EPL Discussion

[mgoblue2290]

I think he'll stay for at least one more season, the team has improved as the season has gone on.

 

[1ke]

 

[kyhadley]

The Red Sox track record suggests that FSG does not shy from ridding of a player that "goes rogue" from the best interests of the team. Very interesting how that translates to England, and might suggest how much their ownership is actually involved with Liverpool.

Beckett drank beer and ate chicken in the clubhouse. Gone. Suarez bit another human being, again. Some harsh words and a fine?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2013/apr/22/luis-suarez-liverpool-fallout

The first text of the day read: "I hope you lot in the press won't be making a mountain out of a molar hill." In that toothless spirit it is worth noting Luis Suárez is believed to have left Anfield with Branislav Ivanovic's shirt on Sunday, not a piece of his flesh, but that does not diminish the fact that Liverpool's response to the unfathomable assault on the Chelsea defender runs contrary to the words of their manager, Brendan Rodgers. The prized asset continues to come before reputation in football.

Liverpool have reacted with impressive swiftness and seriousness to Suárez's latest indiscretion. The club's hierarchy was widely condemned for its inaction when the Uruguayan was found guilty by an Independent Regulatory Commission of using racially abusive language towards Patrice Evra. The then manager, Kenny Dalglish, was unwisely left to defend the club's position until criticism intensified following the striker's refusal to shake Evra's hand at Old Trafford and Fenway Sports Group, the owner, exerted greater control.

"Kenny Dalglish defended him," said another former Liverpool manager, Graeme Souness, in the Sky studio on Sunday. "He backed this same player to the hilt and who knows how much that contributed to Kenny not being here any more?"

PR lessons have evidently been learned from last season's Evra debacle. Sunday's three-pronged reaction – the Suárez apology plus condemnation from the managing director, Ian Ayre, and Rodgers – echoed the three statements that followed the non-handshake last February. Then, both Suárez and Dalglish apologised and Ayre issued a now all-too familiar company rebuke.

"We hope that he now understands what is expected of anyone representing Liverpool football club," said Ayre, 14 months ago. Clearly, Suárez has not learned from staining his reputation repeatedly, damaging Liverpool's image in the process, and requires the anger-management counselling being offered by the Professional Footballers' Association. He is 26 years old.

Liverpool have not paid lip service to this latest problem. Ayre was bound for a promotional trip to the Far East and Australia when news reached him of the bite on Ivanovic. He immediately postponed the visit, returned from Manchester airport and instigated the meetings with Rodgers and Suárez that resulted in Sunday night's statements and an undisclosed fine for the striker on Monday morning. The principal owner, John W Henry, and the chairman, Tom Werner, were also actively involved from Boston as Liverpool showed decisive leadership.

Internal punishment was immediate, though it is regrettable that Suárez and Ayre named the Hillsborough Family Support Group as recipients of the fine imposed on a player who earns more than £100,000 a week. "A local charity" would have sufficed instead of placing Margaret Aspinall, the HFSG's formidable chair, in the position of having to defend the receipt. A club can fine a player a maximum of two weeks' wages except in exceptional circumstances, and Liverpool have refused to say whether sinking teeth into an opponent falls into that category.

It was the rush to dispel doubts over Suárez's Anfield future, with Ayre reiterating on LFC TV on Monday that the Uruguay international is not for sale and represents "everything we'd want in a striker", that undermined Liverpool's disciplinary stance, however.

It is folly to think a club that stood by their finest player throughout a racism controversy will now get rid as a result of a bite. But, equally, sparking a debate that Liverpool may still need to have – particularly if Suárez asks to leave this summer – suggested that protecting the value of its greatest asset is as important as protecting the club's reputation. Suárez has repeatedly said he loves Liverpool and wishes to stay, yet the line he has to cross before FSG considers him too much trouble does not appear to exist.

Rodgers, not the media on a witch-hunt, first raised the issue of Liverpool being "a club with incredible values and ethics" during an awkward post-match press conference on Sunday. It is a familiar refrain from the Liverpool manager, who later conceded that no player is bigger than the club or irreplaceable. The treatment of Suárez indicates otherwise. Rodgers, like Dalglish before him, has discovered that backing Suárez to the hilt and being undermined by him comes with the job. He stood firmly behind the striker amid accusations of diving against Stoke City by Tony Pulis and had to backtrack when Suárez subsequently admitted cheating in an interview in Uruguay. The nature of the reprimand, as with the extent of the fine for biting Ivanovic, was not disclosed.

As a football team Liverpool cannot afford to sell Suárez this summer. The first Liverpool player to score 30 goals in a season since Fernando Torres, courtesy of a 97th minute equaliser against Chelsea on Sunday,, he carried the attacking threat almost single-handedly until January, giving Rodgers precious time to impose his ideas on the squad. He is the club's one world-class forward and the absence of Champions League football for a fourth consecutive season limits the pool of possible replacements. But as a club the issue has to be considered, not instantly dismissed, and it would be advisable to abandon talk of values and ethics while Suárez remains on the payroll.

The former Liverpool's and USA goalkeeper Brad Friedel summed up the unpalatable truth. "Liverpool have said it was unacceptable," he commented. "There's not a lot they can do except offer help with his anger issues. But I know the American owners will not be happy with what they've seen. At the same time, they're businessmen and won't want to just get rid of a £22m investment. They will try to work with him."

 

[kyhadley]

 

[Bigpapa42]

Congrats to Manchester United. Actually relatively happy for RVP. Obviously would have vastly preferred to see him hoist that trophy in an Arsenal shirt but since that isn't likely happening soon, prefer that he got to do with it United over anyone else.

 

[Kuzzy Powers]

:rofl:

 

[1ke]

Congrats to Manchester United. Actually relatively happy for RVP. Obviously would have vastly preferred to see him hoist that trophy in an Arsenal shirt but since that isn't likely happening soon, prefer that he got to do with it United over anyone else.

Ive never seen one player make such a direct impact on a season like this. He was the whole team for the first half of the season. You could really see the happiness on his face. Good for him.

 

[CaribbeanJoseph]

You can't be that daft? This dude is a fucking but job. In your heart, you believe this is not a big deal, and its only being brought up because of a toiling 8th place team?

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

Hate to break it to you, but a player biting another player during a match would get a lot of press regardless of who it is. It got press around the world when he did it while playing for Ajax. So saying its nothing and only getting any attention due to Liverpool is... just stupid...

Again, explain to us how having a player who bites an opposing player fits in with the glorious legacy of Shankley and Liverpool...

I don't remember this outcry and outrage when Defoe bit Masch. or utter shite like this being wrote:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...yson-Branislav-Ivanovic-bite-JEFF-POWELL.html

It's no worse than Huth stamping him earlier on in the season, Rooney kicking Dzudovic or any number of other incidents but it's Suarez and we're Liverpool so it's gonna be blown out of proportion to stupid levels. If you honestly think that there would be the same reaction to this if it wasn't Suarez and was say an Arsenal or Manc player, you're deluded :smh:

 

[citizenerased]

lol at the OMGZ EVERYONES KEEPING DOWN LIVERPOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL CUZ THEY SCARED!!!11! bullshit again.

You're a barely top 8 team who for the second reason in a row aren't even the best club in your own city, no one is targeting you.

When that Wigan kid bent Haidaras leg with his flying kung fu kick they were ready to crucify him in the middle of fleet street and Graham Poll devoted an entire column to calling Halsey a blind shithead... until the next incident happened. When Ramsey was broke by Shawcross, you would've thought he opened fire with a machine gun on a busload of paralyzed nun, until again whatever the next incident happend. It's what they do.

And with Defoe, the ref saw it and gave him a yellow card. The ref didn't see Suarez bite Ivanovic, he just saw the melee afterwards. Hence the reason they can take retrospective action. It's a retarded rule, but it's being applied consistently and has nothing to do with who Suarez is and who he plays for.

 

[1ke]

I don't remember this outcry and outrage when Defoe bit Masch. or utter shite like this being wrote:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...yson-Branislav-Ivanovic-bite-JEFF-POWELL.html

It's no worse than Huth stamping him earlier on in the season, Rooney kicking Dzudovic or any number of other incidents but it's Suarez and we're Liverpool so it's gonna be blown out of proportion to stupid levels. If you honestly think that there would be the same reaction to this if it wasn't Suarez and was say an Arsenal or Manc player, you're deluded :smh:

The sam outrage as Jermaine? Maybe cuz Jermaine hadnt already bit a player. Hmmm not to mention the rest of Luis' run ins with the FA.

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[CaribbeanJoseph]

Can't say I'm surprised but what a fucking joke :lol:

 

[kyhadley]

If it was 7 games the first time he bit a human, surely 10 games for a repeat offense is fair. Problem is FA is so inconsistent so any decision they make is bound to be met with outrage.

 

[Chrispy]

I think 10 games is fair, it is his second offense of the same problem, don't get why some people are not happy with the ruling.

 

[BigHouseUSA]

I would've just finished his season, four games seems fair enough. But it's hilarious to watch this, so whatever.

 

[Fappin Raptor]

Guy should be forced to wear a pacifier during games or a ball gag.

 

[Anthony]

Holy shit. Did Newcastle forget they had a match today?

That Coutinho is fucking amazing. :dance:

 

[CaribbeanJoseph]

Thought we would fall apart after the weeks events but looks like it might have galvanized us. Cracking result, even sweeter that it's Newcastle who were fucking woeful, hope they go down. Danny was class, Coutinho is :fap:, Inter are muppets for letting him go :smugruss:





Can't wait for all the retards to claim we don't need Suarez now :smh:

 

[Chrispy]

Newcastle looked dead from the get go, some of Coutinho's passes were unbelievable :golfclap: to Liverpool

 

[Anthony]

Nice two footed tackle by Debuchy by the way.

 

[DDRGuido]

popped a molly im sweating woo!