Luis Suarez thread

[Niall_Quinn]

He didn't win the lottery when he was born.

I thought education on racism was something to be aspired towards though? Unless they think we're going to give him a crash course in how really to be racist.

The consummate racism of our media heroes can't just be learned, it's a gift they are born with. Suarez's grubby and unsophisticated mimicry is bound to piss them off.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

But all this 'standing by him' drivel is such bullshit. He's your best player by a country mile, without him you're significantly worse off. You're not standing by him - you just don't want to lose your best player.

If a reserve team player bit someone and got suspended for racist language Liverpool FC would have dumped him in a second and trotted out the line 'LFC are a proud club of the community with family values and class and don't tolerate this sort of behaviour blah blah blah'

It's all nonsense.

Of course, and we got utterly destroyed in the press for doing so.

I'm not going to argue that the press aren't hypocritical, moralistic bastards, but the idea that we have somehow got off scot-free and with our reputation intact is wrong. The media change their targets based on a whim and they'll change their opinions even quicker; we've already been hauled over hot coals for "standing by" Suarez, that issue has come and gone. So far as they're concerned our defence is trying to keep hold of a player under contract and in that sense we probably do have some support. And it'll be support from exactly the same people who destroyed us yesterday and would destroy us tomorrow given half the chance. That's how it works. If you did sign Suarez, the same people acting with indignity now would be in your corner when he tried to force a move away.

[Niall_Quinn]

Of course, and we got utterly destroyed in the press for doing so.

I'm not going to argue that the press aren't hypocritical, moralistic bastards, but the idea that we have somehow got off scot-free and with our reputation intact is wrong. The media change their targets based on a whim and they'll change their opinions even quicker; we've already been hauled over hot coals for "standing by" Suarez, that issue has come and gone. So far as they're concerned our defence is trying to keep hold of a player under contract and in that sense we probably do have some support. And it'll be support from exactly the same people who destroyed us yesterday and would destroy us tomorrow given half the chance. That's how it works. If you did sign Suarez, the same people acting with indignity now would be in your corner when he tried to force a move away.

If they set one foot in my corner I'd smash their skull with bricks.

[fakeyank]

I'm going with MrsL so both


If you're around towards the end of the month then let me know. It's our anniversary on the 29th and I know she'd love to spend it with random people she doesn't know.

Arent you bringing her out for the Villa game? I wanted to meet and greet her

[Kano]

I didn't think it would annoy us as much as it has. Maybe there was an air of smugness that you knew of this supposedly secret clause in his contract, in the way you presented your second bid.

Granted, it had been in the press, but Wenger doesn't strike me a someone who would chance his arm on something he read in the papers. I'd have thought there would have been some sort of confirmation for Suarez' camp.

Either way, something has hardened our stance dramatically. Though given JWHenry's comments that he had told Gazidis to sod off even before your first bid, I doubt even £45m would have been enough. Might not have annoyed us so much though, as you say.

I'm not surprised at all by the reaction. At first it was 'what are they smoking?', quite light hearted and mocking the extra pound bid no doubt. But our idea seemed to be, let's trigger a clause, sit back and let the player squirm his way out with a lot of grief. Hassle free. No negotiation needed and trying to get one of the best players in this league on the cheap. 40m isn't cheap of course but in the grander scheme of things, it's cheap. You don't get players like this without breaking some sort of transfer record. So you are spot on to say 45m isn't enough but it's a start point to get the selling club engaged that you are going to buy one of their players in a serious manner. You can't lowball a transfer like this. Go big or go home with nothing.


@nayan - I'm not so sure myself. Are they really a 4th place rival? It's like the title, every summer it's 'four teams can win the title' but its always between two. Arsenal and Tottenham will finish 4th or 5th again. Liverpool have a way to go yet to claw back as serious CL qualifiers. I understand why the club see us as rivals because you have to give out the right rhetoric and believe it to a certain extent to have a goal to achieve but apart from being traditional rivals, that's it.

But I agree, none of this was probably serious and it's the perfect excuse to deflect blame when the fans continue to turn on the club.

[Xhaka Can’t]

Wenger's stubbornness and arrogance plus Ivan's incompetence.

What a combo.

And no-one will be held accountable.

[Niall_Quinn]

And no-one will be held accountable.

Yes, PSG will be blamed and Wenger will say nasty things about them in his book.

[Gooner23]

And no-one will be held accountable.

The more transfers we fuck up, the more you realise just how out of his depth IG is. Great public speaker, but that's literally as far as it goes.

As for Wenger, I'm gutted someone I had the utmost respect for is failing the club so badly.

Of course there's still some time left, but I'm not hopeful. Bad times.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

WUMger:

Wenger faced questions about the issue when Arsenal landed in Helsinki this afternoon ahead of Saturday’s pre-season friendly against Manchester City.

Asked if Henry’s statement will make him abandon his pursuit of Suarez, the Arsenal boss said: ‘No because we are in the middle of the transfer period and we are looking at possibilities to strengthen our squad.

‘I didn’t read his statements but that’s how it will work or not work. We’ll be faithful to the way we want to behave.

‘I’ve nothing to add to what I said already about the transfer of Suarez. If it will be done, it will be done in a respectful way with Liverpool.

‘To make a transfer happen you need the agreement of three parties – the buyer, the seller and the player. We know we want to do.

‘Liverpool at the moment do not agree. Whether they change their mind or not we don’t know. We’ll respect that.

‘Suarez is one of the targets. If he’s not for sale, he’s not for sale we have to accept that.’

Suarez has publicly called on Liverpool to let him leave so he can play Champions League football this season, bringing an angry response from manager Brendan Rodgers.

Asked if it was feasible for Liverpool to keep a player who is so clearly unhappy at Anfield, Wenger added: ‘That’s not for me to asses that. I don’t know the relations between the player and the club.

‘Every situation is different. I was in that situation with Robin van Persie last year but Van Persie had a one-year contract so the situation was a bit different. Every club has its own way to deal with things. We have our own way and we respect that all the other clubs.’ [...]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...ne-Wenger.html

[GP]

They keep trying to goad him into saying something disrespectful but he never, ever, falls into the trap.

What a man.