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Anfield’s £7m summer signing from Blackpool has learned from the mistakes his father made as a player

The Wikipedia entry for Charlie Adam covers every personal detail and statistic to be expected for a Liverpool and Scotland international football player. The one for Charlie Sr, born in 1962, spans three sentences.

The club list reads thus: St Johnstone, Brechin City, Dundee United, Partick Thistle, Forfar Athletic, Arbroath. A hint of the former forward’s ability is that Jim McLean, hardly known for signing poor players, recruited him for a fine Dundee United side.

There is no dramatic tale of woe associated with what happened next. Rather, Adam Sr worked in a bar for years and spent Saturdays on the terraces of Dundee’s Dens Park instead of playing football. His biggest crime may have been a lack of application, a failing his son is not of a mind to repeat.

For a while, the career path of Liverpool’s £7m purchase looked ominously familiar as loan spells took him to Ross County and St Mirren as recently as 2006. What has followed is comic book material.

“I want to learn from the mistakes my dad made,” Adam says. “Whatever he didn’t achieve in football, I want to. I’ve told him that, he knows that. I wouldn’t be on the pitch as a Liverpool player if it wasn’t for him and the rest of my family; all the people who have supported me on this road, I owe them a lot.”

And what a road it has been. If this is indeed the plan, Adam is going the right way about it. Some in Scotland still looked on with disbelief as the midfielder – who was ridiculed at times when donning Rangers colours – became one of the Premier League’s key signings of the

Popular Liverpool and Rangers defender

The former Liverpool defender Avi Cohen, who has died from injuries sustained in a

• Liverpool face Sparta Prague, City get Greek side Aris
• Tough Lisbon trip for Rangers at last 32 stage

Manchester City and Liverpool have been handed favourable draws for the last-32 stage of the Europa League after the draw was made in Nyon.

Manchester City will meet the Greek side Aris Salonika over two legs in February, while Liverpool face a trip to the Czech Republic to take on Sparta Prague.

However the Scottish champions, Rangers, have a tough test against the Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon.

The draw for the last 16 was also made at the same time, with Liverpool knowing that if they get past Sparta Prague they will face the winners of the Lech Poznan v Braga tie.

Manchester City would face a long trip to either Turkey or Ukraine in the last 16 as they are scheduled to meet the winners from Besiktas agaisnt Dynamo Kiev.

And if Rangers can get past Sporting Lisbon, they will face either the French side, Lille, or Holland’s PSV Eindhoven at the last 16 stage.

Round of 32 matches to be played 17 & 24 February 2011

Napoli v Villarreal

Rangers v Sporting

Sparta Prague v Liverpool

Anderlecht v Ajax

Lech Poznan v Braga

Besiktas v Dynamo Kiev

Basle v Spartak Moscow

Young Boys v Zenit St Petersburg

Aris Salonika v Man City

PAOK Salonika v CSKA Moscow

Sevilla v FC Porto

Rubin Kazan v FC Twente

Lille v PSV

Benfica v VfB Stuttgart

BATE v PSG

FC Metalist Kharkiv v Bayer Leverkusen

Round of 16 matches to be played 10 & 17 March 2010

Benfica or VfB Stuttgart v BATE or PSG

Besiktas or Dynamo Kiev v Aris Salonika or Man City

Rubin Kazan or FC Twente v Young Boys or Zenit St Petersburg

PAOK Salonika or CSKA Moscow v Sevilla or FC Porto

Lille or PSV v Rangers or Sporting

FC Metalist Kharkiv or Bayer Leverkusen v Napoli or Villarreal

Anderlecht or Ajax v Basle or Spartak Moscow

Sparta Prague or Liverpool v Lech Poznan or Braga

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