CRAIG CHARLES INTERVIEW:

OFFICIAL LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB MAGAZINE:

VOLUME II: ISSUE: 13

Craig Charles will never forget the first time he saw Liverpool play - he ended up receiving treatment from the emergency services, at the front of the Kop!

"I was knocked out cold when we played Middlesbrough in the seventies," he says. "A big fight broke out on the pitch and all the fans on the Kop were going mad. I got knocked out, when I hit my head against one of the barriers, and ended up being passed down by the supporters to the front, where the ambulancemen were. I came round eventually and watched the rest of the match from the front of the Kop. What a debut that was for me, at Anfield!"

Fortunately though, Craig's love affair with the Reds wasn't dampened by his encounter with a Kop barrier and to this day he remains a loyal Liverpudlian. "I'm still as big a fan now, as I ever have been," he says. "Football now is like it was in the seventies. It's the 'in-thing' and people are talking about it all the time.

"Unfortunately I can't get to too many of the matches today, because I'm usually away working but it still makes my weekend if Liverpool win.

"I started watching Liverpool from the Kop, but then I moved into the Anfield Road End. In those days there was a real hooligan element in the game and the Anfield Road End wasn't a particularly nice place to be, so I soon went back into the Kop. It was safer more than anything and of course, the atmosphere was something magical. "When I do get to Anfield these days I normally go into one of the hospitality boxes and have a meal before the match. It's not the same as mixing with the crowd, but I enjoy it all the same."

Craig, 32, began supporting the Reds in the halcyon days of the seventies, and it's from that decade that he selects some of his favourite players. "Whatever happened to Peter Cormack?" he asks. "He was a really good player and someone I always enjoyed watching. Most people say Kenny Dalglish was their favourite number seven and you can't really argue with them, but Kevin Keegan was number one for me. I wish he'd come here instead of going to Newcastle, because he's a man steeped in Liverpool history and I still can't get used to him being at another club."

As far as the Liverpool team of today is concerned, Craig is in no doubt that manager Roy Evans has the club heading in the right direction. He says: "I think Roy Evans has done a brilliant job. He's turned the club round immeasurably from the mess Graeme Souness left. He comes across as a quiet man, but he has shown that he can be ruthless when he needs to be and that's the sign of a good manager. "The team at the moment are playing really well, but I'm still not sure we have the strength in depth to win the championship. I'm not convinced about Stan Collymore, even though he has played really well recently. If he can become consistent though, then there's no doubt he will be a good player for Liverpool.

"I would have liked us to sign Alan Shearer and played him up front, with Robbie Fowler with Patrik Berger operating just behind and Steve McManaman roaming all over the place. That would be enough to frighten teams into submission, before the game had even started.

"I think one of our best players this season, has been Michael Thomas. He has been brilliant so far and I'm really pleased for him. He wasn't my favourite player when he scored that goal for Arsenal which cost us the title, but he has bounced back from a couple of major injuries with Liverpool and is providing the bite we need in midfield.

"We haven't had a player in the Souness or McMahon mould for a while and Thomas could now be that man. All good sides need a powerful midfield and, while Barnes and Redknapp are class players, neither are the best tacklers in the world and I think Thomas does a great job for Liverpool.

"We have a load of defenders which is great, although I was sorry to see John Scales go, as I thought he was a good player. We have a bit of depth in midfield, but up front we are very short. If either Stan or Robbie get injured, then we are struggling.

"It may be that we are good enough to win the title this season and I'd be ecstatic if that was the case. But if we bought two or three more quality players, whether they be midfielders or strikers, then I don't think there would be a side in the land to stop us. The glory days would then definitely return".