In July 1977 I asked my Dad if the new lad from Celtic was any good. I also asked him if a fee of £440,000 was paid in actual money or some sort of intangible credit. He snorted in reply at the latter and told me to ‘stop going on about it’ at the first. Once a Blue…
The problem with transfer activity, real or otherwise is, as Chuck Berry told Mr Vega and Ms. Wallace, you never can tell. I was as giddy as a goat when Morientes arrived and was mildly optimistic last season when Robbie Keane came for his holiday. When Kewell signed I was dangerously close to smiling. On the other sign of the coin, Torres had ‘too big a fee’ written all over him and Barnes was nothing more than an expensive show pony. Curiously, Tom Saunders never felt that his job was under threat when I was around.
Glen Johnson looks good enough but I prefer the non-showy play of Arbeloa. If Alf wanted to go then fair enough but I’ll miss his knack of staying in position when needed and being Carragher’s sounding board for advice. Xabi has finally gone too but, as much as that’s a shame, I won’t lose sleep. Yes, he was great last season but it only made up for the one before. Let’s not forget that in 2007/8 he couldn’t tackle, run, pass or score which was quite crucial for a central midfield berth. I’m not criticising Xabi as he’ll always be remembered as a gift from Rafa in his first week (he sat in the stands at White Hart Lane on Rafa’s managerial debut) but I think £30m is pretty good business when you consider that Juve turned him down at £16m twelve months ago. I love the lad and have it on good authority from a mate who knows the first team that he’s one of the nicest players at the club (the other, some may be surprised to learn, is Gerrard despite his truculent mien) but he was always going to go back at some point. Is he replacable? Yes, eventually. We will always have the memories. Many will point to the third in Istanbul before Baros clothes-lined him and his long range goals but his 45 minute display at Craven Cottage will always be my favourite. Replacing Salif Diao at half time he simply passed them off the park, scored a beauty and took us from 0-2 to 4-2 in the West London rain. A magnificent display.
He also had really good hair.
The other big clubs have also lost out in the summer. United have Valencia and Oberfan (more of their other signing later), Chelsea may have Pirlo and Arsenal have lost Toure and Adebayor. United’s loss of Ronaldo is going to be a huge factor but I fear that it’ll lead them to play Rooney, their best player by a mile, in his correct role. If they think a forward line of Berbatov and that other ‘human being’ will bring them glory I will smile and rub my hands. I expect there to be plenty of spin as to United’s stronger team but no team can lose Ronaldo and be the better for it no matter who they buy.
Owen is the biggest story of the summer although many have ignored the controversy. I haven’t seen a single line anywhere in the dailies about his absolute treachery to his former fans. Man City have been criticised for their posters of Tevez but not one comment has been made about them buying a former Liverpool legend. Well, I say legend but in my revisionist eyes he was never a Liverpool player now. He’s as Manc as Bryan Robson and McCrerand. I’d like to think that the MU hardcore would be disgusted as his signing AND taking the number seven but I’m not sure there is such a thing as a MU hardcore anymore.
I’ve heard some bizarre statements about him going there. Some blame Rafa for not wanting him and some asking ‘where else could he go?’ Simple. Anywhere but Man United. That’s not even an option for a former Liverpool legend, particularly one from the North West. Even Everton wouldn’t have been as bad but there were plenty of other offers, not just Hull City. In truth, Michael Owen doesn’t care about Liverpool and hasn’t commented on his move so it’s not a problem for him. We’ve had some slime play for us over the years but the top, top players would never move there. I cannot abide some of our own ‘Legends’ but at least they’ve never taken the Devil’s coin and spat on our hands twice in one career. I hope the booing bursts his eardrums.
Anyway, all of this is but stuff and dreams. Ultimately all that matters is Sunday 16th August. Another away fixture (our last opening home game was Abramovitch’s debut in 2003) and another start to something that will be our year. However, for once I really believe it can be.
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