Pepe Reina's Anfield exit will undoubtedly disappoint some Liverpool fans, but for me, his departure is the most predictable and inevitable transfer of the summer. The Spaniard started to lay the groundwork for his escape over two years ago, and every time I highlighted the obvious clues (and I did so often), fans simply refused to accept it. Reina's exit did not turn out the way he planned, but he has no one to blame but himself for LFC's handling of the situation. Alas, there seems to be a disparity in this case between the club's handling of Reina, and its continuing blanket-support for Luis Suarez.
In a recent open letter to fans, Reina expressed his 'regret' and surprise at being farmed out to Napoli, yet he seemed blissfully unaware of his grossly oversized sense of entitlement, a trait that is endemic amongst modern footballers. Without a hint of irony, Reina explained:
"If an offer came in from Barcelona I would have liked them [LFC] to consider it. But I had also spoken to the club about the possibility of extending my contract if the offer was not made.
"I told the manager that I wanted to play for Liverpool and that Barcelona would only become an option for me if the opportunity arrived, as it would be a chance for me to go back home.
"When it [the offer] didn’t come I was happy to fight for my place so I was surprised that Liverpool decided it was in the club’s interests to send me to Napoli instead".
Okay, so let's get this straight: Reina was committed to Liverpool and wanted to play for the Reds, but only until Barcelona showed an interest, at which point he'd drop LFC like a hot rock. Additionally, he'd happily extend his contract at Anfield but only if an offer from the Catalans didn't materialise.
Who says loyalty in football is dead? Perish the thought!
The fact that £15m-rated Reina is 'surprised' at LFC's decision to send him on loan tells us everything we need to know about the mentality of the modern footballer.
Why would the club want to keep paying someone who perpetually has one eye on greener pastures? After all, Reina basically told the club: "I'm willing to stay, but only until a better offer comes along". Pretty insulting if you ask me (and Suarez basically said the same thing).
Reina also claims that he 'deserved better' from LFC over the manner of his departure, but the truth is, LFC - and the club's fans - deserved better from him.
Conditional loyalty should never be tolerated at Anfield, and in my view, the club - in a rare show of strength - did absolutely the right thing in extricating Reina from the wage bill.
However, by the same token, Liverpool seemingly fail to take the same approach with Luis Suarez, where conditional loyalty seems to be acceptable, and even condoned by the club.
This seems slightly hypocritical to me.
What is the difference between Suarez touting himself out to Real Madrid, and Reina flirting with Barca? The Uruguayan is clearly not committed to LFC; his zeal to leave dwarf's Reina's, yet his conditional loyalty seems to be excused, by both the fans and the club.
Ultimately, it's all ending on a bit of a sour note for Reina, but hopefully he will leave LFC with the best wishes of the fanbase. When considered in the context of his entire Reds career, this particular detour into selfishness is only a comparatively minor issue; and shouldn't detract from the many years of great service provided to the club.
Best of luck, Pepe!
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
In a recent open letter to fans, Reina expressed his 'regret' and surprise at being farmed out to Napoli, yet he seemed blissfully unaware of his grossly oversized sense of entitlement, a trait that is endemic amongst modern footballers. Without a hint of irony, Reina explained:
"If an offer came in from Barcelona I would have liked them [LFC] to consider it. But I had also spoken to the club about the possibility of extending my contract if the offer was not made.
"I told the manager that I wanted to play for Liverpool and that Barcelona would only become an option for me if the opportunity arrived, as it would be a chance for me to go back home.
"When it [the offer] didn’t come I was happy to fight for my place so I was surprised that Liverpool decided it was in the club’s interests to send me to Napoli instead".
Okay, so let's get this straight: Reina was committed to Liverpool and wanted to play for the Reds, but only until Barcelona showed an interest, at which point he'd drop LFC like a hot rock. Additionally, he'd happily extend his contract at Anfield but only if an offer from the Catalans didn't materialise.
Who says loyalty in football is dead? Perish the thought!
The fact that £15m-rated Reina is 'surprised' at LFC's decision to send him on loan tells us everything we need to know about the mentality of the modern footballer.
Why would the club want to keep paying someone who perpetually has one eye on greener pastures? After all, Reina basically told the club: "I'm willing to stay, but only until a better offer comes along". Pretty insulting if you ask me (and Suarez basically said the same thing).
Reina also claims that he 'deserved better' from LFC over the manner of his departure, but the truth is, LFC - and the club's fans - deserved better from him.
Conditional loyalty should never be tolerated at Anfield, and in my view, the club - in a rare show of strength - did absolutely the right thing in extricating Reina from the wage bill.
However, by the same token, Liverpool seemingly fail to take the same approach with Luis Suarez, where conditional loyalty seems to be acceptable, and even condoned by the club.
This seems slightly hypocritical to me.
What is the difference between Suarez touting himself out to Real Madrid, and Reina flirting with Barca? The Uruguayan is clearly not committed to LFC; his zeal to leave dwarf's Reina's, yet his conditional loyalty seems to be excused, by both the fans and the club.
Ultimately, it's all ending on a bit of a sour note for Reina, but hopefully he will leave LFC with the best wishes of the fanbase. When considered in the context of his entire Reds career, this particular detour into selfishness is only a comparatively minor issue; and shouldn't detract from the many years of great service provided to the club.
Best of luck, Pepe!
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
Welcome back JK hope you enjoyed your holiday .
ReplyDeleteThe fans probably have a softer side to Luis Suarez ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks. Yes, it was relaxing, thanks. Apart from the continual torrential rain of course (!) Sod's law, the day I return it's schedule to be the hottest day of the year. Typical.
ReplyDeleteWe started looking for a new goalkeeper last season that's why reina was out the door and went to a club not In the prem with Suarez no club from outside PL has came in for him. If they did then he would of been out the door.
ReplyDeleteGerrard and Rodgers worship the ground he walks on (see SG's latest comments), and the club would probably reject a bid unless it was astronomically high.
ReplyDeleteSlightly off topic, but with Valencia eyeing up Torres, is this a transfer we also should be looking at? If they can afford him then Chelsea can't be asking too much for him. Other than confidence, i dont see a lot wrong with his game. Personally, I'd love to see him back.
ReplyDeleteFact is if a team from outside the PL came for him with a £40 Million and 1 offer he would have been gone by now .We all love to hate him but we would only be strengthening Arsenal if we accepted their offer.
ReplyDeleteThe difference is that in Mignolet there was a ready made replacement of similar standard (with arguably more potential) on the market and available. With Suarez there isn't, and if there was, he probably wouldn't want to join us until we're in the champions league.
ReplyDeleteIf the club had known that we could sell Suarez and potentially get someone like Falcao or Cavani in to replace him, I would bet suarez would've been sold. But we all know that was never remotely realistic. Therefore the best plan is to keep suarez for another season unless a stupid money offer comes in. Spurs are currently in the same position except looks like they've had their silly money offer for Bale and are gonna let him go.
It's not hypocrisy, it's simply looking after the club's best interests rather than the individual players.
I am very disappointed at Pep on the letter he wrote to the fans. He knew what he was doing, when he realized the fans were not backing him then he wants to back track his statement. If he did not know then he should read JK spread often cause we all knew two weeks ago. And his agent is Ralfa's. This chap ones said he would join Man U of Arsensal while at LFC now he wanted to have his cake and eat it too.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of Suarez I for one think they are just playing the part if the right money comes he is gone. And we should get all the money we can get.
Reina is playing in Champion league next season while Suarez will be serving another 6 matches ban....Napoli is going to win the Italian league under Rafa while Rogers will be sacked if he fails to secure 6th place for Liverpool....No regret for Reina to join Napoli!!!
ReplyDeletepepe is replaceable , suarez isnt . they are both as bad however . i htink we would happily let him go to Rm or barca for £55m .
ReplyDeleteenough of this LS drama lets concentrate on who wants to be here YNWA
To be fair to him, his father played for Barca he started out with them, also he's been living away from home for seven years so I can see why he would want to join them. He also did address the comment after he made them so I don't think they came out the way he meant them. At the same time I don't feel sorry for him, he had a great spell at the club and was totally unchallenged since his arrival.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right about Benitez - he's assembling an amazing team, and I'd be surprised if Napoli didn't win the league next season.
ReplyDeleteP.S. My stalker (who despite his hatred is always on this site) obviously didn't like your post, hence the down-vote!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be averse to Torres' return. The only problem is, if he comes for a fairly decent fee, and doesn't immediately perform, he'll be hung drawn and quartered, and Rodgers will be blamed for making a massive transfer error.
ReplyDeleteI think double standards are very important in this scenario. Suarez cannot be replaced as easily as Reina was replaced by Mignolet who only has more potential to develop and being at a team with better defense will only help him and us in return who has something to prove. Nothing has been done wrong here and its good that Reina was shipped out but as much as I hate Suarez for his antics I also love him for the talent he has. I agree that he does tarnish the image of the club but still he has the talent to LFC forward so we can't sell him to anyone in the PL but if an offer of around 40 comes from outside LFC will sell him easily.
ReplyDeleteThe team he's assembling at Napoli is just amazing IMO. They're also trying to sign Jackson which will make their striking department quite strong. I wish BR would make a few signings like these.
ReplyDeleteThe difference is quite simply actually:
ReplyDeleteThe club viewed Reina as replaceable.
The club view Suarez as virtually irreplaceable.
It has nothing to do with conditional or unconditional loyalty. It has to do with the fact that the club doesn't want to sell Suarez at all, let alone to a domestic rival. Reina went to a different league altogether.
I'd really like to see him linking up with Coutinho. He thrived on Gerrard's service (his sulking started when Stevie went into a deeper midfield role) and i think these two could be on a similar wavelength.
ReplyDeleteIf you want someone to stay, you're not going to go out of your way to criticize the person.
ReplyDeleteAnd the club would probably reject a bid unless it was high because the club is in a strong bargaining position enabling it to do so.
I understand that you don't like it... but some people actually want Suarez to stay and those people (SG and BR included) are going to try to make him feel even more welcome than he already has been.
When I say 'conditional loyalty', I'm referring to Suarez and Reina, not LFC. Their alleged loyalty to LFC is clearly conditional.
ReplyDeleteAgree though about Reina being replaceable. Suarez is, however, most definitely not irreplaceable, and the club holding that kind of view is damaging IMO.
Yes, I accept that, but they're basically just rewarding a player for abject disloyalty. That is a huge sign of weakness.
ReplyDeleteAs an obvious analogy: X's girlfriend repeatedly tells him that she wants out of the relationship, and unapologetically reveals that she's cheated on him with Y. If X then turns round and worships his his GF even more, begs her to stay, and promises her the world, that would make him extremely weak, and would show how he clearly lacks self-respect and personal dignity.
Ditto LFC and Suarez.
You and I are referring to the same... the conditional loyalty from the player's perspective... not the team's perspective.
ReplyDeleteMy point is that the player's loyalty has nothing to do with it. It's all about who is and isn't replaceable in the team's view.
I understand your perspective how that could be damaging. To be honest, I'm not sure whether I agree or disagree. I'd have to give it some thought... but I think that's a different argument altogether.
My guess is that the owners do in fact recognize Suarez's lack of loyalty and probably would ship him off for the right money as long as it wasn't to an EPL rival. In the meantime, as no suitable offer has (reportedly) come in, they have to put on the public show of standing by their player. In other words, their true thoughts on the subject may not necessarily be communicated to the media. Besides, an open willingness to sell undermines LFC's high valuation of him . We'll never know unless we sell him and a similar 'reason why' is later conveyed.
ReplyDeleteI'll put it to you this way (and this is where you disagree with the club)... the club view keeping LS as a way to make the club better. So while you view it as abject disloyalty (and it is), the club doesn't care unless it's going to hurt them. In this case, you believe it will. The club believes it won't.
ReplyDeleteThe club views it as if they keep him, they are better off for it. If the club sells him, they are better off for it... but the club would prefer to keep him.
I know I'm being somewhat matter-of-fact, and not really taking one side or another. I'm just stating as I as I see it.
Its all about what's best for the team. Its not really a comparison
ReplyDeleteReina is past his best whereas we wont get better than Suarez.
Yes, you're probably right, that's exactly how the club may see it. However, if Suarez stays, it's merely a pyrrhic victory for LFC, which continues to sell its soul to appease someone who has caused the club more negative publicity than any player in LFC history.
ReplyDeleteAyre, Rodgers et al are basically subjugating the reputation and standing of LFC for the talent of one player. That's their choice, but it's absolutely the wrong choice IMO.
he must really miss you
ReplyDelete"It's not hypocrisy, it's simply looking after the club's best interests rather than the individual players" = agree ,but i look at it this way we need 2-3 really good players to finish in top four and if those players have been signed by now this Suarez saga would have also been over.The outfield players that we have signed we all know won't probably set the PL alight would they.
ReplyDeleteInter Milan?
ReplyDeletei disagree i think if a club from abroad bids they will drop him like a shit*y stick
ReplyDeletenot that amazing if hes after skirtel LOL
ReplyDeletenot that amazing if hes after skirtel
ReplyDeleteI said the club don't want to sell him. It doesn't mean that the club won't sell him if the right bid came in from abroad.
ReplyDelete100% correct
ReplyDeleteWhy won't we get better than Suarez? Are you suggesting that there's no player on the planet who'll come to LFC that's better? I'm sure many people thought we wouldn't get better than Torres when he left, but in some ways, Suarez is an upgrade.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely right Jamie! We are basically groveling at his feet and pleading for him not to leave. As a avid and 'Loyal' LFC fan for over 30 years I am astonished at how we are begging him to stay, infact its degrading and embarrassing. The only thing Suarez should be getting is a hard kick up the ass followed by a very loud Goodbye and Good riddens! I honestly don't understand the fans who are behind him staying and to here them say we are doomed without him, is just ridiculous. 5-6 years ago he was at FC Groningen and he was unheard of throughout Europe, until Ajax picked him up....... Not through scouting or the grape vine but because they were facing him in matches and realised his talents, then the big teams started to take notice because he was showing his skills in European competition with Ajax. What I'm saying is.......... He is not a god and that there are plenty more players out there waiting to be found just like Suarez and with a better attitude and sense of loyalty! What would 'The Legend that is Bill Shankly' have said to Suarez....... It wouldn't be anything we could post on this site, that's for sure. We need to grow some ball's and chuck him out, take the 40m from Arsenal....... It would be strengthening them yes but we can replace him with the money and be done with is rubbish at the same time!
ReplyDeleteplease no we had his best years now hes finished
ReplyDeleteI think they do want to sell and for lower than you think....football is all double bluff and charades we all know this the clubs know this but they cant come out and say it......
ReplyDeletemost footballers are loyal to themselves and no one else...the ones who don't go don't because either no one whats them or they are getting a better deal where they are....there all full of sh*t
ReplyDeleteThe management should stop being hypocrites and move on Suarez. The past 2 or so years have been spent apeasing the individual(Suarez). Instead of putting the club first.Which is a result of the clubs slight demise started under the last ownership. Imo the rest of the window depends on what happens to suarez. So sell him and buy 2 top players.Who can play from the first game of the season.The club comes first, always.
ReplyDeleteid sell him to Arsenal if i was rogers with a statement of intent.....There you go wenger have him and all the baggage that goes with him but if you don't finish higher than us in the league your 40m down and f*cked
ReplyDeletewell only if the economy collapses and the gov seize his wages
ReplyDeleteMy biggest cow tow with rogers is the way he slavers over certain players....why up your game if you are gonna be praised to high heaven for tieing your laces...the season hasn't began and already kolo is a mix of bobby moore and franz beckanbaur
ReplyDeleteHow can it be in the clubs best interests....... Think of it this way, every other player at LFC will be putting in 100% in the up coming season to do there best for there club and to earn there place in the team, yet Mr Suarez will be sulking and moaning that he has been mistreated and held back from moving to a better club ( In his very wrong Opinion) that is hardly going to inspire the dressing room now is it? Especially when he is being picked ahead of those who give there all each week and all he does is sulk and desrespect the club! Is hardly setting a good example to the other players and is just likely to turn some of them into yet more idiots like Suarez, if they see him getting away with it. We need to show him who's the boss and that this behaviour is unacceptable! YNWA
ReplyDeleteToure will be a class signing. Just wait and see :)
ReplyDeleteExactly. One sentence its about the squad solidarity and team ethos. Then its praising individuals in the next. Rodgers needs to improve dramaticcaly on his press statements. He contradicts himself on a weekly basis.
ReplyDeletehe may well be ..and i rate him.....but there is no need to come out with sychophantic statements about players its unhealthy
ReplyDeleteWell said...
ReplyDeleteCase in point: Stewart Downing
exactly ..and if im honest i don't blame the players i blame the ones who negotiate the contracts for the club
ReplyDeleteI'll tell you why, because no human can sulk for an entire season. There'll be an initial period (hopefully during his 6 matches off where his ban may work in our favour) where he'll sulk but then if he doesn't realise it himself, then his agent will I'm sure be switched on enough to tell him that no one will buy him (the teams he wants to play for anyway), if he's been more trouble behind the scenes. He's already got enough of a rep to turn some teams off, so his agent will tell him to play as well as he can to put himself in the shop window for both January, as he'll be a rare commodity- a top non european cup tied player, or next summer. And that's if he does sulk, who knows what his personality's like? On pre-season he still looked pre good to me.
ReplyDeleteBottom line is, everyone knows he's gonna leave sooner or later, so why not get as much out of the world class player that he is, whether it be through waiting for a high enough bid or him playing for us if that doesn't come in, while we still can?
Besides you guys tell me, who on the current market, especially now soldado's just gone (and even before that for that matter), you would get to replace him who would guarantee the goals suarez can? It's all well and good saying get 2-3 good players in for the money, but if there's no one on the market who fits the bill, we'll be in the same situation as the start of last season, one proven goalscorer (and an injury prone one too- Sturridge) to last til xmas, and I for one don't wanna see that.
So for me, I can honestly say for the first time in recent years, I think we've actually conducted ourselves extremely well in this transfer window.
As opposed to last season, I think there was only one player who gave 100%. Suarez doesn't have much to prove to Liverpool - I'm sure he can keep the discipline in check. It's Liverpool's turn - will they man up and bring their game up to his level?
ReplyDeleteYes I am suggesting that and Gerrard who is in the best position to judge would agree. I would be interested to hear who you think would be better? Torres was past his best when we sold him but we have never actually replaced what he brought to the team at his peak. He is a different type to Suarez. Imagine a 2008 Torres playing with Suarez.
ReplyDeleteRodgers gets asked questions in his press conferences about players and the team then answers those questions. I do not see how you can call any of that a contradiction. He is not asking his own questions is he?
ReplyDeleteThey either need Suarez much more and/or more confident in getting a good juicy fee for him if they play hardball this transfer window, hence playing the he-is-staying card publicly. Whereas Reina's form has been stale for ages, isn't that important anymore and isn't that financially lucrative in terms of sale value, so it seems like the club couldn't care much.
ReplyDeleteI think that is what it comes down to. Like someone said or implied already, the club seem to view Suarez as irreplaceable.
Cold but not all that surprising. The club don't care that much about loyalty, especially in these situations. Which I understand but although I did expect club to make a bit more of a positive PR effort over Reina, due to his longevity at the club. I'm not sure how damaging it is as I think the way it has played out, there hasn't been much hoo-ha. Somewhat sad that but not surprising.
Exactly, it is not like the club is in a position to treat Suarez like an outcast when they know he wants to leave. That would surely open the doors to a give away price.
ReplyDeleteI think Luis should turn it down to 90% if 100% resorts to him biting people, etc ;)
ReplyDeleteMaybe 99%. That biting incidident, IMO, is directly related to the earlier hand ball in that game causing the penalty, coupled with press treatment - self fulfilling profecy.
ReplyDeleteHe's got no off switch - you can't run a performance sports car at full tilt with blowing a gasket every once in a while.
Answer me this, from observation, which player was the most upset about being eliminated from the Europa League?
Would only be a double standard if these 2 were equals. Totally not, Reina has already been replaced by what appears to be a better keeper.Suarez on the other hand is the top player in the league, Reina is not even top 10 in the world, otherwise he wouldn't be spains 3rd choice keeper.
ReplyDeleteWhy would they want rid of Suarez? 23 Goals (would be more if you included everton, and if he took penalties), plenty of assists, and involved in some way or another in just about every goal.
Main problem is that all the focus is on him, most of the pressure is on him, no one is held to the same standard as he is. Face it, you don't hear people ranting about how wasteful or selfish Johnson is (1 goal in 50+ shots, a large number of turn overs), but you here this critique of Suarez all the time, even though he more than makes up for missed chances, and does set up goals.
Watching Liverpool last season was frustrating, but hardly because of Suarez (ok, the odd bout of misfiring, but thats it) the rest of the team was inconsistent, and didn't step up. This year could be better, chances are far better with Suarez in that equation.
pepe reina deserved that treatment poor performances at the back constantly chatting up the media he was consistently pushing for a move and like suarez felt he had leverage i for one am happy he's gone the club showed we are not taking that again u wanna move move suarez however atm we can't lose him as like BR says our team is built around him if we had enough time and resources in the TW we would have replaced him but yh as it is now suarez going might be a big loss but next TW yh get rid of him only want players who want to play for my club
ReplyDeleteRight, so all the grief Suarez causes Liverpool should just be forgotten because he gets upset when the team loses?
ReplyDeleteWhy do you prioritise the individual over the club? Why is Suarez more important than LFC? The club has *nothing* to Suarez; it is he who has to get with the program and start respecting the magnificent institution he has the privilege of representing.
We've had this exact same conversation before, and I gave you a long list of players who are as good as - or better - than Suarez and/or who would be better *for* LFC than Suarez.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you always use Gerrard's opinion to validate your own? He is not some kind soothsayer, and his opinion is not absolute. So he thinks Suarez is amazing. Big deal. He thought Joe Cole was amazing too.
Suarez is not irreplaceable in any way, shape or form, and when he leaves, Liverpool will be just fine. The club has finished 8th and 7th in his two full seasons at Anfield, and if he leaves, the only way will still be up.
joe was amazing jk...an amazing waste of space
ReplyDeleteid imagine all of them..or id hope so
ReplyDeleteI think he will too and think people arent giving him the credit he desereves. Of all our signings this summer I think he is prob the best so far.
ReplyDeletemourinho does the same thing its called raising morale
ReplyDeletewell spread the love around and dont keep it for a few ...how does bumming up senior players boost moral they don't need there confidence boosting ..its the lower lights that need there moral boosting
ReplyDeletemost agree kolo is a good player,and from what i can see hes the type of guy who would prefer the manlove directed somewhere else
ReplyDeleteWelcome back JK. Have to say I agree and disagree with you equally with this comment. Point of fact is, and I've said this countless times, the guy is a moron, disrespectful, and pretty nasty. However, yes, there is a but (One of J Lo proportions!) Unfortunately it is very unlikely we are gonna get anywhere near the top 4 without players of his quality. At the moment he, Gerrard, Coutinho and possibly Sturridge (when fit) are our best hope of competing (In an attacking sense). This isn't me selling my soul, just a plain fact that as troublesome as the guy is, that's how brilliant he is as a player, The penny finally dropped for Arsenal that they need someone that isn't such a nice guy to help win them stuff.
ReplyDelete'Answer me this, from observation, which player was the most upset about being eliminated from the Europa League?'
ReplyDeleteI don't know, I don't know what goes inside their head. Public shows of emotions, statements, etc, I take with a pinch of salt from Hollywood, oops I mean the profession that is football.
'That biting incidident, IMO, is directly related to the earlier hand ball in that game causing the penalty, coupled with press treatment - self fulfilling profecy.'
Those excuses aren't my cup of tea as understandably, like many, I'm not overly sympathetic when it coms to Suarez and some of the things he has done. I haven't been his biggest fan since early on. His rep was improving before the bite but than the excretion hit the fan, by who? No one else but him, surprise, surprise(!) He and the media deserve each other, and I don't mean that in a good way. You'll defend him to the hilt as is the norm, which is your view, fair enough but I'm tired of it, tired of him, tired of the excuses made for him, so I'm not going to continue this angle on Suarez, with all due respect.
'Reina is not even top 10 in the world, otherwise he wouldn't be spains 3rd choice keeper'
ReplyDeleteOne is Casilas, one of the best keepers of all time and he could have a big dip in form or not get selected at Real, he would still be numuero uno for a good while.
Second is Valdes, he plays for a team that has in recent times staked a claim as one of the best of all time, if not the best. Some may have doubts him as a individual player but it doesn't always work like that in football, when it comes to international selection. For .e.g, both play for the big two in Spain, which has some weight, rightly or wrongly.
Even when on top form, Reina's chances of being more than a number 3 for Spain weren't that improved.
So I wouldn't use his status in the Spain squad as some sort of standard to judge Reina.
Reina has/had been here for years, some of it through the best times we've had in the last two decades, so it is understandable why some would think he should have been treated a little better. Not sure I agree with them fully but in some ways I do.
The difference is, quite simply, that Pepe Reina would not be a major factor in making Europe next season. Suarez undoubtedly would.
ReplyDeleteNot saying I'm happy with it; just stating the truth.
If X's GF was the best chance that X had of getting into the CL though, then maybe you could forgive X's weakness. :)
ReplyDeleteWell, of course ;-)
ReplyDeleteThe positives far outway any negatives. As for respecting the club, I don't think he's done any great disrespect, he said it would be hard to say no to Real, most of the other stuff being reported lated is free of quotes, sources. Is that bad? It's honest, I understand Liverpool fans might not like hearing that, but the reality is Real are big team. He has made any statements on Aresenal or any other team. As for his transgressions - well, those don't have anything to do with the team per se, but are more personal. They are mistakes he made, but should not be seen as reflecting the club.
ReplyDeleteThe thing with putting individual over club, it's everyone else doing it, I think the reality is a pretty normal situation, employee would like a better pay, work for a bigger company, or that the company he's with improve. However him being the top player, it's over exagerated, every day there are dozens of articles about what he said, didn't say, what his body language said or didn't say, what his agent said, friends said, what pundits say, all of this comes back to him - he hasn't said much at all, but the press would have you believe he's constantly disparaging liverpool, when publicly he has never said anything negative about the club.
Maybe a little better treatment is due, it's a business, if someone isn't up to snuff, you get someone else in - that's how teams win - loyalty doesn't win things.
ReplyDeleteYes I remember that conversation and the players in the list included players who were either unrealistic options like Falcao and Cavani or nowhere near as good as Suarez i.e Benteke. Arsenal with potential champions league football and a big budget are showing how difficult it is to acquire a player of Suarez's ability.
ReplyDeleteAs for Gerrard, he doesn't have to be a soothsayer but the opinion of someone who has been playing for our club for the last 15 years and captained his country has to be respected. He said Suarez is the best player he has ever played with and that is good enough for me (I wont elaborate on the comparison to his comments about Joe Cole, you know what all that was about). I personally would put him just behind Barnes as the best I have seen. I think you allow your dislike for the negative side of Suarez to affect how you view his ability as a footballer.
As for the league position. I think that if we had have had Sturridge and Coutinho from the start of last season we would have finished higher. Thats why I would find it frustrating to lose a world class talent when we should be building on what we have. Its happened too often in the past with us struggling to replace quality players when we should have progressed.
I guess that when the biggest hope you have for making the CL is trying to leave, you'll do everything possible to keep him, and then build on top of that with more signings. He may not be irreplaceable, but he almost is, and he'd be much more replaceable if we Liverpool were an established top 4 side.
ReplyDeleteGoal keepers have long careers, so it's easy to find a quality young keeper like Mignolet, who knows he's not in any rush to achieve success before his used by date (which for keepers is usually around the late thirties, in contrast to the early thirties for every other position). It looks like Bale is going to leave Spurs, and we must take full advantage of this by keeping Suarez. No way should we sell to Arsenal, I thought they're one of our direct CL rivals? They only seem to scrape in every year!
I agree, loyalty simply isn't that important these days but many kinds of PR cards played by parties involved in football to come across as nice and positive (as well as using PR for other reasons as seen in recent times with Rodgers' comments about Suarez and loyalty, etc), regardless of how in/sincere it is. Hence, would have been a nice to see the club show a bit of public warmth, regardless of how heartfelt it is or isn't. Football is a business but it isn't a orthodox business, therefore in/sincere waffle about loyalty, appreciation, etc, is still appreciated or still has a place to an extent.
ReplyDeleteI would. Torres has lost what made him once great. He was never the same after his injury. It was ultimately his turn of pace and his speed that made him what he was. If it was the old Torres, him and Coutinho would be magic waiting to happen, but that is too late now.
ReplyDeleteWe ripped Chelsea off by selling them a player we knew was crocked. We now have Sturridge who pretty much has all the tools that made Torres great.
Torres to Valencia and Villa to Atletico... Who would've thought eh?
Sad to see Reina leave but he really can't fault LFC and in a way, he left LFC with no choice but to loan or sell him. Had Barcelona swoop in for him, LFC would be left scrambling to buy a keeper and under such circumstances, we may end up paying more. It was a smart pre-emptive move by LFC to buy Mignolet first.
ReplyDeleteSuarez situation is different from Reina's. He is deemed crucial in our pursuit for CL spot but more crucially, if he ends up with Arsenal, it strengthens Arsenal, our direct competitor for top 4. Although, I do think that LFC in the coming season will still be very competitive even without Suarez.
And yes, Arsenal seems to scrape through every year into CL. They are not as strong as they once were and their fluid football seems to have abandoned them. Even when they were fluid, they could not score. We should not sell to Arsenal.
I really don't agree with the idea that we should keep players or let them go based on their degree of expressed loyalty. All it really comes down to is if we can maintain a certain quality of player for the upcoming season. Reina was easily replaced so we did so. Suarez is not so easily replaced. You'd think that if we thought 50 million pounds was the better option then we'd already have taken it. Rodgers with all of this scouting team likely think that finding a Suarez replacement even with that kind of money is more challenging. So the amount loyalty they show isn't always relevant and I certainly don't think the club make these decisions based on some notion of putting forward a strong image or being personally affronted by what the player says. It's just the practical nature of needing to put the best possible team on the park for the season.
ReplyDeleteLol, you've basically just duplicated what I said in my comment and then expanded upon it!
ReplyDeleteDuplicate? I don't think I duplicated what you said. Rather, I agree with what you said and added my own views. I thought this is a forum where we agree or disagree with each other and give our personal views to comments and on the article.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, doesn't really matter. Cheers.
Sorry 2Jay, I made my comment seem a bit antagonistic. I only meant it in good fun :) But yes, I do agree with everything you said!
ReplyDeleteJK, I MUST SAY THIS IS THE VERY FIRST OBJECTIVE PIECE AM READING ON YOUR BLOG AS REGARDS SUAREZ SINCE I LIKED YOUR PAGE. ALL THE SAME, I THINK LFC BOARD QUITE KNOW THE HAND WRITING ON THE WALL IN THIS SUAREZ SCENARIO AND I CALL IT BLUFF EACH TIME AYRE SAYS HE IS GOING NO WHERE. 40M POUNDS IS GOOD DEAL BUT FEEL THE CLUB WANTS MORE THATS WHERE ITS TAKING THIS STANCE.
ReplyDeleteIF THERE IS ONE THING I APPRECIATE ABOUT LFC SINCE FENWAY TOOK OVER, ITS THE CONTINGENCY PLAN THEY USUALLY HAVE IN PLACE. MIND YOU, ALL DOES NOT END WITH REINA AND SUAREZ, COUTINHO WILL BE SAME IN FEW YEARS. JUST MARK THAT!
STEVE G. IS AN EXCEPTION TO THAT VIEW OF YOURS.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't have much to prove........ Really? When he joined LFC he knew our situation and unless he was in dream world (which obviously was then) there was absolutely now way that he, could of even began to comprehend we would be in the CL in just 2 short years! It would take a Devine miracle to fix 20 years of mess in just 2 years. BR said right from the off his plan to get us on track again, would take 5 years at least, that's being realistic and honest. We have made great strides forward already but the truth of the matter is Suarez doesn't want to commit to the cause and just wants instant success m8, plain and simple! After all we have done for him........... He just wants to jump ship and run. We don't need that attitude at LFC full stop. YNWA
ReplyDeleteHe's said plenty actually........ Some of those so called unreliable sources you mention have been his friends in the game and international team mates, would they distort the truth? As for his body language have you seen the pictures of him in training and in the preseason games......... Looks like someone had pinched his favourite toy or something! A blind person could see he wishes he was anywhere else but with us!
ReplyDeleteReina got what he deserved. Liverpool have treated him very well, but he chose to bite the hand that fed him by making those comments. Suarez on the other hand is the victim of bad advice.
ReplyDeleteWhere did my reply go, I replied to El_Uruguayo's post of 'Maybe 99%....'?
ReplyDeleteJK, where did my reply go to this?
ReplyDeleteNone of your replies have been removed, OC. Perhaps it slipped further down the page?
ReplyDeleteThat is strange. I did a refresh and it has reappeared!
ReplyDelete