Can any detractor of ours say honestly with a straight face that any ex-Liverpool player has upon leaving the club, gone onto greener pastures and played for superior footballing outfits? Now before you open your yapper, I know what you're going to say. You'll say Javier Mascherano, you'll say Steve McManaman, Michael Owen. You'll say Xabi Alonso, Ian Rush and Alvaro Arbeloa. You'll probably say Fernando Torres, Yossi Benayoun and Jerzy Dudek. Hell, you might even say our Steve wanted to go to Chelsea. The point I'm making is, if you ignore all those players you've listed, who quite frankly don't count for this exercise, then who can you say has upon leaving us has played for better sides? What's that, I can't hear anything, son? That settles it then. Nobody. Playing for Liverpool is the pinnacle of any mans career. Liverpool 1-0 Haters.
What's more remarkable is how the players yearn for this club, even after their transfer on. And my heart bleeds for them, it truly does. While they're laying on the sunny beaches in sunny Spain, rolling around in £150k of dough or whether they're playing against Europes finest in a Champions League final, they will always take time out of their busy schedule to say a few kind words about our terrific club. Words of how they dream of hearing "Liverpool, Liverpool. Liverpool, Liverpool. Liverpool, Liverpool. Liverpool, Liverpool." sweep around the cauldron of noise that is a half-full Anfield on a European night against a mighty Romanian outfit. Oh how they would love to return and get a piece of that action.
But they can't. What's in the past, stays there. There is no use in being overwhelmed by past glories, and living off memories of days gone by. Our ex-players, they need to be like us. They need to be strong and they need to move on. It isn't healthy. There is a saying at this club, I forget what it is, but I think it is something along the lines of "No man is bigger than Rafa." You see, even though the pro-ManU media might of painted the whole affair as disharmony at the club and a case of players falling out with the management, it wasn't like that at all. Royal Rafa, despite contrary popular opinion, was actually a very good man motivator. He spoke English, Spanish and more importantly the language of football. When he would say "Eeeh, Xabi.. Barree, vary good player, no?", Alonso knew that a superior footballing specimen was about to be brought in and it was about time he packed his bags. When our Rafa would speak to Mr. Ferguson about these "fahkts", Mr. Ferguson would know his ass had been royally handed to him. When Rafa spoke, everybody paid attention.
Rafa was a tactical genius, way ahead of his time. When Inter Milan won the Treble, they knew that there was only one man to take them to the next level. Step forward, Rafa Benitez. The task was formidable, he had to take a team of winners and win a trophy Mourinho felt un-attainable. The FIFA Club World Cup. Rafa beat the formidable and reknowned TP Mazembe in the final and Inter were crowned champions. But such success was not enough for those fickle Italians and they sacked our Rafa unjustly. Alas, such is modern day football. You can pour your heart and soul into a side, you can face derision for playing a holding midfield of Mascherano/Lucas against the likes of Stoke, but you can never satisfy the insatiable. The boardroom.
But friends, I end this entry on a happier note. Over the past few years we've come to realise that we can't "beat" ManU at their own game, we are unable to win trophies and challenge them. We live our lives through the expressed support of other teams who can challenge them -- the likes of Barcelona. Which is why I'm proud to announce, friends, I'm thinking about mailing Mr. Henry and running by him the idea of making Liverpool FC -THE- Official Barcelona supporters group. Why spend £17m on Aquailani, or £35m on Carroll, when we can funnel our transfer funds to them directly? Seeing as all our best players are heading to Spain, why not make it official that we're Barca/Real's feeder club and send our Kelly on a season long loan? It's a win-win situation. We can laugh at the Mancs when they lose to the best side of all time, and we get to become Barca's official sponsor. Anybody else interested in this exciting proposition?
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