28 Apr 2013

Steve Nicol claims: LFC would 'love to get rid of' Luis Suarez. Time to sell...?

Should Liverpool sell Luis Suarez? Regular readers will know that I have long advocated cashing-in on the Uruguayan, and after bringing the club into disrepute yet again with his recent bite on Ivanovic, now is clearly the right time to kick the distracting Suarez sideshow the kerb. Given the sycophantic adulation heaped on Suarez by Brendan Rodgers and Ian Ayre, his position seems safe for now, but according to Anfield legend Steve Nicol, the club would actually love to sell.

Discussing Suarez's future on ESPN last night, Nicol blasted Rodgers for saying that Suarez 'had not let him down' over the bite incident, and criticised the Reds' initial reaction to the incident. He noted:

"They should’ve suspended Suarez themselves to begin with, and that would’ve looked good to the FA.

"At the same time, Liverpool are not stupid. They would love to get rid of him [Suarez], but they know it would be a huge mistake if they do".


Nicol claims that Liverpool 'are not stupid', but how else do you explain the blanket, sycophantic, integrity-compromising support for a player who persistently disrespects the club?

If the club would genuinely 'love' to get rid of Suarez then just go ahead and sell him to the highest bidder already. The idea that Suarez is irreplaceable is a spurious myth, borne of misguided allegiance to one individual over the club.

In my view, losing Suarez would have no negative impact whatsoever. It's all well and good hysterically claiming that the club would suffer, but in what way?

* In the last four seasons, LFC have finished 7th, 6th and 8th, and will probably finish 7th this season.

* In Suarez's two full seasons, LFC have finished 8th and 7th, so it's not like his presence has made a difference to Liverpool's league form, is it?

* Liverpool have never finished outside the top-8 during the Premier League era, and that is not going to change just because Suarez leaves.

* Additionally, Liverpool have had worse teams than now, and still never finished outside the top 8.

* Liverpool are (arguably) in the ascendency under Brendan Rodgers, and yesterday's annihilation of Newcastle provided encouraging evidence that the Reds can thrive without Suarez.

So, my question is this: why is Suarez apparently so irreplaceable? How exactly will Liverpool suffer if he leaves? What evidence is there to suggest that without him, the club will face the doom and gloom scenario of plummeting down the league?

After finishing 8th last season and 7th (probably) this year, the only way is up, and without Suarez, the Reds will still finish higher than 7th next season (IMO), especially if Rodgers buys well in the summer.

If Liverpool get £40m+ for Suarez, the squad will improve *more* than if he stays, and Rodgers is forced to upgrade the squad on a reduced budget.

Selling Suarez is a no-brainer. The likes of Sturridge and Coutinho have the skill and guile to replace him, and with 8 goals/3 assists in 13 games, Sturridge will easily score/create 20+ goals next season if he's a regular in the team.



NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)


191 comments:

  1. what hes challenging robbie fowler in the propety market stakes

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  2. The reality is we can't kmow how the games with season would have gone if Surez had not been playing. Perhaps, with yesterday's lineup, they'd have gone just as well. then agaion, one game against Newcastle is nothing to judge by. the problem is the biting incodent will have affected his resale value. If I was a potential buying club, I'd be sseing a 'last chance' sallon palyer. If I spent big, and there was another major incident involving him, then I'd be stuck with a player who i really could not play and who nobody was prepared to pay a decent amopunt for. The result? I'd want him considerably cheaper than if it had not happened. So, if Liverpool sell him now, they would see it as a loss. On the other hand, if we keep him, and there's another incident (I think, eventually, that's inevitable given the provocation he'll get), then we are stuck in that position.
    I think there is a genuine case for selling while he has value and using the momey to strengthen other positions as well as buy another decent striker

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  3. How has Suarez 'singlehandedly carried us'. It's the same tiresome rhetoric applied to Gerrard, and it's equally inaccurate. What is this obsession with trying to make out that one player in a team is somehow superman? That's just disrespectful to the other players in the team.


    Liverpool are SEVENTH in the league. This is how Suarez 'singlehandedly carries' LFC? I'd rather the TEAM carried the club, not one individual, and only a good team can rise up the table.


    Over-reliance on individuals achieves nothing, and LFC are prime examples of that. Cantona had a great team around him, it wasn't just about him.

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  4. Well, he certainly isn't challenging him in the goalscoring stakes (!)

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  5. lol we wish then all our problems would be solved

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  6. You dont get the point Jaimie its like when we lost Xabi someone filled in for him but what impact did they bring we are 7th because the team is not playing well and Suarez is so we would have been in much shit without him maybe 12 we sure we can trust Sturridge,Borini or Big Andy to score 20 plus goals?...We should all agree Suarez needs help and the best thng to do is support been a psychiatrist for a while and i can tell you this is a probe....

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  7. Suarezsympathiser9:03 am, April 28, 2013

    Your unswerving dislike and criticism of Suarez borders on the obsessive. Your claims of being fair and non personal are disingenuous when it comes to Liverpools best player! On what planet would Liverpool be a better team without him? Your site is losing its reputation (IMO) of being fair, objective and the most worthwhile to visit.

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  8. but who,s to say the money will be spent wisely ,we need to push on next season theres no question about that but a new man often takes time to settle ,imo if suarez is happy to give it another season then so should we theres got to be more chance of top 4 with him than without him

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  9. So Jaimie, in your opinion, do you think we would still be 7th, or even higher up in the table, if Suarez hadn't been playing?


    Regarding the 'improved the whole level of the team' comment, I remember you stating sometime back that you played football to a decent level. When your best player returned from a break, for whatever reason, didn't that lift the performance of the whole team, more so than when one of your average players returned. That's also what top players. like Suarez, bring to the dressing room.


    You seem to have great confidence in the other members of the team. Before Sturridge arrived, who could we depend on to score goals. Not Borini or Downing, there were few goals coming from midfield. Not sure we could ask Yesil or Morgan to step up either. Your last paragraph epitomises what the real problem is: the rest of the team are not good enough.


    I've said it time and time again, a team needs 5 or 6 quality players (with Suarez' quality and drive) to regularly collect titles.

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  10. You forgot where I stated that we would have been worse off in the league table. We had no other strikers till January ! I don't see him as a superman, but I recognize him as an insanely good player for LFC . We are trying to build a good team, getting rid of one of our best players doesn't bode well and reeks of lacking ambition. Of course, other players have contributed , without them, he definitely wouldn't have scored this much. But not every striker can put away most of the chances given to them. I hope we add quality players to our squad without getting rid of our Pistolero .

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  11. So JK's thinking is that this team that has failed to perform consistently well would have been better off without the one player that did? I'm officially lost now

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  12. I think suarez wastes tons of chances, the goals he scores are mesmerising but he`s a very selfish player which is why when he dosn`t play liverpool have a better win rate, also when he dosn`t play the team are not relying on him to win the game...they all step up, not to mention the fact that he`s destroying our clubs reputation...sell him prob for 35mil and use the money to buy 2 world class centre backs and bring back andy c..mr plan b.

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  13. Also watch this space borini will come good and ngoo is one to step up

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  14. I just love your LFC articles Jamie. They are 99% negativity, gossip and hearsay. Congrats.

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  15. lol carry on taking the medication

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  16. Absolutely correct. BR's track record in the transfer market is not that great. We were so fortunate that when our last world-class star, ie Torres, left that we were able to replace him with another in Luis Suarez. The chances of that happening again, when Suarez does eventually leave, is remote. No Champions' League Football, BR as manager, FSG as owners, paltry funding equals no more world class stars.

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  17. jaimie serous question for you if he goes and fsg give rodgers the full transfer money of the suaraz deal to rodgers (which imo i doubt they will)who could we afford and realisticly who could we attract who would fill his boots answer on the back of a stamp

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  18. Total lack of class and respect is exactly what Suarez has shown to Liverpool Football Club and the sport in general during his career.

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  19. also lets not forget suarez was signed to play with torres if torres had gone first who,s to say he would not have gone elsewhere

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  20. jaimie you send out a mixed message you say we need 3 good strikers strikers at the moment we have two in suarez and sturridge...ie if we sell suares we have to find two good strikers with the money ...cant see it happening chances are we will sell suarez and get a couple of no marks good strikers are hard to find at the right price.

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  21. look m8 we all get the fact that you have been against him since the evra episode have you never heard of live and let live,not the bond film live and let die

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  22. and even harder to attract with no european football

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  23. I agree with you - quality players like coutinho and sturridge can do the same stuff, turning games etc. But especially in the first half of the season Suarez was irreplaceable. I think every team on the world would wish to have a player like Suarez on the pitch playing for them, while nobody wants a guy like he is to symbolize the club...
    The scandal with ivanovic showed again how this guy is misbehaving at times. And this lowers his price.Many friends of mine are huge Bayern fans and they told me their club wouldn't buy a missbehaving player like him (eventhough they already have ribery). Its obvious we will recieve bids for for uruguayan-scandal-machine , but will any club be willing to pay 40m + unbelieveable high wages. Can't see any club comming to our asking price ..

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  24. the big man scored again......its a fact the style of striker ac is only really begin to flourish from 26 onwards .....AC FOR LFC

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  25. Jaimie Liverpool would struggle more Suarez is a Dirk kuyt/Torres mix his hard work and scoring prowess he has a win at all cost mentality this is a challenge for Liverpool and Suarez his heart for Football and liverpool have never been doubted i better have a player who bites for the glory of the team rather than a player who plays for individual honors Gerrard have had to carry us for years and just when we have someone to help him off the load we want to sell him....if we want to qualify for CL we must keep our best players and Suarez has to be one of them if not the best a player Bayern ,Juve and most European heavy weight want is not needed i think we are not Ok we must keep him for what u said are footballing reasons

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  26. how many times this season have we beat bum teams only to be rolled over the week after....newcastle are poor..i though courtino ( mom ) sturridge and hendo where great yesterday but there is no way they will get that space against a decent team ...Everton next week will be a good yardstick of our top 6 credentials

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  27. I just cant wait for Everton to See how we will Do against good Teams without suarez ;)

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  28. I think he wants to leave coz the last time he bit someone he ended up coming to Liverpool he probably thinks I'll do it again and they will get rid. Personally I think he wants out and what better way not to piss the fans off. Theirs method behind his madness. Before u all rush to his defence (think about it).

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  29. i think Bennett was referring to this forum Lol

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  30. I wouldn't get carried away with yesterday's result as Newcastle capitulated and made it easy for us. If we were missing Suarez before we signed Sturridge and Coutinho, then we might have noticed a significant difference.

    Maybe we'll improve as a team if he goes: as Arsenal did when Henry left for Barca (that was Fabregas' words!).?

    After yesterday's game, and a lot of other matches, the main improvement I see us needing is in Downing's position. Sure, he's made a lot of improvements, but in the 4 months he's been with us Coutinho has taken centre stage as our stand out attacking midfielder. Is Tom Ince cut from the same cloth and can he replicate Coutinho's style on the other end of the pitch to help us destroy teams?

    Sturridge has proven that he can stick the ball in the net from anywhere, maybe Borini's goal will pick him up and give him the confidence boost that he's been lacking - coming back from a serious injury and scoring with his second touch!

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  31. lol the old ones are the best;-)

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  32. Lol love the way bennett suggest you get a grip ..in his avatar he looks like a doctor.....your getting good medical advice for free Jk maybe you should take him up on it

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  33. Oh shower us with some pearls of self-righteousness, you monk!

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  34. LOL there are easier ways ...just get your agent who you are paying a fortune to to fix it ...

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  35. cash in like we did with torres alonso arbeloa mascherano why not suarez ? The owners wont put money off there own sponsors dollars we are living off.To pay back FSG money first palyers and stadium second third . sell coates skertal borini allen downing carroll and suarez . Man city will hac
    ve over 100mil chelsea over 150mil tottenham 100mil arsenal 120mil man united how much they want. FSG SELL BEFORE BUY

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  36. Suarez is simply Elite class not just world class, he stays a red end of story!!!

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  37. A nonsense article. 30 goals and a tireless, blood sweating attitude toevery game for the team. At times he has carried us this season. This article in my view both misses the main point and is disrespectful to a player that has given everything for this team in a season where mistakes by management (transfer window gate) and mistakes by the team (below standard defending) could have seriously cost us far more. Yes he has courted controversy but let's not be an Arsenal and sell our best players, rather let's be progressive and build on what we have. Irreplaceable or not? Who actually cares! History tells us that any player / manager is eventually reolaceable and replaced. The point is would it take us far longer to be where we want and should be if we sold Suarez and took a gamble on a new face or faces? The odds weigh heavily in favour of the latter, especially when you consider all our main rivals for top 4 WILL have ADDED to their squads (bar probably arsenal). Let's not waste air with non arguments and look to getting back to the elite. I for one miss seeing us in those champions league games and our best players are key to achieving this once again

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  38. As for Andy carroll i dont Know why, but i really like this guy. He can still have a bright Future for Liverpool Im pretty sure !!

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  39. I hear Real are looking to swap with Higuain. I'd take that all day. Less issues, just as many goals.

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  40. theres no way back for carroll under rodgers is ego would never let it happen

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  41. Real Madrid swap with Higuain?

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  42. Luis does it in England getting booted off the pitch, he is proven.

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  43. Yeah but this way he isn't to blame if lfc sell. Even though he caused all this. Also against Newcastle the players were not greedy they passed when they could have shot. With suarez he would have shot and probably missed and frustrated everyone around him.

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  44. Everyone is expendable but suarez is a patriot figure for liverpool and he have winning mentality most player don't and i don't think you can find a player his caliber that e zly,would you get rid of your children if they are useless?

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  45. Neither Higuain no thanks

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  46. AAAAAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhh i hate9:59 am, April 28, 2013

    Steve nicol used to be one of favorite players, but these days i hate him because of his ridiculous comments and I blame you for this kkanwar. I hate the both of yous because yous are two attention seeking idiots

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  47. agree... plus i dont think we lack good attacking players, the defence need sorting out skirtels not up to the job and carra`s retireing so suarez = 2 world class defenders and we won`t be embarrased by mr eds antics everyweek

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  48. sorry m8 when sturridge was on a hatrick he was going completly solo

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  49. this arse -hole nicol does nothing but run liverpool down week in week out .along with lawro.the two of them are a disgrace.

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  50. that arse hole would walk into any team in the prem tomorrow in his prime one of the most underated players ever to pull on the red shirt

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  51. Its no good selling him and buying 3 Swansea players, get that guy off Dortmond or swap him for him,otherwise he must stay, some of our ex players have cornered the market in rent a quotes, the dispicable Lawrenson, is the worst, Hamaan second and Nichol in third. a good little earner.

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  52. He has made Liverpool world headlines for weeks - all publicity is good publicity, it is treated as a bit of fun in Asia, yes we know it was wrong but the bad publicity was seized on (in a hypocritical way) only by those who hare us anyway. at least a love bite leaves a mark. Ivanavich is big girls blouse.
    Standard Charter should be paying us more.

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  53. Next year the premiership will be even tougher as alll the top 5 clubs will invest in top players. If Liverpool are releasing their top players then its a no brainier that we are going to slip further away.
    you may not like Suarez Jamie but this year he has scored 23 of the Liverpool goals and had 10 assists, this means he has had a direct impact on half of the 67 goals Liverpool have scored in the league and you want to get rid of a player of this esteem, seriously!!!
    I do not condone what he did but on the other hand i also applaud the things he has done and to be fair, if he left in the summer there is a massive hole too fill.
    I agree that Sturridge may offer 25 goals a season, but to challenge for top 4 you need 65-70 goals and a good defence (only tottenham out of the top have a worse defence), where are the other 40 odd goals coming from?? Hypothetically if we did not get in a world class replacement and had to rely on our current crop, who is getting these goals?? every player in the first 11 would have to break their personal goal scoring record to ensure we get the goals we needed.

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  54. I really do like suarez but have come to accept that if he moves on the club could ultimatley benefit from such a decision but my biggest concern is that with rodgers may blow the suarez money don't get me wrong £40mill can get us 3-4 quality players all over the pitch that will make us a stronger unit rather than consistently relying on a single player but will rodgers no what to do with that kind of money judging from the summer then no but judging from january then yes is it a risk worth taking

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  55. You have to laugh at our Luis - Suarez has got the captains armband - in his teeth.

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  56. Higuain has done it in South America and Spain. Spanish and German leagues are dominating. With the performance of Coutinho thus far it's hard to make that argument anymore. Higuain scores at the highest levels for Real and Argentina. He's not the talisman that Suarez is but decidedly less stress and dodgy behaviour than him.

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  57. How about Higuain + £15M?

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  58. (1) I had been against his behavior even before we signed him, not after the Evra incident, which I even said could be interpreted from his viewpoint. You either confuse me with someone else, or have a very selective memory when it comes to arguments;
    (2) What is this "we all get you think so" about? I also get there are some fans with tendency to invent ridiculous stupidity as excuses for Suarez's disgusting behavior, but do I tell them I know their views so they could refrain from posting them again? In fact my comment you replied to was an example of countering a statement with argument instead of me saying "yeah I know you want to make up excuses for him so you don't need to bother saying that".

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  59. the we is the collective,as other posters had noticed this hence your comment getting marked down so heavily

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  60. how about just keeping suarez now theres a novel idea;-)

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  61. Sure, I can also cite other fan[s] who have been criticizing him, if numbers is what bothers you.

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  62. Joe-el. enjoy the Post while it is up there. wont be long before the writer and site Editor will withdraw Post.

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  63. Jaimie,


    A much as I respect your articles and some of the insights that you have brought to my attention,I'm going to have to call you out on some things.


    1) You have written 10 Articles on Suarez out of 20 none of which have once praised his footballing skills.


    2) You have sought justify your articles with quotes from sources whom previously you stated you don't have a lot of time for in relation to LFC


    3)You have failed to report on the very promising performance yesterday without Suarez, something I thought you'd be happy to report about


    This is doesn't make your look credible or objective and again weakens your points when you do make valid observations.
    You alienate new readers with repetition , as well as everyone who clearly know where you stand on Suarez.
    There are OTHER players that deserve some praise and attention and your not doing it.


    If you're struggling for things to write about it's better to comment on the game than on stories which you've done to death.


    I implore you please stop it

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  64. your kidding he would have scored for toffee yesterday

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  65. How many chances has it taken Suarez to score them goals? any half decent striker would have a similar goal record with a team like liverpool creating for them, liverpool created more chances than any other team in europe last time i see the stats so we should have the most goals scored in europe by the same account...why haven`t we? suarez is a great dribbler of the ball but not a great finisher, we could sell suarez and get benteke with plenty of change and score plenty more goals. Sturridge 20 Benteke 20 Coutiniho 12 gerrard 12 carroll 12 borini 10 shelvey 8 stirling 5 downing 5 johnson 5 agger 3. theres 107 for ya and i don`t think thats being over enthusiastic.

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  66. Who wouldn't when you're 5 or 6 nil up but not when its nil nil. There was more of a togetherness. And if they missed a chance they wouldn't have him there to
    getting pissed off and venting his anger at his team mates.
    The players were quite happy and played freely.

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  67. Yep, your right, you,d need to have no brains to sell your 30 goal striker, & what a contradictory load of boll*x from bigfoot :)

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  68. doesnt matter what team he would walk into mate.the fact is he does nothing but run liverpool down week in week out,along with that english (irish) man lawrenson..

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  69. really come out of the pulpit and take a look around.....suarez and all his faults happen on a pitch for 90mins...thats it period.....lets look at two utd players ...rooney going with brasses behind his wifes back ...giggs sleeping with his brother wife at chelsea...terry ..racism and messing with his teammates wife....i can go on and on and on with incidents which in my opinion are far worse than what suarez has done ....sterling being drunk in at 17 and slapping ( allegedly)some bird is far worse Imo....honest if your on about the molarity of footballers there are a million other better stories out there ...

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  70. lol and i suppose the name AAAAAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i hate isnt looking for attention ..........really your parents should have a child lock on the computer

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  71. There is not much point in discussing what is and what isn't. These guys are earning hundreds of thousands for themselves to worry about anything but themselves. So I am going to stop wastin my preecious time on this whole suarez debacle and have a nice day....

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  72. hes definably English...i think he was born in preston ..but his grandad had green socks

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  73. true, we could of scored a few more but i think he was just trying to show he can do suarez`s job, he would prob cut that out if he was the main striker and recieved a good kicking from carra to put him in his place

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  74. "Better stories"? Are you speaking to a tabloid journalist or discussing matters of a football club and football player with another fan? No LFC fan criticizing Suarez cares about "stories". What they care about is the club he has been continuously damaging.

    If you think other players' disgusting behavior can be used to make up excuses for Suarez, I suggest you think about the damage that attitude does in the long run to the club, which - unlike individual players coming and leaving - is what we should be caring about. Let other clubs take care of the matters concerning their misbehaving players (or face criticism if they do not) and think about the foundations and principles of your club.

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  75. Exactly! And the British (FA + Media) are so damn hypocrites... They forget about what British players have committed so easily... Rooney deliberately kicking an opponent, he gets 3 match ban, but FA fights his case! So many things can be said... But hell no!! Suarez is the doombringer!!


    Hypocrisy i tell u... There's no end to it!

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  76. good for you and give my regards to murdock

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  77. Fact. wev`e won a higher percent of games when suarez hasn`t played!

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  78. you only against roger because he is beating k keny's point in PL,that is not something that you could be against someone ,bring something else for instance ( the way Liverpool are playing are bad ), Liverpool are rebuilding from the scratch.they are playing a good football everyone enjoys it you have to understand the global economic situation there is no RICH MAN who is buying Liverpool.

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  79. Absolutely - time to let him go. He'll never change, and he's made us as hated as Millwall. He's had multiple chances; does something stupid, says sorry - then does something else stupid.
    Players come and go - LFC is an institution that will survive long after LS has moved on.

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  80. oh yes mr nicol lets sell him and buy Bent and carlton cole for the 50 million we receive!



    In my whole life i have never seen a footballer so talented yet so hard working. This guy being foreign and no real allegiance to liverpool as given more than the other 10 combined in each game.



    This is not idol worship this is reality - take suarez goals and assists out of our season where would we be nicol?

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  81. rebuilding from scratch with suarez and gerrard liverpool are 7th because newcastle have nose dived and kenny beat man utd,city and chelsea 3 times Kenny = legend! brendan = bellend

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  82. People I have spoken to seem to think that LFC are standing behind him at the moment because if they say "This was too much, we HAVE to sell him now" Teams will come and try him for less than he is worth because the club want him out, whereas standing behind him and saying he is still with us might keep the price higher. Personally I want him to stay but if that is what's happening I think it is good of them to just try and keep the price up.

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  83. so what he beat kennys points total and we have no rich man am sure the yanks will be over the moon to have no european football next seaso that will really help us financally and as for good football what everybody enjoys am sure the wba fans loved it amongst others

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  84. Yeah, sell Suarez for £40m, That'll pay for the likes of Allen @ £15m and Borini @ £10m. That leaves £5m to spare. Add that to the parachute money that will be coming as we plumet into the championship and we will be quids in!

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  85. get over it mate i would rather have 11 suarez,s on the pitch if that makes you unhappy so be it

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  86. to me m8 its the racist thing some people will never get over it

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  87. coutinho did not look to happy when he ran fifty yards only to be ignored for personal glory

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  88. he ain,t getting on no plane fool;-)

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  89. lets face it theres not been a lot to shout about he lives in the real world ,not like some supporters on this site who think were world beaters after every half decent result(this is not aimed at you as i have not seen enough of your posts to say in which world you livel;-)

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  90. nick your argument falls down when you say borini ten is that in a season or over 200 games

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  91. I've got a sneaking suspicion we're gonna get 6th, beat the bitters and its ours for the taking as i don't see them beating Chelsea.

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  92. who were you talking with the lfc board or some m8 down the pub;-)

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  93. acctually it 15million to spare but i agree with the rest of your post;-)

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  94. i will not hold my breath about everton next week hope iam wrong we have had a good result this week so its bound to be rubbish next

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  95. Have to agree,l get the impression there are more than a few bitter ex legends. As i've said before,look at the ex players at the game you'll never see "the legend Lawro", yesterday again he took us to get beat 2-0, and not to long ago he was stirring it about Couthino saying "i'm not to sure about him".

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  96. This is a ludicrous point about Sturridge. H`e scored two goals; he's got 3 goals and 2 assists in the last 2 games. If it was Suarez you'd be lavishing praise on him. Strikers *should* be selfish - that's how the score hatfuls of goals. If it hurts the team, it's a different story, but Sturridge being selfish and doing what a striker does only benefits the team.

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  97. This is idolatry, you just can't see it. If Suarez wasn't in the team, other players would score. LFC wouldn't be playing with ten men, would they? This idea that LFC would collapse without Suarez is just totally ridiculous. The team would step up, just like it did yesterday.

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  98. Exactly. And even *with* Suarez in the team, LFC have still only won 14 league games, and failed to win 21 others. How is that an amazing record? Are we to believe that can't be improved upon? Nonsense.

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  99. Nonsensical, tribal, fan-driven conspiracies - that's the problem here, not FA hypocrisy.

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  100. What other players do has absolutely *nothing* to do with Suarez. Constantly referring to other players is the weakest counter-argument out there, and most LFC fans always use it. Why don't you stop trying to muddy the waters and focus on the damage Suarez does to LFC and its reputation. The hassle he causes is not worth the goals he weighs in with. Plus, the goals have done nothing to move LFC forward over the last two seasons.

    Suarez is expendable, and when he leaves, LFC will soar to greater heights. It will happen, mark my words, and then you can come back to this post and see that I was right. You and countless other LFC fans just can't see it yet, and the reason for that is idolatry makes you blind to the bigger picture.

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  101. Marking down of comments means nothing. It's just a petty, childish feature of Disqus that I would turn off if I could.

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  102. Damn straight. I'd take Higuain over Suarez in a heartbeat.

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  103. am not saying were world beaters(far from it)but if that had of been man ure hitting newcastle for 6 they would of been talking about demolition.instead they are talking about how bad newcastle were.(neville match of the day)

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  104. so you feel the FA appealing Rooneys 3 game ban isn't comparible to what happens with Suarez? never mind Suarez 8 Terry 4?

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  105. With respect, Suarez has 5 assists, not 10. And yes, I want LFC to sell Suarez. The point is that he is replaceable; his goals are replaceable, and the money from his transfer would massively benefit the team. If he stays, I'm sure he'll continue to score goals, but it's not a disaster if he leaves. He is not integral to LFC's success as many people seem to argue, and with that in mind - and considering the endless hassle he causes - it's a good idea to sell him.

    Ultimately, Liverpool have finished 8th and 7th with Suarez in the team. That proves he is not integral, and the club will only improve.

    It's not a Van Persie/Arsenal situation. He really was integral to them as he was their only out and out goalscorer. LFC have Sturridge, and the Suarez cash can pay for another striker (plus help towards other positions in the team)

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  106. Urgh. Perhaps you should get back to the Suarez shrine and continue to worship. It is Sunday, after all.

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  107. I believe l live in the real world. I long for a great Liverpool team again to match those l stood and the Kop and watched 70's and 80's , and know we're well off that,but i love my club enough to refuse to be overtly negative,particularly we're l feel it feeds a media who l feel long to put us down.l just feel some of these ex players could show the loyalty of Kenny,Rushie,St John etc in return for the opportunity they were given. I mean why does Lawrenson have to be negative about Couthinho.

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  108. How do you know it would 'take longer' for LFC to get where it wants to be without Suarez? That is just baseless supposition. In his 2.5 years at the club, LFC have *not moved forward*, despite his goals.

    Yes, the other top teams will strengthen, but so will Liverpool, and if Suarez goes, someone else will come in. Rodgers got his first set of transfers wrong, but you can't argue with Sturridge and Coutinho (17 goals scored/created between them since signing), and if Rodgers continues to sign players who make an impact like that, then things will improve next season.

    And give it a rest with the 'tireless blood-sweating attitude' stuff. Saurez is paid over 100K a week - it's his JOB to work hard, and that should be the minimum expected of him.

    His attitude also leads to endless hassle for LFC, whether it's biting, stamping, diving, cheating, rude gestures or quasi-racists comments on the football field. There are dozens of other strikers across Europe who can score goals, but don't pi$$ on the club's good name in the process.

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  109. Then i snort in derision and slap my ass in disbelief...

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  110. Why are the chances of attracting another great player 'remote'? Because it suits your argument? Suarez replaced Torres, and someone else will come along and replace Suarez to great effect. It doesn't have to be world renowned star, just someone who scores goals regularly. That is all that matters.

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  111. Laughably inaccurate attempt at paraphrasing. Bravo! The team has failed to perform consistently well *with* Suarez, or does that not count? He is a major part of that inconsistency - the sheer number of chances he wastes is incredible.

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  112. How do you know LFC would've been 'worse off in the table' without Suarez? It's entirely conceivable that other players would've stepped up, and without Suarez, there would be another player in his place scoring goals. Additionally, that striker wouldn't miss 19 league games across 2 seasons.

    Yes, we have no other strikers till January, but so what? It's his job to score, is it not? If Suarez had left last summer, someone else would've come in, and that player would've probably scored goals too.

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  113. No, it's not comparable. Neither is the Terry case, mainly because neither of those situations has *any* impact on LFC. That's the key issue here - what Suarez does affects LFC - who cares what happens with other players?

    Rooney kicking someone is not in the same universe as Suarez BITING someone on the arm. And there are logical, fair reasons why Terry only got half Suarez's ban, and I've explained those in detail elsewhere.

    The fan reaction is always the same: never focus on the actual issue at hand, just compare it to what happens to other players. This is a damaging way to proceed because it (indirectly) dilutes the seriousness of Suarez's actions, and leads people to inaccurately believe that he's been treated unfairly.

    Irrespective of what happened with other players, Suarez deserved an 8 game ban over the Evra incident, and he totally deserved a 10 game ban for biting Ivanovic.

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  114. Why does it make Lawro 'bitter'? He's entitled to an opinion just like you and me, and just because his views don't jive with yours, he must be bitter?

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  115. That can also mean that we can sell all 11 players and replace them with cheaper ones.

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  116. Medical science has tried for years to 'cure' me, but I'm beyond help.

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  117. Sorry school boy error. But the main thing is to get rid of the best players, winning trophies is sooo last year.

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  118. liverpool4life5652:02 pm, April 28, 2013

    I wouldn't sell Suarez he a big player, he a guy in a game can get a goal out of nothing... Not much players are like him. Works hard on the pitch always running that's why defenders hate him...

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  119. Care to tell me who the player would have been. Its a terrible idea we shouldn't even imagine one bit i.e getting rid of Luis. This team thrives with wonderful players like Luis. Anyways, I will respect your views, it's also your site...lol.. don't want to get banned, but It's a non starter to argue that Luis makes us a better team.

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  120. In Suarez's 2.5 years at the club we have had a change of manager and gone / going through 2 "transitional phases", despite this his and the teams performances have started to and are improving - I'd argue that Suarez's general play and goals have added to the teams confidence to make that improvement. Can you imagine what the team might be like now, at this point in the season, if we hadn't had Suarez and his 30 goals in all games? We'd be f@#ked and you know it.


    Yes, Suarez is paid over 100k a week to give his all in every game. All the other players are also paid their wages to give 100% every game but you could argue easily that not all of them have done that consistently through the season, I'm just glad that Suarez does know he is being paid to perform and lives up to it.
    There might be dozens of players across Europe who are going to score 30 goals per season, but it is only really dozens at most, and which of them is going to come to Liverpool? Realistic answers on a post card please...

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  121. you miss the point im trying to make ....if you where neutral what suarez did is being taken out of context to other events which happen on and off the pitch in football its that simple...i was raised by my father to believe all men are equal ..but this logic doesn't apply to suarez he is being treated different whether you like it or not and that is something my fundamental belief system is against...you cannot set a president on an event which has happened many times before its like being put in front of a firing squad for drunk driving without warning....my argument has nothing to do with suarez im not really that bothered if we sell him as long as we bring quality in..he is expendable all players are ive never stated he isn't...and in law other cases are always reffered to ..its sandard procedure

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  122. how has it damaged the club ...cantonna giggs and rooneys behavior hasn't damaged utds...there is no such thing as bad news intact the surez incident has given Liverpool more coverage in the world than all the goals we have scored this season....people have heard of the club right or wrong that have never before...really you would be better served seing how holy you are in joining a monestry in tibet

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  123. No one gets banned for disagreeing with me. Only those that hurl insults get banned.

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  124. your right jaimie those incident dont impact liverpool they impact the whole of society when biting is deemed worse than biting

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  125. I'd rather sort some deal out for him where we get Diame and some cash

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  126. I'd rather we sold Riena and Skertl to raise some decent transfer money, but that would only really be as a last resort. That would be maybe £25m and even though we'd have 2 positions to fill from their sales I think the squad would still look better with Suarez in it

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  127. What argument??? I've already given my reasons, so won't waste time repeating them.


    When Suarez replaced Torres, the EPL and Liverpool were different entities, Liverpool had more money at their disposal for transfers and a legend was at the helm. The mid-table mentality and expectations weren't quite as entrenched as they are now.


    By the way, note that I said 'world-class', not 'world-reknowned'. We definitely will struggle to attract world-renowned stars until we get back into the Champions' League and have exorbitant funds to spend. To find a regular goal-scorer who will succeed in lifting LFC into the top 4, whilst not being world-class would be something.

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  128. Biting is not deemed worse that racism. You deliberately take the simplistic view just to push that view. Suarez got a ten game because *he bit someone before and already got 7 games*. That is blindingly obvious. Why would the FA give him a lesser ban for something he did already?! It makes no sense. That is not how the world works. Punishments increase incrementally, and when someone bites a player, gets banned, doesn't learn his lesson and does the same thing again, a bigger ban is imperative.

    If the FA had given Suarez less than 7 games, it would've sent out a weak message.

    Past incidents allegedly don't figure in the decision-making process, but everyone involved will have known about Saurez's past, and they're only human, so that would've figured into their decision.

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  129. Sorry, but this is all supposition. It suits your argument to maintain the view that LFC won't be able to attract another top-class player, but on the balance of probabilities, there's nothing to suggest LFC cannot attract someone. Money talks at the end of the day, and if the club pays someone enough, they'll come.

    Also, the idea that LFC have less money at their disposal now is clearly not true. FSG have spent more money in their first 2.5 years than LFC spent in Benitez's first 2.5 years, and extrapolated across the next couple of years, that suggests they'll spend even more money, not less.

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  130. We wouldn't be f£&cked! If Suarez wasn't in there scoring goals, a different striker would be. And even if that striker didn't score as many, other players in the team would step up - as they did yesterday - and contribute.

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  131. Biting is a nasty despicable act, much like spitting. However, one of the points people keep on making is that Suarez is a role-model for kids. I don't think ew should be looking at these individuals as role models, nevertheless, if we want to take that argument further, how is kicking an opponent an appealable offence, yet biting worth a 10 game ban. Whilst Suarez needed to be punished, it's the inconsistency, favoritism and blatant racism which is unacceptable.


    As for John Terry, he was caught on camera, yet received a lesser punishment than someone who was convicted on the balance of probabilities. Go figure.

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  132. I don't really see the realism in your argument, surely other players should have been scoring too throughout the whole season, with or without Suarez. I'm sure other players have all had plenty of shots too this season, so where are all the goals???

    Opta stats show that Suarez has created 79 chances this season, Gerrard has created 75, but then we drop down to 46 from Downing. So how, by not having Suarez, are you sure, to the point of almost being rude and dismissive to other posters about their opinions, that our other players would have stepped up and created / scored the chances and goals that Suarez has?

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  133. Jaimie's right, the team has failed to perform consistently well with Suarez. In fact, the team has failed to perform consistently well with Downing, Borini, Gerrard, Allen, Lucas, Reina....


    Suarez somehow has managed to perform consistently well however.

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  134. so its written in the fa rule book that if you commit a foul twice you get more punishment and so on and on ...by that logic jaimie ...lee cattermole ...kevin davies and co would be getting 20 game bans....like i say jaimie all pigs are equal its just that some are more equal than others ....the rule of justice that is apllied to suarez would sit well on a kangeroo court ran by the local sheriff in some american hick back water town

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  135. i personally don't mind either way, as long as the money is invested properly ie not another andy carroll / stewart downing situation. no player is bigger than the club and while i am pro suarez i dont think we would necessarily do any worse without him. not saying i want to see him go but i wont be ouutraged if we got a good fee for him and it helped build the squad.

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  136. Whether you or I like it or not, players ARE role models. Society demands it, and the fact that they are idols for millions of kids across the globe means they have a responsibility to behave in a professional manner. Players are paid obscene amounts of money to remain professional, and if they can't do that then they don't deserve the riches that come with living the dream.

    Terry received a lesser ban because there was no 'aggravating factor'. FA rules state that bans can be increased if there's an aggravating factor. Suarez was found guilty of repeatedly calling Evra 'Negro', whereas Terry only said what he did once.

    Whether Suarez actually said it multiple times is irrelevant (There's only proof he said it once) - the FA 'convicted' him of saying it multiple times, and that's why he got 8 games.

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  137. i have never heard such codswallop jaimie .....once or a 1000 times what is the differance..is 2 worse than 3 10 worse than 9 ...honestly there is no substance to that argument

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  138. We're not talking about a 'foul' here - we're talking about a despicable act that has absolutely *nothing* to do with football. Fouls are related to football; biting doesn't belong anywhere in society.


    It's a moral imperative to punish Suarez severely for biting, especially after he already did it once. If you don't punish that to a severe degree, what kind of twisted message would that send?

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  139. Perhaps you should do some research, gilstrap before coming out with such nonsense.

    FA's Rule E3(2) states that footballers should not use "abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour". The rule also states that if such abuse includes "reference to a person's ethnic origin, colour or race", the panel can consider doubling the penalty it would have imposed had that "aggravating factor" not been present.


    The panel in the Suárez case specifically said that a four-game ban "is the entry-point" for breaches of E3(2) and that doubled Suarez's ban to "reflect the gravity of the misconduct".

    Suarez was found guilty of calling Evra Negro SEVEN TIMES, which is why he got 8 games and not 4. It is not 'codswallop'; it is fact.

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  140. so what we are saying is breaking someones leg isnt as bad as an alleged biting and i say allegedly as the skin wasn't broke and legally there is no tangible evidence as the footage is inconclusive....plus is butting and elbowing acceptable ...really i cant see your point jaimie ...the evidence of assault is the injury it leaves

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  141. that rule is codswallop not your statement ...it defies common logic ...

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  142. No, that's not what I'm saying at all. Constantly comparing 'crimes' is irrelevant. Each situation is judged on its own merits/context, and just because incident A gets a lesser ban than incident B, does not necessarily mean that incident B is worse than A.


    Roy Keane aside, give me the name of one player who has been proven to *deliberately* break another player's leg. The very idea is totally ridiculous. If a player's leg gets broken as a result of a bad tackle, then sh1t happens. It's part of the game. It's not a nasty, cynical, deliberate act.


    Biting IS a nasty, cynical, deliberate act that is not even remotely related to football.

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  143. i rememer a certain goalie clattering battiston ...there are countless times a player has intentionally gone over the top ....just google it or go on you tube

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  144. Of course you don't get my point. Benitez was a better coach, Liverpool had better players (even if they weren't all top class), Gerrard was in his prime and the competition wasn't as deep. The need for top-class signings wasn't as critical, but is probably the reason why we failed to win the EPL.

    The landscape has changed, we have a less experienced coach, an uneducated hierarchy, financial muscle we can't compete against and more competition from previous also-rans such as Spurs and Everton. If we don't acquire quality players, what is going to bridge the gap to the top 4? It certainly won't be Brendan Rodgers!

    I'm not clear on the point you're making. We didn't sign many top players before Suarez, does that mean it's OK to not aspire to sign top players now?

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  145. i do not mark comments down or if i do very very rarely i would not waste my time i do mark comments up thou if i enjoy them or they amuse me

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  146. come on jaimie how can they hand out bans like confetti yet when it effects the national team they fight tooth and nail against it,if its not hypocrisy then its double standards to say the least

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  147. jaimie when i,ve said that rodgers as been a complete disaster you have stated on many occasions that this year as seen progress so he must have helped the club to move forward

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  148. i totally agree with you but newastle were bad infact they were worse than that

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  149. Sorry there are reasons Terrys ban is different but not as you state fair reasons, l was and am as sickened as anyone with Suarez actions and agree he needs a hefty ban,but that does not say there is no hypocrisy as Dark lord mentioned,the point l replied to.You believe what you want but try not to ridicule others opinions because they differ from yours...fan driven conspiracy my butt. So many professionals in the game have come out this week and like us they agree with the ban, but say the FA need to have a look at themselves. You're NOT always right Mr Kanwar.

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  150. agree m8 but some players will always think they are bigger and better than the players that are there now redknapp is my personal least favorite to hear him talk you would think he was something of a cross between kenny and barnes

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  151. Mate this is Jamie all over, he has a vendetta against Suarez and Liverpool in general, it's always being brought up about the consistent and brutal attacks on everything about Liverpool and its often mentioned that he is not on actual fact a Liverpool supporter but actually a manure supporter

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  152. yes lets not bother winning anything again and we could sell all the players and get a team of monks the clubs image would not be tarnished again lol

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  153. would you have said the same of cantona? often great players are very troubled and do destructive things.
    people do worse stuff every moment, do you protest against the government for killing and robbery?
    Luis is in the top 5 players on the planet right now, with top class players around him, he could be unstoppable. we need players of that quality to progress. yesterday was more about how poor newcastle were.
    henderson/sturridge/downing wont win us anything.

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  154. When are you going to get off your soap box Jaimie? Has Luis ever insulted you or bit you? No, yet you constantly slag him off at every opportunity with help from Nicol who's a disgrace to the shirt he once wore.

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  155. I note my reply to you disappeared, why was that?

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  156. This article is a load of rubbish. Typical of the British to blow everything out of proportion. Get rid of Suarez for what? A bite? Seriously? Get rid of a world class talent who gives 100% every game for a stupid minor (yes...minor) infraction? You lot have got to be on drugs. You think Barcelona would be thinking of selling Messi if he bit someone? Look at what Aguero did to David Luiz. That could've seriously hurt Luiz. Why dont City sell Aguero then. Shut up you muppets! Enough with this nonsense

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  157. Love how my comment was removed for telling it like it is lol

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  158. No, your comment was removed because it contained derogatory comments. If you can't discuss football without being childish then you're not welcome here. Remain civil, or go elsewhere.

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  159. I feel like we have definitely had worse teams than this in the past and maintained that top 8 finish- but I also believe the other clubs in the league are much stronger now overall than when we had those poorer squads.

    Suarez is world class, genuine world class - but I for one am fed up with the headlines. If we did sell him on, would we really get to invest the cash back into the squad with real quality buys? If we got £40m, then that would be a sign (to those in charge) of FSGs 'moneyball' starting to pay dividends, and I can only see us buying several young prospects with that money, rather than the quality we need right now.

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  160. Jamie, in the interest of transparency, is it financially beneficial to you to hold opinions that are contrary to those of almost all LFC supporters? I really don't know, does contentious comment = more hits = more advertising money? This seems clear by your headlines, but does this also affect the views you have and the tone that your commentaries take?


    I mean, I do enjoy how your level of articulation has grown over the years. You do (most of the time) make sound, reasoned arguments, but just not ones that almost any supporters would think to make (i.e. the team can do well-enough without one of the four best strikers we've had over the last two decades).


    Just curious...

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  161. No, is the answer. Why is it so hard for people to understand that this is how I think? I believe 110% in everything that I write, and I don't just post stuff to be controversial. I actually think this way, and if we were in the pub discussing football my views would be exactly the same.

    There are certain themes that underline everything that I write, and these are evident to those who've been reading for a while. You can't fake that.

    I don't make the same arguments most fans would make because I don't think like most fans. That may pi$$ people off, but that is why this site is different to other LFC sites.

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  162. ive said it on other threads and will say it again. I think we will do better without Suarez than with him. Yes he is a awesome player but he wastes to many chances and picks the wrong pass or rather no pass to many times. As a team we create lots yet Suarez then wastes a lot of them chances. I feel even though I will get battered for it that without him and with someone different in place we will score more of the chances we create.

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  163. Sturridge and Coutinho have not got the skill and guile to replace Suarez. Suarez has performed at the highest level and has never been found wanting. Sturidge and Coutinho have not been tested at the highest levels of football.


    I am at a loss at how fickle some football fans are. Suarez is Liverpool's highest scorer. He is Liverpool's best player; and has clearly been since he arrived at our great club. He is a world class player who has turned out for Liverpool time after time without letting the club down.


    Why all of a sudden have some fans turned against him?

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  164. Liverpool have not moved forward because of the average players that some of the over hyped managers have signed for a lot of money. Suarez can hardly be to blame for the club's previous owners and the internal politics that had nothing to do with him? Suarez is our best player and ambitious football clubs do not get rid of their best players.

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  165. Let's see what happens against Everton next.

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  166. He is good enough for Liverpool. Don't let some of the negative comments against Suarez misguide you. You are right when you say that other clubs would love to have him. As long as Liverpool FC know that the better. No ambitious football team on mother earth would want to get rid of a player like Suarez. Some of the negative posters are fans of other clubs and pretend that they are Liverpool fans.

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  167. if it wasn't for suarez we would probably be in the bottom half of the table so it would be more realistic to say that the team hasn't improved rather than questioning suarez' contribution. you have to give him some credit!!!

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  168. suarez cant be replaced for ability, and who is going to want to come to liverpool when champs league prob wont happen next year either.

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  169. The form of Sturridge, Coutinho, Henderson or Gerrard is really quite beside the point. They are playing well now, so how much can they improve? Enough to cover 20 goals next year? Does anyone really believe that? Their current stats mean they'll play well next year but all that means is that we can expect to reproduce our current form. How is our current form an improvement? By definition, it isn't.


    When we lost Torres, we got Suarez. That's almost certainly the most obvious reason why his presence in the team hasn't single handedly resulted in us climbing the table, although it's a pretty idiotic premise to start with. We lost one world class scorer and replaced him with another. Like for like. Why would that mean we get better in the league? It would follow quite logically that we actually didn't improve at all. And that's what has to happen again. If we lose 20 goals a season we have to find them from somewhere, otherwise we won't get any better. Even Steve Nicol can understand that.


    That means we have to find a world class scorer for 40 million or less who can guarantee us that result. And while it's a lot of money, it's no guarantee. Transfers are risky, players arrive with all new sets of issues and almost always need time to settle in. Even United have their share of failed big money transfers and we know for sure Liverpool are not immune.


    What I find most strange in all of this is that you are so vocal in your criticism of our transfer failings, but now you're advocating that we dump the player that we know is able to score and do well, while going back to the transfer market to risk some new un-named player we don't even know will be any good. You are more aware that anyone how bad we've been in signing new players, but now you think we should toss aside a proven quality player to dip back into that risk pool again?


    All of this might make some sense, but I just don't see why we would bother. I don't see the problem of keeping Suarez. He has his problems but at the end of the day he is unquestionably a quality footballer who scores goals, fits our tactics, gives a full effort for 90 minutes, is never injured and is already respected and understood by his team mates. Where is the actual problem in keeping him around? In football terms there isn't one. It's just this sense of embarrassment some fans have when a player wearing their beloved club shirt does something daft. So you're embarrassed. So what? What has that got to do with anything except your own emotional well being which, last time I checked, isn't the responsibility of anyone except yourself?


    It's just completely irrelevant. All this talk of a "tarnished reputation" is arbitrary, subjective, waffling nonsense. It doesn't hurt us on the pitch, it doesn't hurt us in terms of fan numbers. It doesn't reduce our revenue or TV rights or world exposure. It's just some vague, made up idea that we're a club with a "good reputation" that is somehow being hurt by one player. It's the biggest pile of rubbish and has zero basis in reality. I don't think what he's done is in any way OK, but I'm not sitting around crying about my precious club being "damaged". We say all the time that the club is bigger than anyone one player, but every time you say Suarez is hurting LFC you contradict that very idea. Thankfully it's just not true. LFC is alive and well, certainly in a much better position to where we were when FSG first took charge. The only think wrong with the club these days is the miserable whinging fans.

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  170. Why bother reading this column...

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  171. wtf??? if suarez wsnt der dn v wud hav finshd below 10th ds seasn nly

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  172. Actually, that is totally false. Without Suarez's goals, LFC would be in exactly the same position, and I will illustrate that later today.

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  173. How can you be sure his replacement would?

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  174. Morientes wasn't LFC's main striker; the team wasn't on his shoulders. Torres came in and did fantastically. Suarez came in and did great. In my view, that trend will continue if Suarez leaves, and the signings of Sturridge/Coutinho add weight to that. If Suarez left, Sturridge would become the club's main striker, and based on his strike-rate so far - which is objective, persuasive evidence - he will score 20+ goals next season. If Sturridge had been at the club since August, he'd probably already be on 20 goals right now.

    It's not really about replacing Suarez - Sturridge is Suarez's replacement, and he will score a similar number of goals. The key is to get another striker who will score a decent number of goals, and he/Sturridge combined will be enough.

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  175. Just what I wanted to say, only far more eloquent.
    Well done sir.

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  176. Jamie, if you want to get an idea of why we should keep a player like Suarez, when we already have a good team, maybe in the future a great team on our hands, consider this description:

    Even if he never gives another pass to colleague, his very presence is now benefitting his team-mates. Opponents are painfully aware of what he can do to them. One or two of the sides that we have come up against have unashamedly detailed a couple of men to mark him. They make no attempt to disguise their number one priority...'keep him quiet'.

    As soon as that kind of special attention is given to the containment of one player, you should be able to look around the field and see his ten team-mates rubbing their hands with glee. If you slam one door in the face of a good team, another two should immediately fly open. If they send a posse after Suarez, then Sturridge and Coutinho should be able to sneak away the loot. That's team-work.

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  177. I couldn't agree with you more Bomber 25, all this speculation on what Liverpool would be like post-Suarez seems based on one performance against Newcastle, and let's be honest here; we may have been good but they were diabolical. Against decent opposition like Everton, we may get more of a taste of what the team is actually capable of.

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  178. I would rather we kept both, and added a striker who can keep both on their toes. The top teams have 3 top strikers and a capable backup, that's what we would have.
    If he leaves, we will get a replacement, but it makes it far more likely imo that we will stand still or improve only incrementally if we replace rather than augment his abilities

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  179. What I wanted to say. Only far more eloquent.
    Well done sir

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  180. And all this benefits LFC how, exactly? Opponents have been 'painfully aware' of Suarez all season, and Liverpool are still 7th, so it's all basically moot. Fans are so desperate to make out that Suarez is irreplaceable/the team would sink without him, but later, I will illustrate as a matter of unambiguous fact that Suarez has made no real difference to LFC's progress this season.

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  181. First things first, no one's irreplaceable. We tought that about Torres and then we signed Suarez (and that other guy who is, say, less prolific). We also thought that about Gerrard but this season, more and more, you see players like Henderson and Coutinho taking some of the weight off his shoulders so there you go. Having said that, why would we want to replace Suarez? The guy is a genius, scores a hatful and he loves the club! Nice boys don't win league titles. Do you think Ferguson was concerned with Keane's temper (and that of 70% of his squad) when they won the treble? Or when he's won all those league titles? Naaah, he just cares when someone else does it. Forget about selling Suarez, there is absolutely no reason to.

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  182. This is stupid, and I dont mean your article JK, I mean the comments from Nicol, like you said, if they would love to get rid of him, then they would, simple as. Whilst Suarez is a great footballer, he is replacable. Yes it would probably be difficult to replace him, but if they got £30 million plus, I dont think it would be that hard.

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  183. We are the 2nd highest goal scorers in the Premiership at present. Suarez was a major part of that success. The fact that we conceded many more goals than we should have cannot be Suarez's fault. He's an attacker, a YES whilst he (like every other striker) missed a truckload of chances, he did his job. He cannot be blamed for the inadequacies of others. If Reina had kept a record number of clean sheets, if Agger, Carragher and Skrtel had been the defensive wall we expected them to be, if Johnson and Enrique had cut out the errors that led to goals, if Downing,Henderson and Allen had lived up to expectations and performed throughout the season and not just at the start of end AND if the youngsters had been a bit more mature then perhaps the team would have been more consistent. As it is, only Suarez can hold his head up high in that regard. Yes he missed chances and yes on occasion he looked almost as useless as Carroll but more often than not we we're thankful he was scoring goals for LFC.

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  184. They're only human is a bit lame though isn't it? Suarez is only human and human beings make mistakes just as much as that they are never entirely objective. Yet one you have no understanding for and the other you use as an excuse to suit your argument. But that's ok, that's only human too :-)

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  185. The odd bite and racist comment. You say it like it happens all the time and is an irritation at most. Will you take 20 goals next season and a guarantee of the odd bite and racist comment?


    How low will you go goalwise?

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  186. People make mistakes. Cantona kicked someone in the crowd, Zidane did that headbutt... Suarez called someone a negro (not actually a racist term tbh... not like John Terry's "black xxxx") and tried to bite a couple of people... big deal.


    He was 2nd after Bale for the top player nominations this year. That tells you all you need to know, Whilst nobody condones his stupid actions, you cannot simply ignore everything else he did.

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  187. to appreciate someone's talent is not idolatory. He has faults, many of them but what humans ought to also remember before castigating anyone is that they also have good points. Yes he has dived - but do you know another persistent diver has just been awarded pfa player of the year and in the same awards ceremony another so called diver was booed. I want the same yardstick for everyone. Remember when neville dived - they all had a chuckle he after all was the epitome of the ideal british professional. Remember the spurs game where bale fell like a pack of cards even though lucas never touched his face - did the media go beserk then? Did the media go beserk when tiote stamped on sturridge or manhandled johnson?


    no. the reason why they are non entities playing for low profile clubs.



    Bale will always get the benefit of the doubt because he flys at supersonic speed and the slightest touch can lead to him falling.



    This same sanctimonious FA was actually appealing rooney's ban for violent conduct.


    I have said several times before - i dont mind ban suarez for the whole season but I want the same yardstick for everyone. And i want the PM to speak against every act of violence not just against a city where he doesnt have a cat in hells chance of winning out.


    I suppose Leighton Baines is committing idolatory when he says he is glad he wont be facing suarez.

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