Sun 21 - return of Rafa

[Portly]

So Torres won't be booed then?

I'm sure some people will boo him, because of the sudden way our former hero left the club. But I think most people will not boo him. I certainly won't, nor will Vlad's Quiff. There's a problem about the subject of booing. It only takes 100 people out of a crowd of 40,000 to boo, and the newspapers report that a player was booed or the team was booed off the pitch.

Supporters of some clubs will boo any player who used to play for their club. I contend that we just don't do that at Anfield.

 

[RolandG]

Rafa will set the Chavs up to lose at Anfield or at least I'm hoping so. He's had enough of that prawn chomping, plastic flag waving fans.

Either way, we'll turn them over at home.

On a side note, I read that the Chavs are trying to offload Torres back to us as they still owe us a whopping 15M for him.

 

[localny]

I'd probably take him back for 8. What's the source Roland?

 

[localny]

We were being knocked out of the Champions League by giants such as Strasbourg and FC Basle before Rafa came along; suddenly under Rafa we're beating Barca, Real Madrid, Juventus, Inter, AC Milan (i.e. the best in Europe) and winning the CL. He gave our club back it's credibility at the top echelon of the game despite the fact he couldn't replicate the European form in the League.....apart from our 2nd place finish in 2009. We also qualified for CL every season during his tenure bar the last season.

Rafa is without a shadow of a doubt a LFC legend and will get the reception he deserves.

Amen. ALSO:

"you can't reason someone out of an opinion (if they weren't reasoned into it)"

 

[Judge Jules]

That was after what 75 mins and we were already a goal down.

Bellamy starts and we cruise to no6

Let's agree to differ. It's true we were already a goal down, but we were playing well and looking like getting the equaliser - in fact that's the very reason Rafa himself gave for the Masher substitution (he wanted to make us more attacking). Taking Masher off set Kaka free and pretty much ensured we would lose. Zenden wasn't the reason.

 

[nealmac]

I'd be extremely disappointed to hear of any Liverpool fan booing Rafa when Chelsea come.

Unfortunately, there are always idiots.

 

[gkmacca]

The pre-match meeting between Rafa and Rodgers should be interesting: Rafa favours a handshake, a pat on the back and, to special friends, a pinch on the cheek; Rodgers will probably go for a wrist clench, a too-close smile-stare and an enforced hug. But anything could happen, tactile-wise. It could get messy.

 

[Spionkop69]

Spot the irony anyone?

I see it! I see it! No one else has or they've just ignored it.

 

[localny]

Listen, let's be clear, Harry Kewell's lack of effort was the key factor in that second goal. He let that Milan player drift past with no effort into a wide open space. W@nker.

 

[nealmac]

Spot the irony anyone?

Didn't notice this post until Spion quoted it.

Irony? More like blatant fucking hypocrisy.

 

[Spionkop69]

Didn't notice this post until Spion quoted it.

Irony? More like blatant fucking hypocrisy.

Sshhhhh, keep it on the down low!

 

[Sunny]

I see it! I see it! No one else has or they've just ignored it.

Oh yeh I kind of forgot about all that.

 

[the count]

My irony meter was smashed ages ago.

 

[the count]

On a side note, I read that the Chavs are trying to offload Torres back to us as they still owe us a whopping 15M for him.

Up it to £20m and we will think about it

 

[RolandG]

I'd probably take him back for 8. What's the source Roland?

Caughtoffside. Could be a April's Fools story but I thought something worth mentioning.
Return of the King: Chelsea Offer Liverpool Chance to Re-Sign Fernando Torres In Sensational Cut-Price Deal

by Christian BaileyApril 1st, 2013
Move back to Anfield could tempt Stamford Bridge flop.

Chelsea have sensationally offered Fernando Torres back to his former club Liverpool.
Blues owner Roman Abramovich has finally ran out of patience with the 29 year old striker and will look to offload the Spaniard this summer but will give his former Anfield employers first refusal on the faltering marksman.

Abramovich forked out £50m to bring Torres to Stamford Bridge back in January 2011 but the last portion of the payment was due to be completed in the summer of 2013 and the Russian billionaire is willing to allow the forward to return to Liverpool on the proviso that the Merseyside club forfeits the request for the outstanding £15m that the West London club still owes as part of the original sale.

Fernando Torres has enjoyed a torrid time at Chelsea and could well be interested in a return to Liverpool, where he arguably hit the best form of his career to date.
Torres cost Liverpool £26.5m in July 2007 and was an instant success, netting 31 goals in his first season at the club and racked up a very respectable total of 81 goals in 142 appearances before leaving for Chelsea.
Abramovich was happy to break the British transfer record to sign the World Cup winner and though he initially stood by the striker as he struggled for form the Chelsea owner is now ready to bid farewell to what he considers one of the worst investments of his career, both in football and in his general business career as whole.

Fernando Torres is in the middle of another shocking run of form having gone a dozen Premier League games without a goal but Brendan Rodgers may well still be open to the idea of the player returning to help boost his strike-force.
Though Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge are both in good form Rodgers doesn’t have a wealth of alternative options, especially with summer signing Fabio Borini being a huge disappointment since his move to the club from Roma.

From a business point of view it’s an idea that Liverpool’s American owners are apparently willing to consider. The return of a former favourite could well be a marketing success and the fact that such a signing wouldn’t actually cost the club any money as such is also appealing to Fenway Sports Group chief John Henry.
It is thought that the club are planning ahead for such a deal, keen to make as much capital from what would be a major summer transfer, and Jordan Henderson is ready to surrender his number 14 shirt to Torres this summer.

​

 

[Richey]

He certainly should not be boo-ed. There are no former managers who deserve to be boo-ed and only a couple of former players (and even then its better to just ignore them).

He should get a great response before the match kicks off, but after that he is the manager of the opposition, the same as any other visiting manager, and efforts should be entirely on supporting the players and the manager that we have now.

 

[mark1975]

Yeah, it's not Goodison Park, that 'Prepare to welcome...' Kenwright crap is cringeworthy.

Tbf, if Kenwright had it his way, Goodison would open from behind a blue velvet curtain every game and there would be matinee performances and ice creams at the intervals.

 

[jexykrodic]

Rafa will get a good reception. Rightly so, he's the best manager we've had in a generation. He remade the club, gave it a good youth set-up, brought the club trophies and got us punching well above our weight in European football.

 

[RolandG]

Rafa will get the respect he earned and deserves. He is a legend and rightly so for what he achieved at Liverpool!

 

[Spionkop69]

Caughtoffside. Could be a April's Fools story but I thought something worth mentioning.
Return of the King: Chelsea Offer Liverpool Chance to Re-Sign Fernando Torres In Sensational Cut-Price Deal

by Christian BaileyApril 1st, 2013
Move back to Anfield could tempt Stamford Bridge flop.

Chelsea have sensationally offered Fernando Torres back to his former club Liverpool.
Blues owner Roman Abramovich has finally ran out of patience with the 29 year old striker and will look to offload the Spaniard this summer but will give his former Anfield employers first refusal on the faltering marksman.

Abramovich forked out £50m to bring Torres to Stamford Bridge back in January 2011 but the last portion of the payment was due to be completed in the summer of 2013 and the Russian billionaire is willing to allow the forward to return to Liverpool on the proviso that the Merseyside club forfeits the request for the outstanding £15m that the West London club still owes as part of the original sale.

Fernando Torres has enjoyed a torrid time at Chelsea and could well be interested in a return to Liverpool, where he arguably hit the best form of his career to date.
Torres cost Liverpool £26.5m in July 2007 and was an instant success, netting 31 goals in his first season at the club and racked up a very respectable total of 81 goals in 142 appearances before leaving for Chelsea.
Abramovich was happy to break the British transfer record to sign the World Cup winner and though he initially stood by the striker as he struggled for form the Chelsea owner is now ready to bid farewell to what he considers one of the worst investments of his career, both in football and in his general business career as whole.

Fernando Torres is in the middle of another shocking run of form having gone a dozen Premier League games without a goal but Brendan Rodgers may well still be open to the idea of the player returning to help boost his strike-force.
Though Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge are both in good form Rodgers doesn’t have a wealth of alternative options, especially with summer signing Fabio Borini being a huge disappointment since his move to the club from Roma.

From a business point of view it’s an idea that Liverpool’s American owners are apparently willing to consider. The return of a former favourite could well be a marketing success and the fact that such a signing wouldn’t actually cost the club any money as such is also appealing to Fenway Sports Group chief John Henry.
It is thought that the club are planning ahead for such a deal, keen to make as much capital from what would be a major summer transfer, and Jordan Henderson is ready to surrender his number 14 shirt to Torres this summer.

​

I thought that the original deal was straight cash for him. No downpayments or future payments, just straight cash.

If the above is true, then I'd take him on the basis that we're not paying out any cash. Although if the £15m which is outstanding forms part of our summer budget, then no, I wouldn't.

We'd look good with a proper number 7, 9 & 10

 

[Spionkop69]

And why would Torres want the 14 shirt? Smells more and more like bullshit actually.

 

[RolandG]

I thought that the original deal was straight cash for him. No downpayments or future payments, just straight cash.

If the above is true, then I'd take him on the basis that we're not paying out any cash. Although if the £15m which is outstanding forms part of our summer budget, then no, I wouldn't.

We'd look good with a proper number 7, 9 & 10

I also thought that the straight 50M cash was a key driver of the deal. Honestly, I'd take Torres back in the absence of any other top notch available striking options. The lad is just home sick and will fire on his return. Of course a Torres, Suarez, Coutinho front 3 would instill the fear of Liverpool in the opposition.

I don't think that the quoted 15M would form part of the transfer kitty and we would be getting the real deal despite his well documented struggles at the Chavs. The last paragraph seems to suggest that. However, I speak under correction. A summer transfer return of both Alonso and Torres would be sensational.

As for the no. 14 shirt and why he'd want that, I don't care. Alonso would get preference.

 

[mark1975]

I'd take that, but I'm a fickle, nostalgic romantic.

 

[RolandG]

I'd take that, but I'm a fickle, nostalgic romantic.

In the immortal words of Michael Jackson, "You are not alone!"

 

[Judge Jules]

It's worth a try IMO, if only because otherwise the Chavs will try every trick in the book to avoid paying us the remaining £15 mill.anyway.

 

[Portly]

Torres' general forward play - running, positioning and passing - has still been a joy to watch throughout the period of his goal drought. To me, he always gives the impression that he is just about to score but somehow never gets round to it. I would certainly have him back on the basis that he is still a very good forward and the goals could well come.

When Torres first signed for us, he was eager to compete in physical battles with Neanderthal centre-backs, and he scored loads of goals. It seemed to me that after a season of this, he felt that he had been kicked around enough, and took his foot off the pedal. I think if Torres did come back, Rodgers would have to encourage him to get stuck in like he used to.

 

[Judge Jules]

If my (and others') analysis of Torres' fundamental problem is correct and his disastrous drop in form and confidence has been due mainly to an abiding regret that he ever left LFC, the mere fact of returning might light his fire again. I wouldn't put it more definitely than that because (a) he's slipped SO far below his original standards - I'm afraid I don't think his general play's been that good that often at Chelsea - that he'd have a sod of a long way to go to get back up to them, and (b) he may well have an even steeper mountain to climb to win the fans back on to his side.

 

[Portly]

As soon as he scored a goal, they would love him again. Football crowds are ultra-fickle. Look how the City fans fell in love with Tevez again, after he had shat on the club from a great height! 😀

 

[Judge Jules]

I suspect LFC fans have longer memories than most, and the Tevez thing is extraordinary even by football fans' standards, but fair point overall.

I'm starting to warm to the idea now. There are shades of Anelka's loan spell about it - talented player whose career looks to be petering out comes (back, in this case) to LFC and reignites it. Hmmm....

 

[RolandG]

If my (and others') analysis of Torres' fundamental problem is correct and his disastrous drop in form and confidence has been due mainly to an abiding regret that he ever left LFC, the mere fact of returning might light his fire again. I wouldn't put it more definitely than that because (a) he's slipped SO far below his original standards - I'm afraid I don't think his general play's been that good that often at Chelsea - that he'd have a sod of a long way to go to get back up to them, and (b) he may well have an even steeper mountain to climb to win the fans back on to his side.

Torres will not be short of motivation if he returned. Make no mistake, he'll want to endear himself to the Reds faithful again. A chorus from the KOP and Gerrard will get him firing again. He'll go head to head with Suarez and Sturridge. There'll be goals aplenty to go around.

With improved options around like Coutinho and other improving players, the only way is up.