Call me old and sad but when I stood on the Kop I chanted for Liverpool. Sure I knew all of the players but it was the team that mattered. It was the team that we came to see and adore - not some individual. I can assure you it was far from being soulless!
I don't have much to add that hasn't been said but since its Reina I think its fitting to say something. He was among the top 3 goalkeepers of all time at LFC and during a very turbulent period too. He stuck by us during poor years and that speaks volumes of his personal character. Definitely, on his day the best keeper in the Prem. Thank you for everything and its going to be devastating not seeing you between the posts. With that out of the way I have to say this letter disappoints me. Reina openly flirted with Barca. He told us and the club that he would stay unless Barca came in for him. With the imminent departure of Valdes that was a serious threat to LFC. At this point the club had to look to secure their future. They signed a younger rising star in Mignolet. The talks to sign Mignolet probably took a few weeks. At some point during this negotiation period Valdes announced he was staying. So what was the club to do? Drop all plans for the future, tell Mignolet to forget everything and burn their bridges? Was the club supposed to wait one year to be left with no keeper and no replacement? Perhaps if Reina had at this point signed a 5 year contract then this could be considered. He didn't and it is known to be a matter of time before he plays at Camp Nou. So now the club is left with two keepers. One which had publicly courted Barca and planned on leaving, and a younger replacement. Of course Mignolet would take the starting spot. This leaves Reina, on 120k p/w, waiting for Messi and co. To swoop in and save him. So we send him to Napoli where he can play and put himself in the shop window. His agent said weeks ago that "Napoli is a possibility and we are in talks with the club and player" (paraphrasing). So his claim that he had no idea doesn't hold water with me. I love you Pepe but had you not expected us to bend over backwards for you and Barca you wouldnt be in this position.
Spot on. Very disappointed that he feels its right to criticise the club when he's already said he would go if Barcelona came in for him. Imagine if it happened last day of the window and our only choice was brad jones as our number 1. And then the dig at Rodgers by saying he was working with the 'best manager' in rafa was just a cheap shot and unbecoming of someone who was held in such high esteem, not just by Liverpool fans,but,i feel,by football fans in general.
This letter does nothing to make me dislike Reina. A class act for me, a legend, and will miss him. However, we have a new keeper, and what's done is done. As a great radio host said every day he was on (RIP Kid Kraddick,) 'Keep looking up, cause that's where it all is!' AKA, look forward, not back.
Whilst I don't agree with what Reina said in his letter, it's such a shame for him to leave in this way. One of the best keepers in the world (on his day) and performed consistently for a number of years. One of the best signings Rafa (or even the club) have ever made and only for around £6m. A real character on and off the pitch and I'm gonna miss his world class distribution - god knows how many assists or attacks he started from his quick thinking and pin point accurate long balls. The club probably haven't given him a big send off (MITO was referring to the article on the club website) just yet probably because it's a loan deal and he'll be back next year - who knows if Barca come back again?
I don't agree with that. Would you say Carragher had a cheap shot at Rodgers, Rafa, Hodgson and Kenny since he often says Houllier was the best he worked under? Reina worked under Rafa for about four years, he had one season under Rodgers. Rafa had experience of winning things under his belt, Rodgers is still learning. Rafa was at the club when we became number one in Europe, BR has a rebuilding job to do. I 100% agree with what danilo put but I can't agree with the highlighted bit you put
I'm probably the same age as you [?] I started supporting Liverpool just up from div 2 - I worshipped Hunt, Callaghan ['It's Cally, it's Cally, it's Cally'] A'Court, Smith and St John, Moran and Melia. Boys pen Anfield one week, Goodison the next. Sure you went to support the men in red but each one was like a family member and loved in a unique way for what they brought to the team as a whole. I adored Shankly, a charismatic genius as far as being Liverpool manager was concerned but that was the bonus. I adored the man, that never changed even when the tracksuit was hung up for the last time and talking about shabby treatment by the club, the way he left was shameful, I was embarrassed that my club could do that. I chose the man over the club that day! But you mistake what I'm calling soulless - it wasn't those days - it's the proposal that we give up on individual heroes and put our faith in whoever has the shirt on, I can't have that blind faith that everyone in the shirt has earned and keeps on earning it, some of them need to take it off sooner rather than later and I don't trust the manager and club to always get it right - they haven't in the past.
I'm not going to argue about who has supported the Reds the longest as it will only end up arguing about who's got the most bits that are no longer working But we are talking about the same timeframes But what I'm saying here is that for those guys (Lawrence, Lawler, Byrne, Milne, Yates, Stevenson, Callaghan, St. John, Hunt, Smith and Thompson) we sang about them AS A TEAM. We demanded that they performed AS A TEAM. In truth most of those guys were not the best footballers individually in the league. But in combination and in a red shirt with an ethos that said that you were there to die for the club and the fans - they were awesome!!! I really couldn't give a **** about Suarez , how good, bad or indifferent he is or what level, type of football he wants to play. But when he's in a red shirt I want to see him play his heart out for the club. If he's not prepared to do that he can rot. The same goes for the rest of them including Gerrard.
I can't argue with any of that, it's an experience shared by many. I just always had individual idols, spent the game eyes glued on Hunt or waiting for Smith to go in hard. It was personal, yes all for the greater good of the team but those individuals with fire in their belly, put it in yours. I admired them individually. I related to them individually, when they moved on they were still a part of me and of Liverpool, their spirits remain in the place. Anfield is Anfield because of them. Each individual who's played there in a red shirt leaves an intangible part of themselves behind that fills the place and creates the spine tingling atmosphere every time you're a part of it. The team will always be a collective but made up of unique individuals. Shirts passed down and on to the next generation but I see individual faces when I think of Liverpool, not just numbers on backs. I don't relate to the Suarez' and Reina's like I did to the St John's and Lawler's because 'home' to them is somewhere they're going when they leave Liverpool.
