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Liverpool FC
- Thread starter Haukur Gudnason
- Start date
Haukur Gudnason
::President Scouser::
Now now Kibe, what were ya saying about Chelsea?
Haukur Gudnason
::President Scouser::
Aye he's done well for us before. No reason he can't do the job for us again.
Haukur Gudnason
::President Scouser::
Transfer update: Bellamy has joined on a 4year deal at 45k/wk. Never a fan of the man, although as a player he fulfills most of the requirements in a striker our side's been crying out for. Hopefully no snags in the Kuyt transfer, which is Rafa's next priority now (along with tying up Alves). Welcome to Anfield ya Welsh git 
Ebonix said:
In recent memory, except for Newcastle, leave after 1 season or less....plus there's that other stuff too....
TheBlueBalla
Starting XI
He will, an asshole of his magnitude is rarely altered. Robson was a very personable, friendly manager though, so maybe Benitez can cozy up to him. All I can say is I hope he doesnt spend too much time on the bench, or he will be out texting Gerrard Stevens after a loss to mock him or some rubbish sh*t like that. But despite the attitude, he will get you goals as he always does too. Overall, its a good signing, but the reports I read said its for more than 45 a weekEbonix said:
Right now, without anymore signings, what is Liverpool's strikeforce? Is Cisse now simply understood to be a goner as a Liverpool player?
Haukur Gudnason
::President Scouser::
Fingers and other appendages crossed he'll do a 'Fowler/Carra' and begin to settle down and concentrate on being the fantastic player that we all know he can be. Bellamy can do all his moaning on the pitch for all I care as long as he keeps producing the goods. But the moment he even contemplates spitting the dummy, Carra and Stevie will hopefully inundate him with a shower of scouse spit like. 
Apparently he took a pay cut to come to us from the 65k quid/week that he was offered at Blackburn to 45k with us. Djib's transfer to Marseille should be formalized next week, season loan with permanent deal at the end of it; he's already there to continue his rehabilitation, so long and good luck Lord Frodsham.
Currently it's Crouch, Bellamy and Fowler for the striking spots next season, with Garcia and Kewell as backup. Kuyt is the next on the list and once that is tied up, we're looking very well balanced up front for once.
Apparently he took a pay cut to come to us from the 65k quid/week that he was offered at Blackburn to 45k with us. Djib's transfer to Marseille should be formalized next week, season loan with permanent deal at the end of it; he's already there to continue his rehabilitation, so long and good luck Lord Frodsham.Currently it's Crouch, Bellamy and Fowler for the striking spots next season, with Garcia and Kewell as backup. Kuyt is the next on the list and once that is tied up, we're looking very well balanced up front for once.
Haukur Gudnason
::President Scouser::
Bellamy The First Interview
Craig, I take it this is one instance where you don't actually mind your summer holiday being cut short?
"No question about that. Just to get the transfer completed today was an unbelievable moment for me. I just got married last month and that was obviously one of the highlights of my life but this is on par with that – I know the missus might not be happy with me saying that but it's true! It's a dream come true to sign for the club I supported as a boy and to actually play for Liverpool will be an enormous honour. I'm a very proud person at the moment."
You sat down with Rafa on Wednesday - did he impress you with his ideas about how he wants to take the club forward?
"As a fan, he's impressed me ever since he arrived at Anfield. What he has achieved as a manager, both at Anfield and before that in Spain, tells you everything you need to know about the man and I didn't need to meet him to know that he was taking the club in the right direction. But as a player, meeting him, what he was saying made so much sense and I just hope I can play a part in this already brilliant football team and hopefully make this great club even more successful."
Bellamy on Bellamy
"I want to say this – it's hard work coming here but it's going to be even harder to be a really big hit here – that's the way I'm looking at it. It's going to take a lot of hard work, a lot of focus, a lot of discipline – everything – to make it at a club like this. Because I want to be a hit. I don't want to just be remembered as a Liverpool player, I want to be remembered as a good Liverpool player. That's my motivation."
Every Liverpool supporter wants to see the club finally lift the Premiership. Is that your goal now you've arrived at Anfield?
"Being a Liverpool supporter myself, at the start of every season it's the league title that you're looking to win. Being top of this league is something that Liverpool grew used to in the 70s and 80s but it hasn't happened for a while, and that has to change. Even from the outside looking in, you could tell that things were heading in the right direction under Mr Benitez and if we can improve on what we did last year and move two steps on, hopefully we can win the title."
Was it a hard decision to leave Blackburn Rovers?
"The fact that it was Liverpool made it impossible for me to turn down the move. As I'm a fan, it doesn't matter what club I was at – I could never turn Liverpool down. You get the chance to play for Liverpool and it's a lifelong dream come true. I had a lot of friends at Blackburn - the players, the coaching staff, the chairman are all great people – and I owe them a lot – a hell of a lot to be honest. They helped me improve and they were there at an awkward time for me but I've spoken to a lot of the players and they know the situation. I've had no problem from any player at Blackburn and I'm sure if any of them got the chance to join the team they love with all their heart, they'd do exactly the same thing. It's sad in a way to leave Blackburn but this is too good a chance to turn down."
What do you think you will be able to bring to this Liverpool team?
"Obviously I hope to score plenty of goals, I hope to make a lot of goals for my teammates and just to be another attacking option and a threat. I think I suit the way the team plays and the way the team plays is perfect for me. I just feel I can really excel at this club and hopefully that will be the case."
You just had a quick walk around the stadium and the museum. You've been here plenty of times before but has it sunk in yet that you are now officially a Liverpool player?
"To be honest, it hasn't sunk in yet but it's getting there! I think when I go back on my holiday and sit down with my missus and my two boys and the phone calls start, it'll really start registering just what has happened. I want to say this though – it's hard enough to come to a club like Liverpool, because it's such a special club and these opportunities arrive once in a lifetime, but I'm going to have to work even harder to make a good name for myself here. It's hard work coming here but it's going to be even harder to be a really big hit here – that's the way I'm looking at it. It's going to take a lot of work, a lot of focus, a lot of discipline – everything – to make it at a club like this. Because I want to be a hit. I don't want to just be remembered as a Liverpool player, I want to be remembered as a good Liverpool player. That's my motivation."
The Premiership fixtures came out this morning and Liverpool were handed an away trip to Sheffield United. How much are you looking forward to the season starting and finally pulling on that Liverpool shirt in the Premiership?
"There's so many games at a club like this and they're all great games. Someone just asked me which game I'm most looking forward to but there are so many big games when you play for Liverpool. There's Everton, there's Manchester United, there's club's I've played for in my past and there'll be Champions League games if the qualifying games go well. This club is surrounded with so many great games, week in and week out, and just to pull on the shirt on European nights will be an absolute dream for me."
Finally, have you got a message for the fans who will be desperate to see you play in a Liverpool shirt?
"Not really. I just hope to send out a message to them when I play on the pitch. I've got to win them over as well. I've got to start off well – and that's not usually the case for me to be honest, it usually takes me one or two game – but I'm sure the fans will see what I'm about as soon as I start playing for this great club."
Craig, I take it this is one instance where you don't actually mind your summer holiday being cut short?
"No question about that. Just to get the transfer completed today was an unbelievable moment for me. I just got married last month and that was obviously one of the highlights of my life but this is on par with that – I know the missus might not be happy with me saying that but it's true! It's a dream come true to sign for the club I supported as a boy and to actually play for Liverpool will be an enormous honour. I'm a very proud person at the moment."
You sat down with Rafa on Wednesday - did he impress you with his ideas about how he wants to take the club forward?
"As a fan, he's impressed me ever since he arrived at Anfield. What he has achieved as a manager, both at Anfield and before that in Spain, tells you everything you need to know about the man and I didn't need to meet him to know that he was taking the club in the right direction. But as a player, meeting him, what he was saying made so much sense and I just hope I can play a part in this already brilliant football team and hopefully make this great club even more successful."
Bellamy on Bellamy
"I want to say this – it's hard work coming here but it's going to be even harder to be a really big hit here – that's the way I'm looking at it. It's going to take a lot of hard work, a lot of focus, a lot of discipline – everything – to make it at a club like this. Because I want to be a hit. I don't want to just be remembered as a Liverpool player, I want to be remembered as a good Liverpool player. That's my motivation."
Every Liverpool supporter wants to see the club finally lift the Premiership. Is that your goal now you've arrived at Anfield?
"Being a Liverpool supporter myself, at the start of every season it's the league title that you're looking to win. Being top of this league is something that Liverpool grew used to in the 70s and 80s but it hasn't happened for a while, and that has to change. Even from the outside looking in, you could tell that things were heading in the right direction under Mr Benitez and if we can improve on what we did last year and move two steps on, hopefully we can win the title."
Was it a hard decision to leave Blackburn Rovers?
"The fact that it was Liverpool made it impossible for me to turn down the move. As I'm a fan, it doesn't matter what club I was at – I could never turn Liverpool down. You get the chance to play for Liverpool and it's a lifelong dream come true. I had a lot of friends at Blackburn - the players, the coaching staff, the chairman are all great people – and I owe them a lot – a hell of a lot to be honest. They helped me improve and they were there at an awkward time for me but I've spoken to a lot of the players and they know the situation. I've had no problem from any player at Blackburn and I'm sure if any of them got the chance to join the team they love with all their heart, they'd do exactly the same thing. It's sad in a way to leave Blackburn but this is too good a chance to turn down."
What do you think you will be able to bring to this Liverpool team?
"Obviously I hope to score plenty of goals, I hope to make a lot of goals for my teammates and just to be another attacking option and a threat. I think I suit the way the team plays and the way the team plays is perfect for me. I just feel I can really excel at this club and hopefully that will be the case."
You just had a quick walk around the stadium and the museum. You've been here plenty of times before but has it sunk in yet that you are now officially a Liverpool player?
"To be honest, it hasn't sunk in yet but it's getting there! I think when I go back on my holiday and sit down with my missus and my two boys and the phone calls start, it'll really start registering just what has happened. I want to say this though – it's hard enough to come to a club like Liverpool, because it's such a special club and these opportunities arrive once in a lifetime, but I'm going to have to work even harder to make a good name for myself here. It's hard work coming here but it's going to be even harder to be a really big hit here – that's the way I'm looking at it. It's going to take a lot of work, a lot of focus, a lot of discipline – everything – to make it at a club like this. Because I want to be a hit. I don't want to just be remembered as a Liverpool player, I want to be remembered as a good Liverpool player. That's my motivation."
The Premiership fixtures came out this morning and Liverpool were handed an away trip to Sheffield United. How much are you looking forward to the season starting and finally pulling on that Liverpool shirt in the Premiership?
"There's so many games at a club like this and they're all great games. Someone just asked me which game I'm most looking forward to but there are so many big games when you play for Liverpool. There's Everton, there's Manchester United, there's club's I've played for in my past and there'll be Champions League games if the qualifying games go well. This club is surrounded with so many great games, week in and week out, and just to pull on the shirt on European nights will be an absolute dream for me."
Finally, have you got a message for the fans who will be desperate to see you play in a Liverpool shirt?
"Not really. I just hope to send out a message to them when I play on the pitch. I've got to win them over as well. I've got to start off well – and that's not usually the case for me to be honest, it usually takes me one or two game – but I'm sure the fans will see what I'm about as soon as I start playing for this great club."
AberdeenFC
Min
yeh i read that yesterday. he starts every sentance with "being a lifelong fan" or "well, since ive been a liverpool fan all my life"
its almost as funny as when a spanish nacho novo signed for rangers claiming he was a life long hun
its almost as funny as when a spanish nacho novo signed for rangers claiming he was a life long hun
Haukur Gudnason
::President Scouser::
Actually Ian Rush's made known that Bellamy's been a big Pool fan throughout, from way back to the first time they met. Rushie's his idol and Bellamy seems to have never stopped letting him know that everytime the latter tries to shake Rushie's hand off.
Here's a good read from a Barcodes fan on our new striker.
The pros
Bellamy is a super little player, one of the most underrated players in the Premiership. To look at him you'd think he was just a very quick player who works hard, good but with limited technical ability. Well he's technically very good and you will notice this pretty soon and think to yourself: "hmmm, didn't realise he was this good". He's also an intelligent forward, he's not greedy, he's more of an assists man but he likes to have the final say or to grab a slice of glory himself so in that sense you get a hungry individual who wants to play well for himself but one who also wants to be an effective team player.
He will also literally run himself into the ground for you and chase down any lost cause. He'll make poor balls into good balls and good balls into great balls with his running. He gave Shearer an extra 2 years by doing his running and that was some strike partnership between 2001-2004. We tore teams to shreds at times creating chance after chance after chance.
He could play off most types of strikers although him and Cisse together wouldn't wok. He can also play up front by his own, on the tip of a diamond, and in such a system, with Gerrard behind him bombing into the box, I can see Gerrard getting even more shots on goal (Bellamy loves to drop wide and to work the channels, crossing or pulling the ball back).
He can finish too, at Newcastle he scored all kinds of goals, 30 yard curlers, tap ins, volleys, and headers, he's actually quite good in the air because he's got a good spring on him and he's brave.
The cons
His knees and hamstrings are very weak. Bellamy himself believes Dr Richard Steadman saved his career. The man who will operate on Owen and who has fixed up Fowler, Redknapp and Shearer in the past amongst many others like Ronaldo for example. At one point during his time at Newcastle he could only play once a week, resting between matches because of his weak knees and soft hamstrings. Steadman fixed him.
This may come with a downside however, Bellamy has went on record before saying he fears one more bad injury will finish him or that he may have to retire early as he ages. He puts so much pressure on those knees and hamstrings with his running and twisting and turning, he'll often finish a match in pain. I very much doubt any club will get more than 30 games out of him per season and he will come down with a few niggly injuries, most of it due to his style of play.
He runs his socks off and he snapped his hamstring once at Villa Park chasing a lost cause that a defender had covered anyway. He was like a whippet after it then pop, he pulled up, his season was over and so was ours (that year yous pipped us to 4th before sacking Houllier).
He's not the most disciplined player on or off the pitch. On the pitch he doesn't take kindly to any instructions that will curtail his game... like dropping off or out to the wing. Once at St. James's he and Sir Bobby were remonstrating on the touch line, SBR wanted Bellamy to play wide but he just wouldn't, SBR just gave up arguing. Luckily we won the game but I know that angered other players and that type of indiscipline lead to Sir Bobby's departure. And of course playing on the right is what caused the whole Souness/faking injury row which eventually seen him peddled from Gallowgate.
Off the pitch he has this knack of getting himself into trouble, he has a big ego and he does like to party, or he used to, he was a regular in Toon and that lead to all kinds of incidents with fans and the general public. Deep down though I think he's an OK enough type of lad, just hot headed, a bit dense and I don't think he's advised so well either. You could say he's similar to Fowler? Attracts these bad headlines but really, he's not evil or anything, just bit of a nob.
Another downside to Bellamy's game is his inconsistency in front of goal, he'll score an amazing goal one week and miss a simple one on one the next, but to be fair he has improved his finishing, he has actually worked on that side of his game and will continue to work on it. You will perhaps need a 20 a season man alongside him though to be certain because he can be a liability in front of goal. He'll set up many though and will add a whole new dimension to your side, he'll entertain the fans too and have you on the edges of your seat with his electric pace, dynamism and his sheer determination. He'll be a big crowd fave if he keeps his nose clean.
The final downside will not be felt by the fans or opposition, but team-mates. He'll wind everyone up with his whinging and his ego, he will walk into training and start telling everyone how to play, what they are doing wrong and he'll be bold enough to think and say he is the best player at the club.
That will either piss people off and turn people against him or be a good thing as he'll keep everyone on their toes and by his constant moaning and badgering he might even improve players' own games. It really depends. At Newcastle, Shearer aside, there weren't many strong characters. The more reserved members of the team like Given, Speed et all saw Bellamy as a gobby irritant, but one they would put up with.
The impressionable players thought he was "cool" and cliques definitely formed which again lead to Sir Bobby's departure. Liverpool have some big big characters like Reina, Gerrard, Fowler and others so it will be interesting to see how things pan out. He will most certainly get on like a house on fire with Fowler, although Gerrard may well want to chin him every now and again.
Whatever you do, do not play him out of position, wrap him up in cotton wool, play to his strengths and he will make that 6m look like the bargain of the century, he transformed Newcastle along with Robert when he arrived and we saw a much better Shearer with Bellamy alongside him, the Shearer we signed but with less pace and energy.
One last thing, he's a selfish person, it's all about me me me with him so if his place is under threat, he'll speak to the media and let the world know he's unhappy. When we made a bid for Rooney, live on telly after a 2-2 draw with Norwich, he basically said if Rooney joins, he'd be off. He also went behind the Chairman's back, his lawyer, agent, advisor, his best friend Dyer's back, to go live on telly to claim that both Souness and Shepherd were liars. It had all been settled behind closed doors which he shook on and agreed. 24 hours later he was on TV engineering his move away. He gave it lots of "I love Newcastle, the fans, I don't want to leave, I wouldn't leave for any club" and all that, but he only cares about himself. But he's a team player on the pitch when it comes to putting a shift in which is what really matters.
This "I supported Liverpool as a boy", don't be fooled by it. He may well have watched them play as a bairn and got one or two shirts but he'll have no real feeling for the club, just like when crunch come to crunch, he had none for Newcastle, the club who rescued him, spent big on him, put up with all his antics (one of which resulted in fights at a hotel and later at the airport with John Carver the victim of a chair throwing incident), the club who paid for medical expenses and looked after him.
Good luck with him, you may need it. So might the rest of the league if it works out, he's that good. He's probably worth it although I don't think you'll get the best years out of him as I can't see him playing at this level at the age of 30.
Bellamy will make a fuss regardless of who the manager is or what club he is playing for if he feels he's been hard done by or right in his own mind, be that taking offence to being shifted out wide, rested, dropped or rotated. If any of those things happen, he will let everyone within earshot know exactly what he thinks and he'll moan and argue his way through it, he will also use the media if need be. He's not as daft as he looks, he'll play on any fans' adulation. He's not a pro in that sense, he won't accept a decision against him, get on with it and hope to change people's minds by working hard. He's in a hurry, he has no time for any of that.
Anyway, I think for him to have signed for Liverpool, Rafa will have reassured him that he won't be shifted wide right unless in extreme situations, that he will play in all the big games if fit and the majority of games if fit and will be the number one striker.
I see no reason why that won't be the case because believe you me, Gerrard and Alonso aside, he'll be your best player by some distance. He may even become your number one player. If you think Gerrard is key to your success, if Rafa builds the team around Bellamy, that will change, it will be the Welshman who makes you tick. You will notice the huge difference when he's not in the team from the side when he is.
Despite scoring 28 goals in 2002, Shearer was not our key player, our talisman, it was Bellamy more than anything.
Should Rafa deviate from those things however Bellamy will let him know he's wrong (in his mind) and he'll let everyone else know if they happen to be in earshot, team-mates, fans, the media...
That is what I mean by things having to be spot on for him, when things are good, he's good, when things aren't good, he's that pain in the arse you could do without.
I'll remember him as a player who both transformed us into Champions League contendors, and who also played a huge role in dismantling that. He also played a key role in Sir Bobby's departure.
Sadly his time at United is darkened by the day, against the advice of his lawyer, best friend, advisers and everyone else, he went live on SKY to basically wipe his arse with our shirt. This after he, the Chairman, the club's own representatives and Graeme Souness shook hands to end it there and then, that the player would serve discipline action, get his head down and get back to what he did best, play football.
That is how me me me it is with Bellamy. If he could do that to a club who gave him his big break, who did what no other club was prepared to do, take a gamble on him, who time after time stuck by him despite many off the field problems, who saved his career by hiring Dr Steadman and given Bellamy all the time he needed to sort himself out, who turned him into a millionaire and a Premiership star, just because he had a problem with playing on the wing, then don't for one moment think he can't cause a fuss for Rafa Benitez and Liverpool.
Sir Bobby Robson is the nicest man you could meet, he acted like a father to Bellamy, he bent over backwards to help his career, yet when asked to play on the wing he got a big "**** off, I ain't doing that".
Here's a good read from a Barcodes fan on our new striker.
The pros
Bellamy is a super little player, one of the most underrated players in the Premiership. To look at him you'd think he was just a very quick player who works hard, good but with limited technical ability. Well he's technically very good and you will notice this pretty soon and think to yourself: "hmmm, didn't realise he was this good". He's also an intelligent forward, he's not greedy, he's more of an assists man but he likes to have the final say or to grab a slice of glory himself so in that sense you get a hungry individual who wants to play well for himself but one who also wants to be an effective team player.
He will also literally run himself into the ground for you and chase down any lost cause. He'll make poor balls into good balls and good balls into great balls with his running. He gave Shearer an extra 2 years by doing his running and that was some strike partnership between 2001-2004. We tore teams to shreds at times creating chance after chance after chance.
He could play off most types of strikers although him and Cisse together wouldn't wok. He can also play up front by his own, on the tip of a diamond, and in such a system, with Gerrard behind him bombing into the box, I can see Gerrard getting even more shots on goal (Bellamy loves to drop wide and to work the channels, crossing or pulling the ball back).
He can finish too, at Newcastle he scored all kinds of goals, 30 yard curlers, tap ins, volleys, and headers, he's actually quite good in the air because he's got a good spring on him and he's brave.
The cons
His knees and hamstrings are very weak. Bellamy himself believes Dr Richard Steadman saved his career. The man who will operate on Owen and who has fixed up Fowler, Redknapp and Shearer in the past amongst many others like Ronaldo for example. At one point during his time at Newcastle he could only play once a week, resting between matches because of his weak knees and soft hamstrings. Steadman fixed him.
This may come with a downside however, Bellamy has went on record before saying he fears one more bad injury will finish him or that he may have to retire early as he ages. He puts so much pressure on those knees and hamstrings with his running and twisting and turning, he'll often finish a match in pain. I very much doubt any club will get more than 30 games out of him per season and he will come down with a few niggly injuries, most of it due to his style of play.
He runs his socks off and he snapped his hamstring once at Villa Park chasing a lost cause that a defender had covered anyway. He was like a whippet after it then pop, he pulled up, his season was over and so was ours (that year yous pipped us to 4th before sacking Houllier).
He's not the most disciplined player on or off the pitch. On the pitch he doesn't take kindly to any instructions that will curtail his game... like dropping off or out to the wing. Once at St. James's he and Sir Bobby were remonstrating on the touch line, SBR wanted Bellamy to play wide but he just wouldn't, SBR just gave up arguing. Luckily we won the game but I know that angered other players and that type of indiscipline lead to Sir Bobby's departure. And of course playing on the right is what caused the whole Souness/faking injury row which eventually seen him peddled from Gallowgate.
Off the pitch he has this knack of getting himself into trouble, he has a big ego and he does like to party, or he used to, he was a regular in Toon and that lead to all kinds of incidents with fans and the general public. Deep down though I think he's an OK enough type of lad, just hot headed, a bit dense and I don't think he's advised so well either. You could say he's similar to Fowler? Attracts these bad headlines but really, he's not evil or anything, just bit of a nob.
Another downside to Bellamy's game is his inconsistency in front of goal, he'll score an amazing goal one week and miss a simple one on one the next, but to be fair he has improved his finishing, he has actually worked on that side of his game and will continue to work on it. You will perhaps need a 20 a season man alongside him though to be certain because he can be a liability in front of goal. He'll set up many though and will add a whole new dimension to your side, he'll entertain the fans too and have you on the edges of your seat with his electric pace, dynamism and his sheer determination. He'll be a big crowd fave if he keeps his nose clean.
The final downside will not be felt by the fans or opposition, but team-mates. He'll wind everyone up with his whinging and his ego, he will walk into training and start telling everyone how to play, what they are doing wrong and he'll be bold enough to think and say he is the best player at the club.
That will either piss people off and turn people against him or be a good thing as he'll keep everyone on their toes and by his constant moaning and badgering he might even improve players' own games. It really depends. At Newcastle, Shearer aside, there weren't many strong characters. The more reserved members of the team like Given, Speed et all saw Bellamy as a gobby irritant, but one they would put up with.
The impressionable players thought he was "cool" and cliques definitely formed which again lead to Sir Bobby's departure. Liverpool have some big big characters like Reina, Gerrard, Fowler and others so it will be interesting to see how things pan out. He will most certainly get on like a house on fire with Fowler, although Gerrard may well want to chin him every now and again.
Whatever you do, do not play him out of position, wrap him up in cotton wool, play to his strengths and he will make that 6m look like the bargain of the century, he transformed Newcastle along with Robert when he arrived and we saw a much better Shearer with Bellamy alongside him, the Shearer we signed but with less pace and energy.
One last thing, he's a selfish person, it's all about me me me with him so if his place is under threat, he'll speak to the media and let the world know he's unhappy. When we made a bid for Rooney, live on telly after a 2-2 draw with Norwich, he basically said if Rooney joins, he'd be off. He also went behind the Chairman's back, his lawyer, agent, advisor, his best friend Dyer's back, to go live on telly to claim that both Souness and Shepherd were liars. It had all been settled behind closed doors which he shook on and agreed. 24 hours later he was on TV engineering his move away. He gave it lots of "I love Newcastle, the fans, I don't want to leave, I wouldn't leave for any club" and all that, but he only cares about himself. But he's a team player on the pitch when it comes to putting a shift in which is what really matters.
This "I supported Liverpool as a boy", don't be fooled by it. He may well have watched them play as a bairn and got one or two shirts but he'll have no real feeling for the club, just like when crunch come to crunch, he had none for Newcastle, the club who rescued him, spent big on him, put up with all his antics (one of which resulted in fights at a hotel and later at the airport with John Carver the victim of a chair throwing incident), the club who paid for medical expenses and looked after him.
Good luck with him, you may need it. So might the rest of the league if it works out, he's that good. He's probably worth it although I don't think you'll get the best years out of him as I can't see him playing at this level at the age of 30.
Bellamy will make a fuss regardless of who the manager is or what club he is playing for if he feels he's been hard done by or right in his own mind, be that taking offence to being shifted out wide, rested, dropped or rotated. If any of those things happen, he will let everyone within earshot know exactly what he thinks and he'll moan and argue his way through it, he will also use the media if need be. He's not as daft as he looks, he'll play on any fans' adulation. He's not a pro in that sense, he won't accept a decision against him, get on with it and hope to change people's minds by working hard. He's in a hurry, he has no time for any of that.
Anyway, I think for him to have signed for Liverpool, Rafa will have reassured him that he won't be shifted wide right unless in extreme situations, that he will play in all the big games if fit and the majority of games if fit and will be the number one striker.
I see no reason why that won't be the case because believe you me, Gerrard and Alonso aside, he'll be your best player by some distance. He may even become your number one player. If you think Gerrard is key to your success, if Rafa builds the team around Bellamy, that will change, it will be the Welshman who makes you tick. You will notice the huge difference when he's not in the team from the side when he is.
Despite scoring 28 goals in 2002, Shearer was not our key player, our talisman, it was Bellamy more than anything.
Should Rafa deviate from those things however Bellamy will let him know he's wrong (in his mind) and he'll let everyone else know if they happen to be in earshot, team-mates, fans, the media...
That is what I mean by things having to be spot on for him, when things are good, he's good, when things aren't good, he's that pain in the arse you could do without.
I'll remember him as a player who both transformed us into Champions League contendors, and who also played a huge role in dismantling that. He also played a key role in Sir Bobby's departure.
Sadly his time at United is darkened by the day, against the advice of his lawyer, best friend, advisers and everyone else, he went live on SKY to basically wipe his arse with our shirt. This after he, the Chairman, the club's own representatives and Graeme Souness shook hands to end it there and then, that the player would serve discipline action, get his head down and get back to what he did best, play football.
That is how me me me it is with Bellamy. If he could do that to a club who gave him his big break, who did what no other club was prepared to do, take a gamble on him, who time after time stuck by him despite many off the field problems, who saved his career by hiring Dr Steadman and given Bellamy all the time he needed to sort himself out, who turned him into a millionaire and a Premiership star, just because he had a problem with playing on the wing, then don't for one moment think he can't cause a fuss for Rafa Benitez and Liverpool.
Sir Bobby Robson is the nicest man you could meet, he acted like a father to Bellamy, he bent over backwards to help his career, yet when asked to play on the wing he got a big "**** off, I ain't doing that".
**** me Ewan, HEUGE post.
Have to say the last point might be the most crucial, you wonder how long this "love" for Liverpool will really last if Rafa throws a spanner his way... not literally of course.
I think its a good signing though, Bellamy is a striker, and we havent had one of those since Owen. Alongisde Crouch (who likes to drop deep) and with Gerrard behind, we should have an attack that can challenge the best. Personally, im eering on the side of positivism here as i think the fact Bellamy is a Liverpool fan should allow him to bury some deamons.
Heres hoping anyway.
Have to say the last point might be the most crucial, you wonder how long this "love" for Liverpool will really last if Rafa throws a spanner his way... not literally of course.
I think its a good signing though, Bellamy is a striker, and we havent had one of those since Owen. Alongisde Crouch (who likes to drop deep) and with Gerrard behind, we should have an attack that can challenge the best. Personally, im eering on the side of positivism here as i think the fact Bellamy is a Liverpool fan should allow him to bury some deamons.
Heres hoping anyway.
TheBlueBalla
Starting XI
Thats a pretty good photoshopHaukur Gudnason said:Currently it's Crouch, Bellamy and Fowler for the striking spots next season, with Garcia and Kewell as backup. Kuyt is the next on the list and once that is tied up, we're looking very well balanced up front for once.
I dont know, but that lineup lacks that "game breaker" and im not sure if Kuyt is the guy. Do you all not think Torres would be a better option?
And I too am distrustful of players saying "as a lifelong fan" when moving to a new club. Sure, its probably true, but you have to think they have more affinity for the club where they became a star and were beloved as much as any youthful admiration could generate. Like if Chelsea bought Crouchie, for instance :fool:
Torres might be too expensive now...plus, you've got to wonder if he might pull a Morientes. A Xabi Alonso type Spanish player (very few good ones..even non-Spanish) would fit in well, but primarily offensive Spanish players don't tend to adjust too well...case and point, Luis Garcia...I don't know about that Daniel Alves guy though. I haven't seen him AT ALL but hopefully he can adjust to the physical aspect of the game. I think Dirk Kuyt would be perfect.......I don't know how Crouch fits into this thing, but I guess the season starts with him and Bellamy and Alves/Kuyt would be subs.