I’m guessing the problem is that there’s been a muddying of the lines of showing loyalty, and taking it too far.
A look back over threads would suggest many here where happy with contract extensions to players like Ox, Hendo, Milner. In fact, there where shouts of the club ‘doing right’ by Ox during a terrible injury for instance.
So for me the issue this summer was dictated by squad numbers. Hence no real right and wrong. Because it was logical to point out that there where enough midfielders here, as it was to say there was a need to get new midfielders. Both statements can be correct. Problem was - adding to a bloated squad. So the issue was more WHY they got themselves into that situation.
We all got very attached to this squad for good reason - they won us the league, the CL, got us to many European finals, won us the domestic cups. But it’s almost like there needs to be more of an unemotional eye on things within the confines of Kirkby, to not allow the loyalty angle to get the squad balance in trouble.
Hindisght is great - and with it I guess we can say Milner should have been allowed to leave with his head held up high as a legend of this club, with no offer of a new deal. They shouldn’t have given into Henderson’s demands, and offered a season by season deal or something instead and put the ball in his court regards ’take it or leave it’. Ox should never have been given a contract extension at that time.
So here we are, with a shit ton of midfielders, far too many of them injured at the same time, and others running on empty.