I'm going to stick my neck out and say I think Poulson will prove a useful addition over the course of a season ,but not as a direct replacement for Mascherano or as a starter in the first eleven.... I don't think he has the game to impose his play especially from the off ,but I think he could prove useful when being used to close a game down in much the same respect Didi used to do towards the end of his career ...lets face it we needed a midfield general to replace Mascherano and Poulson was never going to be that ,but I think we should also take into account that Hamann was never the most fleet footed but his play was intelligent and his football brain as sharp as they come .....and in the same context Gary Mac also proved a more than intelligent footballer ....
Anyway Poulson is a Liverpool player and he deserves a fair crack at it
So I think I will reserve judgement on Poulson for now .... haven't seen enough of him to truly warrant writing him off completely especially if he is used effectively when coming off the bench