Faith No More
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Strange as it might seem, for the past three years Liverpool fans have often had to defend Javier Mascherano. 
First there were those who questioned the wisdom of buying a player who had failed to make an impact at West Ham. Then came those that saw him as being too much of a defensive minded player; good at winning the ball but not very good at doing anything with it. There were those who seriously questioned Benitez’s judgement when he chose to pay ₤18 million for what is generally described as a water carrier. And I can’t think of anyone who didn’t feel the compulsion to support him in the aftermath of the (avoidable and stupid) sending off at Old Trafford last season.
Now it is time for some payback. With Real Madrid and Barcelona sniffing around, the least that was expected of Mascherano was to reward those who have supported him throughout by claiming that he wasn’t interested.
Yet, far from hearing such words, fans have had to listen to claims by his agent that Mascherano would be honoured to join either one of the Spanish clubs. And, even worse, we get Mascherano himself who fans the flames of these rumours by suggesting that he wouldn’t mind moving.
Which is downright disgusting. What has to be done to remind Masherano how much he owes Liverpool? That his career was going nowhere before Rafel Benitez popped by to offer him the life-line of moving to Liverpool? If it hadn’t been for Liverpool, Mascherano would have probably returned home to Argentina, another player who had tried to prove his worth in Europe and failed
Such actions, apparently count for nothing for the indications are that Mascherano would gladly leave the club that has given him so much. Because, let’s not kid ourselves: this has been dragging for far too long for it to be simply speculation.
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13 comments:
here here! (unless of course this is all speculation and he stays 0 in which case we'll all be very glad. After all, who could we possibly replace with?)
Superb article, and I think you have hit the nail on the head. It is starting to get a bit worrying now especially as these rumors should have been put to bed a long time a go. It is disgusting that we have to remind ourselves of the way we supported him through his low points. I still however hold the faith that he genuinely wants to stay and these mere rumors are part of the summer transfer season jargon.
You should probably read more then jsut sky sports they cut his quote in half when he was talking about being proud to be linked with madrid and barca the first thing he said was im happy at liverpool but proud to be linked with the two clubs which is fairly reasonable considering theyre two of the biggest clubs in the world. and if the reports about his wife are true then of course hes going to consider moving if his wife isnt happy in England.
we need less of the stupid thought out and researched articles
I must say that Masch's comments have been somewhat stomach churning in their grovelling nature towards Barca. I appreciate that the job Masch is paid to do, he does well. However, he is a stopper and offers very little else and I believe the Club will not miss him as they would Alonso. If we could get a decent sum for him I would be happy with that.
I have some sympathy with Alonso as he was obviously touted about last season with very little thought to his feelings on the matter and he would be less than human to not feel some satisfaction at the shoe being on the other foot this time around. With Barry going to City (still can't believe that!) we are obviously at a disadvantage.
If Masch does not want to play for us we should take the money and maybe, just maybe, one of home grown lads might get a chance.
I would be extremely unhappy however if Alonso went as it will not be so easy to replace him. What Masch does is not rocket science and I believe we could replace him.
in a way i can get hi side though. for the best defensive midfielder in the world he surely doesn't get pain like one especially when everyone around him is getting a pay raise. 2) if his family truly isn't happy then there nothing you can do about it really especially when they expecting a kid. i hope he can sort things out though and stay because i don't think he will get a fanbase that appreciates him like ours
To be fair, it is his agent doing most of the agitating and if he really is 'only' earning 30 grand a week despite being captain of Argentina then we need to sort that one out. I suspect he just wants a pay rise and we should give him one.
I really do believe he is loyal to Liverpool but could also understand how he is willing to let the story float if he feels LFC are taking the piss with his wages (abhorrent as it is to say this, 30 grand is taking the piss for a top level international)
To be honest, I think your reaction is over the top. You have to contextualise the circumstances and the line of questioning in each interview where he or his agent have made comments. Of course the Spanish speaking media are going to ask him about teaming up with Messi and co. The pro-Madrid and Barcelona comments have been cherry-picked from interviews where he has gone on to praise Benitez and his tenure at Liverpool. When he's on duty with Argentina he's going to be asked different types of questions to when he's in England. Most of his answers have been diplomatic while his agent has fanned the flames. I have read the same interview a number of times in different publications - each carrying a different contrasting headline for the piece. Furthermore, there has been little to no verification about his pregnant wife demanding a change of scenery.
Silly season really. I don't think he's going anywhere.
I love Faith No More!
Seen them twice this Summer and going to Edinburgh as well!
we care alot. dude if we didnt get someone else would have and he still would have proved to be a gun. mascha is a champ. benitez was smart enough to know of his past thats why he bought him. comon man give us some real reading material. this is just lame
I was feeling rather down in the dumps thinking that Masch and Alonso were on their way out of Anfield. This column puts things in perspective.
Well done!
No player is bigger than the club.
If he wants to leave to warm the bench at Barca or Real - let him.
If he wants to become a Liverpool legend - I would gladly let him.
You're right when you say that Mascherano owes a lot to Liverpool. But his career was not going nowhere after he failed with West Ham. Liverpool bought him only because Msi, the society who used to own him, prefered to send him to Anfield instead of sending him to italian giants Juventus when they where in Serie B. He also cried for it. Now, the fact is not that he doesn't owe a thing to Liverpool (probably he wouldn't be Maradona's skipper now), but you should reconsider that, when he moved to Anfield, he was already a flop for the rest of Europe.
First of all I do not think Mascherano is going anywhere. With Masch and Alonso, Rafa would not try to sell his most dependable assets and then try to replace them. Rafa was justified in trying to generate money from Alonso on the back of two very ordinary seasons. Thankfully no deal materialise because even then I did not see Barry was a greater player than Alonso, and Alonso came back with a scorcher of a season.
I believe English media is into a selective quotation mode just to have something to sensationalise and take the mind off the drudgery of the off-season. Alonso on his part has not even uttered a word about going to Real Madrid or his troubles with the manager but the media is busy fanning the rumours of manager and the player not getting along.
Also Jacky, he is more than a one trick horse as you paint him to be. He probably is the most committed player on the pitch every minute he is on it. Never backs down - you can see him on every part of the pitch till the last minute. Surely, he wasn't deemed fit to be the captain of a talented Argentina for nothing, was he?
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