11207bREdS-CLUBLOG-FutuREdS
Monday morning, and the effects of RED wine and a rare cigar fade as a smile rises through me..I recall the weekend, friday was a modest "start" playing darts @ Slobo's bar, having some fun with locals and forgeting the ladies...then an increasing "warmth" on satiurday as I travlled over the mountains and witnessed a glorious RED sunset from 1000 metres plus, the landscape was "out of this world"
...meeting Milos for the first time who gave me the perfect answer to THE
"why Lfc?"
question "because of the Supporters".....
@
the Budva Irish pub I met english Helen & 3 "Tatis" and stayed
to danced with
the nicest
one, and sang "Karaoke" with her daughter, badly but in humour and grateful
that, for
once" fear of the "stranger" was overcome, and I could sleep in their guestroom,
that sort of
hospitality is rare indeed in the Bush-inspired "global security alert"
...the media constantly seeking headlines to scare the masses with.
and I sat in the
morning sun yesterday contemplating the "battle of
Stamford bridge"
and pinned my
hopes on our REdS team overcoming the money-mad plastic rent-boy
bluesh*te ...and
travelling back to Pg, this time the mountains reflecting a sun strong
enough to tan
my skin, a quiet confidence grwe, by the time I met Veli & Janko, yeah
I was ready...and I
was confident whoever played in our RED, Kenny would make sure
that we will
fight as a TEAM for the result..
I was suprised
to be greeted by about 20 young LFC fans @ Kerber, and despite the
miserable waiter
attempting to quieten us down, the rendition of "YNWA" ..could be
heard in the
neighbourhood..incredible considering only a could spoke english with any
fluency..a tense
game, but with our boys looking the only probable winners long before Raul
took a chance that Maxi had missed, we are a TEAM, and we didnt need to
play our "ace" (Suare7) whilst the cockney blue-sh*te, wasted their " ex-number
9" ..and didnt he look uncomfortable in that cold blue colour??
So a group photo taken and the lads kindly presented me with a t-shirt,,,(thanks!)
before
we went on a pub-crawl to "show off" ...and later I kicked off any bitterness
that some "fans" want to moan about HIS departure we should be enjoying
happy
days..and
they are ..and many more to come
..last night we proved everyone wrong, its a great feeling to be part
of the BIG REDS family so, enjoy it! milk it in the face of all the
doubters , the weak and knee-jerkers ...because
WE are LIVERPOOL, the REDS are coming up the hill, boys
...........&
girs! ;)
oh....and
all those "Rafa bashers";, fickle fans,"experts" (hodgson) ex-players &
pundits..
with the "Rafa
left behind a rubbish squad" ????????????
really? well Kenny just got
them to win 4th
game on the run and four clean sheets!! ..some OTT reaction, lets move
on from bashing
Torres bit more appreciate of OUR team, Kenny and the players
PLEASE! REDMEN
TV .. so many times I said it from last summer ...bad enough they outed
Rafa, but MAD to choose hodgson over Kenny, by now we could,ve been top
..we sang "your getting sacked in the morning" to angelotti, Kennys dignity
should be applied by our supporters now, no need to abuse Torres he will
know what hes done , if we channel energy into 100% support of Kenny and
whoever he chooses for the rest of the season we may yet have an end of
season party in Dublin to remember! and a league position that will shame
all those doubters!! Read More king-kenny-dalglish-still-rules-for-lfc-as-pawn-fernando-torres-fails
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/kenny-hails-fantastic-reds
blood-red-anfield-home-could-still-be-where-the-heart-is-
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/agger-s-a-big-asset-to-reds
Danny Agger has always been a player I like to see in our Team, is doing
well now!
very interesting horoscopes this last weekend,,,,,,"In case you're surrounded by a lot of people today, you can look forward to a very harmonious day, Gemini. Your sensitivity is higher than usual, so you will be better able to understand others and be understood as well. As a result, you add another bond to your relationships, which will create happiness and joy in your heart. Social events or group activities could prove more stimulating than usual, Gemini. Discussions of every subject imaginable could take place around you, and you might have trouble deciding which ones you want to join. Your mind may be going the speed of light by the time the gathering ends. Walk home if time and weather permit. That should clear your head enough to let you sleep well."
midweek LIVERPOOL 2 Meireles
& Suare7 debut goal & Andy (monster) Carroll unvelied @ Anfield
v Stoke..
suarez-exclusive-full-interview-kenny-s-crucial-role
Suarez goal ; suarez-debut-goal-video
Malcom X: "There is no better
than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its
own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time."
bREdS> to "queen Rakija of Tuzla" heavy week again...hope you are feeling better ..didnt have a sleep, had a ittle of a "sniffle" in the night, and it was maybe a good idea that todays 5-a-side game was postponed, although I am angry with the opponents (what?) ChriS being angry? ;) what a suprise, U might react! ;) ..................see letter to ELv below the kids charity have got a bit upset because I criticised them for spending too much time on bureaucracy than actually improving the street kids situation, they didnt want to let me set up an informal engliah language group, unless they controlled it , and they wouldn't let the kids come today to play footy because they are pi**ed off with me..because I told them what I think about it!
and a "REDmate" died today..Ray Osbourne, a true and
honest LFC supporter
'Shanklyboy' (*Rawk) , one of the few "originals" great respect for the
man ,although
we disagreed
on some major club issues he shall be missed! so I am gonna stay in tonight
..watch the highlights
of the game again and sream of what be again..did u really watch
all of the 4 parts
of "Potemkin league" on utube and read my blog too? I think u should
apply for the LFC supporters
committee *international section ...
p.s. we Lost
Torres and got 50 million, i lost 50 euros and made some new "REdMates"
---------------
thanks
Rafa! for so many things, not least for bringing Kenny back to Lfc!
Relevant comment and OTHERS opinion...
CS> excuse
me, Nicola, but sean invited me on the FB group "in Kenny we trust" &
made me "admin" so i am obliged to be "interested" in what people write
but even if i wasn't, if I read something i dont agree i will react, whether
U like it or not, this in the public domain so words have influence...for
me, its not only about opinion , its about mentality, and instead of enjoying
our teams success far too many fans are rubbishing a lad who gave me very
happy memories and basically its OTT!...and my names NOt andy gray,; )
btw , Sean (and adrian and many others i have argued with ) will verify,
that i will argue with anyone, man, woman, beast or.... manc,.;)
Some Liverpool fans were seen burning Torres replica shirts when news of
his
£50million transfer became known, but the player said: ``I can't
say anything bad
about (Liverpool supporters) because they made me feel really good. I understand
they
will be angry. I would like to explain to them all the reasons.'' Hinting
his discontent
dated back to the departure of other key players such as Xabi Alonso and
Javier
Mascherano, he said: “I was a Liverpool fan. When some of the players left
the club,
I couldn’t understand. They did the best for themselves and their families
and their
careers.” Torres’ commitment to the cause at Liverpool had been criticised
this season
but he said: “I never lost my ambition. Too many people are talking about
that -
that’s just opinions. I was playing out of form for a month.” Read
More
fernando-torres-i-decided-to-leave-liverpool-fc-midway-through-jan
http://raddly.wordpress.com/2011/02/01/farewell-el-nino/
Quote
from: ThePrufeshanul>posted in another thread
Some people are still asking why Chelsea, why now? Its quite straightforward
and explains
Torres's slightly odd statemnt when he was encouraging the club to negotiate
with Chelsea
and make the right decision for BOTH the player and the club.
First of all you have to
accept the fact that, in professional footballing terms, Torres HAD to
move on. A striker
relying heavily on pace, he has 24 months left at peak condition and it
would almost
certainly take longer to turn
round the club after the disaster of H&G&P. Torres came back from
the World Cup with a winners medal to add to his European championship
medal. The rest of his teammates feted as the best in the world all playing
for top clubs and in the top competitions, two of them soon to be nominated
for the balon d'or alongside Messi. For Torres
to have any hope of playing in that team there is simply no way he could
afford to be out of the Champions League next season, regressing as astriker
under Hodgson, involved in a relegatiuon fight then have a new manager
come in who (according to all rules of football logic) would require a
transition period before getting back to the top flight.
A contract is a two way thing and this is not the club that Torres had
signed up to when he left his boyhood club. He only signed for us because
we promised him the opportunities to compete for top honours and we failed,
as a club, on our side of the bargain. Surely nobody thinks he would have
left had we been challenging for the title and in Europe?
And its easy to say 'give the club a chance'. He did. Again and again -
and promises were broken to him by our club. Its easy to gamble with other
people's careers but he put his career on the line when, for example, Llorente
was breathing down his neck for his starting spot.
Remember he stuck with us and gave Hodgson a chance long after most of
the
people on this forum had given up on him. So once he
had decided to go the
question was to which club and when? Under the FIFA financial fair
play rules, this is
the last eligible window for club expenses to be registered for the 2010/2011
season.
Starting from summer, transfer dealings are part of the 2011/2012 season.
From 2011/2012
clubs will be barred from Champions League and European competition if
they are
spending 35 million more than they bring in. Chelsea have already announced
a 70million
pound loss in the last year. Since they are unlikely to turn this around
very quickly, if they
went on a Summer spending splurge there is a good chance they will be banned
from
European competition. Solution?
If you have big name stars you want to sign, do it now before they go 'on
the books'
for 2011/2012. Hence they had to sign Torres and Luiz during this window.
This also
explains why Torres had to go to Chelsea - the only other club who might
have spent
big money on a striker was City who have just completed their lineup by
signing Dzeko.
The other consideration is that Chelsea desperately need to get at least
fourth place
because they will get 35 million pounds of income during next season by
qualifying for
Champions league and, crucially, this extra income gives them an extra
35 million of
leeway on what they can spend. Hence for both these
reasons it makes perfect sense
to pay over the odds now rather than wait till summer when Torres would
be much less
valuable. This also applies to us. 50 million pounds is great in
your pocket but isnt going
to score you many goals. We
know we need 4-5 players but theres no way we could spend that much in
Summer without disqualifying ourselves from European competition either.
It is therefore better to pay over the odds NOW for a big name striker
- every pound spent in January means another pound freed up to spend in
summer. And what are the rules for buying players according to Sabermetrics/Moneyball?
You decrease the impact of the premium we are forced to pay by:
1. Buying a young player 2. Proving he is
able to perform in the Premiership 3. Has personal problems
/ mental attitude that is cheap to fix if addressed in the right way ....
And hence you see we are in for Andy Carroll, Luis Suarez, Charlie Adams
and Micah Richards. AC will only get better now that he has
moved to a better, more scientific club with a higher standard of player.
the 'extra' 10 million we are paying for him is actually negligible over
the years of his contract, rise in his value, likely international status
(not many other strikers like him in England hence marketability and image
rights) effects of inflation, being able to effectively spend more this
summer and his improvement to our team in general. Remember if by some
miracle he manages to get us into 4th spot he will have paid off his entire
transfer fee for the rest of his stay here. He will have have been effectively
a free transfer.
A lot of fans were saying 'I cant believe we have spent that much on Carroll
who is
unproven' - you can now see why its a risk but a very clever and calculated
one that is
almost certain to pay off. Even finishing two places higher should bring
in an extra few
million pounds and offset the extra cost. But then I
guess a lot of fans would have said
the same thing if we had signed Shearer for a million pounds from Southhampton
at the
end of his first season (after which he hadnt scored any goals). The upshot
is we COULD
NT have had Suarez/Carroll/Torres all playing together. The deal was reached
at exactly
the right time for both Torres and LFC. NESV are
smart cookies, no? It was the right
decision all round - if Torres had left when we were offering what we had
promised him I
would agree with all the stick hes getting. But we broke our promises so
I dont. this is
NOT down to the player - its the inevitable consequence of Hicks,
Gillette and Purslow.
And by the way, can i also ask, why have Moores
and Parry managed to escape any of the
blame for selling to those idiots in the first place when a cursory examination
of their
ownership would have revealed what a disaster they were going to be? How
did Martin
Broughton, not a footballing man and with no previous ties to the club,
manage to do a
far job of finding the right owners than the supposed guardians of the
Liverpool Way?
We should thank Torres for the memories and wish him well for the future
- if you know
anyone going to the game on Sunday please ask them not to boo him - if
they want to
demonstrate, they should boo the five clowns mentioned above. -------------
Well worth a read, from Sid Lowe ; http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/sid_lowe/02/03/fernando.torres/index.html
By the time Fernando Torres
actually signed his contract with Chelsea, there were less than 15 minutes
of the transfer window remaining. The clock was ticking and when he put
pen to paper there was relief more than joy. His situation had reached
a point of no return, he was in a corner, and yet the risk of having to
return felt real. At times during deadline day on Jan. 31, Torres had doubted
the deal would go through. But a tense and difficult day -- a tense and
difficult few months -- finally ended well for Torres. He got what he wanted.
Well, sort of. This was not the way that the Spaniard had pictured it,
nor the way he planned it. He didn't want to leave this way. Under different
circumstances, he would have preferred not to leave at all. But the circumstances
were what they were. They were not good. Liverpool were not what he thought
Liverpool should be and he was not prepared to wait for them to be once
more. That, in a nutshell, is why he wanted to depart Anfield. In the end
the desire simply to leave -- and leave as soon as possible -- overshadowed
all else.
Monday was a day of helicopters, tears and arguments, with obstacles to
overcome.
With each hurdle cleared, the finishing line drew nearer. The first and
most signifi
cant, the price. Then there was the wait while Liverpool sought a replacement.
Few were
happier that Andy Carroll was joining Liverpool than the man whose No.
9 shirt he
would take. Then there were negotiations over Sunday's clash -- Liverpool
didn't want
Torres playing for Chelsea against them. Legally, that was impossible but
Liverpool
sought an informal agreement. That was the one concession they did not
get.
If Torres was in any doubt as to the way Liverpool fans will receive him
on Sunday,
confirmation came with the images breathlessly beamed live by Sky Sports
News and
reproduced in newspapers everywhere. There they were burning his shirt,
flames flickering
around that No. 9.
The burning of a shirt is perhaps the ultimate in mob cliché, a
powerful image gleefully
seized upon by hungry cameras. You almost imagine the man behind the camera
handing
over a bottle of petrol, a box of matches and the shirt. And the chance
to be on telly.
A smile and a: how about it, lads? It is also an image that is more powerful,
more
symbolic than it's real significance -- it only takes a couple of people,
after all, yet it
speaks for thousands.
While the image was manipulated, the anger and the hurt was genuine enough.
And when
Fernando Torres ill-advisedly used the phrase "big club" upon his arrival
at Stamford
Bridge, Liverpool supporters could hardly have been more annoyed, their
pride pricked.
Not least because they had elevated
him to the status of a hero. It is always the ones you love that hurt you
the most. Despite being disabused of the idea daily, despite players kissing
the badge and declaring undying love only to move on, football fans want
to believe that players are as loyal as they are. With few exceptions,
that's impossible. It is also hard to take. And yet with that phrase, Torres
had actually uttered words of truth. His truth, for sure, but a truth.
This move was not about money or betrayal. In fact, Torres himself felt
betrayed. Wrongly, perhaps, but the sense of letdown was real. The frustration
and anger had eaten at him for ages. Paradise was not what it first appeared.
He has got the move he wanted but he feels that he has lost the propaganda
battle. He has certainly come out of this as the bad guy. For Torres, this
move was about ambition and desperation. It was about Chelsea being, in
his words, a "big club" -- and a big club right now. It was about Liverpool
not being one. Not any more. And maybe not in the foreseeable future. It
was about Torres's fear that his career could slip away from him. And indeed,
if Liverpool do emerge stronger now, bolstered by the arrivals of Luis
Suárez and Carroll, it might be Torres' departure that made that
possible.
Torres knows that his connection with the Chelsea fans will not be what
it with
Liverpool. Anfield had a greater impact upon him than he could ever have
imagined
and vice versa; he was handed the kind of welcome he could only dream of.
As
his brother admitted this week, in that sense, Chelsea is different. He
did not say
"not as good" but he might as well have done. Torres knows that. He is
not lying when
he says he watched videos about Liverpool's history or when he notes a
connection
between them and his boyhood team, Atlético Madrid. When he dedicated
his
autobiography to "the best fans in the world," it was not entirely an act
of cynicism
-- even if it looks like it now.
But from Torres' point of view, the bottom line is very simple: Liverpool
are not the
club that he joined. And he is not the player. He is no longer a potential
star of 23
years; he is a World Cup winner soon to turn 27. That is in part down to
Liverpool but
he thinks he deserves better; Liverpool fans think they do too. When Torres
signed, he
was a hugely talented striker but one about whom there were significant
doubts.
Liverpool had just reached a second Champions League final in three years.
And
with Torres in the side, they would finish fourth and reach the Champions
League
semifinal. The following season they finished second in the league -- closer
to the title
than they had been in almost 20 years. Then it started to go horribly wrong.
In December 2009, Torres was already warning that the club needed significant investment. "This year should have been a turning point for us. Manchester United sold Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo, while Chelsea didn't sign anyone. We finished second last season; this season was a chance for us to do something great. But we have reached December and we're out of the Champions League, out the Carling Cup and out of the league. We have virtually no chance of winning the title now," he told the English magazine FourFourTwo. "It's frustrating. It's now the owners' turn: they have to sign players so that this does not happen again. If we want to compete with United and Chelsea we need a much, much more complete squad, we need more genuinely first class players and we can't let our best players leave." But they did leave. That warning went unheeded. The financial reality did not allow for investment. Liverpool had slipped out of contention and into debt. Spending on the squad reduced rapidly. They no longer had a Champions League place and the pessimism, even resignation, took hold. Xabi Alonso had gone. Javier Mascherano had too. Manager Rafa Benítez had gone. Some relationships had soured; in many eyes within the squad, Jaime Carragher went from inspirational defender to problem player.
Captain Steven Gerrard was frustrated and injured. Even Torres had suffered
an
injury -- an injury whose handling had also caused a degree of friction.
There was
massive uncertainty, battles between manager and board, fans up in arms.
The club
would ultimately slip into a court battle over ownership.
By
this summer, the situation was the opposite of what it had been when Torres
signed.
He had proved himself one of the best strikers in the world. Put bluntly,
the kind of player
that Chelsea thought was worth £50 million ($80M). The kind of player
that should not
have been playing in the Europa League. In his mind, his own culpability
for that was
not an issue. He had won a European Championship, scoring the winner in
the final, and
a World Cup (although that was tempered slightly by his limited role in
South Africa).
Liverpool hadn't won anything. The second best side in Europe he'd joined
were no more.
Bluntly, they weren't very good. Even more bluntly, they weren't good enough
for Torres.
When he joined Liverpool, he looked up at the Anfield club. Now, he looked
down at it
and wondered what had happened. Yes, he had embraced the club, its history,
its fans,
its culture, but he wanted to win. Desperately. He was 26 (he will be 27
in March) and he
had won nothing as a club player. Time was running away from him. He could
not see how
he would win anything with Liverpool.
Already in the summer, there had been two bids for Torres. One from Chelsea and one from Manchester City. The striker was told that he could not leave. Liverpool were in a sales process and they could not lose their key assets. There were also bids for Pepe Reina and Steven Gerrard. They, too, were told that they could not depart. Torres was told that if things did not improve, he would be allowed to go; that in return for waiting a future departure would be facilitated, if necessary. But that assurance came from Chief Executive Christian Purslow -- who no longer has that role with the club. There was no written agreement. When the sale of the club went through at the High Court in the autumn, there was hope. There was a renewed sense of collectiveness about the club but some of the players did not necessarily share that. There was also frustration, originally sparked by the utter failure of the previous owners and still simmering. And those new hopes threatened to go unfulfilled. Under Roy Hodgson, a manager whose decisions Torres and other players could not understand, things were getting even worse on the pitch. Off the pitch, Liverpool's new owners were moving slowly. Sensibly, you might say.
But for a player who wanted more,
already frustrated and irritable, already watching
time slip away, it was not enough. Torres could see no reason to say and
no one was
trying to convince him to do so. Hodgson's sacking was not enough either.
Where,
Torres asked himself, was the investment? His perspective became strikingly
short-term,
there was no patience: what, he asked, am I going to be doing for the rest
of this season?
Fighting off relegation? That's not what I signed up for.
Chelsea's bid arrived late in the winter transfer window. The fact that
Torres asked for
Liverpool to negotiate and did so late, thus making securing an alternative
harder still,
is one of the reasons why supporters have been so angry with him. But the
timing was
not really down to Torres -- and while the transfer request ultimately
was, even that is not
so clear cut as it appears.
The reason it all happened so late was simple: Chelsea feared that Manchester
City would
become involved and prompt an auction. It waited until City had signed
Edin Dzeko,
satisfying their striking needs, before making the bid. When Chelsea did,
Liverpool told
Torres. It would be naive to assume that Torres had no idea at all that
there was a bid
coming, that there had been sounding out whatsoever, no inkling of what
was being
cooked up. But he could not control it. Liverpool, for its part, could
have turned it down
flat and carried on regardless. Instead, it told the striker about the
bid. To which he said:
"OK, well let's negotiate, then."
Instead, Liverpool went public -- and it was Liverpool, not Torres or Chelsea, who went public -- to say that they had turned the offer down. In doing so, they forced Torres's hand. And rather than frightening Chelsea away for good, they also forced the price up. Torres was not sure he would get another chance to move to a club as competitive as Chelsea. He had not initially anticipated the bid this winter. Now he was being presented with an opportunity. If he turned it down, he feared being trapped. Would that train pass through the station again? If he waited until the summer and there still wasn't any optimism at Liverpool, if he had endured a mediocre season, would anyone come in for him then? Would he be stuck? Between a Champions League campaign or a relegation battle, the choice was obvious -- if shortsighted. If Alonso and Mascherano had gone, why shouldn't he? Torres had hoped for a negotiated departure. He had no interest in forcing an exit that brought flames to his shirt. Alonso remains popular. Going to Chelsea made that impossible for Torres but he hoped to be tolerated and understood.
Liverpool's owners, on the other hand, saw no reason why they should allow
him
to leave as a victim. A sale might not be a bad idea -- but on their terms.
They were
sensitive to the reaction of fans. They needed it to be clear that it was
the players'
fault, that they had had little choice but to sell, even if they wanted
to. They would
have preferred to keep him, for sure, but this was not a bad option. By
revealing
that there was a chance to leave and then taking it away, they flushed
him out.
They forced him to make the next, potentially damaging move.
That, certainly, was Torres' perception. He felt promises had been broken
about
investment and that there was little reason for optimism. There was just
inertia. He felt
that Liverpool should have convinced him to stay, enthused him with their
plans. But
they never did. Luis Suárez's arrival was viewed from the outside
as a exactly that,
as a gesture -- a symbol of the club's ambition. A way of convincing him.
But it didn't:
it was viewed by Torres merely as confirmation that they club were already
counting on
the money from his sale. That, in fact, given that he no longer appeared
committed to
the club, they didn't mind the idea of him moving on.
Make no mistake, Torres wanted that sale too and there was only one way
to make it
happen. He handed in a transfer request. The cards were on the table. Ultimately,
Torres
got what he wanted: a move to Chelsea. But so did Liverpool's owners: they
sold an
unhappy player, raised £50 million in return, and had themselves
a bad guy. They acted
quickly and effectively to replace him, reinforcing their status in the
eyes of the
supporters. For just £8
million ($13M), they looked bold and ambitious where before it had been
precisely the apparent lack of ambition and decisiveness -- or, perhaps
more accurately, economic capability -- that hastened their demise. There
were no U.S. flags burning this time as there had been under Gillet and
Hicks -- the real villains in Liverpool's recent history. Instead, there
was a Torres shirt. Fernando Torres, Liverpool's No. 9. Now Chelsea's.
It doesn't really have the same ring to it. He had become such an idol;
now he is a fallen one, loathed where once he was loved. In the end, everyone
was happy. But deep down, no one was. Edit: by VdeM (RAWK)
"What is called for is dignity. We need to set an example." Kenny Dalglish
CS> AS all of the Torres critics were not privaledged to all the goings on behind the scenes at Melwood is it really possible to make a "sky-tv analysis" to say "his actions were never entirely sincere. His deception was ALWAYS THERE lying dormant, waiting." ..its the sort of negative comment, made to big up the crtics and feed the "mob" encouraging divvies to burn LIVERPOOL shirts and post vilification of the lad on the Internet, Torres he made it clear 3 years ago that he came to LFC because a he didnt want to CARRY the team any more and win trophies , and arguably through NO FAULT of Torres we didnt ! , how much did YOU do to correct the clubs mistakes, did you investigate Hicks & co when Moores foolishly chose to sell?
did YOU publicise the "politics" going on with Parry & Purslow and the media agenda that eventually forced Rafa out, Did you point out how Broughton did virtually NOTHING all summer to find the range of investors that WERE available, not only NeSV ??
..DID you help get SOS/SHare LFC supporters ownership fund set up (that
was
"planned more than 2 years ago" did you oppose the (continued) employment
of
hodgson? did YOU highlight Lfcs broken promises to Torres during that time,
and
ever mention that TORRES could have justified leaving last summer? did
YOU know
that due to Hicks/Purslow Torres injuries were worsened last season? did
you compare
Steve's threatened departure just before the 05/06 season with Torres?
(Stevie only
wanted "comforting" ...did YOU protect Torres from the media "witch hunt"
during
his come-back from injury and suffering of the hodgson "ale house footy"
?
did you contact NESV with a campaign to remove Hodgson "after 10 games"
or
campaign for Kenny as manager from the time Rafa went? ..do you realise
Torres
contract allowed him to leave last summer?
,,,IF the answer to all of that is yes! then , and only then can you point
the finger at
Torres, who I agree went in the wrong way - but LFC did NOT treat him in
the right way
//so 3 fingers point back at those so quick to crucify a young man who
DID well for us
...and personally I resent your deliberate avoidance of our responsibility
and attempted
damage to many great memories I hace of Fernando TORRES a great talent
, probably
at his best in A LIVERPOOL shirt, he may never capture that form, a strike
has maybe
10 seasons...and Lfc may have ruined 2 of his best years! so he owes us
nothing, not least
because we just made a clear THIRTY MILLION POUNDS PROFIT...so stop moaning
and move on , support Kenny
and whoever he selects and dont rubbish current NOR past players who wore
the fanous Liverbird.! ...move on , its never right to sink to the lows
of the fans of other clubs and publicly insult our players or ex players
Kenny shows dignity and so should we, focus on the new boys, a new start
and support the team WHOever Kenny selects, lets have a positive energy
about our club and sweep away the errors of the past years..!
Read More lfc-letters-fans-voice-their-opinions-on-departure-of-fernando-torres
EL Camp>I reckon it had to happen this way. There was only one owner was so desperate as to cough up fifty million quid for a striker at the death, and had the means to do so. Don't kid yourselves; Henry, Werner, Comolli, Dalglish and Nando himself all made this decision. And Roman was the right fat cat at the right place at the right time.
Libpool's Number Nine came here
to be part of Rafa's Rojas - a team that
created two chances in three years. He didn't sign up for Roy Hodgson or
Joe Cole,
but he stayed anyway - through the wind, through the rain - until it became
obvious
that we were in good hands. He waited until we had a good manager that
we loved,
a 23 year old target with football guts like no other, and owners that
would back the
club to the hilt before he left. Why do you begrudge him the chance to
continue playing
with his generation? Do you expect a force of nature like Nando to sit
around and brood
for years, with no Spaniards around him, with no chance at the Champions
League for
two seasons, after this club decided to sack the reasons for him joining
in the first place?
No, a thousand times no. I did not expect him to stay for another minute
past making
sure we were in good hands. The system we are building is not one conducive
to Nando's
skillset, his strengths. We let the manager that got the best out of him
Walk Alone, even
as he fucking lived down the street. We must suffer the consequence of
those actions.
Spain North is no more.
Furthermore,
he helped us by giving us fifty million big ones to spend on a force of
nature,
a colossal beast of a 22 year old that will be worth the same 50m when
he reaches the age
that Nando is now. Welcome to Moneyball, lads. Don't get too attached,
and if you still
feel attached, look up the name Nomar Garciappara as it relates to NESV.
He had to go, and many slices
made up the pizza. Don't just be naive enough to think it was just Nando
being a greedy bitch, because you're selling yourself short if you think
this was only a matter of Torres wanting to go to Chelsea. This was a deal
that suited *everyone*. Evidence that does not point to the contrary:
1. He did not hand in a transfer
request when Rafa was fired, throwing the club into transition.
2. He did not hand in a transfer
request when Hodgson was appointed, and the Latins left, were hounded out,
or fired.
3. He did not hand in a transfer
request when Master Cecil was getting shafted in the transfer market by
Juventus, Fulham, Barca and Galatasaray.
4. He did not hand in a transfer
request when we were fighting relegation.
5. He did not hand in a transfer
request on the first day of the transfer window.
6. He did not hand in a transfer
request until Suarez was pretty much on the cards for a Liverpool record
fee.
What evidence are you
talking about?
//////
Quote from: Number 7
I’ve been quiet on this for a few days and I’ve finally decided to have
my say.
I won’t begrudge Torres his opportunity to win trophies. I can understand
that he is a
professional and he wishes to play at the pinnacle of the game. In the
Champions League,
challenging for the title, etc. I don’t hate him for that. He’s given us
4 years, but quite
honestly the Hodgson debacle and flirting in the relegation zone
was the nail in the coffin
for him. He knew that it could well take us 3 years to compete again and
I think he made
his mind up in November/December that if the offer came in he was off.
He probably did
get persuaded to stay in the summer by being told of promises for big spending
and
investment. Unfortunately it was never going to transpire that quickly
because of the
uncertain ownership situation at the time.
to....? where??? the
a*se: hardly big spenders these days.
barca: I thought this might have been a possibility, but then it's not
like they need him
and he could have felt he might have been spending much of his time there
on the bench.
maybe they weren't willing to splash out any further on him? real madrid:
tough one to
contemplate for an atletico hero and local boy, he'd never be forgiven
by his home fans.
man citeh: might have felt they
were a work in progress and a bit all over the shop, not a very stable
set up there with regards the manager and players coming and going. which
leaves chelsea: an established first team, possibility of trophies, and
more importantly they were willing the spend mad money on him. so it's
hard to see where else he might have gone really.
The CLUB, "SoS" stadium, Rafa & Yankers...continued!
When people talk about Anfield I wonder why there is no campaign to get funds from the state "pot" when you think about all the money that goes into "heritage" sites to restore old castles , mahors and such (which the monarchy could afford to sponsor) why isnt Anfield proposed as a heritage site, its has more local and global status than any of the others..amongst REAL people ;) what better site than Anfield represent the culture of millions and has a global interest? its the culture of the people, not the rich, should be renovated within a football quarter project for benefit of the community
Rafa (from FB)
CS>thanks Rafa! for so many things, not least for
bringing Kenny back to Lfc!
Rafael Benitez on Fernando Torres and having another spell in charge at
Liverpool FC
Nat> nightmare ! i dont care how guilty he feels he should let go
ChriS SmiTH> he made us dream Nat,
- from struggling to make europe, he took us to NO1 in the UEFA europan
ratings
- won @ Milan, Barca, Marseille, R.Madrid & the famous battering of
the mancs
- acheived the most number of points of a EPL team not to... win the League
- stood uop against fergie
- stood up for US whenno one else did
- stoof up against the yankers when they started to dismantle our club
- stood up againstslytv and theanti-lfc media
- lived LFC 24/7
- brought several people in to the accademy ; result we have a n excellent
youth team
and TWENTy-FIVE international youth players @ our club , the futuREDS!
....then theres winning the biggest final in club footbal history ; Istanbul..an
Fa Cup,
community shield and super cup ..
Nightmare?? the Nightmare was when Hicks Broughton & Purslow contrived
to
Replace Rafa with a foll called hodgson (and overlookign Kenny) NO , Rafa
was trying
to manage Lfc whilst often the only one who knew how bad things behind
the scenses
REALLY were certainly NOT a nightmare of his making,.,and those close to
anfield
know it even if theyt wont aDMIT IT,,, and ..as I said RAFA brought KENNY
back
to the club!!!!
Read More benitez-on-fernando-torres-and-having-another-spell-at-liverpool-fc
John
W Henry: Newcastle made a hell of a deal. We felt the same way (* David
Conn guardian.co.uk, Friday 4 February 2011 ) -
Liverpool's owner questions Chelsea's commitment to financial fair-play
rules and explains his desire to self-generate funds.....On the day Fernando
Torres was unveiled as a Chelsea player, Liverpool's American owner, John
Henry, has criticised Chelsea for their extravagant transfer window spending,
questioning Chelsea's commitment of Roman Abramovich's club to Uefa's financial
fair-play rules. In an interview granted exclusively to the Guardian, Henry
suggested Chelsea may be planning to "evade" the rules and called on the
governing body to ensure they are strictly followed by all clubs. The fair-play
rules, which require clubs to spend only the income they make and not rely
on subsidies from owners, come into effect from next season to 2014.
"I was surprised Monday morning to receive an offer [from Chelsea for Fernando
Torres] in that amount [£50m] at the same time they were
announcing such large losses [£71m for 2009-10]," Henry said. "The
big question is
just how effective the financial fair-play rules are going to be. Perhaps
some clubs
support the concept in order to limit the spending of other clubs, while
implementing
activities specifically designed to evade the rules they publicly support.
We can only
hope that Uefa has the ability and determination to enforce what they have
proposed."
Chelsea have insisted since signing Torres and David Luiz that they firmly
intend to
comply with financial fair play and that the £71m outlay was within
overall progress
towards cutting costs. Henry, setting out his thoughts
on Liverpool's direction almost
four months since his Fenway Sports Group bought the club by paying off
the £200m
debts Tom Hicks's and George Gillett's "leveraged" takeover had loaded
on to Liverpool,
said he is committed to the club living within its income. "We've always
spent money
we've generated rather than deficit-spending and that will be the case
in Liverpool,"
he said, referring to the group's ownership of the Boston Red Sox baseball
team. "It's up
to us to generate enough revenue to be successful over the long term. We
have not and
will not deviate from that."
That commitment to sound financial management was followed, not breached,
Henry
asserted, in the £35m Liverpool paid Newcastle United for Andy Carroll,
a fee that
astonished English football. Henry said the £35m made financial sense
because Liverpool
were only paying to Newcastle what they were to receive from Chelsea by
selling Torres,
whom they allowed to leave because he had become too evidently unhappy
at Anfield.
"The fee for
Torres was dependent on what Newcastle asked for Carroll," Henry said,
explaining that Liverpool wanted Carroll, plus £15m, to replace Torres.
Together with the £6m sale of Ryan Babel to Hoffenheim, that effectively
financed Liverpool's £22.8m signing of Luis Suárez, meaning
the club bought two strikers but net, spent almost nothing. "The negotiation
for us was simply the difference in prices paid by Chelsea and to Newcastle,"
Henry said. "Those prices could have been £35m [from Chelsea for
Torres] and £20m [to Newcastle for Carroll], 40 and 25 or 50 and
35. It was ultimately up to Newcastle how much this was all going to cost.
They [Newcastle] made a hell of a deal. We felt the same way."
Saying Kenny Dalglish has "exceeded our expectations" as the club's caretaker
manager, Henry explained that Liverpool retain ambitions to qualify for
European
competition this season, so insisted they had to sign a replacement striker,
preferably
Carroll, if Torres was to go. "We weren't going to write off Champions
League and
Europa League for the sake of someone's happiness," Henry said of Torres.
"The
striker position had to be filled, by someone who made sense for the long
term. With
about 24 hours remaining, the possibility of Andy, who was No1 on our list
of
possibilities for the summer, emerged."
Henry explained how Carroll, even at £35m, fits into FSG's philosophy,
which famously
learns from the strategy honed by Billy Beane, the general manager at baseball's
Oakland
Rangers. As described in the book Moneyball, by Michael Lewis, players
are assessed
from performance statistics, not solely by scouts rating how good they
look. Henry,
however, said this did not mean they were not prepared to spend big fees
on the right
players, as the group has done when turning the Red Sox into a World Series-winning
baseball team again.
"The
Moneyball approach is about poor decision-making in baseball, based on
anecdotal
evidence [about players' qualities] as opposed to hard, statistical evidence.
If the Red Sox
are a Moneyball team it has to be noted that we are second in spending
over the last
decade within Major League Baseball. We have been successful through spending
and
through securing and developing young players."
That, he said, will be Liverpool's two-pronged approach to rebuilding the squad, which will be financed only out of its income; he and his fellow investors in Fenway will not be pouring cash in. "We intend to get younger, deeper and play positive football. Adding two top players [Carroll and Suárez] who have just turned 22 and 24 is a good first step." Henry lavished praise on Dalglish, although he declined to say whether Dalglish is likely to be offered the job permanently. "We didn't know Kenny well prior to him coming aboard as manager," Henry said. "But he has exceeded our expectations on all fronts. It would be inappropriate to comment publicly on what happens beyond the end of this season." FSG is, Henry confirmed, studying the possibility of expanding Anfield rather than building the long-mooted new stadium on Stanley Park, a plan which he criticised. "It's not a coincidence that the last two ownership groups could not get a new stadium built," he argued pointedly. "What they proposed or hoped for just didn't make any economic sense or they would have been built. A lot of time and effort is being put into study and creatively looking at all options."
With his first, extraordinary, transfer window done, in which Liverpool
managed to
part with English football's most astonishing fee ever while spending
nothing overall,
Henry argued the new American owners' strategy, to refashion Liverpool
as a major
club, is on course. "Our goal in Liverpool is to create the kind of stability
that the Red
Sox enjoy," he said. "We are committed to building for the long term."
________________
BcR11293-11204CS>From ChriS SMITH member 970
to
Graham Smith ("SoS-SL committe")
not
on your life, graham, I know that you would get away with a lot more if
I resigned my membership, its ANY members duty to remind you whenever
YOU or any other committe member FAIL to live up to the name "SPIRIT
of SHANKLY" !!!
a)apologies for Absence , I have previous clearly stated I shall not attend
a SOS meeting
in a bar without controlled entrance/attendance (yet you expect the global
market to treat
you seriously whilst you meet in ale-house) YOU are as out of your league
as hodgson was
b)
your communications and replies from Henry are predictable you are a lawyer
represnting a "committee" not a global strategic manager/negociator and
obviously it shows..!
p.s as my recent "vote of no
confidence" in the committee has also been ignored you will again ignore
(for the third year running) my constant urges to change the style of SoS-SL
management and co-operate with E.L.S.U.N on a £"Global REDS" strategy
that someone like henry would HAVE to respect.
----- Original Message ----- From: Spirit Of Shankly To: ball_can_reds@
Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2011 6:15 PM
Subject:
Communication with John Henry / SOS AGM
Dear Member, Please view the following link detailing communication between
Spirit Of Shankly and John Henry:
http://www.spiritofshankly.com/news/Communication-with-John-Henry.html
Details of our forthcoming AGM to be held on Saturday 12th February have
been
announced and can be seen here:
http://www.spiritofshankly.com/news/Annual-General-Meeting-_
-Saturday-12th-February-2011.html
The Spirit Of Shankly podcast can now be downloaded from and subscribed
to via iTunes
Details here: http://www.spiritofshankly.com/news/SOS-Podcast,-Episode-1.html
Spirit Of Shankly
"Its for the Kids" !!!!!
ChriS
SMITH> to the social workers & "charity" people????
Dear Elv, I wrote to you & Di and all your people
weeks ago...because I , for one, dont accept that your prejudices should
mean that KIDS suffer (as when you blocked the informal english group I
proposed!!!) we ("MY club") are prepared to pay for a place
to have a FRIENDLY football game that the K-city kids could enjoy, no agenda,
no politics, no other "influence" and yes maybe they could "win" a scarf
or t-shirt, as a result..but..
a) NONE of you even had the manners to reply , despite
reminders via email, facebook and text, I got an "answer " by phoning Dijana
at the office today
b) DO the kids KNOW that you deny them FUN????
c) All I see is meetings between "social workers"
- how much effect is on improving Kids lifestyle? (and I dont mean with
money) ?
d) do you REALISE that you PUNISH the kids NOT, me,
by this negativity!
e)is this the Image YOU WANT to project to the rest
of the world, that "politics" means more than a few kids having some fun?
I have POSTPONED the match until next week, to give you and your colleague
to
re-consider, because I am NOT SURE you want me to tell UN , EU or other
delegates
to Montenegro or the various NGOs how you go about this "business" ?? you
have
another chance to do something GOOD, why not take it?
Christopher R. SMITH F.Inst D.
______________________________________________________________________
Four
Wins , four clean sheets,,
and our first new "ACE" scores within minutes of his debut..
Kenny Rules the media,
and I am MADE UP
...the "Monster" still to make a start..
Happy days...and more to come ...FuTuREdS:
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