Topic: Gini Wijnaldum

[disgraced cake]

The only thing he said which I didn't like was about the online abuse. I hate it when players go on about getting shit on twitter etc. As long as it doesn't cross the line of extreme personal abuse or racism etc, players should be able to take it as long as they use these sites. The worst thing about it for me is that he (and I presume plenty of other players) seem to value those opinions more than the ones of those in the ground. A player who was pretty much always loved by the fanbase, for what it's worth. I think it was a weak excuse but potentially just used to validate his leaving more in his own mind.

Looking back on his time here though, it'll always be fond memories. Vital in taking us back into the Champions League, winning it, then winning the league. His impact is still a bit underappreciated I feel. I wouldn't have him back at this stage given his age and lack of football this year, but he's still absolutely quality. Hope he leaves PSG and finds somewhere where he can play football and win trophies. Not Newcastle, like.

[surfer. Fuck you generator.]

It's worked out well for us.  He's a legend overall for his work, nothing changes that work,  even if he had said fuck Liverpool on the way out.  That kind of ever presence tends to cut short your prime due to the wear and tear.  Wasn't keen on us offering a contract anyway,  glad it wasn't accepted.  The club should embrace the fact that it's management,  it's perfectly ok to cut loose any of Salah,  Mane,  Van Dijk if by their data,  judgement,  they won't be worth the new outlay,  even if the optics are shit.  Seeing him lose his legs for Psg is a great credit to Liverpool's decision making.  You want to see this process for every current star,  that's how one great team segues into a new one.  You keep one or two on low wages for the leadership if they're willing,  setting the tone etc but the big money must always go where there's value.

[Ghost Town]

The only thing he said which I didn't like was about the online abuse. I hate it when players go on about getting shit on twitter etc. As long as it doesn't cross the line of extreme personal abuse or racism etc, players should be able to take it as long as they use these sites.

Yeah he should man up and take it, he earned millions after all, that means he became immune to such stuff, and those jolly lads should be able to say what they want. We need to protect the right of fans to talk shite and act like gobshites. It's the biggest existential threat facing fandom and we all need to man up. Yeah, man up.

FML

The worst thing about it for me is that he (and I presume plenty of other players) seem to value those opinions more than the ones of those in the ground. A player who was pretty much always loved by the fanbase, for what it's worth. I think it was a weak excuse but potentially just used to validate his leaving more in his own mind.

I can't remember his exact words now, but I'm pretty sure he mentioned the love he got from the fans in the grounds and was only critical of a small subsection of twats.

Is there any group in the world more absurdly sensitive than football fans?

[AndyMuller]

Yeah he should man up and take it, he earned millions after all, that means he became immune to such stuff, and those jolly lads should be able to say what they want. We need to protect the right of fans to talk shite and act like gobshites. It's the biggest existential threat facing fandom and we all need to man up. Yeah, man up.

FML
I can't remember his exact words now, but I'm pretty sure he mentioned the love he got from the fans in the grounds and was only critical of a small subsection of twats.

Is there any group in the world more absurdly sensitive than football fans?

Football players.

[Ghost Town]

Football players.

Ee sHuD mAn uP lIke wOt I dO!!!!

[AndyMuller]

Ee sHuD mAn uP lIke wOt I dO!!!!

I mean, these are grown men that go down to the floor off the slightest touch and start rolling around.

[Ghost Town]

I mean, these are grown men that go down to the floor off the slightest touch and start rolling around.

Well that's true enough, but I suspect that's shithouse tactics (personal or coached) rather than sensitivity.

I do accept that Lallana was quite sensitive due to overuse of Nivea, mind

[Red Beret]

Are football players contractually obliged to have a social media presence?  Personally I wouldn't touch twitter with a bargepole. I click on the occasional link I see on RAWK, but don't have an account and no intention of getting one either.

[disgraced cake]

Yeah he should man up and take it, he earned millions after all, that means he became immune to such stuff, and those jolly lads should be able to say what they want. We need to protect the right of fans to talk shite and act like gobshites. It's the biggest existential threat facing fandom and we all need to man up. Yeah, man up.

FML
I can't remember his exact words now, but I'm pretty sure he mentioned the love he got from the fans in the grounds and was only critical of a small subsection of twats.

Is there any group in the world more absurdly sensitive than football fans?

What are you on about? I literally mentioned the fact that there's a line that bellends cross, where it's a lot more than simply criticising a bad performance. I never suggested that he should 'man up' - that's you trying to make a thing out of something that isn't there.

What I said was simple - if a player uses something like twitter or instagram, as long as the dialogue is fair and not abusive from the fans, they should have a right to voice their opinion, whatever that may mean to the players. I don't think something like Rawk is any different in that regard, even if it's not for the players, but for fans of LFC. If you can't use these things for so much as a borderline, neutral, inoffensive opinion, then they're a bit fucking pointless, aren't they?

I loved Wijnaldum, and I still do. Ultimately, when I look back on it down the line I'll probably just laugh at that comment, especially in the context of him joining PSG. Yeah, it done my head in a bit at the time, and I still personally believe he was talking shite, but alas, he said it, and that's his right. I don't really care how it all played out, we had him, he was great, and he left after giving us the best years of his playing career.

[Red Cactii]

Saw he was trending and checked out why, seems like he’s getting absolutely hammered for his performances.

He was awful against Nantes, his handball gave them a pen. The ultras are absolutely furious with club spending huge money on players they deem excessive and he's one of those, hence he's copping pelters. I'm not reveling in the fact it's gone to pot for him but he must be loving the fact his agent didn't get him an extension 2-3 seasons into our stint whilst we've evolved as a team since he left.

[rob1966]

Yeah he should man up and take it, he earned millions after all, that means he became immune to such stuff, and those jolly lads should be able to say what they want. We need to protect the right of fans to talk shite and act like gobshites. It's the biggest existential threat facing fandom and we all need to man up. Yeah, man up.

FML
I can't remember his exact words now, but I'm pretty sure he mentioned the love he got from the fans in the grounds and was only critical of a small subsection of twats.

Is there any group in the world more absurdly sensitive than football fans?

Twitter is a fucking cesspit, so if he doesn't like what is posted on there by scum and trolls, don't go on it - simple.

[scatman]

no shame in being dominated by a Liverpool academy graduate

[newterp]

He was awful against Nantes, his handball gave them a pen. The ultras are absolutely furious with club spending huge money on players they deem excessive and he's one of those, hence he's copping pelters. I'm not reveling in the fact it's gone to pot for him but he must be loving the fact his agent didn't get him an extension 2-3 seasons into our stint whilst we've evolved as a team since he left.

Those ultras are right - if PSG spends outrageous amounts on players that aren't doing the job it will be very hard for them to recoup those los.......oh.

[Ghost Town]

What are you on about? I literally mentioned the fact that there's a line that bellends cross, where it's a lot more than simply criticising a bad performance. I never suggested that he should 'man up' - that's you trying to make a thing out of something that isn't there.

What I said was simple - if a player uses something like twitter or instagram, as long as the dialogue is fair and not abusive from the fans, they should have a right to voice their opinion, whatever that may mean to the players. I don't think something like Rawk is any different in that regard, even if it's not for the players, but for fans of LFC. If you can't use these things for so much as a borderline, neutral, inoffensive opinion, then they're a bit fucking pointless, aren't they?

I loved Wijnaldum, and I still do. Ultimately, when I look back on it down the line I'll probably just laugh at that comment, especially in the context of him joining PSG. Yeah, it done my head in a bit at the time, and I still personally believe he was talking shite, but alas, he said it, and that's his right. I don't really care how it all played out, we had him, he was great, and he left after giving us the best years of his playing career.

You said:

The only thing he said which I didn't like was about the online abuse. I hate it when players go on about getting shit on twitter etc. As long as it doesn't cross the line of extreme personal abuse or racism etc, players should be able to take it as long as they use these sites.

Sounds to me rather like you're saying that players should man up and take it.

This seems to be a common view; that because celebs are rich and famous they should 'take it'. Now I agree that it's unseemly for players to get involved in spats with twats on social media, so I'd agree that they shouldn't reply or get into arguments. Not because the twats are right but because it's pointleess engaging with them and ends up an undignified mess.

But to suggest that a player can't even generally voice their opinion about how disappointingly bad the behaviour of SM fans is, is something else.

Sure, people have the right to voice their opinion; but the targets of their opinion have the right to voice theirs back. To regard one as sacrosanct and the other as wrong is a weird double standard, and seems to me to be born out of a strange over-sensitivity.

Personally I'd have no problem with more players calling out Twitter fans for the brainless gobshites they are. My only reservation, as I mentioned before, is that letting the twats know they get to a player could encourage them to do it more, not less, because that's the kind of infantile mentality they exhibit.

Twitter is a fucking cesspit, so if he doesn't like what is posted on there by scum and trolls, don't go on it - simple.

Generally I agree that twitter is a cesspit. It's why I'm not a member, either in a personal or professional capacity. And yes, I would agree that players should avoid it. But for some reason many of them want to be on there; it's normalised among players. So given that they are on there it still doesn't give gobsites a right to act like twats towards them (and nor towards anyone). That would be veering too much into 'they are asking for it' territory.

[rob1966]

Generally I agree that twitter is a cesspit. It's why I'm not a member, either in a personal or professional capacity. And yes, I would agree that players should avoid it. But for some reason many of them want to be on there; it's normalised among players. So given that they are on there it still doesn't give gobsites a right to act like twats towards them (and nor towards anyone). That would be veering too much into 'they are asking for it' territory.

You're right that gobshites shouldn't act like twats, but until something is done about it, Twitter will always be full of c*nts, as they know they can post whatever shite they wish. It would be nice to think it will be cleaned up, but it'll never happen. If a player cannot deal with reading the shite posted, then the best thing to do is remove themselves from the platform.

[DangerScouse]

Oh dear Gini, wasn't he moaning to the media when he left about Liverpool fans criticising him on social media all the time 

He was a solid player in a team where he was tactically very good and was very robust where he barely picked up any injuries but he was a very frustrating player to watch. He would pick the easy pass 9 times out of 10 instead of trying a slightly riskier pass.

Can see him back in the premier league in the summer- Spurs/Arsenal or Newcastle the likely destination.

Hold no grudges against him, he contributed to us winning the league and CL but the way he was slating the club after leaving left a bit of a bitter taste.

Yep and he was dead right about the blerts on social media compared to the match going fans.

[stoa]

You said:
Sounds to me rather like you're saying that players should man up and take it.

This seems to be a common view; that because celebs are rich and famous they should 'take it'. Now I agree that it's unseemly for players to get involved in spats with twats on social media, so I'd agree that they shouldn't reply or get into arguments. Not because the twats are right but because it's pointleess engaging with them and ends up an undignified mess.

But to suggest that a player can't even generally voice their opinion about how disappointingly bad the behaviour of SM fans is, is something else.

Sure, people have the right to voice their opinion; but the targets of their opinion have the right to voice theirs back. To regard one as sacrosanct and the other as wrong is a weird double standard, and seems to me to be born out of a strange over-sensitivity.

Personally I'd have no problem with more players calling out Twitter fans for the brainless gobshites they are. My only reservation, as I mentioned before, is that letting the twats know they get to a player could encourage them to do it more, not less, because that's the kind of infantile mentality they exhibit.
Generally I agree that twitter is a cesspit. It's why I'm not a member, either in a personal or professional capacity. And yes, I would agree that players should avoid it. But for some reason many of them want to be on there; it's normalised among players. So given that they are on there it still doesn't give gobsites a right to act like twats towards them (and nor towards anyone). That would be veering too much into 'they are asking for it' territory.

He wasn't really calling the twats out, he was giving a general statement about not being loved giving a completely harmless example where there was no abuse or anything, just people voicing their opinion (no matter how wrong it may have been). Here's the quote:

“On social media if we lost I was the one who got the blame — [claiming] that I wanted to leave. There was a moment when I was like, ‘Wow, if they only knew what I was doing to stay fit and play every game.’ You cannot complain because that is your job. But other players might have said, ‘I’m not fit.’ You get players in their last year who are like, ‘I’m not playing because it’s a risk.’ I did the opposite. I didn’t always play good but after the game I could look in the mirror and say, ‘I trained hard to get better.’

“There was a moment when I didn’t feel loved. In the last two seasons I had it a few times. The media didn’t help. There was a story like I didn’t accept the [Liverpool] offer because I wanted more money, and the fans made it like ‘OK, he didn’t get the offer so he doesn’t try his best to win games.’ Everything looked like it was against me. Some moments it was like, ‘Wow, me again?’

Without looking back (and not really reading player or match threads here on a regular basis) stuff like that could have been said here easily. Stuff along the lines, "Oh, he was bad today, his head isn't here anymore with all the contract stuff." There's nothing wrong with something like that and I would argue, if you reported a post like that, nothing would have happened, because it's people voicing an opion. He didn't like that, okay, but throwing away everything he had at Liverpool, because of not feeling loved on social media where there are probably 80 percent twats? Nah, I'm not having that. Not when this is also a quote from him:

“My team-mates never had the feeling that I let them down or was taking the piss. For the manager, I was someone he was really sure he could trust. It also helped because I could play in different positions and do it well in different positions. I’d give everything.

“I got so much love not only from the fans but the manager and the players, the people who worked at the club. Players came to me saying, ‘This is your last training session, this is your last week at the club.’ It was really difficult and also emotional. A lot of time I had to fight against my tears. The love everyone showed [during and after that final game, against Crystal Palace] was beautiful.”

So, you have everything at the club, love from the fellow players, the manager, the staff and the fans in the stadium and you decide to throw that away because people on social media (who might not even be Liverpool-supporters) were mean to you? Yeah, then that's either just a cheap excuse to make yourself look better or to justify joining a different club or you definitely need to man up or just fuck social media off as a whole...

[Ghost Town]

He wasn't really calling the twats out, he was giving a general statement about not being loved giving a completely harmless example where there was no abuse or anything, just people voicing their opinion (no matter how wrong it may have been). Here's the quote:

Without looking back (and not really reading player or match threads here on a regular basis) stuff like that could have been said here easily. Stuff along the lines, "Oh, he was bad today, his head isn't here anymore with all the contract stuff." There's nothing wrong with something like that and I would argue, if you reported a post like that, nothing would have happened, because it's people voicing an opion. He didn't like that, okay, but throwing away everything he had at Liverpool, because of not feeling loved on social media where there are probably 80 percent twats? Nah, I'm not having that. Not when this is also a quote from him:

So, you have everything at the club, love from the fellow players, the manager, the staff and the fans in the stadium and you decide to throw that away because people on social media (who might not even be Liverpool-supporters) were mean to you? Yeah, then that's either just a cheap excuse to make yourself look better or to justify joining a different club or you definitely need to man up or just fuck social media off as a whole...

Reading those quotes back (thanks for findng them) I really can't see what the fuss is about. He hasn't actually attacked anyone, or slagged off anyone or made excuses. Just talked a bit about what was going on in his head.

As I said before, is there anyone more absurdly sensitive than football fans? To even make a thing out of that? It's bizarre.

Not quite sure what you seem to be seeing in that to warrant your last paragraph, other than, again, absurd levels of over-sensitivity.

[Ravishing Rick Dude]

Are football players contractually obliged to have a social media presence?  Personally I wouldn't touch twitter with a bargepole. I click on the occasional link I see on RAWK, but don't have an account and no intention of getting one either.

Social media like Instagram is ok for footballers, we like to see their photos they share from training and stuff, but i have no fucking idea why a footballer should have Twitter. I see Twitter more for politics, journalists and attention seekers who like to start fights. A footballer has no right to be there.

[AndyMuller]

Fucking hell it all makes sense to me now.


Ghost Town is in fact Gini Wijnaldum all along.

[WhereAngelsPlay]

Are football players contractually obliged to have a social media presence?  Personally I wouldn't touch twitter with a bargepole. I click on the occasional link I see on RAWK, but don't have an account and no intention of getting one either.

He should leave it in the hands of his agent,I wouldn't even read it.

[On Axis]

Are football players contractually obliged to have a social media presence?  Personally I wouldn't touch twitter with a bargepole. I click on the occasional link I see on RAWK, but don't have an account and no intention of getting one either.

Joel Matip eschews social media and he seems pretty happy. Albeit there's the Joel Matip Out of Context account giving fans content 

[scatman]

Pedro showed him how to play

[Fromola]

Gini likes loads of LFC tweets after the final. Must be sad to miss out given how PSG is going for him.

[redgriffin73]

Nice rendition of his song after the game when the DJ played the song as well.

[xbugawugax]

I thought he was relatively poor in his last season here, he didn't really offer anything except availability. We look much better without him these days.

he was always a 7.5 ratings kind of player and that availability and consistency means he will always start because the others aren't as consistent and available. LOL

Would always love to see him now with our midfield and playing with thiago and fab and hendo. There were some days that I do wish he would take a bit more risk but his role in keeping the midfield ticking and covering all the gaps means his attacking threat is probably blunted.

Thought he would be an OK player at PSG like for us. But many other factors proved not so.

[Drinks Sangria]

Gini Wijnaldum, regardless of how he left, is one of our greatest modern players.

It does surprise me the lack of respect he gets and the lack of understanding to just how fucking good he was for Liverpool.

[Kenny's Jacket]

Gini Wijnaldum, regardless of how he left, is one of our greatest modern players.

It does surprise me the lack of respect he gets and the lack of understanding to just how fucking good he was for Liverpool.

I think this is the issue

[Nick110581]

He should still be here but he choose to leave.

Weird decision to go to PSG so can only have himself to blame.

Was perfect fit for Klopp and the system.

[StL-Dono]

I know he didn't seem to leave on the best terms, but I feel bad for the guy.  Always a great Red and now...   sitting the bench for that squad? 

[El Lobo]

[rob1966]

I know he didn't seem to leave on the best terms, but I feel bad for the guy.  Always a great Red and now...   sitting the bench for that squad? 

Should have looked at how others careers go to shit when they leave us and signed the contract on offer. He'd have still earned a fortune and he'd have been happy in his work.

[El Lobo]

In fairness to Gini, you've got to be some special sort of idiot to leave him on the bench in a game like that last night

[Fromola]

He should still be here but he choose to leave.

Weird decision to go to PSG so can only have himself to blame.

Was perfect fit for Klopp and the system.

I honestly don't know know what the right move was for him in the summer (especially as it was his last big contract).

His time here was coming to an end, he had a poor last season and we bought Thiago on a big 4 year deal rather than offer him anything like the terms he wanted so we weren't that eager to keep him. You saw how quickly Henderson's deal got sorted when his agent put noises out last summer and he still had 2 years left. Ultimately Gini wasn't valued enough by the club and that's where you can see why he moved on (rather than the rubbish about fans on Twitter). The club made the right decision as well because you can't renew everybody on the terms they want.

So where should he have left to? He was going to Barca but Barca were a basket case as well and it was Koeman that was pushing hard to sign him and he was sacked within months of the season anyway. It never seemed a good fit either. Barca have gave youngsters a go in midfield instead which is working for them.

It was PSG that came in with big money and he went there but that was never a good fit either. Don't know what other offers he had but his pride stopped him signing on whatever terms we offered, even if he secretly wishes he had now. Or maybe he'd have gone to PSG regardless with the terms offered.

[leinad]

Gini been dropped from the National team due to a lack of playing time. It's been a disaster for him at PSG, hopefully he leaves and plays somewhere they will appreciate him.

[Schmidt]

Gini been dropped from the National team due to a lack of playing time. It's been a disaster for him at PSG, hopefully he leaves and plays somewhere they will appreciate him.

Have the fans been nice to him on social media at least?

[gazzalfc]

He'll go back to Newcastle. It's about right for him and his wages and the PR about his career going full circle

[newterp]

His decision and reasons stated in the media were poor (the real reasons were MONSTER amounts of cash)

But

He was a great player for us!

[blacksun]

I still don't have any ill will towards Gini
My take on the situation was; we weren't willing to give him what he wanted contract wise and Barca were, no complaints from me, he deserves to get what he wants and we made the right call considering his age etc
Unfortunately for him when Barca went into meltdown his plan fell apart and he was left in limbo and PSG came in and offered him a stupid wage with an almost guaranteed chance to add to his medal collection so he took it.
The post about the fans on social media was weird at best and certainly a poor decision on his part but it doesn't change the fact he was an integral part of Klopp's very successful team and whilst its unfortunate for him how its gone in Paris, I suspect he's being scaped-goated to some extent for PSG's poor performance for most of the season which has even seemingly affected the genius that is Lionel Messi.
As others have said I could see him being offloaded to Newcastle in the summer window.

[dutchkop]

Gini been dropped from the National team due to a lack of playing time. It's been a disaster for him at PSG, hopefully he leaves and plays somewhere they will appreciate him.

Gini is well liked by Dutch fans and pundits

Most cannot understand van Gaal's decision in dropping him when the replacements are not  close to his level.

I think the PSG move has really derailed his career and basically the national manager is saying get back to playing week in week out football or you will not go to the World Cup in Qatar.
Midfielders: Jordy Clasie (AZ Alkmaar), Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona), Marten de Roon (Atalanta), Davy Klaassen (Ajax Amsterdam), Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta), Guus Til (Feyenoord Rotterdam)  - only Frenkie de Jong should get into team ahead of Wijnaldum.

more concerning for me is that Virgil selected and they want to play 4 games in 11 days - which is madness.

The Netherlands are away to Belgium (June 3) and Wales (June before home games against Poland (June 11) and Wales again on June 14.c