Qatar questions off-limits as Aldridge and Fowler come to town

Robbie Fowler and John Aldridge are in town, talking Liverpool and Ireland and what next for Caoimhín Kelleher.

They are here to mark Carlsberg’s 30-year partnership with Liverpool FC, but before the talking can begin it is pointed out by the organisers that questions on certain issues would not be welcomed and were unlikely to be answered, including the controversy surrounding the upcoming World Cup in Qatar because, presumably, it probably is the best place in the world to host the competition. Santé. Prost.

Still, the two former Liverpool strikers do not water down their opinions on Liverpool’s Premier League chances this season, both in agreement the chase is already too great.

“I think so,” says Fowler. “I mean it’s not rocket science, Man City are brilliant. They were huge favourites at the start of the season, there is a long way to go but they probably will win the league.”

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Aldridge is even more forthright. “It’s gone, hasn’t it?” he laments. “You have to win every game once we come back, more or less. City will win it, I’m pretty sure.

“We have to make sure we make top four because of how important the Champions League is to the club.”

Before, with a mischievous twinkle, he adds: “You saw what happened to Manchester United, we can’t let that happen to us. I don’t like Thursday night football!”

For Caoimhín Kelleher though, right now the chance to play first-team football any day of the week is something he would likely grab with his Velcro-like hands.

The Cork native, who will turn 24 later this month, has endured a frustrating period out injured, but he returned to action with the club’s under-21s last month as Jürgen Klopp rebuilds his game-time involvement.

Aldridge is friendly with one of Liverpool’s goalkeeping coaches, John Achterberg, and so is aware of how highly rated Kelleher is within the club.

“Oh, massively,” he says. “He’s a great talent.”

The conundrum for Kelleher is the man he is trying to dislodge from between the posts is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, 30-year-old Alisson Becker. So, at some point, Kelleher will have to stick or twist.

“I want to see him at Liverpool the rest of his life, and when Alisson is gone he progresses,” Aldridge adds. “But can he waste the next six years? It’s really tough on the lad. I’m such a massive Liverpool fan, I want him to stay, but it’s unfair on him to just play the cup games.

“You can tell he played Gaelic when he was younger, on the ball he’s Cool Hand Luke. He’s brilliant and that’s massively part of the game now, the way Liverpool and Man City play in particular.

“It’s whatever the lad wants. I’m selfish and I want him to stay at Liverpool, because he’s that good.”

During his playing days, Fowler left Liverpool due to a lack of game-time but the former England international was at a different phase of his career then than Kelleher is now.

“Caoimhín is obviously a young lad, he’s an unbelievable keeper already and he can go on to become a number one for years to come,” suggests Fowler.

“He’s probably got a small problem in terms of Alisson, who is probably the number one keeper in the world at the minute. But on the other hand he’s learning from a great goalkeeper and also Jürgen’s staff, John Achterberg and [Claudio] Taffarel who are there, so he’s getting good tuition.”

Aldridge – who scored 19 goals for Ireland – keeps an eye on how Stephen Kenny’s side are doing, but admits he doesn’t necessarily enjoy what he sees.

“I find it hard to watch it,” he states. “That’s with all due respect to the players. I get really p***ed off when we are getting beaten and we are not winning games. But we’ll just wait for something to click for us.

“You look at the group [Euro 2024] that we’ve been drawn in now. Jesus Christ, that’s the worst group you could ever get drawn in, it’s just horrendous. But it is what it is, you just have to get on with it, take every game as they come, play the players and get the experience to go again down the road.”

Not that Ireland will be hitting the road for Qatar. Indeed, none of us will be going down that road today.