As a basketball fan, I thought about the awards that the National Basketball Association award to players through voting, usually from coaches, writers etc. I* thought I would use a few of these concepts to review the season and award honours:
*I – being me, just the average fan who loves Liverpool and does not have an agenda to push.
Most Improved Player Nominations
Raheem Sterling: During the opening few months of the season, Raheem Sterling started tearing up the league, creating chances and linking up well. with Luis Suarez. We had seen him for a few minutes at the end of games in previous seasons and he had looked exciting but he really established himself in the first team picture with very good performances on the wings week after week. Inevitably his form faded, and I personally think that he was over played due to the lack of squad depth, and he dropped to the bench and then back down to the U21s. He is a fantastic prospect and he has come a long way in the last year.
Jordan Henderson: From reject to riches. He has become a key member of the midfield. Forget how much he cost, forget how he played in his first year, Jordan Henderson is here to stay (hopefully) and is looking like a player on the verge of breaking out and becoming ‘the man’ in that midfield. Just watch his energy, how quick he moves the ball on, his surges forward to support the strikers, he is great.
Stewart Downing: He is a whipping boy for a lot of the boo-boys; he can never do anything right and for a player who seems mentally fragile, that is not great. He has however become quite a valuable squad member, providing protection to our adventurous full/wing-backs and keeping decent width amongst a potentially crowded front three or four. He puts decent balls into the box but the way we play, there is nobody on the end of them. Again if you forget his price tag, he is still a player that can help Liverpool in certain games, similarly though he can go missing and become a liability.
Most Improved Player Winner: Jordan Henderson – he is starting to recreate his England U21s form regularly on the pitch for Liverpool. His situation reminds me of Lucas Leiva who went from nearly being sold to becoming the best defensive midfielder in the Premiership before his ACL injury. Jordan can become a future Liverpool captain and the puts everything into the games.
Defensive Player of the Year Nominations
This is difficult because our defence has been poor. We often conceded either two goals or no goals and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen as many 2-2 draws! Defensive player of the year does not mean ‘defender of the year’ but a player that provides a lot to the defensive side of our game.
Jordan Henderson: His energy and pressing is relentless. He can often break things up and provides a lot of protection to the defence.
Lucas Leiva: Even half-fit he is a good protector of the back four. He has started to make progress and there have been flashes of pre-ACL injury Lucas. In the game away to Newcastle, he made more tackles individually – nine – than the rest of the team combined – eight. I think he was vital to the demolition of Newcastle.
Pepe Reina: Up until Christmas there had been several question marks over Reina and his ability to make saves, but 2013 seems have been kind to him and he looked to have found his form again. Recently I have seem the world class saves he was pulling off every week and he has finally started to win us games again. His sweeping ability is still very good and excusing brain-farts like the Aguero close-out that went wrong, he is still the best sweeping keeper in the Premier League. He managed to keep many clean sheets in the 2012/13 season, and considering the changes in our defence, that isn’t too bad.
Defensive Player of the Year Winner: Jordan Henderson – our midfield becomes so vulnerable when he is not in there to run the hundred miles he does in a game. Defending from the front, his positioning is good allows him to support Suarez’s pressing efforts.
Disappointment of the Year Nominations
Fabio Borini: A lot of the disappointment around Borini has not been his fault. Two injuries kept him out a long time and he did not get a chance to show what he can do. His price tag did not help his cause but against Newcastle and Fulham he has showed some promise. Hopefully the expectation on him has died off and he can get a good year in 13/14.
Oussama Assaidi: I thought he could have been used a lot more, providing a bit of pace and dynamic running on the wings. He would have been unexpected for full-backs and could hurt teams in behind. Luckily he only cost us £3mil and we will probably get this back if/when we sell him in the summer.
Sebastian Coates: You would have hoped he would have seen more time on the pitch and made everyone aware of why he won young player of the Copa America ahead of Neymar and Ganso. Whenever he has got time on the pitch he has been suspect, slow on the turn and even getting beaten in the air, alas Oldham/Matt Smith. The Premiership is maybe a bit too fast for him and he could go on to be a quality defender and I think he should go to the Italian league, but Liverpool maybe is not right for him.
Most Disappointing Player: Sebastian Coates – I was looking forward to seeing his progress and maybe due to him or management he did not get the chance to progress. I really want to see this guy succeed but I do not think he can do it here.
Young Player of the Year Nominations
Raheem Sterling: At the start of the season I was thinking, “oh wow, what have we got here?!”, as Raheem ran past defenders and created space with ease. He was overplayed though and I think he needs to be used properly next season. With more depth it can be done.
Suso: This season I have often expressed my love for Jesus. Not the “Son of God” Jesus but Suso. I love watching him play, he is technically very good and is typically Spanish. Suso was in and out of the first team this season but I was impressed with his play. He is young and will obviously fluctuate in terms of performance levels, but he can be very good.
Andre Wisdom: Andre Wisdom is a beast. An actual beast of a man! I would not run at him with the ball for fears that colliding with him would make my ribcage implode. As like many others, he was in and out of the team but impressed, although he did make a couple of mistake that youngsters make. He will naturally become a centre back and could become a dominating presence.
Philippe Coutinho: I got some strange looks when I said that watching Coutinho makes my testicles tingle. I stick by that statement. He is phenomenal, just gorgeous to watch. He knows how to weight a through-ball, he has lovely hair and is not afraid of those physical teams that try to bully him off the ball. He has struggles a bit against better opposition but the rest of the Premier League, he is destroying them already. Did I mention his hair?
Young Player of the Year Winner: Philippe Coutinho – really, you thought anyone else had a chance?! I cannot believe we got this guy and even though he had only been at the club since January, he has become the second or third name on the team sheet.
Twat of the Year Nominations
Luis Suarez: Brendan Rodgers spend weeks working the referees, making them aware of all the abuse Suarez was taking, how they let Bassong karate chop him in the head and not get a penalty for it, you could tell he was starting to get a few calls and when he did the Kop erupted as if we scored a goal, but, in the Stoke game he took a tumble and set everything back to zero again. Perception had chanced and he won some penalties, all of which were correct decisions and then he went all crazy on Ivanovic and bit him. Yeah, the man bit another man.
Jamie Carragher: This is a harsh nomination but I am gutted that he is going to retire. I do believe it is the right time for him to step off the field but I cannot imagine the Liverpool team without him. He and Gerrard have always been part of teams I have watched, I was born in 1991 and as long as I can remember Carragher’s passion has been through the side.
Graeme Souness: In the after-math of Suarez biting Ivanovic, Mr Souness (who is not exactly all sweet and innocent, he broke Lica Movila’s jaw during a match) got on his high horse and rode it around Anfield like the noble steed that he is. Twitter went off telling him to wind his neck in and for once I agreed with Twitter. I am not going to quote what he said because reading it will make me mad but the way he went on, referencing the Hillsborough remembrance just was too much.
Twat of the Year Winner: Luis Suarez – first he bit a man which then caused Souness to become more of a twat. Who is the biggest twat? Souness, but this year it goes to Suarez. I love him but my days he is a twat.
Game of the Year Nominations
Liverpool 3-1 Zenit : This game was fantastic and brought that European night feel to Anfield again and we so nearly did a St. Etienne and Olympiakos with Suarez being a demon and ripping the Zenit defence a new one. Also, even though we did not progress, we all got to watch Hulk who has the best rump in football. Rafa would say: “Fact!”
Newcastle 0-6 Liverpool: This one was a bit boss! Coutinho ran the game and put one of the most gorgeous through-balls that I have ever seen for Henderson’s first goal. I hate playing Newcastle at their place because of the unpredictable nature of it but this was marvellous.
Norwich 2-5 Liverpool: Anytime Suarez scores a hattrick like this then I can love the game. The second goal when having missed seconds earlier, then stealing the ball back and finishing with the outside of the foot was just a Luis Suarez goal, sticking it to the fans that had been on his back.
Game of the Year Winner: Liverpool 3-1 Zenit – This was a boss match that felt typically Liverpool. Even though we went out I still enjoyed this game the most.
Signing of the Year Nominations
Daniel Sturridge: He came in and made an instant impact, providing the much needed support up front. He adds speed and power whilst leading the line with a legitimate threat in behind. Sturridge has a point to prove to the world and right now he is making that point heard.
Philippe Coutinho: How did he only cost £8million? By the end of next season we could be talking about a £30million player that is being coveted by numerous clubs around Europe.
Joe Allen: He is used as the stick to beat Rodgers with for the ‘#RodgersOut’ brigade. Let’s face it, he is a classy player than knows the system, but he was played out position and obviously his shoulder injury bothered him. Not every player needs to be a world beater, sometimes you need the glue guys to support those world-class players and in the future Joe Allen can be that guy.
Signing of the Year Winner: Philippe Coutinho – Considering potential, price and impact, Coutinho gives you ten out of ten in all those areas. He is a special player.
Goal of the Season Nominations
Luis Suarez vs. Newcastle (H): Enrique goes long, Suarez takes it on his chest and rounds Tim Krul effortlessly finishing in front of The Kop. Glorious!
Daniel Sturridge vs Chelsea (H): The linkup between Sturridge and Suarez for this goal was magnificent. The perfect chip into the box with Sturridge manipulating his body midair to bury it. Makes me dizzy thinking about it.
Jordan Henderson vs Norwich (H): You might have forgotten about this one, Suarez is tackled on the edge of the box and the ball travels along the penalty area and Henderson vollies it in to the top corner. His emotion after it was fantastic too.
Luis Suarez vs Manchester City (H): I am not too sure that Suarez can score anywhere else from this free-kick other than the bottom corner he puts it in. Curled to perfection, bouncing just inches before the line, Joe Hart had no chance. Magnificent!
Jose Enrique vs Swansea (H): This “back-heel, stop and square” from Enrique to Sturridge and back to Enrique was naughty. It was so intricate and dynamic that Swansea had no chance, plus, anytime your slightly crazy left back ends up at the penalty spot with a chance to finish it then you have to love the goal.
Goal of the Season Winner: Luis Suarez vs Newcastle (H) – we have scored some lovely goals this year and I could have added another ten here but this goal is one you do not see all that often. The ability for Suarez to watch the ball onto his chest from over his left shoulder, getting hassled by Coloccini and then to round the keeper with space running out. It was wonderful.
Player of the Year Nominations
Steven Gerrard: Steven Gerrard played 34.5 games without missing a minute until he was subbed off against Newcastle. Sometimes he tried to go all “hero/captain fantastic” and win the game by himself but he started to buy into the way of playing. Dropping deeper helped him maintain his level and he really started to help solidify that midfield whilst Lucas started to improve following the injury.
Luis Suarez: Single handily kept the team going up until Christmas. Created chances out of nothing with people kicking him, karate chopping him in the head, stamping on him and he still kept going. This season, LFC could have been a lot worse without Luis’ heroics. He is also guilty of trying to do everything by himself, taking ridiculous shots, getting almost obsessed with beating his man alone.
Jordan Henderson: Jordan Henderson was nearly sold to Fulham + £3m for Clint Dempsey. I have always been an advocate for Jordan Henderson and felt his price tag was overshadowing him. His energy in midfield has been fantastic often doing Gerrard’s, Lucas’ and Joe Allen’s running for them whilst also getting forward. He has turned the whole aura around him on its head with many now seeing him as an integral part of the team.
Player of the Year Winner: Luis Suarez – despite recent events he has been consistently the best player in the league, never mind in the Liverpool team. He does not get any decisions easy and surprisingly keeps his cool if you think about how some other players would react to the decision against him (think Wayne Rooney).
So there we have it. Your opinions on which player you would have for each award would be great, see what everyone else thinks of the season. Go and use the hashtag on Twitter #TBTAwards.
