Adam inspired by his new goals

SOCCER: EWAN MURRAYtalks to the former Rangers and Blackpool midfielder who is relishing the chance to help Liverpool end their honours drought

THE WIKIPEDIA entry for Charlie Adam covers every personal detail and statistic to be expected for a Liverpool and Scotland international football player. The one for Charlie Sr, born in 1962, spans three sentences.

The club list reads thus: St Johnstone, Brechin City, Dundee United, Partick Thistle, Forfar Athletic, Arbroath. A hint of the former forward’s ability is that Jim McLean, hardly known for signing poor players, recruited him for a fine Dundee United side.

There is no dramatic tale of woe associated with what happened next. Rather, Adam Sr worked in a bar for years and spent Saturdays on the terraces of Dundee’s Dens Park instead of playing football. His biggest crime may have been a lack of application, a failing his son is not of a mind to repeat.

For a while, the career path of Liverpool’s €8 million purchase looked ominously familiar as loan spells took him to Ross County and St Mirren as recently as 2006. What has followed is comic book material.

“I want to learn from the mistakes my dad made,” Adam says. “Whatever he didn’t achieve in football, I want to. I’ve told him that, he knows that. I wouldn’t be on the pitch as a Liverpool player if it wasn’t for him and the rest of my family; all the people who have supported me on this road, I owe them a lot.”

And what a road it has been. If this is indeed the plan, Adam is going the right away about it. Some in Scotland still look on with disbelief as the midfielder – who was ridiculed at times when donning Rangers’ colours – became one of the Premier League’s key signings of the summer.

The most commonly held sceptical thought about Adam is that he will wilt under the weight of expectation on Merseyside. That sense is endorsed by his struggles at Rangers, against the 25-year-old’s brilliant form at unfashionable Blackpool. Adam knows a famous list of Scots have starred for Liverpool; at least he need not worry about emulating anyone else who wore No 26. That shirt number, the date of the birthday of his son, Jack, is just one thing which makes Adam stand apart.

When asked why he should succeed now but not at Rangers, Adam’s reply is instant. It is also a dig at those Ibrox managers who did not appreciate his talent. “Because I am going to get an opportunity to play here. I’m going to get a fair crack of the whip here. That’s it.

“Liverpool is a massive club, one of the biggest in the world. Going to Asia in pre-season was an eye-opener, seeing not hundreds of people turning out to see us but thousands. There is pressure every day at Liverpool.

“Training, playing and being under the kind of spotlight you get at a club of this size. I am just delighted to get the opportunity to show I’m capable of handling all that.”

The move could have happened in January. The steadfast refusal of Karl Oyston to sell Adam to Liverpool in the final hours of the transfer window frustrated the player who had successfully challenged the Blackpool chairman over a bonus issue months earlier.

“I was disappointed on the day, that it never happened,” Adam admits. “But if you ask Ian Holloway or any of the Blackpool players, I never let it get to me from the first of February until the end of the season. I kept going, kept playing both to try and win as many points for Blackpool and to make sure I remained in Liverpool’s thoughts.”

There is a theory Adam knew he would end up at Anfield. The reality is different, with Adam completely unsure if Kenny Dalglish would revive his interest until another formal Liverpool move was made in early July.

“I had months of limbo, genuinely,” he says. “I thought maybe I had missed the boat; there are so many players that Liverpool could go for at any one time. If I had a bad spell, Liverpool could easily have moved on. I just count myself as fortunate that they didn’t forget about me and came back in.”

Adam’s only experiences of Dalglish had come through watching footage of the legendary former Celtic, Liverpool and Scotland striker before the pair teamed up at Anfield.

“I didn’t know much about Kenny; it was difficult for me to know because he had been out of the game for a number of years. It is just terrific for me to get the opportunity to come here and work with him. He lets the lads play, he is relaxed and is a real man-manager. To say I’ve played under a legend like Dalglish is a massive thing.”

Adam is one part of a notable summer spending spree by Dalglish. Last Saturday’s home draw with Sunderland was not the start to the Premier League campaign Liverpool sought, but there is clear optimism at a club who have been trophy-starved for longer than their status suggests they should be.

“The manager is here because, before, the team didn’t perform as well as Liverpool expect as a club. The owners have backed what the manager wants – and the supporters want – with money. I think that money has been spent wisely, on quality players.

“If we get a few good results to start the season, you never know what can happen. But there is no point in us shooting our mouths off saying we want to finish here or there. We will finish where we deserve to finish, without shouting about it. We have targets, of course we do.”

Which means? “I genuinely believe we have a squad here that’s capable of challenging. We want to get back winning things, we owe the supporters that.”

Given what he has achieved since leaving Glasgow for Lancashire, initially on loan in February 2009, it would be folly for anyone to bet against Adam achieving his next set of goals.

“I want to win trophies,” he says. “I wouldn’t have signed for Liverpool if I didn’t think I could do that here. And I watched Scott Brown win his 25th cap for Scotland against Denmark. I want to do that and more as well, win as many caps as possible for my country.”

Adam has had to dismiss an early sense of awe towards those with whom he shares a training pitch. The most endearing thing about Adam’s mindset is that he remains grounded. Far more so than many of those with just a fraction of his wealth and talent.

“When I signed, there was a bit of that (awe), but I’m used to it now. They are team-mates to me now, they are no different to me. I know some of these guys are worldwide names, but we are all the same – Liverpool players who want the best for the club.”

While Adam has his father in mind, Ian Holloway is perhaps a family member in all but name. Adam and the Blackpool manager struck up an immediate bond at Bloomfield Road and with the success of the team, Holloway and Adam became intrinsically linked.

The sad finale is that Blackpool did not secure Premier League safety before Adam departed.

“We have spoken a lot,” Adam says of his former boss. “He has a tough job given the players who have left, but he still has a good chance of bringing Blackpool back up. I’d love to see that happen.

“If you play regularly under a manager, that gives you confidence. I had that under Ian Holloway. I have great respect for him and I’d like to think I repaid his loyalty to me in some way. My move to Liverpool shows that he is a good manager. All of the players he has lost have gone back to the Premier League. He should take satisfaction from that. I know he’ll be proud of me.”

Holloway is not the only one. Adam can derive satisfaction from that.