It's now seven months since Liverpool defender Martin Kelly ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament against Manchester United, and Reds boss Brendan Rodgers recently confirmed that he will remain on the sidelines until next season. That's a hell of a long time to be out of the team, but in an interview with this week, Kelly remained optimistic about the future, and answered a few fan questions about life at Anfield.
When asked who is the most difficult player he's played against, Kelly told the official Liverpool FC website:
"He's not the most famous player but Matt Jarvis at West Ham has caused me a lot of problems because he's half my size so when he jinks, he's hard for me to handle. "
Considering Kelly has faced some of the league's best players, that's quite a compliment for Jarvis. The West Ham winger is, however, not having the greatest of seasons - two goals/no assists in 34 appearances for the hammers is a pretty poor return for an £11m winger, but perhaps he'll do a Stewart Downing and turn things around next season.
Kelly also revealed that he would've loved to have played alongside one of the legends of the Premier League. He noted:
"I would have liked to have played right back behind David Beckham. I think we would have teamed up quite well."
Kelly used to play in central midfield in the youth set-up before moving to centre-half, and he admitted he has 'no desire' to move back into the middle of the pitch. What is his best position, though: right back of centre-back?
The 23-year old has most played on the right for Liverpool, but with the club needing at least two centre-backs this summer, surely the time is right to give him a run in his favoured position?
Kelly seems like a natural replacement for Jamie Carragher, but central defenders need to be tough and robust, and his susceptibility to injury is clearly a problem. He's suffered regular injury problems since 2007, and it's tough to form an effective defensive partnership with someone if one half of the duo is regularly injured.
Rodgers still sees Kelly as part of his future plans, and last week, he told reporters:
"He's a player who did very well when he played at the start of the season. He has shown his talent and it will be a boost to have him back in the squad for next season."
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
When asked who is the most difficult player he's played against, Kelly told the official Liverpool FC website:
"He's not the most famous player but Matt Jarvis at West Ham has caused me a lot of problems because he's half my size so when he jinks, he's hard for me to handle. "
Considering Kelly has faced some of the league's best players, that's quite a compliment for Jarvis. The West Ham winger is, however, not having the greatest of seasons - two goals/no assists in 34 appearances for the hammers is a pretty poor return for an £11m winger, but perhaps he'll do a Stewart Downing and turn things around next season.
Kelly also revealed that he would've loved to have played alongside one of the legends of the Premier League. He noted:
"I would have liked to have played right back behind David Beckham. I think we would have teamed up quite well."
Kelly used to play in central midfield in the youth set-up before moving to centre-half, and he admitted he has 'no desire' to move back into the middle of the pitch. What is his best position, though: right back of centre-back?
The 23-year old has most played on the right for Liverpool, but with the club needing at least two centre-backs this summer, surely the time is right to give him a run in his favoured position?
Kelly seems like a natural replacement for Jamie Carragher, but central defenders need to be tough and robust, and his susceptibility to injury is clearly a problem. He's suffered regular injury problems since 2007, and it's tough to form an effective defensive partnership with someone if one half of the duo is regularly injured.
Rodgers still sees Kelly as part of his future plans, and last week, he told reporters:
"He's a player who did very well when he played at the start of the season. He has shown his talent and it will be a boost to have him back in the squad for next season."
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
optimistic is good but meanwhile andre wisdom is another option..i personally would prefer AW over MK or JF even GJ...
ReplyDeletethink we are blessed with kelly and wisdom they just need game time
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt he is a good defender but by being injured so much his development has stalled. He has the talent he has but he lacks practical experience and at 23 it may be too late to still get that at LFC. Maybe at a smaller club with less ambition or even outside of England he may get his career back on track but I just can't see it happening at Anfield. Sadly, I should add because I thought he would be the one that would break into the first team.
ReplyDeletehe still young lets see what next season holds before you retire him off
ReplyDeleteJason loves all the home grown players :)
ReplyDeletewhy not he cost nothing and as looked decent when given the chance,its not as if we spent over 10 million on him and he as done naff all
ReplyDeletenothing to do with being home grown more to do with what he as shown on the pitch,were at the end of the day is the most important thing
ReplyDeletebollocks;-)
ReplyDeleteI mostly agree, but Kelly can't mature in the position if he isn't playing there, or regular football at all. I like Kelly a lot but I've always maintained that because of a lack of opportunities and injuries, he would move on to a mid table club. But I hope he becomes a top player, in any position, I think everyone would love a few more more academy starlets develop into seasoned veterans.
ReplyDeletetheres no need for him to move on to a mid table club anymore we are one:-)
ReplyDeleteAgreed :)
ReplyDeleteYou made some fair points, CB have a long playing-life and im pretty sure he will come good again!
He could get the natural leader, who we really need in our defensive line up. But lets give him tome to recover we shouldn't expect to many things to him next season ... Always when I think about our youngsters comming throug, I feel so delighted, there are so many young boys to show what they learned in the academy. next to la masia we have probably the best youth academy :)
sorry m8 i have to disagree with you about the academy,its not all its cracked up to be we have not brung a player through for years who,s gone on to be a 1st team regular compared to other clubs in england infact we have been quite poor,even all the youngsters we sign end up at other clubs because there not quite good enough
ReplyDelete23 is not that young when your career lasts till your 35-ish and that's when you stay free of injury! So far, he's been injured a lot and that has cost him many opportunities to play. Like I said there is no denying his talent and ability but if you want us to push for top four next year, and I do, we need to have a consistent back four and that can't happen if one of the four gets injured three times a season. There is a reason why defenders and goalkeepers hardly get "rotated".
ReplyDeleteCarra played in the full back positions because there would be less damage if he made a mistake. That allowed him to learn and develop into a central defender. But Carragher played every single game and was never, as far as I know, out with an injury. At least not often and certainly not for long periods of time. That's why Kelly gets his opportunities at right back. But if you were Rodgers, would you be more at ease with Johnson at right back and Wisdom who is also talented, needs gametime to develop and does not get injured that often, or Kelly? Not to mention Flanagan who seems destined for the Championship as well this summer.
ReplyDeletei would still give him another season ,to see if he can come back and regain his fitness lets face it if we try and sell him now we would not get a decent price so we cannot lose
ReplyDeleteOuch! you are definitely like marmite hahaha ;)
ReplyDeleteWhat are you on about you twat???? We have an amazing academy and no team at all in the premierleague is even close to producing so many first team players...Goes to show how clueless you are about the club and whats going on there..
ReplyDeleteMartin Kelly
Raheem Sterling
Suso Fernandez
Andre Wisdom
Jack Robinson
Jonjo Shelvy
Conor Coady
are all academy players who are already in the first team and played alot and alot of games!
Joao Carlos Teixeira
Ryan Mclaughlin
Jordan Ibe
Jamie Stephens
Danny Ward
Yalany Baio
Brad Smith
Marc Pelosi
Samed Yesil
Jerome Sinclair
Jack Dunn
Kristoffer Petterson
In 2-3 years time many many of these will be starters for us or other teams..You are so clueless i want to throw up because of your negativity which is based on rubbish and cluelessness! What a plank
go away and "support" another team you plank...sick of you and you likes
ReplyDeletesay it as i see it;-)
ReplyDelete100% agree with you mate! I would give more game time for Coates.....he needs to play or should have given his loan request on Jan market to build up.
ReplyDeletejaimie on another subject i see rodgers is telling the world he,s in charge of all transfers and nobody comes unless he says so sounds like a man trying to convince himself if you ask me
ReplyDeletesurley if we do not beat everton this weekend he should get a game instead of carra for the game after not saying carra should not have his farewell against qpr
ReplyDeletei remember agger a couple of years back was forever injured, so was gerrard in his early years and both have gone on to have credible liverpool careers, i will not write him off at 23, especially when he has proven he has the ability already to cement a first team once back fit and ready.
ReplyDelete"right back of centre back" should be or*. I hope BR has some sense and looks to play kelly at centre back next season
ReplyDeletea lot of kellys problems are due to him playing a kind of wing back role which means he does a lot of touchline sprinting ....at Cb that wouldnt be needed
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree with this post. Kelly is very young and has a long Liverpool career ahead of him. He has been unlucky with injuries but who's to say if he'll ever get injured again or not? We have a first class medical team now that knows how to manage players.
ReplyDeleteHe's not "telling the world@, he was asked the question and he clarified the situation. The fact that several media outlets picked it up doesn't mean he said it a number of times.
ReplyDeletetwat
ReplyDeleteclueless is an understatment and a compliment
ReplyDeleteyou are blind then
ReplyDeleteand you call yourself a red? what an embaressment
ReplyDeletekelly, robinson, sterling, suso, coady, wisdom, should i go on about the next 10? just poked a huge hole in your buble, cause all the players mentioned have played first team football for liverpool, are all part of the team next year and will have good futures at the club..
ReplyDeleteor a man telling the truth? he makes the final desicion..If you like it or not doesnt affect that fact for a bit
ReplyDeleteand how many are regulars ,who play week in week out and how many do you think mite be there in five years spearing started lots of games were is he now
ReplyDeletelol 8 posts of you to say that
ReplyDeleteRemember Gerrard from 17-23? Had loads of injuries because he was growing and his body kept struggling. Should we have sold him as he was injury prone? Clearly not. Past injuries are not always a sign of future problems. Once his body settles down he could go on to be stronger and I think he'd make a worthy addition to our back line.
ReplyDeleteGerrard's injuries were down to him playing a lot of matches at a very young age. Kelly plays two and he's injured again. I'm not trying to slag the guy off but that's the fact of the matter. I didn't say we need to sell him but we can't rely on him for next season either. Not until we know what his body will do. So to make sure that we even have a defence next season we need to bring players in. What I said was that, once they are brought in and they settle in, it will be very difficult for Kelly to break into the first team, so for him and his career, it may be sensible to look elsewhere. Having said that, if he gets injured there he will be in the same position.
ReplyDeletehe will be gone soon and i am happy because even though he works hard he is not liverpool quality, but he is 24, all the metioned apart from kelly are 19 or younger, and i see all of them as starters in 5 years time..actually in 5 years time i see many more, you bring it on yourself being clueless,
ReplyDeleteMartin Kelly
Andre Wisdom
Suso Fernandez
Raheem Sterling
Jack Robinson
Conor Coady
Jordan Ibe
Joao Carlos Teixeira
Samed Yesil
Marc Pelosi
Jamie Stephens
Danny Ward
Kristoffer Peterson
Yalany Baio
Jack Dunn
Llyod Jones
Jordan Rossiter
Jerome Sinclair
I see all of these as first team players and important parts of the first team in 5 years....and i havent't mentioned 20 players who have a chance of making it!! In 5 years time buying new players will be a word of the past, but you don't understand or see the long term picture..Just want to slag off anything FSG related..
we won the youth fa cup a few years ago how many have made it as lfc players none,also if all the players are regulars for lfc in a few years are regulars it will be in the championship because nearly all of them are not good enough now pi$$ off and annoy someone else because i cannot be bothered with your ten reply a day
ReplyDeleteyou are a clueless twat...go support city
ReplyDeletei think you need a bitcslap on your dirty mouth since your mom didnt teach you ny better
ReplyDeletecokmunsher
ReplyDeletefaggot, fickle rubish human
ReplyDeleteeat a penis bitc
ReplyDeleteeat a peanut
ReplyDeletewanna meet and banter`? i would love to put my dik in you eyes
ReplyDeleteblind fool
ReplyDeleteso you are blind for real, and never ever talk to someone you dont know like that just because you are clueless and a retardinho, slap slap mf coksucker
ReplyDeletereal supporter`?? my arsssseeeee
ReplyDeleteyou see nothing, you are clueless,, shut up
ReplyDeleteeeeh, shut up. shut up shut up...i bet you dont even know half the players i mentioned or even watched them, gloryhunter impatient clueless fickle boob
ReplyDeletechampionship?? hahahaah. dont embaress yourself
tantrums are diddems daddy go get your dummy,
ReplyDelete