Premier League bootroom and five wishes for the new season

It would be brilliant for the Barclays Premier League if Liverpool can get back to their total football of the 1980s, playing the ball out from the back.

We loved the way Swansea played under Brendan Rodgers and compared them to Barcelona. If Liverpool can do that, it would be great for the Premier League.

It is crucial that Liverpool make a good start at West Bromwich Albiony. When a manager comes in with new  ideas, you need results early on so that everybody gets on board with the  philosophy. 

Red alert: A new era is dawning at Anfield - one that could see them rejoin the elite in the Premier League

Rodgers turned decent players into very good ones at Swansea and will want his Liverpool team to play that lovely passing football, too. 

Bringing Joe Allen across to Anfield is a big part of that. Allen is excellent at those quick five-yard passes and is always on the move, looking for the ball and then finding a team-mate. He impressed me for Great Britain in the Olympic Games.

Rodgers will also have realised that he has landed on his feet as far as his goalkeeper is concerned. Pepe Reina’s distribution is excellent and he starts a lot of Liverpool attacks, which will be key as Rodgers tries to get his players on the ball as much as possible.

TRIUMPH FOR TORRES

Fernando Torres has endured such a tough time at Chelsea but he is a player with so much talent and I want him to make the most of  it.

Didier Drogba’s departure clears the path for him to take centre stage. To get the best from him, Roberto Di Matteo needs to back him, which means picking him for important games, and also set up the team to create chances for him.  The midfielders at Di Matteo’s disposal suggest that will happen.

Torres and Juan Mata have a great understanding and Oscar, Eden Hazard and Marko Marin are all players who will get the ball into the striker on the floor.

Back on top: Torres has the chance to shine now that Drogba has left Stamford Bridge

BOOK THE BULLIES

More than ever last year creative players were picked on by the opposition, with team-mates taking it in turns to put in late tackles. Because it was a different culprit each time, they often got away with it.

Gareth Bale, in particular, was a victim. If we want flair players to excite us rather than be injured, we have to protect them. That means booking people early for cynical challenges as a deterrent. 

BETTER DEFENDING

Too often last season we saw defenders losing their man in the box and making silly errors. They need to get back to basics and remember that their priority is defending, not charging forward all the time. You don’t have to lose all creativity but responsibility comes first.

The Italians were so good at that at Euro 2012.

The midfielders need to play their part, too. Forwards such as Sergio Aguero and Javier Hernandez are as fast as Olympic sprinters over a short distance, so having to handle them one on one is an impossible job.

Teams must defend as a group and offer protection to the back four.

HOPE FOR ENGLAND

Wednesday night against Italy was full of promise for England and Roy Hodgson. But if we are to kick on as a national team, we need players to be in the starting line-ups for their clubs every week. 

Players such as James Milner, Jack Butland, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Steven Caulker, Andy Carroll, Tom Cleverley and Adam Johnson won’t improve by sitting on the bench, playing 10 minutes here and five minutes there.

Let’s hope they are given a platform to shine.

Young and old: The likes of Carroll and Johnson are England's future

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Family pushed Penn State football coach Joe Paterno to read Sandusky report

Joe Paterno had to be prodded by his family to read the grand jury report regarding Jerry Sandusky and did not understand some of its graphic terminology, according to a new book.

The book, "Paterno" by Joe Posnanski, was purchased Friday by The Associated Press in advance of its release next week.

In the book, Posnanski describes a scene at Paterno's home, two days after Sandusky had been charged with child sex abuse last November. Paterno's family and a close adviser were trying to explain to the Penn Statecoach that there was a growing sentiment Paterno must have known for years about the accusations against Sandusky.

The book quotes Paterno as shouting "I'm not omniscient!"

Paterno did not want to read the report, but family members and Penn State football communications and marketing assistant Guido D'Elia insisted that he must.

The book also indicates Paterno didn't comprehend all the terms in the report, asking his son what sodomy meant.

According to the book, later that night Paterno's son, Scott, told his mother that she should brace herself for the possibility that Joe could be fired.

Sue Paterno responded, "Scotty, that will kill him."

Paterno was fired by school trustees two days later, on Nov. 9. He died in January at age 85 of cancer.

Sandusky, Paterno's longtime defensive coordinator, is jailed and awaiting sentencing after being convicted in June on 45 criminal counts involving 10 boys.

Former Athletic director Tim Curley and now-retired school administrator Gary Schultz are awaiting trial on charges of lying to a grand jury and failing to report the abuse allegations against Sandusky.

Paterno was not charged, though the NCAA last month slammed his beloved football program with a range of tough sanctions. Among them, the Nittany Lions were forced to vacate 112 wins from 1998-2011, meaning Paterno no longer has the most coaching victories in major college football.

The penalty seemed to grow from a report commissioned by the school from former FBI directorLouis Freeh. It said Paterno, Curley, Schultz and former school president Graham Spanierconcealed allegations against Sandusky dating back to 1998. Paterno's family and the three officials have all vehemently denied the conclusions.

Paterno had granted access to Posnanski to write a biography in 2011, well before Sandusky was charged.

"Nobody would argue — and certainly my book does not argue — that the good Joe Paterno did in his life should shield him from the horrors of his mistakes," Posnanski wrote in a column for USA Today earlier this week. "Some would argue, especially in the white-hot emotion sparked by the latest revelations, that Paterno's role in the Jerry Sandusky crimes invalidates whatever good he might have done. My book does not argue that either. My book, I believe, lets the reader make up his or her own mind."

The book also details the long and frosty relationship Paterno had with Sandusky while they worked together at Penn State.

According to the book, the two were never friendly and late in Sandusky's tenure, Paterno felt the defense was not performing well and neither was Sandusky.

Paterno did not want to fire Sandusky because he was so popular in the community and with fans, according to the book. The book indicates that Sandusky showed interest in taking an early retirement in 1999, and Paterno encouraged him to do so and let his assistant know he would not be the next head coach at Penn State.

Sandusky and Curley negotiated a retirement package, and among Sandusky's demands was to stay on through the 1999 season.

The book indicates Paterno reluctantly agreed, and then regretted the decision when the team, which was considered one of the national championship favorites going into the season and reached No. 2 in the nation, lost three games late in the year with an underperforming defense.

Sandusky's early retirement at age 55 has led to speculation that a 1998 allegation by a boy against Sandusky that was never prosecuted by authorities led to Penn State quietly pushing Sandusky out.

Paterno told a grand jury he was unaware of that allegation but evidence uncovered by Freeh report investigators suggest that he did.

According to the book, Paterno, who obsessively took and kept handwritten notes, had no notes in his files that mentioned the investigation.

Hay in race for United hot seat

Danny Hay is in the running for the Waitakere United coaching spot. Photo / Getty Images

Waitakere United will appoint a new head coach this week, with former All White Danny Hay in the running.

While the other ASB Premiership teams are in full planning mode for the upcoming season, the reigning champions are still to complete their coaching roster, with former mentor Neil Emblen unwilling to give up his national team duties.

Interviews were completed last week and recommendations will be presented to the club's board tomorrow night before an offer is made to the successful candidate.

Hay, one of six New Zealanders to have played in the Premier League, currently coaches the Sacred Heart first XI and also runs the football academy at the East Auckland school. He has been at the forefront of their recent success (they won the national secondary schools tournament last year and have led the Auckland secondary schools competition for much of this season) after a previously modest history where they rarely challenged the big guns.

In recent times, Hay has also been an outspoken critic of national coach Ricki Herbert and New Zealand football in general, often going public with his concerns over the perceived lack of accountability in the sport and the playing style of the Phoenix and All Whites.

The former Leeds United man has further coaching ambitions but will need to weigh up his commitments to Sacred Heart as well as his young family - and there is no guarantee he would accept the role if it was offered.

In an about turn, Emblen is also believed to be a serious contender, having had a change of heart since returning from England last week.

Once the new coach is appointed, he will have a unusual first-up challenge, with Waitakere set to play the Tahitian national team in the first week of September. Tahiti, who won the OFC Nations Cup in June to qualify for the 2013 Confederations Cup, are building for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. The match will be played Monday, September 3, at the unlikely venue of Anderson Park, Mt Albert.

Return of English Premier League overnight

The English Premier League is back overnight. Among the 14 teams in action on day one are Aston Villa, who meet newly promoted West Ham. Villa manager Paul Lambert's embracing the challenge. "I think there's a lot of expectancy on the club it's not something I'm going to shy away from. If pressure's on to get results then that's what we'll try and do. Radio Sport will have live commentary of Liverpool against West Brom, as well at Tottenham taking on Newcastle in the early hours of tomorrow morning. Photo: Getty Images

Wellington Phoenix head to India

The Wellington Phoenix will have a full-strength squad on their pre-season tour of India, despite some initial security concerns. A 21-strong group will depart for the subcontinent today, with a game against the Newcastle Jets on the way. The squad had raised concerns over their safety, with a handful of bombs recently going off in one of the cities they'll tour. Those fears have been allayed, with all available players confirmed to travel. Mark Paston will return to New Zealand after tomorrow's game for the birth of his third child, while Vince Lia, Jimmy Downey, Dani Sanchez and Lucas Pantelis are unavailable through injury

Liverpool suffer losing start in EPL

Liverpool's Premier League campaign has got off to a terrible start with a 3-0 loss to West Brom, while Arsenal were held to a goalless draw at home against Sunderland. The opening day news was much better for Swansea and Fulham, who both won 5-0 against Queen's Park Rangers and Norwich respectively. Photo: Luis Suarez (Getty Images)

Newcastle starts season with promise

Newcastle's started their English Premier League season in promising fashion, downing Tottenham 2-1 at home. A goal to Hatem Ben Arfa 10 minutes from time broke the 1-all deadlock between the teams and consigned Andre Villas-Boas to a loss in his first league match as Spurs boss. Meanwhile, West Bromwich Albion, Swansea, West Ham and Fulham all recorded wins. Arsenal and Sunderland fought a nil-all stalemate and Reading's drawn 1-all against Stoke. Photo: Hatem Ben Arfa (Getty Images)