 IN RECENT years, I've wondered whether playing for Liverpool has come too easy for certain players. Those who have excelled have been those who have understood what it means to play for the club, and how difficult it is to not only get into the side, but stay there. Nowadays, big clubs make major signings and it's as though the player feels he's achieved everything he wants from the game. Signing for Liverpool becomes the pinnacle of their career. They think they've proved how good they are by moving to Anfield and the task of improving and winning trophies is a bonus. That's the kind of attitude which explains why some players don't seem too bothered if the team loses, or if they're subbed or left on the bench. The great players are those who realise getting into the Liverpool side has to be the beginning of their ambitions, not the end. As a manager, you want to see your team hurt by a defeat, or upset to be left out of the team. I never like hearing players say they don't mind being part of a rotation system. I prefer it when they say they hate being left out of any game. There's a difference between accepting a manager's decision in the right way and actually agreeing with it. I'm not one of the ex-players who likes going on about the past all the time, but I do think there are general standards which applied years ago which are equally significant today. When I signed for Liverpool, I knew I still had a long way to go to get into the first team. I set myself a target of two years. When I finally got in, I never thought that was it. I realised I had to be at my best every week to stay in. If a player was left out, he feared his days were numbered. | 
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