Alex Inglethorpe must be doing something right if his young players are using phrases like 'boss' and 'sound' to show their appreciation for his coaching methods.

U21s boss Inglethorpe, who arrived from Tottenham in November 2012, has also taken to being called 'la' on occasions by some of the local boys.

In his latest Academy column, he reflects on a year on Merseyside and talks about the arrival of a trio of former Reds, who will work closely with the upcoming talent at the club's Kirkby complex...

I've been here since last November - so it's getting close to a year now and I feel as though I'm settling in.

The lads are great and they make me feel like I belong a little bit more because they're calling me 'la' on a regular basis now and they're saying my training sessions are 'sound'.

So I'm thinking that's a positive. Sessions can be 'boss' as well. 'Boss and sound' - I've been told I'm doing alright if things are heading in that direction.

In all seriousness, though, I've had a really good 10 or 11 months. It's been a pleasure to work with the players - they're very hard-working.

The biggest thing within that time has been that we've managed to reduce the age of the squad.

A lot of the boys last year were ready to go and do something else and further their careers in a different environment. So the people who are playing week in, week out now - Michael Ngoo, Dani Pacheco, Jack Robinson, Peter Gulacsi, Danny Wilson, Conor Coady and Krisztian Adorjan.

They've all moved on from the Academy and are now into a new phase of their career, which is great. It's certainly not a case of out of sight, out of mind. We speak to them regularly.

Some are experiencing something of a baptism of fire at their respective clubs as well, but that's all good experience because that's the real world. So it's all very positive.

But what it has done is create an opportunity for a much younger group to come in and earn the right to try and get a shirt in the U21s.

We've also had Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman and Rob Jones come back into the Academy to work with the lads.

This was something that Brendan discussed in the summer. We brainstormed ideas of who would be the right fit and the right type and I'm delighted to have the three of them come in.

I think all three are very honest in terms of where they are and their aspirations to progress in their coaching cycle. But they have so much to give and I think it would be a travesty to lose their knowledge from the game.

Losing them makes no sense at all. They're all local lads and they've all come through in different ways. So you've got Steve, who was a fairly late bloomer, and you have Rob, who came in via another club - a different experience that some boys here can relate to.

And then you've got Robbie, who came into the team very early and had a lot of success early on and of course his experience will be invaluable. I've found all three a pleasure to work with.

Where we'll ultimately be judged here as an Academy is not on how many people can make their debuts for the club, but how many can make 100 appearances. That's what we keep trying to reinforce to the boys.

The debut is sometimes easier to come by - an appearance in the Capital One Cup or in the Europa League. The true test is how many players we can get to make 100 appearances and not just go in and have one, two or three.

Who's going to be the next Steve McManaman or the next Steven Gerrard - can anyone become the next Liverpool icon? And I think that's a lot harder to achieve. I think we'll have to fight and work incredibly hard as a group to get players to become the mainstay of the team.

I was at Anfield for the game against Crystal Palace on Saturday and I was sat in and amongst the supporters - which is a unique opportunity.

I had Adam Morgan next to me and Ryan McLaughlin and Kris Peterson just in front. It was great because I was able to talk to them as the game went on and we had a good conversation about the game and what was happening.