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When Rickie Lambert signed for Liverpool at the beginning of June it was hailed as the feel-good story of the summer.

It was the fairytale of a boyhood Red, who had worked his way back up from the bottom, returning home to the club that had rejected him as a teenager.

Lambert’s fall and rise is uplifting and inspirational and signing a two-year deal at Anfield brought a smile to football fans across the country who could see that, finally, his dreams were coming true.

Yet, with the 32-year-old having not even played a competitive game for Liverpool, the story has gone sour for some.

After up and down displays for the Reds in pre-season, sections of the support are starting to question why he was brought here.

But some serious perspective is required.

When Lambert put pen to paper, Liverpool was a different place.

Ahead of schedule, Brendan Rodgers had got the club back into the Champions League while Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge had combined to form the Premier League’s most lethal attack as the Reds came agonisingly close to ending their 24-year wait for the title.

Liverpool went off into the summer hopeful of building on the progress of last season and before the players flew out for the World Cup, Rodgers wrapped up the signing of Lambert.

Liverpool now had their formidable SAS as first choice, Lambert as back up and Fabio Borini having returned from a season out on loan at Sunderland and ready to prove a point.

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The acquisition of another forward was not ruled out either.

Lambert was brought in to the club for his dead-ball qualities, his obvious character and desire but mainly as an alternative to Suarez and Sturridge.

Someone to help Liverpool mix it up when opposition defences were proving stubborn.

Nobody, not even Lambert, assumed he was brought in as first choice.

A shrewd move, Rodgers was told, and £4m was small change for a player that would give every last ounce to the cause, the manager was reminded.

Fast forward two months and people are now telling Rodgers he has wasted his money and that Lambert isn’t good enough.

Rubbish.

The landscape at Anfield has changed dramatically since he signed and Lambert is being judged unfairly.

Suarez has gone, leaving a gaping big hole in the attack and it is one, so far, Liverpool have been unable to fill.

In truth, they may never, yet Lambert, in some quarters, is being seen as the Uruguayan’s direct replacement.

Their striking woes have been compounded with the injuries to Daniel Sturridge although the manager expects the England international to be fit for Southampton a week tomorrow.

And with Borini injured – and possibly on his way out of the club – Lambert was the only one left. All of a sudden the spotlight has fallen on him and with it all of the knee-jerk reactions – both good and bad – have come flooding in.

A few below par performances in ultimately meaningless friendlies and all of a sudden Lambert is not up to the task.

The fickleness of football never ceases to amaze.

Liverpool, hopefully, will land that big name striker before the close of the transfer window to play alongside Sturridge.

And when they do, the undue criticism of Lambert will wash away into the Mersey.

*Reds analysis from back in June: Why signing Rickie Lambert makes sense to both the heart and the head.