Posts Tagged ‘liverpool’
Transfer balls: Brendan Rodgers says Liverpool don’t need competition
TRANSFER Balls: When not consulting the Neville Chamberlain Bumper Book of Deal Making to negotiate with Luis Suarez, Brendan Rodgers is talking about Pepe Reina:
On June 22, Rodger told one and all what the signing of Simon Mignolet meant for Pepe:
“Pepe Reina and I went out for a meal a couple of months before the end of the season and I told him exactly what we were going to do, which was to provide real competition in that area.”
With Reina now at Napoli, Rodgers now adds:
“It was obviously a difficult decision. From last season I was led to believe that we were going to get an offer for Pepe that would probably see him leave the club…
“It wouldn’t have served any purpose, both for the club and him personally, if he’d been the one missing out.”
What about the competition, Brendan?
Posted: 26th, July 2013 | In: Sports | Comments (2)
Transfer balls: Liverpool slash Luis Suarez asking price to entice Arsenal
TRANSFER Balls: Is Liverpool’s Luis Suarez for sale or not?
The Times: “Ball back in Luis Suárez’s court after Liverpool call bluff over contract”
“There’s nothing new to report,” Rodgers said after Suárez featured in the last 20 minutes of Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Melbourne Victory in front of 95,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. “[Suárez] is very much a Liverpool player and over the course of the next couple of weeks we’ve got to get him up to speed. The support he has received from the supporters and the people of the city of Liverpool has been unrivalled. In this period of time he’s missed a lot of games for various reasons. The people have stood by him like a son and really looked after him.”
To judge by Suárez’s demeanour during his cameo, though, that support is not at the forefront of his mind. If the 26-year-old appearing sullen as he warmed up is not exactly damning proof, his failure to celebrate with his team-mates after he teed up Iago Aspas’s goal to seal the win was moderately instructive.
Here’s Suarez being not exactly elated at setting up a goal in a friendly match in Australia. Yep, no lap of honour and tossing his shirt to the crowd. The Mirror calls him “gloomy“.
The Guardian has lots to say:
What would a body language expert have made of Luis Suárez at the MCG on Wednesday?
That he fancies Coutinho?
To the untrained eye he looked as lugubrious as Graham Gooch on a long, bat-dragging walk back to the pavilion after a golden duck. Our first sight of him was getting off the bus and his countenance was indeed mournful, like he’d been sat next to Steven Gerrard and forced to listen to his captain’s iPod (to be fair, Sussudio will do that to you). He then appeared on the big screen, sitting on the bench, and he still looked downcast. Seeing that we wondered how anyone could be so miserable sitting alongside the Brazilian Botticelli, Philippe Coutinho, who, even with his Renaissance curls shorn off, looks like someone you just want to throw an arm around and protect from the world’s ills.
Who needs a body language expert with a tribute like that from Paul Connolly (GSOH, nice teeth, call me)?
And as the crowd roared when Suárez’s mug came up on the big screen the Uruguayan couldn’t even fashion a wan smile. It made you think of a parent trying to cheer up a grumpy child with buffoonery and exaggerated bonhomie, but Suárez seemed determined that nobody among the 95,000 crowd was going to spoil his bad mood. Finally he made the field, and he grouched into the match not acknowledging the warm reception. Not even a cursory golf wave. He still competed for the ball, mind, but that’s in his DNA. Overall, however, Suárez just looked like someone who didn’t want to be there. Not just Melbourne. Liverpool too. Then again, who knows, maybe it was just Sussudio.
Warm reception? The Cyprus Mail says:
Yet his appearance in the 72nd minute among a raft of substitutions sparked a deafening roar from the terraces, and fans left the hulking coliseum happy after watching the 26-year-old set up the second goal with typical trickery.
Having heard Brendan Rodger says that Suarez is worth £55m and not for sale, the Mirror reports:
Liverpool admit Luis Suarez is for sale but Arsenal hopes hit by £50million price tag
Rodgers puts £50m price tag on wantaway striker’s head after clause means Uruguayan can talk to Arsenal following Gunners’ rejected £40m offer
Suarez is getting cheaper. How’s that for negotiating tactics. The more Rodgers talks the more Arsenal must believe they are going to get their man.
And the Indy has other news to buoy the Gunners:
Striker wants to play in Champions League and believes £40m plus £1 offer obliges Merseysiders to sell
He wants out, then. And Rodgers, having put a price on the player’s head who was not, er, for sale, continues to talk and talk:
“I think the support that he’s received from the supporters and the people of the city of Liverpool has been unrivalled.
“In the period of time, he’s missed a lot of games for the club through various reasons. And the people have stood by him like a son and really looked after him.
“So I’m sure whatever happens in the coming weeks, that will be in his mind because it’s certainly something you can never forget.”
If you had a 26-year-old son who had grown up in poverty, spent years working and living overseas and now wants to leave home to improve himself, the best advice would be to make him stay by using emotional blackmail, Brendan. That way can only lead to success. Or his murdering you in the shower. But that’s kids for you.
And let’s not forget, Brendan, Suarez was hired for his loyalty not his goals…
Transfer balls: Liverpool allow Luis Suarez to talk to Arsenal (and his tribunal lawyer)
TRANSFER Balls: Is Luis Suarez leaving Liverpool for Arsenal? Today we learnt:
Arsenal tabled a £40,000,001 offer for Luis Suarez last night with the extraneous penny thought to be designed to trigger a clause in the Uruguayan’s Liverpool contract that meant the club had to inform the striker of the bid.
However, the clause didn’t/doesn’t state that Liverpool have to accept the offer, and they jolly well didn’t either – with owner John W Henry tweeing “what do you think they’re smoking over there at Emirates?” after announcing he’d rejected the bid on Twitter.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 24th, July 2013 | In: Sports | Comments (6)
Transfer Balls: Brendan Rodgers leaves Liverpool’s Luis Suarez confused
TRANSFER Balls: Anorak looks at Liverpool’s Luis Suarez. Today we focus on Brendan Rodgers, a man whose learnt his negotiating skills from Neville Chamberlain, and the Daily Mirror, which seems to make t up as it goes along:
On July 19, he said that the Suarez saga would not go to the final day of the transfer season:
“It is not going to run that far. I don’t want to put a deadline on it or set a date but it’s not something which will run too long. We are totally in control of the situation.”
No deadline. But it will not run for that long. Confused? The Mirror told us on July 4:
Luis Suarez has three weeks to sort out his future.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 22nd, July 2013 | In: Sports | Comment (1)
Transfer balls: Luis Suarez leaves Liverpool to team up with Higuain at Arsenal
TRANSFER Balls: Liverpool’s Luis Suarez…again:
The Sun says “ARSENAL are facing a double whammy from Real Madrid.”
Spanish giants Real are prepared to offer Liverpool £20million plus Argie striker Gonzalo Higuain for Luis Suarez.
That would be the Higuain Real value at £35m (source: the Sun, July 19), the Saurez worth £40m (source: the Sun) and the Suarez Liverpool value at £55m (source: the Sun). Only, Higuain was on his way to Arsenal for a done-and dusted £23m (source: the Sun)?
(On July 6, the Sun yelled: “ARSENAL last night smashed their transfer record when they agreed a £23million fee for Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain.)
It is.
The Sun’s news today adds:
The Londoners, though, are ready to top the £120,000-a-week deal the Uruguayan is on at Anfield, which makes him the Reds’ highest-paid player.
Or as the Mirror told us in May 2013:
Suarez is on £80,000 a week basic but, because the striker has hit his goals target – he’s scored an amazing 28 goals in 38 appearances this season – his salary is boosted to £100,000 a week under the new terms of his deal.
The Sun told readers:
Suarez, 26, only signed a new deal last summer which doubled his basic wages from £40,000 to £80,000 a week.
The Sun adds:
Suarez, though, would prefer a move to Real.
Or as the Mirror told us yesterday:
Luis Suarez ready to tell Liverpool that he wants to join Arsenal
Such are the facts.
More balls every day….
Posted: 21st, July 2013 | In: Sports | Comments (2)
Transfer balls: Arsenal and Real Madrid swap £50m in chase for Liverpool’s Luis Suarez
TRANSFER Balls: A look at Liverpool’s Luis Suarez – the most despicable / foreign man in Great British sport:
Daily Star: “Luis Suarez is top of the rude league”
FOOTBALLERS have been named the rudest people in Britain.
So. Not Suarez, then. The headline might just as easily declare that David Beckham is top of this PR-company created rude league.
Daily Mirror: “Arsenal lead Luis Suarez transfer race as Liverpool star is valued at just £25m by Real Madrid”
Just £25m?
Liverpool have already rebuffed Arsenal’s opening gambit of £30m plus £5m in add-ons with a strong message that the 26-year-old Uruguayan is not for sale at any price.
But it is understood Suarez’s representatives are making encouraging noises to Arsenal, and other potential suitors, suggesting that if a bid of £40m is made then Liverpool will have to sell…
Which they don’t.
There is a growing feeling at Arsenal that they have a genuine chance of signing Suarez, who is now their No1 transfer priority.
This leads to the Sun’s tortuous headline:
Suarsenal
And the news that Suarez’s is on his knees:
Suarez prays for £40m bid..
The player has three years left on his deal and faces the prospect of being held to that if the Kop stick to their guns.
The only prospect of that situation altering is if he puts in a transfer request — something Guardiola and Suarez insist is not on the cards.
This is what Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, says:
“It happened to us (with van Persie). It can happen to them (United). But anyway, Rooney is under contract. He has two years to go. It’s Man United who make a decision.”
Wenger has not said a word in public on Suarez.
Suarez has three seasons left on his contract. Van Persie has only one when he agitated to leave Arsenal.
“We push every week. We work on it (transfers) but the competition in Europe is very hard at the moment. There’s a lot of money and not many players. We are, at the moment, not specifically after one name. We have not the problem of the wages of Wayne Rooney but it’s very difficult for us to talk about any specific case. I admire everybody who is a top striker, but at the moment we work well but we are not close to sign anybody. As soon as we will be, we’ll let you know.”
Given that Arsenal’s £18.5m bid for Bayer Leverkusen’s Lars Bender was predicted by no-one in the media, Wenger might yet pull out a surprise.
Elsewhere in the Mirror, we’re told:
Sources close to Real are hinting the Bernabeu outfit are ready to offer striker Gonzalo Higuain – who, not co-incidentally is a long-term target for Arsenal, who are also being linked with Suarez – plus around £10million in cash.
We’re told that Madrid value Higuain at £30m. How does that tally with Madrid valuing Suarez at £25m?
The Examiner ups that to:
Now that the London club continues to drag out their potential transfers, news has broken that Real Madrid has entered the race for Suarez and are willing to potentially offer the Reds Gonzalo Higuain plus a cash deal of £25m to take the unsettled Uruguayan to the Santiago Bernabeu.
That would valuing Suarez at over £50m. And is “willing to potentially” do something a fact worth reporting?
This site says:
CaughtOffside understands that Wenger is willing to let the Merseyside club take their pick of Thomas Vermaelen, Gervinho or Aaron Ramsey plus £28 million in cash.
So. Arsenal will get Suarez for less money and get rid of “flop player” Gervinho and the troublesome Belgian. Liverpool won’t be able to resist. As for fans’ favourite Aaron Ramsey leaving Arsenal, he won’t be. But the Gunners will get Suarez. Won’t they?
Fanatix.com: “Arsenal favourites to land Liverpool’s Luis Suarez”
Goal.com: “Real Madrid favourites for Luis Suarez’s signature”
More transfer balls every day….
Spurs’ Gareth Bale taught Liverpool’s Luis Suarez everything he knows about moving to Real Madrid
TRANSFER balls: the Sun has a Luis Suarez scoop worthy of its back-page. Readers learn that the man portrayed as the archetypal underhand foreigner – he does things that no British gentleman would ever do (unless you’re Jermain Defoe, Gareth Bale or, as is alleged, John Terry) – has “admitted” why he wants to leave Liverpool.
It turns out that it’s not because the Press misquote him to make him appear traitorous and “amoral“. It is not because the FA banned him for ten matches for biting. Suarez failed to do the decent British thing. Had he tried to amputate Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic’s legs things would have been fine and honourable. ( Britisher Callum McManaman escaped a ban for a “horror tackle” on Newcastle’s Massadio Haidara).
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 11th, July 2013 | In: Sports | Comment (1)
Transfer Balls: Luis Suarez leaves Liverpool to be Arsenal’s next Higuain
TRANSFER Balls: Liverpool’s Luis Suarez will not be a Red for much longer if the experts are right:
BBC: “Luis Suarez still wants to leave Liverpool, says his agent”
Luis Suarez’s agent has reiterated the Uruguayan’s desire to play for a Champions League club during talks with Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers and managing director Ian Ayre.
Or as the Liverpool Echo puts it:
Liverpool FC hold ‘positive’ talks with Luis Suarez’s agent
And on Sky Sporta:
Luis Suarez staying at Liverpool, agent tells Sky Sports News
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 9th, July 2013 | In: Sports | Comments (2)
Fartgate: the great ‘iconic’ wind-passing moments from the cultural archives
FART for art’s sake
As The Archers Fartgate rumbles on, we look back at those great ‘iconic’ wind-passing moments from the cultural archives.
Radio
When Jezza McCreary recently passed wind in Radio 4’s The Archers, he was not the first character to do so. (It was in the script, by the way – this was no accident.) But it was the first time a character had done it audibly – and actor Ryan Kelly was offered a selection of farts by the sound effects department before picking one that he decided was suitably “fruity” for a man who had been eating steak and potatoes and drinking beer.
Journalist
In 1973 Peregrine Worsthorne (pictured here with wife Lucinda Lambton) became the second person to say the word ‘fuck’ on British television. Years later, the former editor of the Sunday Telegraph would behave even more unpleasantly on a London Underground train. Sir Perry was annoyed by a passenger eating a burger – his ostensible reason being the odour, but this was no doubt exacerbated by a general disapproval of public eating and a specific disapproval of eating burgers anywhere. In revenge, Worsthorne stood near the man and farted into his face.
Stage
Le Pétomane (‘Fart maniac’) Joseph Pujol was a professional flatulist who rose to fame in the late nineteenth century, when he entertained the crowned heads of Europe with his bizarre stage act. Standout moments included sound effects of cannon fire and thunderstorms, playing tunes through a rubber tube stuck up his arse, and blowing out a candle from several metres away. Leonard Rossiter plays the great man here…
Silver Screen
Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles achieved legendary status in the Seventies for this spectacular ground-breaking scene.
But Mike Leigh’s 1976 film Nuts In May outdoes it for sordid verisimilitude (0.55.55).
TV Drama
Casual farting is as commonplace as casual violence in HBO’s landmark series The Sopranos. Usually the bowel action takes place in the offices at Satriale’s Pork Store. On this occasion, however, it occurs in more dramatic fashion after Tony tries an Indian.
Pop singer
Former teacher Robert ‘Doc’ Cox was a stalwart of the BBC’s terrible That’s Life! in the 1980s. Ivor Biggun is his musician persona, with a string of releases such as his 1978 hit The Winker’s Song (misprint). You can no doubt guess the subject of his follow-up misprint, I’ve Parted…
Footballer
During his reign at Liverpool, Gerard Houllier is said to have fined players for farting. Fortunately for Charlie Adams, he left Anfield long ago.
Miriam Margolyes
The national treasure famously farted live on Danny Baker’s radio show – famous because he has repeatedly reminded listeners ever since. But Miriam is far from shy about the topic, and can usually be relied upon to raise it at some point in any interview. In this example, Graham Norton, being a gentleman, saves her the trouble…
Comedy
Jaques Tati meets Le Pétomane in Vic and Bob’s flatulent homage, which ‘aired’ regularly in The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer. (And full marks for that title, by the way.)
Sex Symbols
Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears. Both notorious for it, by all accounts.
Candle in the Wind was of course written for Monroe, but had nothing to do with Le Pétomane’s party trick. And neither does this picture.
Snooker
The aptly named Judd Trump found himself temporarily distracted by a member of the audience during his World Championship semi-final against Ronnie O’Sullivan earlier this year.
Sitcom
Jim Royle’s outbursts are ten-a-penny, so here, for the sake of freshness, is Nana doing the honours.
Live TV
‘Air time’ is an occupational hazard for those who perform for hours. The fortunate ones get away with the occasional fart. Others are not so lucky, and find their full-blown incontinence immortalised on Youtube. We have no wish to draw attention to their embarrassment, so we will restrict ourselves to these minor faux pas by ladies who seems to have taken it in good heart.
Cartoon
Viz’s revolting Johnny Fartpants clearly wears the fetid trousers in this field, but let’s hear it for our own favourite – the legendary Farting Dogs…
Posted: 7th, July 2013 | In: Flashback, Key Posts, TV & Radio | Comment (1)
Transfer Balls: Liverpool sell Luis Suarez to Arsenal and Chelsea in time for ‘massive game’
TRANSFER Balls: A look at Liverpool’s Luis Suarez in the news. When we last saw Suarez he was being misquoted and sent packing o Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. This is the more recent news (since June 30):
July 5
Daily Express: “Chelsea swoop for Liverpool’s Suarez”
Swoop? The Blues have triggered Suarez’s £40m release clause to do for his career what they did for Fernando Torres?
According to reports in Spain, Chelsea are on the verge of launching a £34m bid to sign Liverpool striker Luis Suarez with the Uruguayan set to be offered a £4.7m a season to join.
You can trust those reports in Spain about the Liverpool player on his way to a London club. Spain is the go-to place for such inside knowledge. Recently reports in Spain told us that Gareth Bale was on his way to Real Madrid.
July 4
Daily Express: “Liverpool star Luis Suarez backed for shock switch to Arsenal”
Who backs him?
William Hill suspended betting on the market last night, while Paddy Power today price Suarez at 5/2 to join Arsene Wenger’s side – shorter odds than the 26-year is to move to long-term admirers Bayern Munich (7/1).
Real Madrid remain the 8/11 favourites, and with Arsenal set to bring in £22m Gonzalo Higuain from Real Madrid, a move to snatch the La Liga outfit’s target looks unlikely.
This is news reporting based on betting patterns. The Express fails to tell readers how big the market in Suarez is. No newspaper tells us. You might be able to move the market for as little as a few hundred pounds. This would give the bookmaker a press release that willing newspapers lap up.
Experts tells the Daily Mirror the betting “would suggest they have heard something substantial”.
Or that someone in the bookies PR company stuck £50 on Suarez to the Gunners.
What say the ex players?
Steve Nicole, former Liverpool star, says selling to a “rival” like Arsenal or Chelsea is “madness“. Another former Red, Jan Molby, says “I think he’s made it pretty clear that he would like to try something new, including playing at a club that’s in the Champions League.”
Cue the Daily Mirror to tell us: “Luis Suarez has three weeks to sort out his future.”
What happens after three weeks?
After that, the controversial striker will be expected to knuckle down and commit himself to the Liverpool cause.
And if he still wants to leave or a big offer for him is received..?
The Uruguay international has been given until Monday July 22 to take a holiday in South America following Confederations Cup duty that only ended last Sunday, before reporting back to the club he has repeatedly said he wants to leave. No decision has yet been made on precisely where the forward will be told to join his team-mates, but it is almost certain he will be ordered to take part in the Reds’ tour of the Far East and Australia.
The three-week deadline is because Suarez is on holiday. And when it’s over, sod the Champions’ League, Suarez has got this to look forward to:
That could mean Melbourne, and the massive game Liverpool will play on July 24 at the Aussie city’s world-famous cricket ground. Far more likely is the prospect of him returning for the last leg of the tour, when the Reds meet a Thailand XI in Bangkok on July 28.
Saurez will be gutted to miss that.
July 2
Daily Star: “LUIS SUAREZ could still be a Liverpool player next season after Real Madrid cooled their interest in signing him.”
But the Star’s sister paper, the Express, says Real and hot favourites to sign Suarez? Are we to deduce from this that betting patterns count for nothing? And the Star does say on July 4:
ARSENAL LINKED WITH STUNNING LUIS SUAREZ SWOOP
It’s getting confusing.
More transfer balls every day…
Liverpool: wanted by Real Madrid, Luis Suarez signs for Manchester City and learns German
TALKING Balls: Anorak’s look a transfer speculation in the news. Today we look at Liverpool striker Luis Suarez’s past week. This is Suarez, the skilful player billed in the British Press as being essentially low-minded and very foreign. He does things that no British gentleman would ever do (unless you’re Jermain Defoe, Gareth Bale or, as is alleged, John Terry). Now read on….
June 30:
Daily Star: “JAN MOLBY: LIVERPOOL SHOULD LET LUIS SUAREZ GO”
Molby, 49, said: “Liverpool are preparing for life without Suarez. “It is just a question of getting as much as they can for him. I think Suarez is very keen on moving to Real Madrid.”
Molby thinks Suarez is keen on Madrid. That would be Suarez who said he would “give my soul in every match” for Real and:
A player always aspires to the top, and Madrid are always one of the highest ambitions for any footballer. Every player would love to get to the absolute top and Real Madrid is it.
He also said:
“I don’t feel comfortable here anymore. They know it, so I think it is understandable that I leave.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 30th, June 2013 | In: Sports | Comments (2)
Liverpool: Reds move to tap up Luis Suarez from Real Madrid
TRANSFER Balls: Liverpool’s Luis Suarez round-up:
The Independent: “Jamie Carragher can see why Luis Suarez wants move to Real Madrid”
Why?
“…because if you were honest, Luis Suarez is playing in a team that finished seventh in the Premier League, but he is one of the best players in the world. It would be pretty naïve to think that no club would be interested in him. But if you read his quotes, they are not as controversial as has been made out.”
Or as the Mirror reports:
Real have yet to even make an enquiry, and Suarez’s continuing outbursts strongly suggest they are trying to force the price down by encouraging the player to agitate for a move and make it impossible for him to stay at Anfield.
Carragher, though, is angling for Suarez to stay.
…kerping unhappy players is an issue. We had that experience with Torres and keeping him wasn’t the right thing to do. Torres wasn’t the same player for about 18 months and downed tools and that’s certainly what you don’t want. But with a character like Luis, I don’t think that would be an issue and if the club were to keep him, I’m sure he would be as committed as ever.
Can you tap up your own player?
How sure is Carragher about Suarez? The Mail notes:
Suarez’s popularity with Liverpool supporters has dipped in the wake of the endless interviews he has given while he has been at The Confederations Cup, while club officials were mystified that he went public with his feelings without giving them any warning.
Still. One Red wants him, sa the Mirror reports:
Former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has set his sights on Luis Suarez as a replacement for Edinson Cavani
What says Suarez? The Star quotes him:
No one has called me or told me anything,” he said.
“I do not have a specific offer of any club. I’m still a Liverpool player.”
But the Mail says:
Liverpool will demand Luis Suarez provides written confirmation of his intention to leave in an attempt to swiftly resolve the saga over his future.
This one’s going to drag one all summer…
Posted: 19th, June 2013 | In: Sports | Comments (2)
Liverpool: Perpetual victim Luis Suarez will be playing Champions League football next season
HAS the British press got it in for Liverpool’s Luis Suarez? It looks a lot like the player wants to play for Real Madrid.
The Times reports:
Suárez repeats declaration of love for Real Madrid
The paper reports Suarez’s words:
“Every player would like to play for a huge team, and Real Madrid is a huge team. But everything that has been said is just speculation, I haven’t received any concrete offers. The [English] press have made me feel bad since the moment I arrived in England. They have never judged me on how I play football, they judged me on my attitude. They said I dived, moaned, postured, they said I was racist, they said everything. They have never spoken well of me. That’s why, when people said that I could have been chosen as the best player in the Premier League, I said: ‘I’m relaxed. In England I’m never going to be given an important prize.’ ”
Suarez sounds like an ungrateful so-and-so blaming everyone else but himself and his actions for his reputation as bit of an arse. If only those pernickety English journalists hadn’t overreacted when he dived, handballed a ball into the net to score against mighty Mansfield and racially abused a black player. So much for Englishman’s sense of fairness.
But let’s see what he said in fuller terms:
“Liverpool is a club that I dreamed about playing for as a boy. I have been with great players there, they know me and I would love to continue for many more years at Liverpool. The stadium is spectacular, the fans are phenomenal: people with tattoos of me, things that I could never have imagined. After the [Evra] suspension people would come up to me, this is something that really touched me and they would say: ‘Luis forget everything and stay.’… About a week ago I was walking in a shopping center near Manchester and three or four guys asked me for a photo. While we were posing for it my wife said to me ‘Luis, get out of the photo’. She noticed they were making biting gestures. I was with my wife and my daughter. Things like that get on your nerves. My wife was on the brink of tears and the blokes ran off laughing. You get tired of stuff like that.”
If he had the wit, Suarez would turn it into a joke. But he hasn’t. Maybe that’s his problem – he just can’t express himself. Giles Smith considers that in reviewing a book about raising toddlers:
Heidi Murkoff, writing in What To Expect: The Toddler Years (with Sharon Mazel, Simon & Schuster, £16.99) urges this pragmatic response: “Don’t overreact, yell or embark on a lengthy lecture; simply explain, calmly but firmly, ‘Please don’t bite. Biting hurts.’ ” Murkoff also points out, usefully, that the instinct to bite is often “born of an inability to communicate” and advises “helping [the biter] find the words they need to express their feelings: ‘I know you feel angry. It’s OK to be angry, but it’s not OK to hurt someone because you’re angry. Let’s figure out another way to make the anger go away.’”
Suarez was talking to the television show RR Gol. He also said:
“Ever since I arrived I have felt bad, they [the media] have never judged me for my play but with the attitude that he dives, protests, makes gestures, racism … everything. They have never spoken well of me. For that reason, when I was told I could win the Player of the Year award, I said: ‘I will not get excited as I know that I will never win an important award in England.'”
Suárez bit Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic. That earned him a 10-match ban. He racially abused Patrice Evra. Eight matches for that. Fair? No, says Suarez:
“Without any proof they gave me an eight-match ban but with Terry, where they had proof, lip-readers, they gave him four. I’m South American and I think that’s the root of all of this.”
Suarez revels in his perpetual victimhood. Liverpool, of couse, agreed with him. They all wore shirts declaring Luis as the main man. Did he have a point? Was he innocent? Rod Liddle noted:
Which is worse, for Luis Suarez to call Patrice Evra black, or for Patrice Evra to make a disparaging comment about Suarez’s sister’s vagina? Most normal people would, I think, see a certain equivalence of transgression. I suspect an equal amount of personal hurt or perhaps anger was occasioned by each snarled obscenity, although only one of them is likely to bring great opprobrium and the risk of criminal prosecution.
The Guardian does produce more of Suarez’s words than in the Times’s report. It includes this part about Real Madrid:
“My agent said to remain calm rather than quiet – remain calm and when there is concrete interest you’ll be the first to know. I’m not sure if I see myself in the white [Real kit], the only thing I know is that I have a contract. Any player would like to play for a great team and Real Madrid certainly are that. Every player wants to reach the very top and Real Madrid are at the very top, but everything that has been said is just rumours, I have had nothing concrete.”
Other parts of the same interview trickle out:
“Of course I would like to play with Cristiano Ronaldo. He’s a great player. You never know, but it’s complicated.”
And on that bite:
“I know I made a mistake, it was me, my fault, and he did not do anything to me. I was angry because I had given away a penalty for handball. I was the cause of the penalty against my team – I saw red and completely lost it. I can’t really explain it. But still people can be very cruel, and the reaction was amazing.”
Liverpool release a statement:
“Luis Suarez is not for sale. Neither Luis nor his representatives have communicated these feelings directly to Liverpool Football Club. The club remains supportive of Luis and we expect him to honour his contract.”
That sounds a lot like Suarez and Liverpool are thinking alike. Both are in denial. But only one party will be playing Champions League football next season…
Posted: 12th, June 2013 | In: Sports | Comment (1)
English football club mottos: the Latin, the motivators and the downright crap
NEWS that Everton Football Club™ has decided to modernise its historic badge, and in the process jettison its famous Latin motto, has caused not altogether unpredictable outrage among the Goodison Faithful ™.
The motto in question translates as ‘Nothing but the best’, so the timing of its retirement is unfortunate, coinciding as it does with a period of uncertainty following the departure of the ‘Moysiah’ to Old Trafford.
All of which begs the question of whether some other long-established club mottos and slogans are fit for purpose in the modern game. A select few still favour the classical Latin, so we will consider them first.
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Photos: of Carol Anthony, the woman allegedly dating Liverpool legend Ian Rush
IRISH singer Carol Anthony, aka Havana, is said by the Sun to be dating Liverpool legend Ian Rush. The Sun alleges:
The Liverpool FC hero has been seeing Irish beauty Carol Anthony for three years in secret behind wife Tracy’s back.
There is talk of divorce.
By coincidence, Carol Anthony tweets:
Currently doing a tv show called Living With Legends which sees me having to live with sporting heros, really exciting and great TV! 🙂
Posted: 2nd, June 2013 | In: Celebrities, Sports | Comments (2)
President Mugabe says Liverpool’s Luis Suarez has gone too far
AFRICAN dictator Robert Mugabe says Liverpool’s Luis Saurez went too far when he bit Chelsea’s player Branislav Ivanovic.
“They must train our participants to recognise the reality of sport. Sport is sport. It is not war.”
The advice is clear. White famers not already killed by Mugabe’s men or chased out of Zimbabwe should at all times be dressed in full football kit. At first site of Mugabe’s thugs, they should sound a whistle and start playing. The farmers will thus become innocent sportsmen and no longer targets for Mugabe’s race warriors.
Posted: 25th, May 2013 | In: Sports | Comments (3)
Tottenham’s Gareth Bale needs to ‘clean up his act’ if he want to be like Liverpool’s Luis Suarez
IS John Aldridge, formerly of Liverpool FC, biased? His latest article for the Liverpool Post tells readers:
LIVERPOOL FC’S thrashing of Newcastle United has to be the result of the season across the Premier League.
In terms of goals, the thrashing would have to be Chelsea’s 8-0 win over Aston Villa. It terms of catharsis, we’d go for Tottenham’s 2-3 win away at Manchester United,the Londoners first win at Old Trafford for 23 years.
What does Aldridge say about the decios to award the player of the year gong to Spurs’ Gareth Bale?
“It was no surprise that Suarez didn’t win the PFA award after what’s gone on but he would have been my pick ahead of Gareth Bale. Some will say I’m biased, but over the course of the season I believe Suarez has been the best player. Bale is a brilliant talent and I’d love to have him at Liverpool but he’s also one of the biggest cheats. Suarez stopped diving and now the PFA Player of the Year needs to do the same and clean up his act.”
Some might say….
Posted: 3rd, May 2013 | In: Sports | Comments (2)
Liverpool’s Luis Suarez and Made In Chelsea’s Spencer Matthews might deserve each other
THAT Made In Chelsea’s Spencer Mathews is bit of knob is a surprise to only those of you who think Katie Price sleeps on her front. Speaking to OK!, Matthews is talking about “dumping his girlfriend Louise Thompson” on the TV show. Before doing to, he cheated on her and behaved, by his own admittance, horribly. OK! asks him:
“Did you lose respect for her after she took you back after you cheated?”
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Twilight comes to Liverpool: Luis Suarez bite sparks copycat attack in school breakfast club
SO suggestible are the youth to the antics of “role models” that mums across the land are upset that Liverpool’s Luis Suarez didn’t finish his meal. If Suarez was going to engage in cannibalism, as the Daily Mail called it, than the player should recognise his position as a role model and finish his dinner. Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic might not appreciate being devoured on the field of play but, as mother of two young children, John Terry’s wife might be.
Mindful of the Suarez effect, the Mail reports on Sharon Ellis who says a biting attack on her 11-year-old son Ryan was “a direct result of the example Suarez had set”.
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Posted: 23rd, April 2013 | In: Sports | Comments (2)
Gary Neville on Funny Foreigner Luis Suarez: Biting and spitting are so very un-British
CAN is be argued that Liverpool’s Luis Saurez gets a worse press than a British born player would for the same or similar indiscretions? Yes, if you compare the treatment his dives have earned him compared to Gareth Bale’s slips. And yes, if you compare his cheating to Team GB’s Olympic efforts in the cycling. And yes, if you look at what happend when Jermain Defoe allegedly bit an opponent (who just happend to be an Argentinian).
So. To Gary Neville, the former Manchester United and England defender who now works a pundit on Sky Sports. Neville can be erudite and insightful. He can also attribute Suarez’s antics to his being a funny foreigner.
PS – Here’s a story about former Manchester United player, the Scot Paddy Crerand. In 1967, Manchester United’s Crerand was in a “spitting incident” with Stoke’s Tony Allen. It led to a change in the laws of the game which made spitting a sending off offence.
Photo: Manchester United’s Gary Neville celebrates after Michael Owen scored their winning goal, in front of the Manchester City fans during the Barclays Premier League match at Old Trafford, Manchester. Sunday, September 20, 2009.
Posted: 22nd, April 2013 | In: Reviews | Comment (1)
Luis Suarez bites Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic: Liverpool star tastes Champions’ League success (photos)
DID Liverpool’s Luis Suárez bite Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic during the Barclays Premier League match at Anfield, Liverpool? Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers told everyone: “This is a club with incredible values and ethics.” Someone should tell Rodgers you don’t need to be incredible and share the Dalai Lama’s ethical ways to think biting another man is not great. But this is Liverpool, whose previous manager, Kenny Dalglish, told the media that Suárez didn’t have a case to answer weeks after Suárez was fined 40,000 and banned for racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra. Also, Suárez has form, having earned a seven-match ban for biting PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal in November 2010. Anyhow, it’s good to see the unlikeable striker has finally tasted Champions League success…
Posted: 21st, April 2013 | In: Sports | Comments (3)
Liverpool season tickets for 2013-14 are good value at twice the price (just add Rafa)
YOU need to buy success in the Premier League. And Liverpool FC are coming for your money. Next year’s season tickets at Anfield are up to 9% on this year.
Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre, says the Reds have only hiked up the prices after “careful consideration”.
A season ticket to Anfield will set you back between £710 and £850.
Next season, the cheapest season ticket at Everton will be £427.
A season ticket at Arsenal costs £1,955. And the Gunners only spend massively on players when those pricey tickets come up for renewal.
But is the Liverpool ticket worth the extra?
Under Rafael Benitez, they finished 3rd, 4th and 2nd in the Premier League. In 2009, they came second on 86 points. In many seasons, that would have won the title. And then bad management stuck the boot in.
Benitez never got the one of two top players that could have made Liverpool champions. And then he left. And so did the number of goals Liverpool scored.
2008/09 – goals scored in the Premier League: 77
2009/10: 61
2010/11: 59
2011/12: 47
And this season someone in the brains trust that runs Liverpool sent Any Carroll – all £35million of him – out on loan. And, no, Brendan Rodgers, the new manager was given no replacement until the mid-season transfer window.
This lunacy came after other recent boardroom-level disasters, such as: Tom Hicks and George Gillett’s obvious failings as owners; Damien Comolli working as Director of Football Strategy and undermining the decent Roy Hodgson by signing players seemingly on a whim; Hodgson getting sacked and being replaced by caretaker manager Kenny Dalglish; Fernando Torres heading to Chelsea in the middle of the season; the £50m earned from Torres being invested in Luis Suarez (£25m and excellent) and Andy Carroll (£35m and why?).
A lack of foresight and confusion about finances and what playing style Liverpool should employ have undone the club’s ambitions. The fans have suffered from trouble at the top.
But signs are that corner has been turned. The Reds have scored 56 goals so far this season. The new owners have deep pockets, and appear to be opting to ape Arsenal, Everton and Manchester United, and build prudentially. Comolli has gone.
And the fans – Liverpool’s huge fanbase – are being asked to play their part. If Twitter is a guide, Liverpool are the country’s third most talked about club. (Manchester United have no official twitter feed, and would surely be in the top two). At the time of writing, the 10 Premier League clubs with the most Twitter followers are:
1. Arsenal – 2,182,542
2. Chelsea – 1,863,546
3. Liverpool – 1,523,120
4. Manchester City – 726,760
5. Tottenham Hotspur – 378,599
6. Newcastle United – 193,167
7. Everton – 157,628
8. West Ham – 144,078
9. Aston Villa – 132,135
10. Fulham – 107,171
On Facebook, the clubs with most “Likes’ are:
1. Manchester United – 31,644,369
2. Chelsea – 15,820,837
3. Arsenal – 13,153,197
4. Liverpool – 11,505,126
5. Manchester City – 4,769,690
6. Tottenham Hotspur – 1,638,918
7. Aston Villa – 1,002,120
8. Newcastle United – 362,357
9. Everton – 304,064
10. West Ham – 304,026
Liverpool have spent big. The team is under-performing. If they can get consistency in the boardroom, they can get it on the pitch. Signs are that they can. Now pay up…
PS – Do you Liverpool fans want Benitez back? Come on, you must do…
Joe Cole tells Liverpool fans what they already know: you’re not that big
HOW football reporting works, with West Ham’s Joe Cole:
This is what Cole said when he joined Liverpool:
“I could have stayed at Chelsea because the fans loved me and I won things, but I wanted to challenge myself and when I knew Liverpool were interested it was a no-brainer because they are the biggest club in the country.”
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Posted: 6th, March 2013 | In: Sports | Comments (12)
Liverpool’s Brendan Rodgers v Wolves Dean Saunders in battle of the bilge
WHILST Liverpool’s Brendan Rodgers continues to talk nonsense, we glance down the leagues to see if any rising star can match the master of bilge. Wolves boss Dean Saunders is making his pitch. Speaking after his side’s 0-2 defeat to Championship leaders Cardiff, Saunders noted:
I have got self-belief. If you said to me ‘Do you want to open the batting for England. They are playing down the road’, I’d say ‘Go on then, give me a bat’.Then I’d get to the bottom step and see the fast bowler marking his run-up and realise I can’t do that. But my first reaction is ‘I will give it a go’.”
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After Liverpool lose to Zenit Brendan Rodger and Dominic King leave us laughing
LIVERPOOL lose 3-1 to Zenit St Petersburg in the Europa Cup. Over two legs they tied at 3-3, going out on the away goals rule. Two quotes about the game are worthy of repeating here. Brandan ‘Polyanna’ Rodgers, the Liverpool manager:
“I don’t think the players could have done any more, the crowd certainly couldn’t have done any more. It was one of those nights. It was a fantastic night but unfortunately we probably lost the tie over there.”
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