...and less than over a season later we're sitting here wondering, ****, how can we do without him! Rafa kept the faith with him despite our wailings. Where we wrong about Rafa? Hodgson didn't drop Lucas, either. The King refused to budge, too. What did they see we didn't? And... What would have happened if we'd given Poulsen and Konchesky time, too??!
In actuality, dear, I never did slate him to the extent that I thought he should've been shipped out. Yeah, he had his faults, and they were many - he still does, who the **** is perfect! - but I always liked him and rated him more than most. OK, I moaned about his performances at times, but I always thought he wasn't as bad as many painted him. Glad he was never binned off.
Well you should know being a former nominee for the England managers job. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A29566759
Just realise someone else put this too. I saw the work he put in so stood by him, two or three managers couldn't be wrong either. Same goes for Kuyt!
I never slated Lucas either, I'm always behind all of our players because they are our players. The only exception might be those who are obviously not trying. This is disrespectful to the club and the fans and they don't deserve support then. Those who play to the best of their ability deserve respect even if that ability is not up to the standard that we need. No-one is responsible for the level of talent they are blessed with, only how they use it. However, I must admit, in the early days I thought Lucas just looked out of his depth in the Prem and I didn't think he'd improve to the level he has. I'm happy to be proven wrong on this, I hope he recovers fully and a very promising career is not marred by this injury.
Did this in an earlier thread, seemed relevant.... Lucas began his career at Grêmio in Brasil, in 2006 his second as a proffessional he became the youngest player ever to receive the Bola de Ouro (Golden Ball), given to the best player in the Brasilian top flight an honour previously won by the likes of Zico, Falcão, Careca, Alex, Romario, Robinho, Kaká and Tévez. At the start of the 2007-2008 season Rafa Benitez signed Lucas for around £6 million. On 27 January 2008 when he curled a 25-yard shot into the top corner during an FA Cup match against Havant and Waterlooville, becoming the first Brazilian to score for Liverpool In the 2008-2009 season things were not looking good for Lucas, he was booed off the pitch by Liverpool fans after a poor performance against Fulham. Rafa came out fighting saying that someone who has captained Gremio at such a young age and who captained the Brasil youth team could not be a bad player. But things got worse after getting sent off against Everton and giving a penalty away against Wigan. Lucas had become very unpopular with the vast majority of Liverpool fans and was considered not good enough for the club. In the 2009-2010 season there was a marked improvement but most fans still thought of him as surplus to requirement and that the club needed to find a new Defensive Midfielder. Many radio and TV phone in shows would have Liverpool fans blaming him for the failings on the pitch. Throughout this period the young player kept his head down, never responding to critical fans or pundits, he was a young man in a foreign country and was taking almost the full blame for another inconsistent season. On 17th April 2011, during Liverpool's 1-1 draw against Arsenal at Emirates Staidum, Lucas played a pivotal role in ousting out Cesc Fà bregas in midfield. Following the game, Kenny Dalglish praised him "he may be the one who stops the guy going past the first fella then sets us on our way,". On 24 May, Lucas was voted the Standard Chartered Fans player of the year for the 2010-11 season, winning 40% of the 129,774 votes cast. He also made the most tackles in the top 4 European leagues in the 2010-2011 season. The transformation was incredible Lucas is now one of the most highly rated Defensive Midfielders in europe, the fans now love him and not only for his uncompromising performances, great ball retention and tackling but for the fact that during the hard times he had kept his mouth shut when he could have bitten back at fans (and would have maybe been right to do so). Liverpool fans owe Lucas a big apology and unwavering support. Something that was seen recently against Man City when fans chanted his name. He will be much missed over the next few games, hopefully the injury is not too bad.
"Liverpool fans owe Lucas a big apology and unwavering support. Something that was seen recently against Man City when fans chanted his name" - - - - Don't like the first bit, should read "a proportion of Liverpool fans..."
Fair enough there were a few that didn't have a go at him, I wasn't one of them but am willing to bow down now and admit my error.
Lucas added: "I have worked hard to get people to believe in me and my football - and I can see the fans appreciate the work I have done. "Even in difficult times, I have put my head down and worked really hard to achieve things and try to be an important player for the club. "I want to say many thanks to the fans. There are no words I can say to express how much I appreciate all of the messages and positive thinking all of them are sending to me. "When I come back onto the pitch, I will repay everything they are doing at the moment for me and keep wearing the shirt with pride. "They are really important for me because it will be a difficult time and it will be important to have the messages I have received."
I never slated Lucas, but I remember Rafa bringing him on and thinking..."this isn't going to change the game". My favourite player in an LFC shirt by a country mile.
Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish says the club will be tested by midfielder Lucas Leiva's absence with a knee injury. Lucas, 24, has been ruled out for the rest of the season after injuring the anterior cruciate ligament in Tuesday's 2-0 Carling Cup win over Chelsea. "It is a huge disappointment for everybody but more importantly for Lucas," said Dalglish. "It is at times like this you are tested but we have been happy with the squad and the results reflect that." The Liverpool manager added: "We are disappointed he has picked up an injury but it is not career-threatening. "He's been playing well for us but it is part and parcel of football, I suppose. "Lucas is not moping about feeling sorry for himself. We can do that, we can feel sorry for him. "But we cannot feel sorry for ourselves and we have plenty of people who can have a go and won't let us down. "You saw at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night there were a lot of really good performances.
I did give him a hard time as at first he was poor and the team felt that. However I gained respect due to his workrate and general weight which must of been on his shoulders. The last couple of seasons he has upped it a couple of gears and is now a very good player. I'm still having trouble convincing people at work though!
In Fifa he is Ok and doesn't rise much, grrrrrr. He has the right attitude and I would bet my car that he will be an outstanding manager in the future. His resolve and battling the tough situations is uncanny.
