are also a further seven smaller pitches and an indoor arena. The grounds cover an area of 56 acres.

On the walls of the indoor centre hang the words 'Technique', 'Attitude', 'Balance' and 'Speed'. 'TABS' is the key word preached at The Academy.[1]

[edit] Noted graduates

Liverpool's youth system has been successful over the years, many players who have come through it have gone on to make an impact in the first-team.

[edit] Pre-WW2 Harold Barton Cyril Done Alf Hanson Jack Parkinson Syd Roberts	[edit] 1940s Bill Jones Ray Lambert Billy Liddell Jimmy Payne Eddie Spicer
[edit] 1950s Alan A'Court Eric Anderson Gerry Byrne Bobby Campbell Don Campbell Jimmy Melia Ronnie Moran Roy Saunders	[edit] 1960s Alf Arrowsmith Phil Boersma Ian Callaghan Bobby Graham Chris Lawler Ian Ross Tommy Smith Phil Thompson
[edit] 1970s Jimmy Case David Fairclough Colin Irwin Sammy Lee John McLaughlin	[edit] 1980s Gary Ablett Mike Marsh Steve Staunton Ronnie Whelan
[edit] 1990s Jamie Carragher Robbie Fowler Steven Gerrard Dominic Matteo Steve McManaman Michael Owen David Thompson Stephen Wright	[edit] 2000s Neil Mellor Stephen Warnock

[edit] And those that made it elsewhere

A number of Liverpool's youth team products have left the club having played no or few games but have gone on to have successful careers with other clubs.

Alan Banks Reg Blore Keith Burkinshaw Willie Carlin Phil Charnock Paul Dalglish John Durnin Tom Gardner Howard Gayle John Gidman

Alan Harper Ben Howard-Baker Craig Hignett Paul Jewell Tom Lowry Jim Magilton Joe Maloney Hughie McAuley Ted MacDougall Brian Mooney

Jon Newby Mike Newell John Nicholson Jon Otsemobor Richie Partridge Stephen Peplow Darren Potter Nicky Rizzo Gareth Roberts Colin Russell

Mark Seagraves Kevin Sheedy Max Thompson Tommy Tynan Tony Warner Alex Watson Dave Watson Danny Williams

[edit] Sources

• Who’s Who Of Liverpool (2006): Tony Matthews
• LFCHistory.net

[edit] External links

• FA Premier Reserve League North
• Bill Shankly quote

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