The Liverpool bootroom tradition has died down a lot since its hay-day, with a lot of coaches now brought in from other teams and other areas of the world.
A feature of the great Liverpool teams of yesteryear, Brendan Rodgers has never shied away from the idea of having former players step on board to help the current crop of first-team players, yet with the decision not to renew Mike Marsh’s contract on Thursday, we are again losing a small link to an era passed, and another member of staff who knows Liverpool through and through.
Talk of another ex-player coming on board to help Rodgers has been rife since Marsh’s departure, so here are my four former players who could join our coaching staff.
Sami Hyypia
This former Liverpool defender needs no introduction. Someone who can be classed as a true Liverpool legend in every sense of the word won almost everything there was at Liverpool, Hyypia left Liverpool on a high, after the title-near-miss of 2009.
A stark contrast to his playing days, his coaching career has been less than solid, with his last managerial job ending in resignation at Brighton & Hove Albion.
A coach who could be looking to learn more before heading back into management, bringing back Hyypia could be seen as an excellent piece of business by Liverpool, one that would not only boost the club, but also add some genuine world-class defensive knowledge to Liverpool’s coaching staff.
Even in his prime, Hyypia was a player who was reliant on his knowledge and positioning, not pace. Teaching our current crop, who aside from Ilori, have little pace between them, how to position themselves better in-match could be a real game-changer for our first team.
Plus, the fans would love it, and it could just be the perfect thing for the former Liverpool defender, who will no doubt be wondering where his career will take him next.
Robbie Fowler
Currently on the academy coaching staff in a more advisory position alongside Steve MacManaman and Rob Jones, Robbie Fowler would be a perfect addition to our backroom staff if Brendan Rodgers was looking for someone who the strikers could look towards and the whole squad could look up to.
Scoring goals wherever he played, there will always be the feeling that Fowler is back at his spiritual home now he has returned to Liverpool.
His coaching career to date has been very ad-hoc, including brief positions with Milton Keynes Dons and Asian outfit Muangthong FC, as well as his academy role with Liverpool.
Fowler would be the perfect person to help Danny Ings settle at the club, with similarities between the two players’ style, and he could also be on hand to improve a first team squad that is struggling to finish chances on a game-by-game basis.
Fowler is regularly described as one of the best finishers the Premier League has seen, and Liverpool, fans and players alike, would relish seeing him amongst the back-room staff full-time.
Jamie Carragher
As far as suggesting former players as coaches goes, Jamie Carragher would be on every Liverpool fan’s lips. With keen knowledge for football, and being one of the club’s greatest ever defenders, Carra would fit the bill to come in and help shake up the current pack.
His leadership on the pitch would no doubt transfer off it, as each player would look up to a legend and a footballing man like him.
With no coaching past to speak of, this could be seen as the only downside to approaching Carragher to become part of our backroom staff. However, as a former player with bags of experience and an ocean of in-game knowledge (see both the entire works of his Liverpool career and his brilliant insight during his Sky Sports punditry) this would be seen as a small risk to run and probably the most popular choice that could be made if deciding to hire a former player as a first-team coach.
I can easily see how Carragher’s passion could become infectious to the whole group, and could even give a boost of energy to Rodgers himself, who in recent months has looks jaded and in need of in injection of excitement.
Another great aspect of this could be using a coaching role as a stepping stone for Carra to eventually take the managerial reign in the future. If Rodgers is indeed under pressure to deliver this season, FSG might be looking for someone young, hungry and knowledgeable to promote should the unfortunate happen to Rodgers. And for that they could look no further than Jamie Carragher.
Gary McAllister
A probable long shot when it comes down to it, but Gary McAllister did as much in a couple of years for Liverpool as most of this currently squad has done in their entire career.
Still a popular figure at the club, I think Gary Mac could appeal to Rodgers’ values-driven nature, a good man, likeable figure and a class footballer during his time as a player.
A soft spoken man, McAllister would be a great role model to have at the club. As a player he never attracted negative headlines and was a model professional, which was epitomised by the way he played for Liverpool, at an age when a lot of people thought the move could be ‘one last payday’ before retirement.
His coaching career has been fairly average, and most Reds will remember his time at Aston Villa assisting former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier. Other than that, he has had fairly unremarkable managerial positions with Coventry City and Leeds United.
Not setting the world alight at managerial level does not make someone a poor coach, and his knowledge and quality as a player would always be a help to a Liverpool team that it notably lacking in experience.
So there are my picks for former players becoming coaches at Liverpool. Who would you pick? Comment below.
