Liverpool's owner John W. Henry has entered the field in full in connection with the saga of Luis Suarez. One hopes it is the start of a comeback of good leadership in Liverpool FC.
The feeling is that one should have seen the fuse when he promised his manager Kenny Dalglish to shake Patrice Evra's hand in that infamous case, but refrained. The confirmation came when he started flirting with Real Madrid. Luis Suarez is not to be trusted.
When the royal club from the capital of Spain turned out not to be interested the next step was to try to use a clause written in the contract that would make Liverpool FC let him go for bids over £40M.
It reminds undeniably very much about how Luis Suarez, allied with his agent, filed a lawsuit against Groningen so he could go to Ajax in 2007. Suarez lost the case, but had managed to make himself so unpopular that when Ajax increased their offer both club and supporters were just happy to to get rid of him.
The English players union confirmed recently that the claims the Suarez clan made about how he may request to be sold to a club if a higher bid than £40M comes up does not have legs to stand on. The famous clause should also have a basis in that Liverpool are not playing in the Champions League, but that any buyer club does. If so Arsenal must go through a qualifier to reach the group stage of the Champions League, it contributes to the dissatisfaction with the team in the red part of Merseyside. Arsenal is a club that has not won anything since 2005, and although they certainly have played in the Champions League. Their most expensive purchase is still Andrey Arshavin for £15M.
If Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich had entered the field, and Luis Suarez had argued that he wanted to play for a club that not only played in the best company but were also the contenders to win the coveted title, it had been much more palatable to the Kop. Now he goes from one lie to another after having accused the British press that he wants away, he now says he could go to an English club, before using the English media to attack the Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers for not having fulfilled alleged promises. He seemed potty sour when he was back on track in Melbourne and the cameras focused on him after he had put up a target. After he returned to Melwood he has shown a lack of interest at training has ended up training alone, at all acted like a little brat.
Patience finally burst for Brendan Rodgers. He made it very clear how much he believed that Luis Suarez owes Liverpool Football Club, not to mention how much he owes the fans. Those who have been behind him when he not only scored their goals, but then there were episodes that made him serve and is currently serving long suspensions.
Today's top players in international football get it like they want if they wimp a little extra. Its often said that "no one is bigger than the club" and they'll will find a solution. Rodgers has been hard on that that Suarez had a market price that Arsenal have not been close to meeting, and as long as that is the case the player will stay at Anfield. The manager has received well-deserved praise for the way he has been acting in this case, but I also noticed that he said that "he only wanted players who would be one hundred percent committed to the club," which I considered as a safety valve if the live wire from Uruguay would be too unbearable.
John W. Henry has also added a safety valve when he has spoken primarily about Luis Suarez and Arsenal. "What have they smoked at Emirates?" Was tweeted earlier, and now he has made it quite clear that Suarez will not be sold in this window. At least not to a rival, like Arsenal, while it is too late for other clubs to be able to buy him. Because it will give Liverpool too short time to obtain replacement(s) and how it is a "football decision".
Apparently phlegmatic John W. Henry, who has not seen a match at Anfield in well over a year, has rattled his saber. It has been met with almost unanimous applause from the fans. Is it true that the man who led the historical baseball team Boston Red Sox to a title for the first time in 86 years, and took up the battle with the mighty neighbor New York Yankees, is now seriously showing ambition on behalf of Liverpool FC?
In my eyes Liverpool has had some really strong leaders since the legendary Peter B. Robinson retired, and the team was never stronger than when PBR reigned together with Sir John Smith. Smith was chairman during the period 1973-1990, and it is no coincidence that this is Liverpool's golden years, although one must not forget manager Bill Shankly who brought the Reds back to the top echelon of the 60th century and was the creator of the modern LFC .
I salute also a chairman and a manager that called the bluff of the club's star player, but the seething war rapture which now buzzes through the blood of many passionate reds, it should be pointed out that there are several aspects of this.
The risk is a sulky topscorer who will be motivated in the same way as when he was the best player last season, and where one has given up the opportunity to recoup at least £ 40m to the transfer case. If Luis Suarez will run out again at Anfield the fans will demand a public apology and sign of humiliation they have not seen so far, and it is not very likely that it will happen.
If John W. Henry is serious when he says that Liverpool is a club that belongs in the Champions League, he should nevertheless be ready to collect funds so that Brendan Rodgers may acquire a couple of reinforcements in this transfer window. As it is now, Rodgers has spent about as much on new players as they have received from players they've sold, and he has a topscorer who wants to get out.
John W. Henry has for the first time really entered the field as a manager and owner of Liverpool FC. If this is not for show, but rather a genuine message that this is a club that will not allow themselves to be pushed around, then it may still be the start of something big.
- L.A
