Players - Charlie Adam

Charlie Adam
Birthdate: 10 December 1985
Birthplace: Dundee, Scotland
Other clubs: Rangers (2004-09), Ross County (loan 2004-05), St. Mirren (loan 2005-06), Blackpool (2009-11), Stoke City (2012-19), Reading (2019-20), Dundee (2020-22)
Signed from: Blackpool
Signed for LFC: £6.75m, 07.07.2011
International debut: 30.05.2007 vs. Austria
International caps: 26/0 (6/0 at LFC) - 05.06.2015
Liverpool debut: 13.08.2011
Last appearance: 23.08.2012
Debut goal: 27.08.2011
Last goal: 29.10.2011
Contract expiry: 31.08.2012
Win ratio: 48.65% W:18 D:10 L:9
Games/assists ratio: 6.17
Honours: League Cup 2012
Total games/goals opposite LFC: 11 / 3
League games / goals / assists: 28 / 2 / 6
Total games / goals / assists: 37 / 2 / 6

Player Profile

Adam did not become a regular in the Rangers team until the 2006/07 season but he was an immediate success, scoring 18 times from 74 competitive matches over two seasons. This success earned him a new five-year deal with Rangers in June 2007 but he failed to add to his goal tally in nine Scottish Premier League matches at the start of the 2008/09 season. Stuck on the left-wing and overweight Adam was subsequently loaned out to English Championship club Blackpool, for whom he was sent off during his debut! This lapse in discipline did not deter the Seasiders from signing him permanently the following summer. Adam quickly became a firm fans’ favourite at Blackpool who were promoted to the Premier League at the end of the 2009/10 season. He scored a crucial penalty against Nottingham Forest in the first leg of the play-off semi-final before curling a wonderful free-kick into the Cardiff City goal in the final at Wembley, Blackpool prevailing 3-2 in an entertaining match.

At the turn of the year, Blackpool looked to be in a comfortable position in the Premier League. Liverpool tried to buy 25-year-old Adam from Blackpool in the January 2011 transfer-window. Ian Holloway’s opinion at the time was that the offer was “disgraceful” for the key to Blackpool's survival. The club slid down the table with relegation confirmed on the final day of the season, despite Adam's efforts that got him nominated for Professional Footballers' Association's Player of the Year. Blackpool activated an option to extend his contract by another year, but six weeks later he had signed for Liverpool, despite Tottenham's last-ditch effort to steal him. Adam had gained a reputation as a dead-ball specialist from corners, free-kicks and penalties, even scoring direct from a corner in February 2011. Alex Ferguson's quote: "Adam's corners are worth £10 million alone," didn't ring true as he struggled to impress Liverpool fans, although he did provide a few assists. He missed a penalty at Wigan in December and put another spot-kick into orbit during the shoot-out that followed the drawn League Cup final in February. Adam played in nearly 70% of Liverpool's first-team matches in 2011/12 but his debut campaign was ended by lateral knee ligament damage suffered against QPR on 21 March 2012. Maybe Adam was not suited to life at Liverpool where he was just a small fish in a big pond compared to life at Blackpool where he had been the big fish. Adam left Liverpool for Stoke City on the last day of the 2012 summer transfer window.

Adam played in twenty-seven of Stoke's thirty-eight Premier League matches in 2012/13, scoring three times. Adam upped his total of Premier League matches to 31 in the 2013/14 season, in which he scored 7 times. He also appeared in four domestic cup-ties, scoring once. Adam made a total of 35 appearances for Stoke City in 2014/15 and scored seven goals. On the last day of the season, he scored in Stoke's 6-1 hammering of the Reds and signed a one-year contract extension in the summer. He was on the fringes of the first team in 2015-2016, making just twelve league starts but proposed loan moves during the January transfer window failed to materialise. He stayed at Stoke in 2016/17, making 17 starts and suffering the indignity of being a substituted substitute when they faced Liverpool on 8 April. After relegation in 2017/18, Adam remained at Stoke, where he had been critical about the performances of many of his teammates. He made just four Championship starts in 2018/19 and it was no surprise when he was released at the end of the season. On 22 July 2019, Adam agreed a one-year deal with Championship side Reading. Only eight of his 21 Championship appearances there were starts and in September 2020 he agreed a two year deal with his boyhood club Dundee, helping them to promotion to the Scottish Premiership in his fist season there.

After Dundee were relegated straight back to the Championship, he was released when his contract expired. Adam announced his retirement on 21st September 2022, stating his intention to go into coaching. After a year with Burnley he worked with their youth sides and was the loan manager, he was appointed as head coach of League One Fleetwood at the end of December 2023. 

Appearances per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 28 2 5 2 0 37
2011-2012 28 2 5 0 0 35
2012-2013 0 0 0 2 0 2
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps Minutes Opponent
4 304 Manchester City
3 132 Manchester United
2 180 Stoke City
2 180 Arsenal
2 172 Wolves
2 159 Sunderland
2 154 Bolton Wanderers
2 136 QPR
2 118 Tottenham
2 109 Chelsea
1 120 Cardiff City
1 90 Swansea City
1 90 Brighton & Hove Albion
1 90 Aston Villa
1 90 Norwich City
1 90 WBA
1 90 Fulham
1 90 Wigan Athletic
1 90 Hearts
1 77 Exeter City
1 69 Blackburn Rovers
1 67 Everton
1 59 Newcastle United
1 14 Gomel
Total Started/substitutions
32 Started
6 On the bench
5 Substitute
9 Substituted
Total Venue
19 Away
17 Home
1 Neutral
Total Competition
28 Premier League
5 League Cup
2 FA Cup
2 Europa League
Total W D L Win % Manager
35 16 10 9 45.7% Kenny Dalglish
2 2 0 0 100% Brendan Rodgers
Goals per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 2 0 0 0 0 2
2011-2012 2 0 0 0 0 2
2012-2013 0 0 0 0 0 0
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
Total Opponent
1 Bolton Wanderers
1 WBA
Total Started/substitutions
2 Started
0 Substitute
Total Competition
2 Premier League
Total Goal minute period
1 1-15 minutes
1 46-60 minutes
Total Goal origin
1 Open play
1 Penalty
Assists per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 6 0 0 0 0 6
2011-2012 6 0 0 0 0 6
2012-2013 0 0 0 0 0 0
A more detailed look at the player's assists
Milestone Appearances
# Date Against Stadium Competition
1 13.08.2011 Sunderland Anfield League
Milestone Goals
# Minute Date Against Stadium Competition
1 53 27.08.2011 Bolton Wanderers Anfield League
Related Articles
Liverpool need time

Liverpool Echo press report on Liverpool - Sunderland on 13.08.2011.

A detailed profile on Charlie Adam

Read Rangers regular Marc Boal's honest opinion on Adam whose progress he followed when he was at Ibrox.

The Scottish starlet whose career hit the skids... is now Mr Blackpool

By Michael Walker at the Daily Mail on 22nd January 2011

Other Clubs
Club Season Club rank League apps League goals Total apps Total goals
Rangers 2003-2004 Scotland 1 2 0 2 0
Rangers 2004-2005 Scotland 1 1 0 1 0
Ross County 2004-2005 Scotland 2 11 2 15 2
Rangers 2004-2005 Scotland 1 1 0 1 0
St. Mirren 2005-2006 Scotland 2 29 5 34 8
Rangers 2006-2007 Scotland 1 32 11 42 14
Rangers 2007-2008 Scotland 1 16 2 32 4
Rangers 2008-2009 Scotland 1 9 0 9 0
Blackpool 2008-2009 England Championship 13 2 13 2
Blackpool 2009-2010 England Championship 43 16 49 19
Blackpool 2010-2011 England Premier League 35 12 36 13
Stoke City 2012-2013 Premier League 27 3 28 3
Stoke City 2013-2014 Premier League 31 7 35 8
Stoke City 2014-2015 Premier League 29 7 35 7
Stoke City 2015-2016 Premier League 22 1 25 1
Stoke City 2016-2017 Premier League 24 1 27 1
Stoke City 2017-2018 Premier League 11 0 14 1
Stoke City 2018-2019 Championship 12 0 16 0
Reading 2019-2020 Championship 21 2 27 2
Dundee 2020-2021 Scotland 2 22 6 32 8
Dundee 2021-2022 Scotland 1 27 2 33 4
Total 418 79 506 97