Rickie Lambert (Liverpool -> West Brom)

BOOOOOOM

Thought he had an excellent game too. Can not wait to see him in our team next season.

Good goal tonight. Wasn't an easy one by any means, lots of players would have smashed it over or wide.

Didn't catch much of the England game, but from what I saw Lambert played well. Held up the ball and made some good passes. Missed the goal, but I will no doubt see it later.

 

Didn't catch much of the England game, but from what I saw Lambert played well. Held up the ball and made some good passes. Missed the goal, but I will no doubt see it later.

 

Here you go pal

Ecuador vs England 1-2 Rickie Lambert Goal 04/06/2014

Here you go pal

Ecuador vs England 1-2 Rickie Lambert Goal 04/06/2014

Thanks!

I don't know what his southampton song was but...... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFrmapGCuhs  surely?

This transfer feels unreal to me.

I must admit, whilst I love LFC - my first club is Bristol Rovers. We were just relegated to the Conference for the first time in our history - we haven't got much to cheer about.

We signed Rickie Lambert from Rochdale for £200k, and he took us up to League One. He actually only scored about 9 that season, but played a big part.

The following season, wow did he improve. He was scoring for fun, and he was a fans favorite. It was clear he could play at a higher level, but as his age, it may have been too late. Alas, Southampton came in for him, and we sold him for the bargain price of £1m - horribly undervalued for what he offered.

Whilst Rickie may be a big lad, and many think he's a target man, he offers so much more. His curling 'finesse' shots are among the best i've seen... his creativity/range of passing is sublime. He offers so much to the team and I can see Suarez and Sturridge feeding off him. Mark my words, if he had come off the bench against Chelsea last season - he'd have provided the chance to get the equalizer. His heading is f*cking top class too.

For anyone interested... here is without doubt the best Bristol Rovers goal i've seen since I got a season ticket - from Lambo. Rickie Lambert's wondergoal vs Luton Town You can also find a tribute to his time at Rovers (THE GAS) here: Rickie Lambert

It fills me with pride in some strange way that he is now where he deserves to be. At Englands best club, and the one he loves so much. I got goosebumps when he scored that goal for England seconds after coming on for his debut.

Watch this space, he may be old, but he's got a few years left of improvement.

YNWA - GI (Goodnight Irene).

Very shrewd signing for the reds, consummate profressional high energy and plays hard.Great vision and durable, and wants to play foe the reds. Cant ask for anything more.

I was a bit critical at first with this signing, but if he can play for us a high standard for a couple of years the transfer could pay for itself. It's low risk in an area we need to reinforce.

Already back in training, he wasn't due back for a few days yet. Great to see he's so eager

It is all about attitude!

Rickie Lambert's wondergoal vs Luton Town

Who needs Suarez?

Already back in training, he wasn't due back for a few days yet. Great to see he's so eager

Good lad 

Good lad 

There is a guy with an X-factor Deb....People may look at him and mock the transfer..I see a guy that would literally run thru the proverbial brick wall and potentially have a huge impact.

According to many on here we should be looking at a "higher quality" player but I'm excited to see what he's going to bring.

There is a guy with an X-factor Deb....People may look at him and mock the transfer..I see a guy that would literally run thru the proverbial brick wall and potentially have a huge impact.

Couldn't agree more AZ but it is a fairytale for him.  He probably turned up early just to make sure he'd actually signed for us and wasn't dreaming.

Thought the same when I read he had turned up 2 days earlier than expected to start his preseason training.
Love that kind of attitude.
Just the sort of dedication to the club and to his own condition that we need across the squad.

According to Facebook:

#‎LFC‬ have confirmed summer signing Rickie Lambert has been allocated the No.9 jersey for the new season.

Thought the same when I read he had turned up 2 days earlier than expected to start his preseason training.
Love that kind of attitude.
Just the sort of dedication to the club and to his own condition that we need across the squad.

Unlike a Balotelli who was busy pointing guns at people over the internet. Unrelated I know, I sense some important goals in the big games in Lambert's future.

Looking forward to watching Rickies debut! Got a feeling he's gonna play an important role this season

Our new #9

Good read on our new #9

Rickie Lambert insists there was no sentiment in Liverpool move... Brendan Rodgers bought him to do a job on the pitch

By Dominic King

Published: 17:46 EST, 22 July 2014 | Updated: 17:47 EST, 22 July 2014

Rickie Lambert has been holding court for eight minutes, discussing how his dreams have been made real, when he makes a conscious decision.

His £4m move from Southampton to Liverpool has been one of the stories of the summer, given it provided an unexpected opportunity for him to return to where it all began; the romance of a journey that began with heartbreak 17 years earlier coming full circle was there for all to see.

Lambert is beaming as he sits in a meeting room in the plush Four Seasons Hotel, Liverpool’s base here in Boston, talking about how he is settling in when, in a flash, his tone changes and he takes a pin to the nostalgia and sentiment that has surrounded him.


‘I know a lot of Liverpool fans like the idea of signing a Scouser and a Liverpudlian but the move had no sentiment about it,’ said Lambert, who has been entrusted with iconic No 9 shirt. ‘Football has no place for sentimental things. It’s about what I do on the pitch, it’s as simple as that.

‘It’s a good story and I’m happy talking about it but the time has gone past that now. The first game of the season is coming and believe me when I say it that is all I am focusing on. I want to get myself in the best shape possible. I know when I am fully fit, that is when you will see the best of me.

‘There are more signings to come, which is great for the club, but there is already a great squad here. You see the depth and quality and with a couple more signings, we are only going to be stronger.’

His words are as timely as they are wise. While it is clear the emotion surrounding this transfer is far removed from the vast majority of other deals, Lambert is smart to point out Brendan Rodgers did not sign him to be an on-field cheerleader - he was brought in to make a difference.

This, after all, will be a hectic season for Liverpool, one that sees them return to the Champions League for the first time since 2009, and expectation will abound after they came within two points of winning the Barclays Premier League and Rodgers simply cannot afford to carry passengers.

Determined characters like Lambert are what he needs. Those traits have been present ever since he was released by then Academy Director Steve Heighway in 1997, enabling him to climb the football pyramid, from the days when he was working in a beetroot factory to subside his fledgling career.

‘I’ll be honest - my career has been so long and been down so many different roads, I would be lying if I said that I had it in the back of my mind that I would ever return,’ said Lambert, who has played for, among others, Blackpool, Macclesfield and Bristol Rovers.

'It wasn’t a shock when I got released. I wasn’t one of the better ones in my group (Steven Warnock and Kevin Nolan were peers). I had only just been kept on six months earlier. I knew I was having to prove my place and keep working, so it didn’t really come as a surprise when they let me go.

‘When I look back, it was probably silly how much it hurt me because I was absolutely devastated. I was 15 and it felt like the end of the world. It was as simple as that.

‘I’m 32 so the days of just being happy when I’m playing have gone. I’m looking at the bigger picture. It’s whatever is best for the club. Of course I don’t want to be on the bench and not play games but as long as I can see the manager appreciates me and my ability then I’m happy to do whatever.

‘I didn’t ask for any number. I was happy to be given any number. It is a special number and I was made up when they said you’re number 9. That [points to LFC badge] is what means the most to me. Any number with that on, I’ll be happy with it.’

With that, the beaming smile returns. Lambert will take another step towards gaining full fitness when Liverpool face Roma in the early hours of Thursday morning in Fenway Park and there is no doubt the enthusiasm he has for the club will improve his chances of seamlessly fitting in.

‘My first reaction at the time (when my agent rang) was something along the lines of “get lost”,’ said Lambert, referring to the phone call that turned his world upside down in May. ‘I didn't believe him at first. When I got out of bed properly and listened I realised it was genuine.

‘But now I have to get picked, progress with the club and impress the manager. That’s what matters. Obviously when I look back over my career I’ll never forget my time at all my clubs who mean a lot to me, but I’m thinking I have to think about what I do from now.’