Liverpool legends Graeme Souness and Ray Houghton have criticised Luis Suarez's reaction to Jack Rodwell's tackle in the Merseyside Derby.
Souness, who was renowned for tough tackling, said:
"I've played in Latin countries and I've worked in Latin countries and I think they, at times, can exaggerate that situation.
"I think he [Suarez] is a fabulous football player, but I think he's also a very cute player. He'll be a great asset for Liverpool, but I think yesterday he overplayed that"
Ray Houghton was a little bit more forthright with his assessment:
“He did catch Suarez but does that mean that he should have screamed at the top of his voice before he hit the ground? Probably not but that is the way football has gone unfortunately.
“If you want to stop challenges like that then we may as well go and play a different game. I don’t think it was a red card. I don’t think it was a yellow card, it was just a very good challenge".
Jaimie Kanwar
Souness, who was renowned for tough tackling, said:
"I've played in Latin countries and I've worked in Latin countries and I think they, at times, can exaggerate that situation.
"I think he [Suarez] is a fabulous football player, but I think he's also a very cute player. He'll be a great asset for Liverpool, but I think yesterday he overplayed that"
Ray Houghton was a little bit more forthright with his assessment:
“He did catch Suarez but does that mean that he should have screamed at the top of his voice before he hit the ground? Probably not but that is the way football has gone unfortunately.
“If you want to stop challenges like that then we may as well go and play a different game. I don’t think it was a red card. I don’t think it was a yellow card, it was just a very good challenge".
Jaimie Kanwar
Misleading headline, Something the s#n would write. Its hardly slamming is it, But as ever you will anything to SLAM liverpool ;)
ReplyDeleteHoughton is not a legend, Souness was fantastic, but definitely no angel. He earned more reds than he got shown. Who cares what anyone thinks. The only person who matters when it comes to comments is Dalglish.
ReplyDeletePhew ! Britain sizzles in white hot hell
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that it's the same old ex-players blurting out rubbish at the end of every match. Keep your mouths shut unless you have something positive to say.
ReplyDeleteWoaw, it's not 'slamming' as the headline suggests.!
ReplyDeleteWhy should they keep their mouths shut? They have every right to give their views, and most fans want to hear what they have to say. The idea that they only have to say positive stuff is utter nonsense - honesty is the best policy.
ReplyDeleteits hardly slamming, a headline the s#n would write, but its typical you Jamie slamming lverpool
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree with them. Love Suarez when he's on the ball, absolutely detest him when he's on the end of a challenge. Hate theatrics but it won't go away until the governing bodies actually get serious about it. Which they never will.
ReplyDeleteI also echo Jaimie's follow up comment.
liverpool has not won the premier league since graeme souness was named manager.
ReplyDeleteThis whole Saurez SAGA is incredible !!! Rodwell caught him twice !
ReplyDeleteOnce on the Shin and then on the follow through on the heel !! Yes it was not a RED but it was a foul and contact was made !
Let me kick you and see if it hurts....
Suarez has a mean streak but he does nothing different to what every modern day ST does , if anything i think he stays on his feet to often.
Lets also remember for all Suarez's apparent theatrics , there are teams that have tried to bully and kick him out of games already this season.
Souness is no angel....
What will both of them say in the event if LS got serious injury because of the tackle then?? For sure they will blame Jack Rodwell for the bad tackle.........
ReplyDeletefuck you old players you had your own share of misery during your time why then do you have to comment negatively of the players we have now imagine if someone had commented badly during your time you gotta remain silent if you dont have anything good to say..to hell and dont you accuse latin america fuck you again
ReplyDeletethats true they should remain silent if they dont have anything to say
ReplyDeleteTwo footed tackles are a send off! Graham Poll has stated that on many occasions when it has suited him! Also Atkinson was not in the right possition to determine if contact was made !
ReplyDeleteWhy? They played for the club - if anyone has any right to pass judgment it's ex-players. The idea that fans have the right to tell ex-players to shut up is just ridiculous. Houghton and Souness's comments are totally valid, and they've earned the right to have their say.
ReplyDeleteCan I just highlight that Suarez got clattered a number of times on Saturday and to his credit he jumped up and got on with the game, so I totally disagree with him being portrayed as a theatrical diver.
ReplyDeleteFact is Suarez got hit. Rodwell's knee went straight over his ankle. I'd understand it if Rodwell hadn't touched Suarez but he did. It wasn't a foul and the ref messed up royally, but it clearly hurt Suarez who hobbled around gingerly after the contact. No doubt he's not as tough as Souness would like, but then few players are.
So Suarez is a 'winker'... as I read on a site today. So?????????????? We knew right from the world cup or from his time at Ajax that here's a guy who simply hates to lose and is willing to bend the rules to do just that. Personally.. I wud rather have him on our team than on the opposing team.....He's a fighter.. thts wht the guy is... n u need characters like him in a team to egg on the team mates during times of difficulty and hardship..... someone who wears his heart on his sleeve and shows it day in day out...esp during a match in front of the ppl who pay to watch him and the others.... N u need a Gerrard to rein him in at times.. :D
ReplyDeleteOf course they can choose to say whatever they like and can choose to say negative things if they so wish. As you say, they have every right to voice their opinion. The only issue with that is that it generally has a negative effect (if anything) on the Club and its components. As ex-players, faces of the Club, and fans, my preference is that they (Souness, Houghton) only voice there opinion when it will have a positive effect for the Club and its players. Having a whine about our most effective and talented player doesn't do much to assist the momentum we are trying to build... Have a crack at our opposition if they want to be "honest".
ReplyDeleteWhen they come out with their propoganda it's far more irritating to me! Watching the muppets on LFC.tv try to convince that Meireles out wide or Skrtel at right back makes sense just because those are the decisions that the manager has made is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteHonest opinions should always be encouraged as far as I'm concerned, even if it is to disagree with the manager's choices. As long as the person can justify his argument, then let him/her have it (and not just by repeating some silly cliche but by actually putting forth an original argument)
Hodgson competed with him for the title, but seeing as we got rid of him so quickly, Souness remains the worst manager of LFC during my lifetime
ReplyDeleteI have seen Nani theatric is worse than Suarez, yet they won BPL title. So why bother about that much, worry more on how liverpool played less fluidly..
ReplyDeleteHoughton is a legend IMO. He was integral to the way the LFc dream team of 88-91 played. He's massively underrated, and it was a joy to watch him play.
ReplyDeleteIt was not a two footed tackle.
ReplyDeleteAll these legends are hypocrites ..when its an easy target they speak up...if that had been Rooney..Gerrard ...Lampard ...they would never criticise ...Then they choose their words carefully ...hypocrites
ReplyDeleteA cheat is a cheat whether Rooney or El hadj deuof
His two feet finished up together,PLAIN AS DAYLIGHT!
ReplyDelete"Keep your mouths shut unless you have something positive to say"
ReplyDelete--This 'positivity' thing is just disgusting - so if we become a team of divers, should nobody be complaining about that because that would not be something pleasing for the ear?
Suarez is easily our best player (with Gerrard absent) and has no affiliation to the club, so could just as easily move elsewhere as stick around.
ReplyDeleteWith that being said, how do you figure out that he is an easy target??
Yes he is. Great little player was Houghton. Like Kuyt with a better touch and more pace. Loved the little guy as a kid. Matter of fact that whole 87-88 team are legends. Gary Abblett included.
ReplyDeleteBeen watching the slide tackle tackle on the FA website the coach says this is a LAST DITCH TACKLE and you should stay on your feet and if you do slide in you HOOK your FOOT round the BALL get up and take the ball with you!
ReplyDeleteRefs must watch these videos and study how a tackle should be made.
Rodwell slide through the ball and in the end caught Suarez who took evaisive action(in real time the follow through looks bad) what are players supposed to do have their legs broken!
Because he's new here and also the bias against non British players comes in...to me a cheat is a cheat...when edwardo dives he should be crucified but when Lampard collapses with the oppositions shadow..what's the reaction ???
ReplyDeleteelhadj diouf spits in the direction of somebody and he should be banned from football and when Rooney elbows the Wigan guy...even the ref after viewing it still says it was just a coming together.
Souness sold him!
ReplyDeleteLucas is the Houghton of the present day team if people want some sort of comparison.
The problem is football has moved on nearly thirty years from Souness and twenty years from Houghton, Premier league and FIFA are more interested in the attacking side of football and not tough tackling midfielders of the 70s and 80s the tackle from behind is just about illegal now and it won't be long before the slide tackle is especially when you are spending 20 million plus on a player and clubs sue FIFA when a player is injured in a big tournaments.
Play acting is the new dirty tackle!!!
Did Alex Ferguson play another Roy Keane when he retired ?
Lucas is not like Ray Houghton in any way, shape or form (!). Houghton was a creative player; great passer of the ball; always moved forward, and scored his fair share of goals. At times, he was just as important as the likes of Barnes, Beardsley, Aldo and Rush.
ReplyDeleteFrom that era, Lucas is more akin to the likes of Nigel Spackman.
They may choose to say whatever they like, it is called free speech. But the fans who like to listen to past players and take it as gospil, are living in the past. It can be interesting I admit, but with absolutely no bearing on our team.
ReplyDeleteIf Souness was so fantastic with his comments and ideas, then why was it all down hill after he managed our team? A great player and we are forever grateful, but I so wish he was never our manager. He was the beginning of our (How shall I phrase this?), oh yes....PAUSE IN GLORY AND GREATNESS.
Do you mean like how Kenny is trying to make Lucas,Adam,Carroll,Henderson,Downing and Suarez are to the present team he his building! Pretty certain Lucas is getting there been involved with most of the goals we have scored since Kenny took over in some shape or form if not with the final pass but with winning the ball and getting us going forward involved with both goals on Saturday and Arsenal he will start scoring goals and still younger then Houghton when he came to Anfield.
ReplyDeleteSuarez played for the foul and it happens in football. How can anyone dictate that he was trying to get the player sent off ... this maybe the case if Rodwell was already on a yellow card and if anything the ref should be blamed for sending the player off as he has because he was standing right in front of the incident.
ReplyDeleteLiverpool have had many incidents gone against them already this season and most of these things balance out at the end of the season and most importantly 3 points. The main thing is being close to the premiership leaders and we are doing a great job considering half the players at the club are relatively new.
I always find it odd when somebody can view an incident and deem that it didn't hurt enough to warrant the reaction. We see players all the time who have to limp off sometimes without even a player near them, we see players who look like they must have a broken leg with the verocity of a tackle yet they get up and walk away. Injuries and pain are all subjective and can vary so much, so how can anyone looking at a tackle deem it not painful in anyway? Some players are tough, some are fragile, some players like Agger & Aurelio can sneeze and be in pain or injured. So it's a complete nonsense that anyone including ex players can justify saying the player over reacted to that tackle.
ReplyDeleteSay what they want, it is free speech, but it is no more important that you or I. The Kopites probably know more than them any way. And to call Houghten a legend, my laughing spasms are hurting. He was a reasonable player, NOT A LEGEND.
ReplyDeleteCould these two so-called pundits name me one premier league player who would not have tried to get a free kick out of that incident. It was a diabolical refereeing decision that got Rodwell sent off, not Suarez.
ReplyDeleteOh ok, so you're not referring to the status of the player making him an easy target, it's just another of your anti-English rants.
ReplyDeleteSeeing as you seem to despise everything about any British footballers, why even bother following the Premiership?? It's so easy to follow football from all over the world nowadays, so just choose another league and these evil British players will no longer be the bane of your existence
JK he was massively underrated your are absolutely right to mention it and he was fantastic to watch. For some reason though not a legend i am not sure what makes a legend for instance Ian Rush, KennyDalglish, Graham Souness, Terry McDermott all Legends whilst Houghton Nicol etc where just fantastic players. What Makes a Player a Legend ??? Time for a legendary JK article
ReplyDeletealso Nigel Clough, and Ronnie Whelan played similar roles as Lucas. Houghton was more akin to a Craig Johnston type of player and unforunately there is no player similar to Houghton in the current team. We signed Henderson instead !!!!
ReplyDeleteYes it was mate!
ReplyDeleteGreat player he was. Great manager he wasn't. But ever since Souness sold his story to the scum, only to belatedly apologise for his lack of judgement and donate the (quote "lions share" ... not all) of his fee to charity, then former player or not, he lost any right to comment on all things Liverpool. Has his judgement suddenly improved over the years???
ReplyDeleteJust by stating the obvious makes me anti British ...i despise British players???wiltshire is quality ramsey ..Alex chamberlin ..Kelly ...Gerrard ..ashly Cole..just to name a few ..difference between me and you is you have blinkers on..i don't rate a player just because he plays for us or is English ...but you do
ReplyDeleteif Gerrard cheats he is the same as suarez when he cheats...why differentiate ???
The way he talks nowadays ..you would think he was an ex manure player English..always takes their side
ReplyDeleteJaimie you bellend! i dont want to hear what souness and houghton have to
ReplyDeletesay them two pair of f.....s wrote articles for the sun (shit)paper after
hillsbourgh ,that totally overshadows everything they done for the club i love.
they have NO right! once they took money of the son you little dickhead!
ReplyDeletewho gives a toss wot souness has to say, great player but he made an absolute balls up as manager. he spoiled all the work shankley, paisley,fagan and dalglish did so in my eyes hes no legend. hes a twat
ReplyDeleteHenderson is a houghton type of player,that is why he bought him to play on the right side of midfield.
ReplyDeleteAre you kidding me? He makes the tackle with ONE leg. Forward momentum carries him through and his second leg (tucked backwards so the impact is with the shin) bumps Suarez. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the challenge.
ReplyDeleteHere's another video of it. Honestly if you can't come to the right conclusion then you need to jump on the phone and make an appointment with your local optometrist.
http://fullhighlights.blogspot.com/2011/10/video-rodwell-red-card-vs-liverpool.html
It's a 'last ditch tackle' because if you get it wrong you risk giving a foul or you allow the attacker to get by while you need to pick yourself back off the ground. It's always better to win the ball on your feet because you have complete control and are set to immediately head the other direction with the ball.
ReplyDeleteThere was nothing wrong with that tackle and to be honest I don't even lay the blame on Suarez because, while I think he was a bit on the dramatic side with his reaction, the ref had a clear view of it and if he's that easily swayed by a player, ship him out of the league because he clearly can't handle it.
If you want to see bad tackles just skip forward through the match and see all the challenges that should have warranted cards. There were quite a few.
I admire your honesty Jamie. Spot on...You are a true fan...We can be a fan and still be fair. You are right...what Suarez did was not sportsmanlike at all. You were also right in your last post regarding the way Dalglish answers questions during press conferences...he could definitely show more respect. I admire both men tremendosuly (Dalglish and Suarez) but they are human too..just like us , they are flawed. Suarez could do with more fair-play and Dalglish could definitely learn some good manners and humility !...would do them a lot of good
ReplyDeletekeep up the good work lad....Years ago, I hated your posts...thought they were all about titles and no substance...but I noticed something about you....you are also very observant and honest and regularly spot on in your comments of managers' tactical and player choices on the field.
Kim
FA coach teaching a young lads says use the slide tackle as a last resort and to stay on your feet when you can.
ReplyDeleteThe ball was loose, Rodwell could of won the ball and drove forward without diving in, he had done 2 to 3 tackles like that building upto the sending off coupled with like you say other tackles where the players just jumped or dived in.(Cahill on Kompany week before ?)
Poor tactics from Moyes trying to turn the game into another war which is begining now to have a bad effect on the crowd!(before and during )
We did n't fall for it and only gave away 9 fouls in a Derby game because we wanted to play football.
it was not a RED but it was a foul and contact was made !
ReplyDeleteLet me kick you and see if it hurts....
it was not a RED but it was a foul and contact was made !
ReplyDeleteLet me kick you and see if it hurts....
I agree...it was definitely a foul....but it's not the real point...Suarez definitely overdid it to influence the referee...have a look again at the footage......I can assure you...there are different levels of pain....that one did not warrant such theatrics !
ReplyDeleteHi Kim - thanks so much for being so gracious. It's much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about Kenny - he's a Liverpool legend but he could do with a tad more humility when dealing with the press.
I'd have to agree with that. Then again, I didn't really mind the Souness era that much because we still had legends like of Barnes, Rush, Molby, Grobbelaar etc playing, so even though we were poor a lot of the time, we still got to watch the old masters play.
ReplyDelete