Liverpool FC Forum

by **Ciggy** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 11:07 am

Cant post my comments on this article till after the derby, good read though.

Reborn Pennant ready to find fulfilment
Dominic Fifield
Saturday September 9, 2006
The Guardian

It may have fallen short of a truly cathartic moment, but Jermaine Pennant can pinpoint when he recognised he had been handed a second chance. He was gazing out of the window of a railway carriage, rural Cheshire skimming past in a blur, and the reflection staring back at him was soon to be that of a Liverpool player. "A lot of things went through my head on that journey," he recalled. "I thought about what lay ahead and the opportunity I had. I knew it was on my shoulders now."

Merseyside is witnessing the rebirth of an England contender. Pennant was travelling to Melwood on that July afternoon for a medical, a fee of £6.7m having been agreed with recently relegated Birmingham City to restore the winger not only to the Premiership but to a club expected to challenge. At Goodison Park this lunchtime, the home supporters will be all too quick to remind the No16 careering up and down the visitors' right flank of where he's been. Yet it is where he could now be going which will keep Pennant's mind fully focused.

First glance would suggest his is a story of unfulfilled potential, of a youngster who buckled under the crippling weight of colossal expectation, with that pressure prompting frustration and the propensity to self-destruct which ultimately saw him jailed for 30 days for drink-driving offences last year. The 23-year-old sees it differently. It is seven years since he swapped Notts County's junior set-up for Arsenal a week before his 16th birthday for an eye-catching £2m but, if Highbury only witnessed glimpses of his talent, he subsequently did enough in 19 months on the wing at Birmingham to return to one of the country's elite clubs.

Not many players have a chance to excel at two of the country's established top-four teams. "I know things didn't work out at Arsenal but then I went to Birmingham, and now I'm here, so I must have fulfilled some of the expectations along the way," he said, his upbeat mood briefly piqued.

"Liverpool don't buy average players or players they're not too sure about. They only buy great players, good players who they know can do a job. So, for them to buy me from Birmingham, I must have done something right.

"The expectation means nothing to me, actually. All I want to do is play football. I got that chance at Birmingham, playing week in, week out. I just want to do well for the club and for myself, to progress my career. Next stop, England. Obviously, Liverpool believe in my ability. A lot of other people do as well. To get another chance at another great club is brilliant. I'm going to give it my all and see where it goes."

It appears it could go far. Pennant's innate ability has never been in doubt. Arsène Wenger saw it in the teenager he watched score a breathtaking 11-minute hat-trick on his first Premiership start, against Southampton in May 2003. Yet, for all the youngster's genius on the pitch, his ill-discipline off it - whether it was curfew-breaking, poor time-keeping or the serious driving offence - eventually left his manager exasperated.

Loan spells at Leeds and Birmingham followed before City recruited him permanently. They offered him the real second chance, standing by him through his personal crisis, and the player recognises the part they played in his rejuvenation. Neither should his impact be ignored: Pennant was the Premiership's most prolific crosser last season.

Yet it was still with a certain glee that he returned to the dressing room at City's Wast Hills training complex between a double pre-season session this summer to find his mobile phone trilling. His agent, Sky Andrew, had confirmation of Liverpool's acceptable bid. "I just started jumping around the changing room with all my team-mates all really ****ed off because they had to go back out," he said. "The boss [Steve Bruce] pulled me, [the chief executive] Karen Brady too, and I had this big grin on my face as I thanked them for everything they'd done for me." His team-mates were rather more blunt. "David Dunn basically called me a jammy so-and-so. That's the polite version, anyway."

Pennant has offered balance, pace and bite to Liverpool's new offensive outlook, a side which was happiest in defensive suffocation last term now propelled down either flank by the exuberance of an English hopeful and the Chilean Mark González. Pennant has thrived. The England coach, Steve McClaren, watched his debut against Maccabi Haifa. He will have seen his excellent contributions in the wins against Chelsea and West Ham, and noted the fine cross converted by Peter Crouch in the return European tie in Kiev. The 204th Merseyside derby offers a tempestuous occasion in which to excel.

"The England manager might be watching regularly so, if I do perform, it's only going to benefit me and the side," he added. "If you're doing well playing at Liverpool, you can play anywhere, in any team, and I want to be a part of an international side. I know I'll get my chance to prove myself here. People wondered whether I'd get this second chance, but I knew I could play at a big club, on a big stage, and do well. I knew it would come eventually, but I just didn't know it would be with Liverpool.

"It's Rafael Benítez who's given me this opportunity. I played in the League Cup against Liverpool last season [the visitors won 7-0 at St Andrew's], not a good game but I can take the positives from it now. I did well that night - we did get battered - but maybe he looked at me and thought: 'That's a good attitude, there.' I've really taken to him now. He's a tactical genius, he helps you out on and off the pitch, talking to you. He doesn't just single out the star players or foreign players. He speaks to everyone, the whole team. It's like a big family.

"I'll definitely score more goals playing under him. He's always telling me to get in the box, track inside, things that other managers have told me not to do. He's added two wingers and now they've got that the balance is good, and the squad's brilliant." So, too, are the prospects of the youngster on the right flank. Expectation is growing again, and this time he may just take it in his stride.

by **66-1112520797** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 11:22 am

Thats a good read, at the sound of being pesimistic I prefer it when a player talks about making Liverpool great again and how hard he's willing to work. I dont really take to the " England career " thing too much. Of course everyone wants to play for there country, but TBH I rather him submerge his conversation in and around Liverpool. A bit like Kuyt I suppose, of course their two different personalities

But Pennant has certainly got his chance again, if this goes t.its up I think his international and national career will go off the track for the very last time. I did recall you saying Ciggy he lives above a bar or something, those temptations shouldnt be around him really. I just hope he knuckle's down and keeps himself out of trouble because he is a cracking little player and has the potential to do well for this club.

by **Cool Hand Luke** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 2:34 pm

From the official website:

"I'll definitely score more goals playing under him. Every training session, every game, he's always telling me to get in the box, to track inside. He's telling me to do things that other managers have told me not to do.

"He has set me a target of 10 goals his year which I've got to try to achieve."

These are exactly the things I was talking about when I said Pennant has limitations to his game. Rafa thinks he can work on him and take him up a level, but Im still not convinced.

by **MASTER** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 12:16 pm

let's just give him a full season and if he can play well we should praise him.
but if he sinks into old habits then we should sell him if we can.
then bring in routledge from spurs

by **SouthCoastShankly** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 12:22 pm

MASTER wrote:let's just give him a full season and if he can play well we should praise him.
but if he sinks into old habits then we should sell him if we can.
then bring in routledge from spurs

idiot

by **Ciggy** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:13 am

Someone said he has a hamstring injury, anyone know how long he will be out for if this is true?

by **nmcrae** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:14 am

btw, anyone know where you can see the alonso goal from last night?

by **anti-hero** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:16 am

Its called YouTube dude.

Get with the times.

by **account deleted by request** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:17 am

nmcrae wrote:btw, anyone know where you can see the alonso goal from last night?

Alonso's goal

by **nmcrae** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:58 am

wow! Im looking forward to my first trip to liverpool this weekend!!!!!!!!! :blues:

by **bigxchris** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:58 am

Ciggy wrote:Someone said he has a hamstring injury, anyone know how long he will be out for if this is true?

Just checked out the Physio Room website and he isnt listed on there as being injured at the moment (the site was updated on the 20th).

by **Ciggy** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 10:26 am

bigxchris wrote:Just checked out the Physio Room website and he isnt listed on there as being injured at the moment (the site was updated on the 20th).

Cheers mate, maybe he was just rested but St said he had a hamstring injury?
Maybe just a knock.

by **bigxchris** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 10:34 am

Yeah, I would be suprised if he wasnt on the bench for the Spurs game.

Enjoying watching him play at the moment, he is linking up with Finnan well and his crosses are getting a little more accurate. But I would like to see him running in to the box alot more, with his pace and ball control he could create so much trouble for defenders.

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