Great post but I feel calling Gerrard and Carragher "shithouses" is a bit strong. Possibly becasue I'm not fully aware of just how instrumental they were in Rafa being forced out.
But anyway, fully agree with he rest.
Cheers mate.
On the "shithouse" comment, I am not bringing into the equation the "conspiracy" that surrounds them and any involvement in Rafa's departure. We all have our own views on the matter, and I don't think that it should be dragged into every discussion on them. For instance, if I think Carra had a bad game, it shouldn't be assumed that I think this because I think "he got Rafa sacked", if I think he had a bad game, I think he had a bad game. If he has a good performance I shouldn't allow my personal opinions to cloud that. And vice versa. It is this part of the extract that motivated me to say it;
Spanish goalkeeper Pepe Reina told the pair he was amazed they didn’t go public and demand answers. Both admit the dilemma tortured them at the time and still plays on their consciences today. “I totally understand why some of the fans were frustrated we didn’t speak out,” says Gerrard. “When I’m down with England I hear stories about what big players have said at their clubs, but when me and Jamie speak we’re worried people might say, ‘Does he think he’s bigger than Liverpool?’ So it was a horrible situation as I wanted to come out and use my status to help but I was terrified of it backfiring.
“Should I say something? Would it make a difference? Who are we to criticise our bosses? They were the questions I kept asking myself and at times they were on the tip of my tongue. But if I’d wanted to speak to the owners I couldn’t, they were never there. It was a mess.”
Carragher agrees: “Maybe me and Stevie should have come out when we had the power and said something, but we’re from here. We love the club and never like saying anything negative about it. It’s what we believe in. So whatever is thrown at you, you feel you have to take it.
“It’s like if someone in your family does something wrong you’ll still stand behind them even if you want to slag them off.”
The pair’s major worry was how the fans were suffering. Gerrard says: “The lowest point was when the Kop were holding sit-ins to protest. I was thinking, ‘Let’s get them out, enough is enough, the sooner these are out the better.’”
It got to Carragher so much he stopped reading newspapers. “I switched off. I wasn’t reading about football, it was backbiting and bitching and plots and people slagging each other off.
“The game wasn’t played on the pitch but off it. Political games. It became a bad soap opera. I wasn’t just thinking about my game. I was thinking, ‘Whose side should I be on?’ I wished I could do my training and think about nothing else, but it became impossible. I was taking it all home with me.
“In the end I was so pleased the Americans walked away with nothing as they had their chances to sell the club and make their profit but chose not to. They didn’t care about Liverpool – they just cared about themselves.”
It is all conviently after the fact.
Our club was dying this summer, and whilst foriegn players (even one who pissed off to West London in January) were activly opposing Gillett and Hicks ownership of the football club, or at least the lack of investment in the squad. They said nothing. Pepe was "amazed" that they didn't demand answers, and rightfully so. A sentence from either Carragher or Gerrard in the press that summer in opposition to their ownership would have got our cause more press coverage, than all of our rallies, marches, sit ins combined.
We sat inside Anfield after several league games and all we got was a quote or two fromJeff Stelling and Colin Murray mentioning how "we should focus on the football/or look how great the Blackpool supporters are".
Now they are talking about how much hurt they felt on our behalf, but it doesn't help us now. We needed that then. Pepe gave us it, Rafa had given us it, Torres did too, and I think Kuyt might have said something although don't quote me on that. Phil Thompson was fucking brilliant as well and he wasn't arsed who he upset at the club or at his employees who weren't that keen on covering what was going on.
"Who are we to critisise our bosses"
"Whose side were we meant to be on"
No thanks lads, it was blatently clear whose sides we were on and they weren't your bosses they were the people who were raping and pillaging our football club.
If they had said nothing then, and said nothing now I wouldn't be reacting as strongly, I still owuld have been disappointed they they hadn't said anything but then again almost all the other club legends were either clueless, not arsed, or two busy moaning about Rafa spending 20M on Aquilani.
I love them as players, they are hugely important figures, and have helped shape some of the greatest nights of my life. But they let us down big time on this, and to come out now and say how tough it was on them, but hide behind not wanting to say "anything bad about the club" doesn't wash. They chose not to speak out and are now making out like they were tortured by it.
