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2014/15: Young Guns, Reserves and Academy

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So this is officially part two of a three-part interview with TBT. This one talks about Rossiter.

Source: http://thebibtheorists.com/2015/02/...will-need-another-competitive-challenge-soon/

Inglethorpe: Rossiter will need another competitive challenge soon

This is part two of our interview with the Liverpool Academy Director, Alex Inglethorpe.

Here he discusses Jordan Rossiter, the loan system and the routine at the Academy.
Fred Haas 3 days ago

In our first part of the interview, Academy Director Alex Inglethorpe offered an insightful window into the loaning of academy players. Bringing a wealth of experience and success from his time at Tottenham Hotspur, he is well placed to find the best opportunities he can find for Liverpool’s academy players. In this second part, Inglethorpe highlights what he sees as a key issue – balance.

“I think you have to always balance the development or the senior environment, somewhere external on loan, again – being in your place and knowing that you can tailor training around [a player] a little bit more. I think it is when they’re ready. I wouldn’t put an age on it.”

“Someone like Jordan Rossiter is an interesting case, at the minute. He is still very young. He’s a second year. He has been playing with the 21s for a couple of seasons. He’s going to need another competitive challenge very soon. He is on a lovely upward trajectory in terms of his style and development. He’s training at Melwood a lot. He’s traveling. But, sooner rather than later, he’s going to outgrow the 21s, even though he’s a second year. He’s been there. He’s played 18 months with them.”

“We have to get that balance right between just making sure that when they’re with us the sessions are tailored toward their needs. As soon as they leave that’s not going to happen, but I am not arrogant to believe that they will get everything they need under the roof of the academy. I think there is a huge amount that they can develop outside, hopefully at Melwood. But if it is not going to be there we have to find them that experience somewhere else.”

“Players I have worked with in the past some have benefitted from [loans], others haven’t needed it. The likes of Andros Townsend, Harry Kane, Ryan Mason, Steven Caulker, Jake Livermore, they needed a games program away from Tottenham. They pretty much missed out on the reserve team level, but they were all out playing league football at 18 and 19.”

“There is more than one way to do it.”

One definite factor that can impact loan determination, however, is the amount of games available for the 21s. Given the amount of playing time youth players are often afforded, coupled with the physical readiness of more physically mature players, 21s need to be challenged with more match play to develop.

“You go to the 21s level, your body is ready. It’s stronger. It’s more robust. You should be able to play more but, unfortunately, the games program is less.”

“We do fill in the games in the down weeks. We’ve done really well in providing real challenges to see what football is really like. The 21s a great level to improve your style and your technique, but it sometimes can be a false environment. We try to give them a game a week, but there is nothing like playing in front of a crowd for 3 points.”

“The crowd that you can get in sometimes get in 21s, is great, but it’s not the same as 6,500 or 10,000 thousand on your back because it’s not going well. You need to experience that. You need to experience it when a crowd is roaring you on to get a winner, and also when they’re giving you a bit of stick when it’s not going your way. I don’t think your first experience of that should be at Anfield. I think we have to prepare them for real life, and often that’s going to be in the Football League.”

Yet another serious aspect of academy life, is concerned with the development of the whole person. Inglethorpe believes it is imperative to not only develop technique but to open players’ eyes, in an effort to help them become more well-rounded people. The privileged position of being part of the Liverpool Academy is not lost on him and he hopes that transfers to the players under his charge.

“We are fairly grounded at our academy. The boys do jobs. We are fairly old school in terms of morals and our core values, what we stand for. But there is nothing wrong with a little grounding at a club that doesn’t provide all the trappings.”

“Suddenly you may go to a different club and maybe the training pitches aren’t as nice. And maybe there is no food straight afterwards. Maybe you have to wash your own kit. Probably you’re not going to get travel provided – all the things that are possibly right for a period of your life at the academy. You also have to experience what the other side is like.”

Of course, the primary goal is to ready academy players for a future at Melwood and in the first team at Anfield. Inglethorpe remains committed to advancing that vision. Unfortunately, there is a recognition that may not always happen. No guarantees exist that ensure players will seize upon the opportunity provided. Plus, timing and balance are key to finding the right challenges for any player. Developing young men also helps in that effort.

- See more at: http://thebibtheorists.com/2015/02/...petitive-challenge-soon/#sthash.diYEtfss.dpuf
 
And finally, part three. Hat-tip to TheBibTheorists for gaining access to Inglethorpe and a good interview that provides good insight into Inglethorpe's methods / ideas.

http://thebibtheorists.com/2015/02/05/inglethrope-i-want-to-be-the-best-coach-i-can/

Inglethrope: I want to be the best coach I can

Alex Inglethorpe spoke to use exclusively covering all manner of Liverpool related topics.

In this, part three, he discusses the first team influence, injuries and his own future.
Fred Haas 1 day ago

In the first and second of three parts, Liverpool Academy Director Alex Inglethorpe gave The Bib Theorist’s a deeper understanding of the development process for players, including training, loans, and focusing on their overall growth as people. In part three, he reflects on the legacy of Liverpool’s tradition of bringing academy players through to the first team, the keen challenges faced by foreign players, as well as reflection gone his own plans. Inglethorpe counts himself lucky to be in charge of one of England’s elite academies.

Liverpool has maintained a long line of local lads making their way through the academy to the first team. No less than the likes of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carrager some of the most recent players to hail from Merseyside and rise through the ranks. Aside from their stature as footballers, their impact continues to be immense.

“They set the standards so high everyday in training. There is not a time that I have seen them train, where they have not consistently been the best trainers. Every single day, they set the standard for the rest to follow. It’s great for the your team players to see that. It’s up to our young players who have witnessed that example to try emulate it. It’s not just about the quality, It’s also about the work ethic and the dedication to go to work everyday and see it as work and see it as a place to give everything.”

“For our young players to go to Melwood that’s something that’s been an inspiration for a long, long time. The challenge is to take that standard and do their very, very best to know what the league looks like on a daily basis and prepare yourself. That’s the reason the quality surrounds them when they go to Melwood.”

“And we are very lucky, because the boys are there an awful lot. Every day there is a phone call for how many boys to be taken up there. It’s a daily occurrence. It’s not something we can talk for granted. The boys have to go there and make an impression.”

“It’s a global game now. The first team is representative of that global game. I still think the academy has to have a host of top talents, but the first step is alway to look in and around the Merseyside area. Historically, that’s where world class players have come from and more will come from in the future.”

Not only are many of Liverpool’s first team foreign summer signings starting to prove their worth. The academy draws on talent from around the globe as well. The arrival of international youth players in the academy provides a distinct challenge.

“They are given an awful lot of support. I often think about what it would be like if one of our local lads got the opportunity to go and play abroad. You’d have to give them a period of adaptation. Its very easy to judge too quickly. Until you speak the language and adjust to the climate, and you have acclimate to English Football which is very different. Until you have gone through that period, it’s very difficult to make an assessment. So we do our best to give them as much support as we can Once they’ve adapted, then it’s an easier process to make decision on how far you think the player can go.”

The desire to know more and follow youth players in a club’s system has never been greater. For many Liverpool supporters, academy players continue to be of keen interest with many trying to discern who will comprise the next generation of first team stars. Three reserve players of particular interest to fans, include Samed Yesil, Marc Pelosi, and Ryan McLaughlin. Inglethorpe provided his thoughts on their recent troubles with injury.

“Samed has had some terrible luck, suffering two cruciate ligament injuries. So finding that rhythm again and trying to get fit is always going to be hard. He’s played some 21 game and he’s showing really positive signs of getting back to the level of playing before he got injured. It’s nice to be able to say he is in a good place.”

“Marc’s injury was possibly the worst I’ve seen in the 15 years of being involved in coaching. For him to overcome it from a psychological standpoint as much as a physical point has an outstanding testament to his determination and mentality as a young player. It’s great to see him playing 90 minutes again. Every game he’s playing he’s gaining more and more confidence.”

“Ryan has had a terrible run of injuries, a string of niggly injuries rather than a substantial one. He’s not been able to show people what he’s capable of. He went on a successful loan and is more than ready to play senior football again. He is a top character, brings life to the training ground, training sessions, and locker room. He is the sort of character you hope fulfils his potential.”

When asked about his own future, Inglethorpe remains committed to developing and bringing young players through to start their professional lives as footballers. Despite his recent rise and growing success, he remains grounded and positive.

“I want to be the best coach I can, the best developer of talent as I can. [In five years,] I’d love to think that I am doing the same thing and talking about players that are in the first team and talking about the ones below that are coming through. My intention is to hopefully be in the same role.”

“[Liverpool] are very different from a lot of other teams, at the minute. There is a genuine desire, from top to bottom, to see young players coming through the academy to play in the first team. It’s not difficult to sell that vision to our younger players, because they can actually see it and feel it, by being out there and training with the first team everyday.”

“I can say, if you are good enough, you will be given an opportunity. There aren’t many teams that can honestly say that.”

Whether it is through the reserve team or a loan spell, Liverpool’s academy players can be assured of the promise that Inglethorpe is looking for the best opportunities to challenge and develop them into professional footballers. While not all of them will pull on the red shirt and walk through the tunnel on to Anfield, the future remains bright for local lads and beyond, with the club and coaching staff making the academy a clear priority.

- See more at: http://thebibtheorists.com/2015/02/...be-the-best-coach-i-can/#sthash.hDsRnXPA.dpuf
 
I just noticed that Richie Partridge is the under 21's physio.
I assume he only got the job because he is married to Michael Owen's sister.
 
Not sure if these were shared previously. Highlights from our U18s' trip to Indonesia last month.

6-5 win over Frenz United


2-0 win over Guangzhou Everglade



2-0 win over Feyenoord - look at the replay of Wilson's goal at the 9:40 mark - sweet technique there



1-2 loss to Valencia - look for Wilson's touch at about the 1:45 mark, killing the ball and setting up Canos en route to the equalizer; boss goal by Valencia as well

 
1 - 0 at half time. Thank goodness for the half time whistle - what a rubbish half the game has been after the goal (I started watching after 7 or 8 minutes with us 1-0 up). I think we had 1 weak shot from Canos after the goal, and Sunderland had maybe one chance (or none - I can't remember - might have nodded off at one point).
 
Gerardo Bruna - now at Accrington Stanley

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.u...et_it__says_Accrington_Stanley_new_boy_Bruna/
I chose to leave Real Madrid for Liverpool and I don't regret it, says Accrington Stanley new boy Bruna
3541263.jpg

Gerardo Bruna is enjoying life at Accrington Stanley
First published 59 minutes ago in Sport

by Chris Flanagan, Sports reporter

HAILED as the next Lionel Messi, involved in a tug of war between Liverpool and Real Madrid, capped by both Spain and Argentina. Gerardo Bruna is not your average Accrington Stanley player.

If he was once used to the luxurious facilities of Real’s Valdebebas training base, Bruna shows no signs of unease as he emerges from the Store First Stadium dressing room with a smile on his face and sits down to speak, before heading off to the nearby Crown pub for a post-training meal.
Bruna is embracing life at Stanley.

His debut came against Oxford on Tuesday, and it was impressive.
“I think I can still play football!” he laughs.
Perhaps that should come as no surprise. Born in Mendoza in the foothills of the Andes in western Argentina, Bruna and family moved to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands when he was a baby.

By the time he was 12, the talent he was showing as a young footballer was making him a hot prospect.
First he travelled to Villarreal – the club of his hero, Juan Roman Riquelme, and a club who would soon become Champions League semi finalists - for a week’s training with their junior squad.
Then Real came calling.

“I grew up in the Canary Islands, a warm place, nothing like England!” said Bruna.
“First I had an option to go to Villarreal. When they asked me to train, Riquelme was there, Forlan had just arrived.
“A little bit later Real Madrid came and knocked on my door.
“I was only 12 so at the time you don’t realise how important it is, but obviously I was very happy.
“Real sign players from all over Spain or anywhere and you go into an academy - you live there, you go to the school there and in the afternoon you go to training.
“For the last three years I was there, we were training at Valdebebas and it was just amazing. They have maybe 10 pitches for the kids and four for the first team.
“They gave us a season ticket at the Bernabeu so I used to go to every home game. They had Beckham, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Casillas. It was the time when they used to call them Galacticos.”

Bruna, though, feared that it would be difficult for him to reach the first team.
At the age of 16 - despite the offer of a new contract from Real - he decided to leave and join Liverpool, then managed by Spaniard Rafa Benitez.

“Real Madrid is one of the biggest, if not the biggest club in the world, and they always look to buy the best players,” Bruna said.
“For someone that wants to come through it’s really difficult, although a few of the players are coming through now like Nacho, Carvajal and Jese. I played with Carvajal, and Jese had just signed for Real when I came to Liverpool.
“In Spain you have so many teams - under 18s, under 19s, the third team, the second team and then Real Madrid. I was only in the under 16s at the time, it’s a really big step.
“So when Liverpool called me and offered me the chance to train with the reserves and the first team sometimes, I felt like it was a lot closer.
“I thought for a 16-year-old kid it was a good move. Benitez was one of the main reasons too.”

Such was Bruna’s talent that Real academy boss Michel was not shy in voicing his disappointment at the midfielder’s exit.
But it is a decision that the 24-year-old stands by to this day.
“I think you should never regret the decisions you take, I am happy I went to Liverpool,” he said.
Bruna would soon be called up by Spain, joining future stars such as Bayern Munich’s Thiago Alcantara in the squad as they won the UEFA Under 17 Championship in 2008.

Capped by one giant of world football, a year later he was called up by another. After a recommendation from Liverpool’s Argentine duo Javier Mascherano and Emiliano Insua, he was selected to represent the South American country’s under 20s team at the Toulon Tournament.
“I was born in Argentina but my agent was telling me that it was a good opportunity for me to play for Spain’s under 17s, that people would see me, and I enjoyed it,” he said.
“But when I was at Liverpool, Mascherano found out I was from Argentina. Mascherano and Insua asked me if I wanted to play for Argentina. I said yes. To be honest I feel I am Argentinian. I was born there and my family are from there.”
In his Real Madrid days, Bruna was described as ‘the next Messi’, although he was always a little sceptical about the tag.
“I think it was more about the background - both being from Argentina, both being left footed and both moving to Spain,” he says.
“He is a striker, I’m more of a midfielder. I was young at the time and any player that comes through from Argentina, the press call him the next Messi.
“They wish to have another one but unfortunately there is only one!”

Bruna helped Liverpool to win the Premier Reserve League but in the end his hopes of playing for the first team were dashed.
“After I played for Argentina I came back to Liverpool and did pre-season, that was when Benitez gave me a chance in the first team squad,” he said. “But I had a knee injury, I had the operation in Barcelona and when I came back I struggled a little bit with injuries and wasn’t involved that much.

“Benitez left and everything changed. Roy Hodgson came, I still trained a few times with the first team, but then came Kenny Dalglish and he told me I was not going to play in his first team, so obviously I needed to do something.
“Ian Holloway convinced me to go to Blackpool. The team was good but I think he didn’t really give me the chance.
“After my first year when I wasn’t involved that much I tried to leave and Holloway said, ‘Don’t leave, you’re going to be important for me this season’.
“Again I wasn’t involved after that but football is football.
“One day you are up, another day you are down and you just have to keep going.”

Bruna moved back to Spain last season with third division side Huesca. He enjoyed it and played more than 20 games but missed his girlfriend, who is from Liverpool.
He returned to England and had a brief spell with Tranmere at the start of the current campaign before joining Sussex side Whitehawk in Conference South.
In January he was recommended to Stanley, and now he is determined to make the most of the opportunity John Coleman has given him after impressing on trial.
“I just want to play regular football,” he said. “I don’t think it’s my last chance, but I’m enjoying it here.
“Hopefully I am at the right club with the right manager who believes in me.”
 
U21s. 1-0 win over Sunderland. Jones is on loan to Cheltenham but didn't play their last game. He was a regular (although apparently played out of position a couple of times, at RB) when he was there on a one-month loan. As per Inglethorpe, our arrangements for our loan players now allow them to come back and play for our U21s when they don't get a game. Jack Dunn, unfortunately, is injured again (think he got injured in his last game on loan for Cheltenham).

No Yesil and Pelosi - you've to wonder what the future holds for them. Terrible luck with their injuries. Lussey also seems to have gone quiet - or is he injured?

Supposedly a dull game, and you can tell from the stuff they had to put in the highlights.

 
A weakened U18s side thrashed 5-0 by Everton; several of the regulars were rested with an eye towards the UEFA Youth Cup game a few days later (we lost that game 1-2 to Benfica yesterday).

 
ta. just saw the replay for the sinclair goal. Great finish from an improbable angle. I hope we see a glimpse of him this year in the first team. I am a fan,
 
Sinclair is starting to look much more like the player I thought he'd become when he was 15 or 16. Now regularly showing great touch and pace along with his finishing, it's great to see.
 
0-4 up and plenty of subs made before they scored. Philips looked damn good .... and some nice touches from Chiravella .. as did that (CB ?) Wharton for Blackburn when he attacked !
 
difficult to see that anyone from the U21 team will get any chance in the first team soon, not in the next season for sure ! If their loans are handled properly we have very good talents like Wilson, Sinclair and Canos !! I also like the midfielder Canlahon
 
Harry Wilson with a cracker in injury time to win the mini derby 2-1.
Cleary equalized with a header after Everton had taken a second half lead
 
I still hope that Dunn can make it, though his chances are admittedly slim right now. Problems with injuries haven't helped at all as well. Hopefully he's going to a Championship club and will get to play often there and get a chance to impress.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/liverpool-fc-young-stars-set-8814879

Liverpool FC young stars set to seal loan deals in next few days

21:04, 10 March 2015
By Andy Kelly

Jerome Sinclair and Jack Dunn among those expected to go out to increase experience

Loan deals for several young Liverpool prospects are expected to be finalised in the next few days following discussions between Brendan Rodgers and Academy director Alex Inglethorpe.

A posse of scouts attended Liverpool’s U21 mini-derby win against Everton at Chester on Monday night while the recent nationally televised victory against Chelsea also gave some of the Reds’ youngsters an opportunity to showcase their talents.

Striker Jerome Sinclair, who scored a stunning goal in that Chelsea victory, is one of those widely expected to find a temporary home while left sided attacker Jack Dunn is also likely to follow up on his early season spell with Cheltenham.

Liverpool are hoping moves to league clubs will see some of their promising prospects show the same sort of development that Jordon Ibe enjoyed at Derby while Sheyi Ojo is already performing well at Wigan as they try to fight off relegation.

Speaking about possible loan deals after Monday’s game, Liverpool U21 manager Michael Beale said: “I think, yes, the (loan) window ends in the next 14 days and we’ve got a number of things, there’s a nice little break now where we can sit down and talk about them. I’m sure Alex will sit down with Brendan and make the correct decisions for the boys.

“Jack’s (Dunn) been excellent, he’s gone away in Cheltenham and was absolutely flying when he unfortunately got an injury there, and he’s worked his way back, and the next step for Jack is to go and play League football.

“He got three or four goals in five games there, he’s another player who’s got a hell of a lot of options this week so you probably won’t see him after this week maybe.

“You see tonight, I looked at the list of clubs who were coming to scout it, and there was a lot of people. There’s a lot of players on both teams tonight that are really good.

“Everton have a boy in midfield (Liam) Walsh who I think is outstanding and the centre forward (David) Henen I think is interesting and the two centre halves Galloway and Browning, everyone knows who they are. Ledson showed he is top class on the goal.

“Everton have got lots and lots of good players and I’m really looking forward to the return game at Goodison in April.”

Most eyes on the loan window will be probably be on Sinclair with Jamie Carragher one of those who recently spoke of the need for the 18-year-old to go in search of league football.

Beale said: “I think there will be news in the next few days because there’s certainly a lot of interest and I don’t think anyone did themselves any harm tonight. Jerome was really ill before the game but we knew Jack could only play 60 minutes and Mamadou (Sakho) could only 45 so we were like ‘come on Jerome you’ve got to play’ and he was sick three or four times in the dressing room so he’s done really well to play tonight.”

Liverpool’s 2-1 win, courtesy of goals from both substitutes in birthday boy Dan Cleary and an injury-time stunner from Harry Wilson, took them joint top of the Barclays U21 Premier League but that is not seen as a priority at the Academy which is focused entirely on player development.

Beale believes the influence of the senior Liverpool players is having a really positive effect on his players after Sakho played the first 45 minutes on Monday to continue his comeback from a hip injury.

“We’ve been very fortunate recently, we trained on Sunday morning and we had a couple of the senior lads who weren’t involved (in the Blackburn game) with us. The attitude of the senior lads at Liverpool, I’ve been blown away.

“They just enjoy being part of the club and the way we’re working and they’re really good to the young players. Jordan Williams is up there pretty much full time now and how he’s been taken in by the players has been fantastic and that’s a big part of the Liverpool family. I know people talk about it but unless people are living in it you don’t really know exactly what it’s like and we’re very lucky.”
 
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/samed-yesil-should-return-liverpool-8813966

Samed Yesil should return to Liverpool FC line-up within a month after two years of injury hell

17:47, 10 March 2015
By Andy Kelly
German £1m youth international progressing after cruciate ligament injuries

Samed Yesil should return to Liverpool’s Under 21 side within the next month after fighting back from his double cruciate ligament injury hell.

The 20-year-old German youth international ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament for the second time in a year in January 2014 while training at the Academy.

He had only returned to training the previous October after eight months out after damaging his cruciate ligament on international duty with Germany.

Yesil has made two first team appearances for the Reds – featuring in the League Cup win over West Brom in September 2012 and the defeat to Swansea the following month in the same competition.

Liverpool U21s manager Michael Beale told the ECHO: “Samed’s obviously had two terrible injuries and he’s come back, and it’s just the little niggles that go around it now, getting his body right.

“It’s very much the same with Marc Pelosi. I’d be really disappointed if we don’t see him on the pitch in the next month playing and that again.

“Samed, over the Christmas period, was looking really, really good and then unfortunately football sometimes just kicks you when you’re already down, sometimes football can be really cruel.

“So let’s just hope for the best, his finishing in training has been right up there with the best, he hasn’t lost his touch.

“So I assure the fans that when he does get back you’ll see him scoring goals.”

Yesil cost the Reds £1million from Bayer Leverkusen in August 2012 where he had earned the nickname “Gerd” among his colleagues in the youth ranks because his finishing prowess was likened to German legend Gerd Muller.

A series of impressive performances at the U17 World Cup in 2011 had brought the Dusseldorf-born player to wider attention.
 
http://www.liverpoolfc.com/video/off-the-pitch/features#21229

Good free video showcasing 16 of the best goals from the u16s this year.You hardly ever get a chance to see these lads play.

The ones you tend to hear most about are Trent Alexander-Arnold, Herbie Kane, and Yan Dhanda. Then there's Okera Simmonds, who also plays for England, and Toni Gomes, a Portuguese forward who was out playing for an u19 team in Indonesia a few months ago. I hadn't realised how young he was.
 
Liverpool U18 1 - 3 Sunderland U18

Looks like we played quite a few U16s for this game. What do regular watchers think of Brewitt? The commentators often seem to say he's highly-rated, but when I've managed to catch games, I've often felt underwhelmed / unimpressed.

 
I think after Wisdom failed to get minutes in that position, I've pretty much lost all interest in any young centre halves we happen to have coming through. He was by far the most promsing we've had since I've been following the reserves so logically lads like Brewitt have next to no chance of making it.
 
peterhague said:
I think after Wisdom failed to get minutes in that position, I've pretty much lost all interest in any young centre halves we happen to have coming through. He was by far the most promsing we've had since I've been following the reserves so logically lads like Brewitt have next to no chance of making it.
Click to expand...

Perhaps Wisdom just isn't as good as we'd hoped he'd turn out be - or at the very least, not as ready as we thought he'd be by now. Successive managers at three clubs (us plus the two he's been on loan to) have played him at RB instead of CB, and it's actually gotten worse lately for him, as Pulis has relegated him to the bench for quite a while now since a poor performance against Spurs.

I think it's not for the lack of opportunities at the club (if that's what you're suggesting) - we just seem to lack quality in that position in our U18 / U21 ranks.
 
It's both. You need to be exceptionally good as a young CB to get a chance there for us. Wisdom was great all the way through the ranks, and became captain of the England u21 team in that position. That's an impressive achievement. If he's not going to make it there, I wouldn't get your hopes up for any of the other kids coming through, because none of them are close to his level.

Specifically on Wisdom, I've always considered it a bad mistake to try to develop him into a RB. He was never going to really flourish there. Better to take the 20% chance of him being a top class centre half than the 80% chance of being a medicore RB, because the latter's no use to us whether he succeeds or fails. If the problem was that a Championship team wasn't willing to take him as a CB we should have looked to League 1. But personally I think Rodgers just misjudged it, and it was a deliberate plan to keep him at RB.
 
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