Breaking On Through

[Originally printed in Well Red magazine in Summer 2013]

You may not have noticed but Ray Manzarek, founder member and keyboard boffin of 60’s legends, The Doors, died recently.  For someone who fully bought into the whole Jim Morrison mythology, and once spent a particularly fraught afternoon trawling through a Paris cemetery to locate the grave of the erstwhile Lizard King, the passing of Manzarek was a sad occasion.  He always came across as an overly eccentric uncle, slightly frazzled by the excesses of an acid-drenched culture, stubbornly clinging to the last vestiges of hippy idealism.  But basically a decent sort, happy to trade on his memories and his musical legacy.

 

It was while thinking of Ray that a quote came to mind, often erroneously attributed to Morrison but more likely to have been conjured by the bespectacled organ lieutenant. It goes like this:

“There are things known and there are things unknown.  And in between are the doors.”

Now if I was some kind of lazy cleric, desperately trying to fabricate a tenuous connection between his faith and what he perceives to be the modern world, perhaps as a futile attempt to disguise his fear of women and gay people, this would be the point at which I’d say something like “…and, in a funny sort of way, that’s a bit like God.”

But I’m not.  I’m a militant atheist.  So all bets are off, really.

However, in an equally spurious manner I’m happy to take Ray Manzarek’s quote and, in an attempt to reawaken your no doubt flagging interest, apply it to an area that will hopefully resonate more strongly than long-gone psychedelic rock bands and hip priests craving appreciation.

Clearly, I’m talking about Liverpool’s defence.  Bear with me.

There are things known.  We know that there is a glaring need to address certain deficiencies in our back-line.  A vulnerability to set-pieces, an inclination to sit slightly deeper than was anticipated when Brendan Rodgers took over, a lack of concentration which has too often resulted in goals conceded.  The retirement of Jamie Carragher, arguably still our most potent defensive force last season, may have exacerbated such troubles, though the signing of Kolo Toure could well turn out to be a shrewd piece of business. 

True, the team had a creditable clean-sheet record, but this was offset by a disturbing tendency to crumble under pressure, encapsulated by the 17 league games in which our opponents scored two or more times.  Despite the growing influence of sports psychology, it seems that resilience and mental fortitude have not yet become fully embedded within the Anfield dressing room.

There are things unknown.  We don’t know which defenders will or won’t be at the club by the time the transfer window closes.  With Carragher gone, speculation has been rife that Skrtel is on his way out, while murmurs persist that any or all of Agger, Johnson and Enrique may follow. 

Simultaneously, we are linked to a host of potential replacements ranging from the effective yet limited (Williams) to the promising yet unproven (Ilori), via the cult figure cum borderline psychopath (Papadopoulos).  Although, as most of these links are circulated by on-line fantasists whose cravings for attention make Jessie J look like Syd Barrett, you might want to hang fire before dangling a Greek flag from your bedroom window.

And in between are the doors.  At the risk of stretching an analogy to a point previously only attempted in the Director’s Cut of ‘Fight Club’, the doors in this scenario could well be our route to defensive salvation.  For our purposes, flinging open the doors may reveal the future.  For, standing patiently, waiting for their cue to stride forward and kick the bloody things down, are Martin Kelly and Andre Wisdom.

There has been much talk of the need to bolster our defence, to cast our eyes far and wide in the search for the next Carragher, the next Hansen, perhaps even, given our desperation, the next Phil Babb.  Now there’s a prospect to chill the blood.

So, what if there are a couple of ready-made solutions already under our collective noses?  In the limited time Kelly and Wisdom have spent on the pitch they have displayed the kind of assurance, commitment and, most importantly in this context, defensive aptitude more commonly seen in considerably more senior players.  Sure, they have a rawness to their games that reflects their inexperience at the top level.  That’s inevitable. 

But if Brendan Rodgers is prepared to take a deep breath and, either separately or as a bold dual statement, offer them the opportunity to prove they are worthy of a regular first-team place, it could be a move to both define and validate his managerial credentials.

Kelly, in particular, has already shown himself capable of excelling on the biggest stages.  He has started games at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge, the Emirates and the Etihad.  He’s survived the Mersyside derby maelstrom and shone in European competition.  It’s easily forgotten but, thanks to the impeccable judgement of renowned football visionary, Roy Hodgson, he’s also an England international.

Typically deployed in the right back berth, Kelly has demonstrated the composure and solidity to indicate that he can be more than just a back-up player.  With Glen Johnson’s performances falling anywhere between ‘sublime’ and ‘Degen’ on the competence spectrum, it would be no surprise if Kelly, with his consistency, his physical presence and his hair like a less-punchable Vernon Kay, became a fixture on the teamsheet in the coming season.

 

Though, like many others, I am convinced that Kelly’s long-term future lies in the heart of defence.  He presents all the attributes required to excel in a central position, his pace and comfort in possession seemingly fundamental qualities for a defender in a Rodgers team.  If he can overcome his susceptibility to injury, something which has badly impeded his progress in the last couple of years, Kelly could establish himself as a latter-day Lawrenson, which, I must emphasise to those familiar only with his joyless mission to rescue the art of football analysis from the high-brow musings of Alan Shearer and Robbie Savage, is a very good thing.

Now 23, Kelly seems ideally placed to exert his claim. 

Wisdom, though less advanced in the pecking order, is just as intriguing a prospect.  Still a rookie in the wider scheme of things, it’s rare to find a young defender with such confidence, aggression and positional understanding.  Thrown into the first team in the early part of last season, he never looked out of place.  Like Kelly, he’s mainly been deployed as a right back; also like Kelly, he seems naturally suited to a more central role, where his decision making and leadership qualities can be given free rein.

Whereas other newcomers to the backline have struggled to adapt to the demands placed on them, consequently appearing easy prey to forwards quick to sniff out their vulnerability (*cough* - Coates - *cough*), Wisdom stood out as someone who thrived on the responsibility of the position.  That’s a rare quality and one which, if nurtured correctly, should see him become an integral part of tomorrow’s Liverpool.

In fact, I’ll go further and suggest that if, in 5 years’ time, Wisdom isn’t captaining both club and country, working on his second autobiography and progressing to the latter stages of Strictly Come Dancing, something will have gone very, very wrong.   That’s the kind of career development I think all of our most promising youngsters should aspire to. 

It seems that the club finally understands the benefits of building up and promoting our emerging home-grown talent.  It is the way of the football hipster to bemoan British players as essentially dog-muck; to opine that the only way to ensure real quality is to recruit from more exotic climes, be it Spain, South America or, er, Armenia.  Our recent experiences do little to contradict this.

But, as ever, the truth lies in the margins.  Why don’t we look at the standard of players we already possess, whatever their passport says, and give them the confidence to attain the levels we all want them to reach?   If that means cultivating lads who have grown up as part of the club, who are more likely to be fully in tune with its history, demands and culture, and who may be less inclined to jump ship a few years down the line, then that surely is a strategy we can all get behind?  We acknowledge the need to replace Carragher and Gerrard, players who have become part of the fabric of the club, but struggle to accept that their (eventual) loss will be felt as much for what they represent as anything they have achieved.

So let’s look to Martin Kelly.  Let’s look to Andre Wisdom.  Let’s smash the doors down and watch the new breed storm through.

It’s what Ray Manzarek would have wanted.

And, as his oppo, Jim Morrison, once said, “No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn.”

I’m not sure precisely what that means but I’m sure you’d agree, in a funny sort of way, it’s a bit like God….