I jumped off my seat when I saw Charlie Adam swing in the free-kick from which Luis Suarez scored Liverpool's first Premier League goal of the season, against Sunderland on the first day. I will be following Charlie's progress closely as the campaign goes on, because I feel proud to have played a part, however small, in that lad's career.
It was a bit weird last season, because he wanted to leave Blackpool for Liverpool in the January transfer window and it didn't happen. With hindsight, should we have sold him then? What's done is done and there's no point going over it.
The only regret I do have is that we didn't offer him – and several other lads – big, improved contracts as soon as we won promotion to the top flight. But to do that you have to be 100 per cent convinced you are going to survive. My chairman at Blackpool probably wasn't, and quite rightly didn't want to risk getting lumbered with a huge wage bill if we came back down to the Championship.
But I have nothing but admiration for Charlie. Even though he wanted to leave, from January onwards every time he put a shirt on for Blackpool he tried as hard as he could and that is all I can ask.
The difficult thing for me is that I've got to fill the void left by his departure, which is ridiculously tough. I could search the world for the next five years and not find anyone who passes a ball the way he does.
He was a big fish in a small pond with us. Now he's a tiny fish in a massive reservoir but he will learn how to deal with that. It is a big step up but I think he can do it and be a success.
Depending on the way Kenny Dalglish chooses to play, Liverpool are going to have one hell of a frightening line-up this season. When Steven Gerrard is fit and they have him, Charlie and Lucas Leiva in the middle... well, good luck to any opposing team trying to stop that lot. There is so much creativity and goals in those three alone that it doesn't bode well for the rest of the Premier League.
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