'Stevie visit was massive'

It's been a hectic start to the 2011-12 season here in Kirkby and we've already had some interesting highs and lows.

The NextGen Series opener with Sporting Lisbon was a match that caught the imagination of our supporters and I suppose it was a little bit disappointing to lose it 3-0, especially with it being played at Anfield.

However, there are lots of positives we can take from the evening. You often learn more about your players in adversity and I'm sure every one of them will have taken something from playing in such a high profile encounter.

Sporting produced some fantastic football and there was an impressive fluidity about their passing game. They had a real grasp of what role each individual had to play in their team and that's something we are looking to implement here.

It turned out to be a difficult night for our lads but it's important to remember that we were facing a side from an Academy that has been working under a certain philosophy for over 15 years - we've had ours in place for just two.

We know we have made great strides in that period but we are under no illusions that there is still a lot work to be done for us to get anywhere near what we want to achieve here at Liverpool. Sporting are a good benchmark of how far we have come and how far we need to go.

Some observers might point to the fact we have just had five players called up for the England U21s as proof of how much emphasis we have now placed on developing young talent.

The boss spoke glowingly about our Academy set-up when he discussed the matter with the media in his pre-Bolton press conference and that is wonderful to hear.

He also stated that just because we've had success, it doesn't means we have to stop there and as usual he is spot on. We all know it's great news that the likes of Andre Wisdom, Jon Flanagan and Martin Kelly have joined Jordan Henderson and Jonjo Shelvey in the U21s but we'll always look to do even better as an Academy - and as a club.

Our main objective is always to develop young players capable of becoming regulars in the first-team. International recognition is great but it comes secondary to Liverpool which will ALWAYS be our priority.

That's why our staff were made up when we saw two of our scholars make further inroads into the first-team squad on Wednesday night. Jack Robbo and Flanno got another appearance under their belts and the boss has been more than satisfied with them. Knowing the two lads like I do, they will have been delighted to have completed the 90 minutes but they will also have been frustrated not to have kept a shut-out. That's the type of character we want in our young players. They are perfectionists who want to be the best and that's how it should be at this club.

There was a lot of speculation in the lead up to the game with Exeter that Raheem Sterling may have been involved too. In the end he didn't make the bench and watched the game from the stands at St James Park.

Again, it's important to illustrate just how much the experience of being in and around the squad will benefit him. He travelled with the first-team at various points last season and it's all part of the process of ensuring these players are as ready as they can be if the boss needs them.

Raheem will feature predominantly as a reserve team player this season as we continue to try and bridge the gap between the second-string and the Barclays Premier League.

I know Rodolfo Borrell and his reserve team were a little bit frustrated this week after their opening league clash with Norwich City was postponed. They wanted to give an immediate response after the Sporting loss which is a sign of how much representing Liverpool means to him and his players.

It left them with a free week leading up to the Swansea match next Wednesday so a behind closed doors friendly with Accrington Stanley's first-team was arranged.

The boss, Damien (Comolli) and Stevie G all came down to watch the lads in action which was just fantastic and we put in a good overall display that was very satisfying to see.

Seeing the first-team captain popping down to Kirkby is massive for every single one of our boys and it's great to see he still has an affection for the old place.

We've developed a good relationship with John Coleman and his Accrington staff and I know Rodolfo sees the physical test the League One side pose as the perfect way to help adjust his side to the rigours of reserve team football.

He'll be hoping to see the benefits of that encounter against Swansea before what promise to be more mouthwatering NextGen games with Molde and Wolfsburg respectively.

 Frank was speaking to Paul Hassall