Blog: Why Lambert is perfect fit for LFC

"Our criteria that we look for is players with strong technique and football intelligence.

"They need to mentally have the attitude and the capacity to learn. And they have to be hungry to fight for every ball in training and in matches."

That was Brendan Rodgers' response when quizzed about the qualities Liverpool will be looking for during the club's recruitment drive. Enter Rickie Lambert.

The 32-year-old encapsulates those traits expertly; he has a wealth of technical and mental experience, considers himself as a student of the game despite his age, and displays the kind of courage you'd need chapters to describe.

For 17 years, the striker has been navigating through four tiers of English football - released by his boyhood club Liverpool as a 15-year-old before also being let go by Blackpool and trialling in non-league, spells at Macclesfield, Stockport, Rochdale and Bristol Rovers followed until he settled at Southampton.

Signed in 2009 for a then-alarming £1million when the Saints were in League One, Lambert played a leading role as they rose up the ranks and recorded a place back among the elite. Supporters of the club from the south coast will attest to the fact that the fee turned out to be a steal - in the past two seasons, the only Englishmen to outscore Lambert in the Premier League have been Daniel Sturridge and Wayne Rooney - the latter only by a solitary strike.

That stat is remarkable on its own, but in the context of the forward's challenges, it represents exactly the kind of player Rodgers respects: one who understands he is the king of his destiny. It would've been easy for Lambert to quit the game after having to work at a beetroot factory in 2001, or when the £50 a week he earned at Macclesfield was only enough to cover his traveling expenses. But the cowardly route was never an option for the lifelong Red. Whenever he was faced with disappointment, Lambert dusted himself off and went again.

He learned to evolve his style and enhance his professionalism. Often erroneously thought of as just a traditional target man, Lambert is an effective creative force; only four players in the league managed to hit double figures in goals and assists last season - Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard were two of them, Rooney was another, with Liverpool's new acquisition rounding off the list.

There was just one player ahead of Lambert in carving out clear-cut opportunities, and that was Suarez, who has picked up every award going for his performances. Rodgers has long recognised Lambert's repertoire. "He's probably never got the recognition for what a really good footballer he is," the Reds boss said back in September.

"He is probably seen as a traditional big No.9, a typical British striker, but he's one of the most accomplished footballers I've seen. Look at his touch and the different types of goals he scores; he is a terrific player."

On par with the manager's appreciation for Lambert's technical abilities is his admiration for the player's steely psychology. "I think I am prepared mentally now for almost anything," Lambert told Liverpoolfc.com upon signing for the club.

"I've had a long career, I've experienced a lot - a lot of ups and downs - and I believe I am at a time in my life now where anything that happens, I can enjoy, get the most out of it and adapt to it."

Throughout Rodgers' reign, a reward for those who are willing to overcome obstacles is evident; Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling, Jon Flanagan and Joe Allen have all persisted through rough patches to thrive under the Northern Irishman. The manager himself underwent a painful seven-month period after being released from the Reading helm, and admitted that spell of struggle has heavily contributed to his current standing.

"People say what's your success? The word for me is failure," he said. "How you succeed is how you deal with failure. I could either disappear... or show character and perseverance and go again." Rodgers' words may well have come from Lambert. He will succeed as well, because he is determined to - he has been through nearly two decades of constantly defying any suggestion that he couldn't cut it.

What the 41-year-old will also value is Lambert's desire to continue crafting his characteristics. "I'm 32, but I am more eager now to learn than I ever have been," he said, when asked about working under Rodgers.

"It's never too late to learn. I've been with England for eight months and I've learned so much, as I have in my five years at Southampton."

Some have said Lambert's signing is proof that Rodgers recognises a need for plan B; however, this is myopic. It symbolises a continuation of his belief that 'if plan A doesn't work, plan B is to make a change to make plan A more effective'.

The forward fits perfectly into Liverpool's ethos, he demands the ball and as the stats have proved, is a dangerous addition to the club's attacking department.

Over the past two seasons, no player in the league has attempted more through balls than the Kirkby-born man - he is also a welcome addition as a creative weapon.

Southampton's emphasis on high-pressing and possession, as is at L4, will see Lambert acclimatise quite quickly. "I did think the two teams were similar last season in the way they played. I would like to think that has helped me - and is what will help me adapt to Liverpool's style," he agreed.

For the past 204 months, Lambert has created his own luck. When he pulls on the Liverpool shirt, with the club crest mirroring the tattoo on his shoulder, it will be a culmination of everything he has worked towards - all the best to the opposition.