Charlie Adam Exclusive Interview with OLBG🎤

Interview April 2026

What does it mean to you that Blackpool fans still talk about that Wembley free kick as one of the greatest moments they've ever experienced?

Well, you find a club where you start your career. I was very fortunate, I started at Rangers and when I left there, it was really tough to take. Then I found a home in Blackpool where I was able to go and express myself, able to be myself within the team and within the group.

I could sit here all day and say the cons of the time at that football club, washing your own kit, not having lunch at times, just all different things. But what we had was a real good team spirit, a connection with the supporters, wonderful supporters. I still live in the area now, so I get a feel for what the club is still like now and I'd love to see them back in the good days again. It's a special football club with unbelievable supporters.

They're on a good journey now, hopefully the former player remains in there and hopefully they can start to build and progress and get back into the Championship at least.

Ian Holloway was one of the great characters of the Premier League era. What was he like to work with?

Yeah, he was brilliant. A bit of a maverick in terms of management and style, but what he was, he was passionate. He helped me develop my game, helped a lot of players who had been in a tough time in different clubs, but brought us all together. He led like a proper leader. There's different ways of man management and he definitely got us on the emotional side of it.

We had so many amazing talks during the time we were together, before training, after training. He was an emotional character and we saw that. I think the football that we played at times in the Premier League was very, very good. Unfortunately for us, we couldn't see it over the line because we had plenty of chances, plenty of opportunities.

It was a real honour to captain the side in the Premier League, and to have somebody like that beside you, who would back you no matter whatever situation, he believed in us and he made us feel like we were the best players in the Premier League at the time.

You were the team from the Championship who consistently outperformed Premier League regulars that season. Did you ever feel like you were getting underestimated by the big clubs?

No, I never did. Ultimately what you do is you have to go and perform and you have to show a level of consistency in the Premier League. The first game of the season we went to Wigan and won 4-0, and I think that was a bit of a statement for everybody. We celebrated it as if we'd won the league that day, and come five o'clock we were top of the league. Then by seven o'clock we were second because Arsenal had won or somebody had won five or six nil the same day.

Then we got a reality check away at Arsenal in the second game where we lost, I think it was six nil. So that's where you go. Of course, these teams respect you and you're playing against players that are vastly experienced in the Premier League, but we had that freedom to go and play and express ourselves, make mistakes. A little bit naive at times in terms of not shutting up shop, and I think Holloway talks about that now. He wished he'd been a little bit more pragmatic and defensive at times.

But what a journey. A club like Blackpool, probably Luton as well getting up to the Premier League. Nobody expected them to be there, but getting there, going and showing some real highs and some real quality moments in that time we were there.

The year Blackpool went down, Liverpool almost signed you in January but Blackpool and Ian Holloway put a stop to it. What did that feel like at the time?

It was a huge disappointment for me in terms of personally the opportunity to go to a big club in Liverpool. I thought I had a clause in my contract where I could sign for one of the top four clubs. We thought Liverpool were a top four club. But that weekend when it came, Liverpool were actually fifth in the league and the owner of Blackpool at the time wouldn't allow me to go. It became difficult and I had a few problems trying to make it happen. Unfortunately for me it never happened in the end.

I just got my head down, kept performing. I was very lucky that Liverpool kept in contact through my agent, that they desperately wanted me to go there in the summer. My performances at the latter end of the season to try keep Blackpool up were as good as they were at the start of the season. I was disappointed for probably 24 hours because in two days' time we had a game against West Brom at home and I scored a penalty. It was just emotional to get back going again.

I was very fortunate in the end that Liverpool came back and I got that opportunity to play for such a wonderful club.

Liverpool did eventually go on to sign you. Did you have much communication with Kenny Dalglish before you got there, or did you need any convincing?

No, it didn't need convincing, but yeah, I had a couple of chats with Kenny. I actually went to his house to talk to him and had a cup of tea with him. He just explained what he wanted from me and what he felt that I would bring to the team and the group. To get the opportunity to play for such a legend in Scotland, but also for Scotland and Liverpool, was incredible. I was going into a dressing room full of real top players, world-class players.

It was a real honour to make that opportunity happen and perform to what I felt was okay at times. We were very fortunate, we won the Carabao Cup. We also got to a final of the FA Cup, which I sadly missed through injury.

Brendan Rodgers came in to replace Dalglish. Did you get the sense that when he came in, you were sort of treading water a little bit?

No, I had no sense of it, no feeling that I was going to leave the football club. There was no discussions during the summer. I trained the pre-season, played, actually played in a European game against Hearts at Tynecastle, and then probably two days later, I was told that I could leave the football club. So there was no indication during the summer or actually during the pre-season that they wanted to get rid of me.

There were discussions that obviously we were taking, and I felt that if I'd probably been a little bit more stubborn, I maybe could have, should have stayed. But I wanted to play, I wanted to go and play in the Premier League again, and I got the opportunity to join Stoke, which turned out to be an unbelievable opportunity because it's such a wonderful club and I stayed there for another seven years.

Did you ever feel that you had more to give at Anfield than you were perhaps allowed to show?

Well, of course you want to try and always do better. You want to improve, you want to get better. I played close to 40 games in my first season there. I did okay. I scored a couple of goals, had some good games. I missed a penalty at Wigan one night, which was disappointing. I think our league performances weren't good enough in that season. I think we finished seventh or eighth, which is not acceptable for Liverpool Football Club, and you understand that.

But we actually got to two major cup finals in the FA Cup and the League Cup. It wasn't, I wouldn't say it's the worst season that Liverpool have ever had.

On that note, this Liverpool team were knocked out of the Champions League last week. Do you think Arne Slot is still the right man to lead Liverpool into next season?

Well, we'll all have our opinions and that's the thing about this football game, we all have our opinion. You have to remember he is the reigning champions of England. He's come into a group off the back of a very successful manager leaving the football club. There's a lot of surroundings going on in terms of the football club this season. They spent a lot of money in terms of new players, embedding them.

Isak, big signing, but never done pre-season, has been chasing fitness for a lot of the season. Ekitike for me has probably been the standout from the new signings this year in terms of what he's done, and obviously, sadly, now he's out for a longer term. Wirtz is a young player that's come from Germany into the Premier League. It's a totally different ball game, and it takes time to settle.

Performances at times have shown moments where they're capable of being very, very good. But you've to remember, this Liverpool team are sat now seven points clear in the Champions League spots. If they can make the Champions League, of course, you're judged on winning trophies. You have to win trophies at Liverpool, we know that. But if they make the Champions League and they come through this season and they're there next year, then ultimately, why would he not be manager? There's a few grumblings from the crowd and the supporters.

We don't know what the conversations are inside the club. It's still going to be a big summer for Liverpool. Salah leaves, Konate hasn't decided to sign a new contract. Ekitike is going to be out for a long time. Robertson leaves. Kerkez and Frimpong have been two new full backs, wing backs coming into the football club. So there's so many positions now to be filled in the summer and it'll be interesting to see what they do.

As a midfielder yourself, how do you rate Liverpool's engine room this season?

Well, I do think they've all had good periods within that. For me, Liverpool were desperate to get a number six last summer and they looked for Zubimendi of Sociedad. He went to Arsenal. So then they ended up putting Gravenberch in there. He's done good. He's done some good bits. I like him higher up. I think he's fabulous at driving with the ball. He's got good athleticism.

But at the moment they couldn't find that sort of number six that they've needed and he's had to play there. Mac Allister was very good last year and he's had a tough season, which can happen. Szoboszlai has been the catalyst of that middle of the pitch and he's performed really well, but at times he's had to play right back in different positions. So there's no real continuity for him.

As a group, Liverpool have underperformed to what they feel they'll be capable of coming off the back of winning the title. But within that, individuals have not hit the heights that they know they probably could have.

Do you think there's anywhere in the midfield that could possibly be upgraded?

Everything comes down to discussions and players and what's right for the football club going forward. Over the weekend I've seen talks of Curtis Jones and possibly Alexis Mac Allister leaving the football club, but the manager has to make the decisions on what he feels is right for the group. I'm not going to say that Liverpool need to go and sign this and that because I'm not in the building. I'm just giving an opinion from the outside, which is not right.

What I will say is the players have to do better in what they're doing, and every Liverpool player at the moment will be playing for the future and that's what you'll get judged on. You'll be judged on at Liverpool every game, no matter what game it is, if it's against a Champions League team or if it's a team in the Premier League. That's one thing about opinions, they come quick and it grows arms and legs quickly as well.

Once they get to that point at the end of the season and they can get Champions League, there's obviously a World Cup, so that's an interruption for next season as well. There's a lot of business to be done and a lot of thinking to be done over the summer for Liverpool Football Club.

In terms of positions, what do you think should be the biggest priority when it does come to the summer transfer market?

Well, now it looks like they're going to have to get another number nine with Ekitike going to be long term. They need a new right winger to replace Salah. They're going to need a full back to replace Andy Robertson. If Konate goes, they need a centre back. There's four or five positions possibly needing filled here. It'll be really interesting to see what Richard Hughes and the recruitment team and the manager decide to do in the summer.

We're not privy to the conversations until they happen, but I would look at that with the players that are out of contract. That's three straight away that you have to replace, and Ekitike long term. So that's four at the moment. That could change, but yeah, that'll be a starting point, I think, for Liverpool.

The next club you went on to, Stoke, the Stoke City of Pulis, Shawcross, Delap, and Huth, that was a team that had real identity. Do you think the Premier League has lost something a little bit without teams like that?

I think you've got teams like that now. You've got your Brentfords and that are sort of that type of mould. There's different ways to win football matches. It's not all Man City, it's not all the way that they build, and Arsenal are different. You look at Arsenal now, they've had to try and adapt over the last four or five years to where they are now. They're playing a different sort of style and a different way to win football matches.

Do I like it? Absolutely. I think it's great that teams are trying different things. They're trying to get an advantage. We all don't have the best players and you have to find ways and solutions to win football matches, and you'll do it in totally different ways. That's what will bring you success. The Premier League is in a good place. There's a lot of good teams. It's very difficult to win a football match in the Premier League, but there's talent within each club. You have to just find a way of getting the best out of that talent.

Tony Pulis used you as a set-piece weapon throughout your time at Stoke. Is that where your interest in set-piece coaching came from?

Well, it gives me a little bit of an idea of what it should look like or what it might be in terms of deliveries. When I was at Everton working with that, it was more about where I try and help the lads in terms of areas to think about and visualise where they're going to put the ball. 

Ultimately, if you don't put the ball where it wants to go, then the whole thing breaks down. You can have all the best moves, you can have all the blocks. But if the ball doesn't find that area or deliver to that area on a consistent basis, not just one in every five or six, you have to be on the money quite a lot.

That's one thing why Arsenal have gone to the next level. Your Brentfords have had that. They've had real quality delivery takers over the last few years. It's something they've worked on, but again, you have to have somebody that can deliver the ball into that area.

Set piece coaching is one of the most sought after roles in football at the minute. Do you think you were a little bit ahead of the curve in terms of specialising?

I'm specialising in something I practised as a player. I always used to try and work on set plays and practice my set plays. I always did a lot of visualisation in terms of taking corners and free kicks. I always thought about things while I was driving home or watching things on TV, looking at problems I may be able to cause with deliveries in terms of going against the opposition.

They're the things that you go into as a player, but as a set-play coach, it was something different for me. It was a different role, and I just tried to put my experiences onto what it was in terms of the deliveries, the type of deliveries that they might want. There's no point in me trying to deliver an in-swinging ball if that's not what the guy on the ball wants to hit, or if he doesn't feel comfortable.

I know that Andy Carroll used to just like somebody to hang it up and he'd go and attack it. He didn't like in-swingers into the area. He'd prefer an out-swinger where he could get a run and attack it. That's just communication between players and getting that relationship in. They're the things that you have to try and work on.

David Moyes called you up almost instantly after you lost the Fleetwood job. What does that say about how he sees you as a coach?

I've known David a long time. His brother looked after me as an agent when I was a player and as a manager. I've always had a good enough relationship with him to talk to him when he was at West Ham. We live close to each other, so we'd meet up and have a coffee and discuss football, work ethic. I like to go and watch maybe two or three games a week, different levels, something that he liked to do.

I think he saw there's a real work ethic there to improve, to get better. To get that opportunity to work with him was fantastic. Even though it was for a short spell, it was something I learned a lot from, what elite coaching was, what elite management was. I'm going to take that hopefully going forward.

You started your career at Rangers. Given everything that happened to the club after you left, how do you look back on your time there?

Amazing times, amazing times. Special football club. I talk about it, I'm very fortunate to have played in an Old Firm derby. It's the best derby that I've seen, been part of. Special football club. Like I say, going back there every now and then, you smell the history, you feel it's such a big club. It's had its tough times over the years, but hopefully now it's starting to grow with the 49ers group and Andrew Cavanagh now in there.

Hopefully they can build the club back to competing again in the league, but also competing again in European football, because it has done that over the years and hopefully one day they can get back to that.

Do you think they'll be able to go on and win the league with the post-split fixtures that have been handed?

The split is difficult. Everybody has difficult fixtures and we'll see that in the next three or four weeks coming up. It's not ideal. You want to play as many home games as you can, but back-to-back away games against Celtic and Hearts will show your mentality, see where this group's at. They have momentum at the moment, which is key. Hearts have obviously been brilliant all season, top of the league.

I think Rangers have got momentum and let's say there's still going to be a couple of twists and turns from now to the end of the season.

Do you think they should sell Nicolas Raskin this summer as his price tag could be at an all-time high after the World Cup?

Well, that depends on where he was at the start of the season. It had been at a very low price in terms of his performances and what was going on with the previous manager. But Danny Rohl has managed to get him back, tuned in. For me, he's a top midfielder, can play off both feet. I like to see him higher up, he can create, but also he's good at coming in and linking the play and playing as a number six.

That'll be a big business decision if Rangers want to sell him. If they make the Champions League, it'll be easier to keep him. But if he goes to the World Cup with Belgium and does really well, then they have to probably maximise the price that they might be able to get for him.

How much do you think Rangers would be looking for if they do decide to sell?

Well, I don't know. You talk about values and that, you'll be looking at north of 20 million pounds for somebody like that if he competes at the World Cup and he plays a couple of games. If they're going to win the league and, like you say, they qualify for the Champions League, it adds value as well. So it could be a big price for Rangers to do and that's a big decision they have to make as a business as well.

A few on the league... Given the City result against Arsenal yesterday, do you think Arsenal have enough in them to go on and win the league this year?

I still do believe Arsenal have got the capabilities, but we talk about momentum and this Man City team have over the years been known for coming late. Obviously at times they've won the league with a lot of points, but this year it's neck and neck, two very good teams. Even when they're disappointed or they've been struggling, Man City, you can never rule them out, and I've said it for a number of months now.

I'm a big fan of Pep and what he does, and he's a serial champion and a serial winner. When there are moments like this, and going back to Scotland as well at the moment, Martin O'Neill is in there. He's the one that's got the experience of winning titles and he may just need that over the next five games. Man City have been over the course in distance. They've won it four times in a row. Obviously Liverpool won it last year, but they're back on it. They made a few changes in the summer and brought some talented players in, and they've got a big opportunity now to go and win the title.

Do you think it could be the beginning of the end of Mikel Arteta if they do finish this season without a single trophy given what sort of happened at the start of the year?

No, for me, Mikel, I think he's done a brilliant job at Arsenal. I think he's built it. You have to remind yourself, it's so difficult to win trophies. He's coming up against one of the best coaches that's probably ever been in the game with the best players, that have invested very, very well over the years, competed for the highest trophies. It's not easy to win. It's not easy.

You get a feeling, you'll get an understanding relationship with the board and Mikel's thinking, but no, I don't think it could be the end or should be the end for Mikel, even if he doesn't win a trophy. Of course it'll be difficult because of the position that they've been in, but no game is easy in the Premier League, whether you're playing against Man City or you're playing against Wolves, top against bottom. They're difficult matches, and Arsenal have had a tough time, which has allowed Man City to build momentum and get themselves into a position where they can go top of the league in the next few days.

Another team in North London, Tottenham. It's starting to look more and more likely each week that they might actually go down. Can you actually see it happening though?

Well, I think it's difficult. Tottenham is a wonderful football club with a brilliant stadium. For some reason, it doesn't seem to have clicked this year for them. Changing hands, bringing in Igor Tudor was difficult, similar to what Celtic did with Wilfried Nancy. It just never worked. Now they've got, for me, a top coach in Roberto De Zerbi.

But has he got the time? Has he got the players available fit to play what he wants to do? Does he have to change what he does to try and navigate his way to the end of the season? Really interesting games now for Tottenham coming up. Some tough games coming up as well. The draw at the weekend would have been a bitter blow to them against Brighton. Being ahead and losing the goal late would have dampened what they were looking for, because if they'd got three points, there would have been a big three points going forward. Obviously West Ham play Palace and there's a few big games coming up in the next few weeks as well.

What happens when a club of that size loses Premier League money? Can a stadium like that even exist in the Championship? I believe they've got the most expensive season ticket in the league, so they can't charge that when they're in Division 2.

No, they won't be able to. What will happen is player sales. They've got some good players that you'll probably be able to command big figures for and try and reinvest it that way. It's not easy. We could easily say, yeah, but they'll come straight back up. But you look at Leicester. I'm using that example because I look at Luton, who have done double back-to-back relegations. Leicester have put themselves in a tough position as well in the Championship, that they may go down again. So it's never easy, never easy when you lose a lot of your best players.

Financially for Tottenham, it would probably cost them north of 100 million if they got relegated. No Champions League football, no European football. The parachute payments of the Premier League are small compared to what they could achieve. For the business, it would be a huge blow.

Maybe it might be the opportunity to reset the football club, which would be sad, because it's a wonderful football club with terrific players and a great support. That stadium, I've never been to it, but it looks special, and you don't win football matches just because of your stadium. You have to perform at a very good level, and injuries to key players over the season, Maddison and people like that, it's been a huge blow for them.

A few questions on Scotland. The team seems to be in better shape now than your generation. There seems to be an upward momentum. Does it frustrate you a little bit that this generation has maybe what yours didn't?

No, it doesn't for me. I'm a believer in what the generations are, that you were there in that time. I was very lucky and fortunate, I made 26 appearances. Could I have had more? Yes. But this group of players that we've had over a six-year period with Steve, probably eight years maybe, Steve's been involved, it's been incredible. I look at the spirit, the team, the players. You've got some very good players competing at the highest level and they've done a wonderful job getting the national team to the major tournaments that they have, two European Championships, a World Cup finals.

Hopefully you learn from each tournament and hopefully Scotland are a better team at this World Cup than they were in the last European Championships, because it was disappointing. This group has done a remarkable job and hopefully they can have a good summer as well.

How do you see them faring at the World Cup this summer?

Well, we've not got the easiest of the groups. Haiti, Morocco and Brazil, three brilliant games for different reasons. If we can win one of the games, it might get us an opportunity to qualify for the knockout stages. So that would be great. But I think just winning a game would be the starting point. Haiti in the first game would give us a great chance at that. They're not going to be easy. So a lot of good preparation going on.

I speak to Stephen Naismith quite a bit about it and there'll be no stone unturned. They're trying their best to do the best things that they can possibly do, get a good base, and look to try and go in there with momentum. But the big thing is we need our key players fit and fresh and ready to go.

Quickfire Round

Who is the best player in the world right now?

Best player in the world right now. It's so difficult. There's a lot of young top talents at the moment. I love Lamine Yamal, the way he's playing and he's a top young player. But looking at the Premier League at the moment, I think Rayan Cherki is the one at the moment in the Premier League, a real standout talent.

I watched Dembele in the Champions League against Liverpool last week and you could see he's got real quality as well. There's a lot of young players coming through, but I don't think there's that one standout. There's maybe four or five you can put into that category.

How much would a prime Charlie Adam cost in today's game?

I wouldn't know, I don't know. Maybe 30, 40 million maybe.

Who in today's game reminds you of your own playing style?

Do you know what, I'd probably go for Granit Xhaka. Quite similar players, in terms of a nice footballer, can get round the pitch well, make things happen. Yeah, I'd probably say Granit Xhaka.

Who was the best leader you played with?

If you talk about people that can step up and make a difference, I think Steven Gerrard is the one that can pull a game from nowhere and win a game from nowhere for you. So I'd probably say him as a leader, yeah.

Who's one player you never want to face again?

One player I'd never want to face again. I say these a lot, I'm very fortunate, I played against some of the best players in Europe at the time, Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets. If I had to pick one, I'd probably say Yaya Toure would be somebody that's very, very difficult to play against.

Who was the most underrated player you played with?

I'd probably say Glenn Whelan, somebody like that, who just went about his business and connected the team really well. He was probably in that Stoke team, when he never played we sort of lost a little bit of that glue in the middle of the pitch.

Who's one player you wish you'd played with?

From when I was playing onwards, from Anfield, I'd probably go David Silva or Kevin De Bruyne, one of those two.

Who was the biggest joker in the dressing room you were in as a player?

I like to have a laugh and a joke. But I'd probably say Stoke. There were a lot of lads, Jon Walters and people like that, Crouchy, we'd have a good laugh and a joke. Marko Arnautovic as well, he was one that would be trying things and doing things as well.

Who was the most and least stylish teammate you ever had?

I'd say Glen Johnson was always the best-dressed. He looked immaculate every single day when he was with us. 

Some of the foreign boys at Stoke, some of the stuff that they would wear was a little bit different, but that's the way the style would be. Philipp Wollscheid, some of his clobber was terrible. So yeah, I'd probably go for someone like that.