We’ve all got those players who we really back, despite them perhaps not being that good, even in our own minds. Be it their media presence. Be it a particular defining moment, or goal. Be it your long-held belief that they’ll become a star, formed on the basis of a few YouTube clips you saw of them from their days playing for Genoa under 19s. Or perhaps you don’t really know why you like them. I’ve had a look at 5 players who didn’t really work out at Anfield, but whom I remember fondly.

Karl-Heinz Riedle

He was meant to be the nuts. He’d just won the Champions League with that mad Dortmund side, who Paul Lambert played for. In fact, he scored twice in the final. He’d played in major international tournaments for Germany. He looked like a cross between Tom Cruise and Action Man. He wore those plain black Reebok boots your dad always tried to make you get instead of the red ones you wanted.

He didn’t really seem to work, for whatever reason. I met Roy Evans once when he was with the Welsh National team and I’ve no idea why, but the first question I asked him was why he didn’t play Riedle more. He didn’t flinch at the leftfield opener, nor did he give me a decent reason. In my head, Riedle’s still one of my favourite Liverpool players for absolutely no reason whatsoever.

Titi Camara

You’ve gotta love Titi, haven’t you? He played with a big old smile on his face. He was a bit shite, but he went mad when he scored. He went as mad as me or you would if we won a competition and toe punted one in at Anfield. Oh & he still tweets about Liverpool as though he’s a fan.  Said before Kiev that if he got complimentary tickets through for the final that he’d give them to a proper fan because that’s what football is about. Got into politics after footy in Guinea. Had a word in Naby Keita’s ear about signing for us. Good lad.

Jari Litmanen

What a footballer.  What a touch he had. Never saw him run. Dodgy hairdo, right the way through his career. Can’t believe Mrs Litmanen let him off with that for so long. We never really got Ajax Jari (or even Barcelona Jari) at Anfield, sadly. Still loved him. Supports Liverpool, like the rest of Finland seem to.

Mark Gonzalez

Handsome little Chilean speed demon winger, who was meant to be the absolute tits when Rafa whipped him over.  I did a solid stint on YouTube checking him out & convincing everyone he was going to be unreal. Had to loan him out before he could get a work permit & then he seemed to be injured all the time when he eventually got here. I can still feel that excitement I felt about him before he’d kicked a ball for us. Old Speedy Gonzalez. My brother still mocks me for it to this day.

Vergard Heggem

Was Vergard Heggem actually any good? I can’t really remember. All I remember is liking him & putting him in my fantasy football teams, back in the days when you had to write one into the newspaper in pencil & post it off.  Imagine. Better days those, weren’t they? Still tweets about Liverpool. He was co-commentator on a stream I found for the game against Fulham in 08/09 when Benayoun scored a last-minute winner. Lost his head a bit & celebrated like a fan on the commentary did old Vergard.