So i want to just talk about the transfer window and some of the things that have stood out for me over the last few days really because lets face it, it was more like a 3-day transfer period than a month long window wasn't it.
Paul Konchesky - this will be brief. Why he was signed will baffle us for some time. When Hodgson arrived we had Insua and Aurelio, not the best Left backs in the world, but competent ones who knew the club, the players and the role they had to play. Hodgson decided though, in his infinite wisdom to loan one out and release the other, then the loan was off, then it was on again, then the player he released was resigned - was all a bit of an embarrassing joke really, oh and then we signed Konchesky. An average player at best, he never fit in, he never adapted to the team, he was never taken to the hearts of the supporters. Now it isn't like we didn't give him a chance, we did, it just wasn't working out and his mother did not help, towards the end even his old pal Roy wouldn't pick him and once he was gone the writing was on the wall for Paul - he won't be missed.
Another departure from the first team squad was that of Ryan Babel - something of a human enigma. He had the potential, he had the skill and he had plenty of faith placed in him, what he seemingly lacked however was the application. Every now and then he would produce a moment of brilliance which would stir up the question - why can't he do that all the time?? Only the player himself will know that for sure - but let's face it he went out on a high...
Another departure from the first team squad was that of Ryan Babel - something of a human enigma. He had the potential, he had the skill and he had plenty of faith placed in him, what he seemingly lacked however was the application. Every now and then he would produce a moment of brilliance which would stir up the question - why can't he do that all the time?? Only the player himself will know that for sure - but let's face it he went out on a high...
He also left with some dignity, after he was released from 'Twitter Jail' - don't ask - he had plenty of kind words for the club and the supporters which he had left behind, declaring us the best supporters out there, stating that he wishes us every luck for the future and that we get back to the top where we belong. And all this came from a player who was never really fully taken to by the supporters, we wanted it to work with him, but in the end it just wasn't and the move will do him good. His words though have ensured that should ever return to Anfield as an opponent he will receive a warm welcome from all - thanks Ryan.
The story of the outgoing players was only ever going to end with one man - Fernando Torres - the man who had it all and threw it away, the man who had one foot through the doorway to becoming a legend, the man who will now only ever be remembered primarily for what he did TO the club rather than what he did FOR the club. He has left in search of glory but at Chelsea the writing is already on the wall, ageing team, performances are poor, they are falling away and there are echoes of our own descent in 2009/2010 about them - at Chelsea i suspect he will not find the glory he craves. I wont say too much about him, i have done it already, if you want to read what i have to say on it then the post is called The Heartbreak Kid and you can select it from the column on the right. No kind words for us from him, makes the situation worse, no dignity, he left with his reputation in tatters, and right now, he is walking alone.
One thing i will say is aimed at those who took it upon themselves to burn the Liverpool shirts. Regardless of the name on the back of the shirt it should not happen. There is nothing more important than the badge on the front. Over the weekend and through to deadline day many people said that the club was bigger than any individual - a statement of fact - those who burned shirts for the cameras made a mockery of that statement and have insulted the club to the highest level. Look on the front of the shirt, there is a badge, a badge that symbolises where we are from, who we are, the values we hold, the anthem that unites us and on either side of all of this there are two flames to symbolise and remember those who we lost - regardless of the name on the back, the badge on the front is the most important thing and should not be disrespected.
One man who also suffered a little bit was Luis Suarez, his arrival overshadowed by the betrayal of a player who he had hoped to partner.
Luis Suarez, Liverpool's Number 7!!!
I can't wait to see Luis pull on the famous red shirt and show us his best, he wants to be here, he is excited to be here and he is the kind of committed player that we need. On his website he left a message for his fans, thanking Ajax and their supporters for standing by him and for the help an support that they had given him and he wished them the best for the future - class. He then stated how happy he was to be at Liverpool, and how he looks forward to winning things and giving his best for the club, he has given a real masterclass in how to leave a club in a dignified and respectful manner, unlike someone else. His goal scoring record is superb and i don't think the will have any problems settling in and i think he could be in line for a debut goal, if he gets his chance I'm sure he will take it. Welcome to Liverpool Luis Suarez!
Next to join us was Andy Carroll our new number 9!!
Again, a player who wants to be here, a player who has thanked his former supporters - OK so he has been in a little bit of a spat with his former employers but anyone who thinks that Mike Ashley was ever going to say anything but yes to £35m is deluded. He says he is happy to be here and looks forward to showing his best. It would be so easy for a player so young as him to be cocky about a £35m move, but he hasn't, he has maintained that it is his focus to get fit and ready to help the team, to play his part and to show everyone that he is worth it - he wants to earn that value. In my opinion i do not think he is worth the fee of £35m, his is a good young talent, but he is not proven at the very highest level, he has been great for Newcastle this season, but he does represent something of a gamble, one that i think will pay off though, after all what he could do for us over the next 5 and a half years could well be worth the £35m and more besides.Welcome to Liverpool Andy!!
Gonna finish addressing something that has bothered me a little bit, and that is the suggestion that our new owners NESV or FSG whichever but i prefer NESV are anything but committed to the club and are unwilling to put money into the club for transfers. RIDICULOUS.
People have pointed out that we have actually made a profit from the transfer window and that they have contributed nothing in terms of funds. But that argument is dead before it even gets going. The plan was never to sell in this window, the plan was to strengthen. Suarez was signed to complement Torres not to replace him, the plan was to bring Suarez in and that plan cost £22.8m, a fee that was agreed BEFORE the Torres saga erupted. Once it was clear that he was going to be leaving us the priority was a replacement and also to get the right price, we dug in, we demanded £50m in cold hard cash, no part exchange, no add ons, we wanted our fee, our valuation and their money. A replacement was needed though, and we had to act fast. Our new owners are committed to bringing in good young talent to build for the future success of the club, Andy Carroll represents this desire, we may well have had to pay over the odds but we had no choice given the circumstances - we risked being left with only one top striker, unproven and ineligible for Europe, now we have two top strikers who want to be here and one who CAN play in Europe which can only be a good thing for us.
It was never their intention to sell Torres, or to make a profit from the transfer window, but that is what has happened as a result of circumstance, and if we have made a profit this window then surely we have more to spend in the summer window which is only a good thing. Had we only brought in Suarez we would have a spending outlay of about £16/17m after taking into account the fee for Babel, no profit. It would have been easy for them to take the £50m for Torres and keep it, use it elsewhere, save it for summer, but they didn't do that, it went straight back into the playing squad.
Under Hicks and Gillet that money would have gone on interest payments, we would not have bought Suarez and we would probably by now be on the verge of administration or worse. There owners are committed, and I'm sure they will back us in the summer with more money for more players, the fact that we have made a profit this window means that there is more money to go round in the summer - not guaranteed but all the noise coming from the club AND Kenny Dalglish is that this is what will happen - expect a busy summer reds!!
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take care folks!
ash
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