Before you read the following article, might I add that it's not aimed at any one club or player in particular, it's just something I came across posed on WSC and I thought it may provide an interesting topic for discussion. Please read it objectively and refrain from trading insults.



Everyone knows that obscene amounts of money are circulating within the game now and it's no surprise therefore, that at some point, players have to consider money over loyalty. After all you may like your company and boss very much but if someone comes along with a lucrative offer, you'd have to consider your future. In the end we all have to look out for ourselves because as they say, "how can you take care of someone else if you can take care of yourself?". This is all the more true if you have a family to support.

Can we therefore blame footballers for putting loyalty aside then? I'm old school and I would like to believe that I'd be willing to turn down a better offer to stay with the club I grew up supporting for life but in reality, all of us have a price so the question is at what point, is it acceptable to move on? Like many of you I have seen players leave clubs that they either support, or clubs that 'raised' them from young. Is it however foolish for clubs to believe that these players will remain loyal to them? While I accept that because of ambition and money, players may opt to switch clubs and allegiances, I feel that they can leave amicably. Before signing for Chelsea, Michael Essien refused to train with Lyon unless they granted him a transfer to Chelsea. On the other hand, Fernando Torres explained to the fans that he had to leave because he wanted to achieve his ambitions and he vowed to return on day. Which do you think is most acceptable? I stress again that this isn't to take a potshot at anyone as I'm only citing examples I am familiar with.

Now I believe that the club comes before all else. I love my club and I'd like to think that all the players who say they are fans of the club after or before signing, are telling the truth. One can only lie for so long however as the truth will be revealed when we see how much effort they put in on and off the pitch. Can I fully support a player I know is a mercenary? I'd like to think not. I'd like to think that if the said player scored and I celebrate, it's because of the club and not him. Love should be permanent and knowing that he said player will leave one day, being a journeyman and all, I cannot relate to him. I had my doubts when Didi Hamann signed for us as he had a reputation of being a journeyman and to my surprise he stayed with the club for seven seasons, picking up a Scouse accent in the process. In the end players come and go and I've never felt a strong affinity towards a player like Harry Kewell because you just knew the money mattered to him. The story from Steve McMahon also comes to mind. El Hadji Diouf on the other hand was a player that never truly embraced the culture of the club. I could not learn to respect these players as people, only pawns on the pitch.

Can anyone truly support a mercenary or journeyman knowing he may turn his back on them or blackmail them at any time? They'll be around when the times are good but you just know that at some point, we all go through a bad patch.

This post has been edited by Duke Red: Oct 7 2008, 04:08 PM

I for one don't really support such players, but as we all know, $$$ has become part of d game so as long as they're doin their jobs, i'm fine w that. I'll just enjoy d skills/goals, but not as a team player that can gain special place in my heart. in my case, ronaldo is one gud example.

I m not sure that I m acting exactly like u where u could not learn how to respect these players as people..But i tried to and still trying to learn how to respect them, to appreciate them for what they did to the club once...We have to bare with it...They need a living too but that doesnt mean i encourage them of being not loyal to the club...

Take kewell as example...I'm sure most of us know that he doesnt really love the club...and sometimes in my mind, i tot he joined us just for the sake of staying in premier league...Leeds get relegated and heck we saved his ass from being relegated too...We gave him confidence, the number 7 wore by lots of the club legend and he turned out to be injury prone, sidelined most of the time, wasting the club money and yet when RB still putting faith in him, giving him a pay cut contract extension, he just get his ass out of the club with a free transfer...Should I hate him? I dunno but i just try my best to respect him as what he was...what he contributed to the club...

I still remembered what Kewell said on when he joined the club...He said he snubbed the offer from Man U, Arsenal and others to join Liverpool because that's the club he supported when he was small...By the time he joined, Smicer even gave away the number 7 shirt to him which was previously wore by the likes of Ian Callaghan, Kevin Dalghish and Kevin Keegan.At that particular moment,I like the way he was.. He snubbed the likes of Barca, RM for a club that havent won the league title for 13 years.That particular time I truly believed that he loves the club and it doesnt seems to be that way now, does it?

He snubbed a pay-cut contract offer from rafa...tats the way he repay rafa's faith of playing him in CL 05 and CL 07(sub)...

Still, I appreciate what he did for the club...The 1st and only goal in 2 years against Spurs in Jan 06,the goal against Man City and Everton the same year...not to forget, the decent performance from him in Fa Cup semi final victory against chelsea...

I can go on a list on just the players from liverpool... From diouf to owen, but i guess not everyone want to listen to my grumbling...What I m trying to say is, we cant really expect the same loyalty from everyone...Try to look from a positive prospective... Appreciate for what they did...

That's why it's always been supporting the club first and foremost. Players come and go, even the more loyal ones will leave i.e. when they retire.

And to answer the question, learn to love mercenaries? My answer to that would be an emphatic NO, simply because no one is bigger than any one club, IMHO.

This post has been edited by aw13: Oct 7 2008, 04:53 PM

I'm pretty sure he may have been a supporter but quite possibly a casual one.

By the way, it's Kenny Dalglish though I'm sure it's only a typo

haha... din notice that... wrote it in a hurry...

Speaking of true loyalty, i think Totti tops my lists... He even took pay cut when the club was in crisis...

Loyalty - look no further than Buffon. Arguably the best keeper in the world at the time, would have walked into any team into the world but chose to stay with a club implicated in match fixing and relegated.

Back to the topic though, why isn't anyone lambasting Robinho? The twat goes as far as holding a 'want-away' press conference, and in the last minute chooses the $$ of Man City instead of the supposed appeal of Scolari. And then he goes and gives the guy a hug during their match. Class.

This post has been edited by madmoz: Oct 7 2008, 05:13 PM

I think it was Chrisky that cited the example of Damiano Tommasi.

Steve Bull, formerly of Wolves is another.

There obviously isnt a lot of them out there... Like Madmoz said, Buffon is another 1....Pavel Nedved is another 1



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavel_Nedv%C4%9Bd

Del Piero is another. The difference is that although Juve were relegated, the players were still getting paid Serie A wages, were they not? I wonder how many would have stayed if they had to take a pay cut?

hmm a very tricky subject. on one hand we hate greedy buggers, but its hard not to cheer for them when they bang in goals for us.
can loyalty be bought nowadays? depending on the amount of moolah, i'd say yes.
so technically its not loyalty anymore cos they're there for the money. but after some time if you see them playing their hearts out for the team, staying out of trouble or even getting involved in charity work, u tend to forget that everyone was claiming this or that player only moved for the cash, and learn to accept him.
most people will try and say a player moved to their club for everything but the money. its in our blue/red/green? tinted specs.
however if someone relatively young and talented who gets regular football wants to leave for the sake of 'ambition' everyone will brand him a mercenary. having said that however, fans of the player's former club will say one thing, and fans of his new club will say another. so its a tough call. regarding players openly declaring their intention to leave, i'm not so sure i'll be any more upset if he goes on strike to secure a move. one thing's for certain though, i won't forget the player's contributions.
but if he resorts to condemning the club, players and manager to force a transfer, his status as a 100% villain will be cast in stone.

Can't blame Robinho. To him, it was "anywhere but Real Madrid." It was obvious he didn't want to stay. If I'm not mistaken, Real Madrid were put off by Chelsea when they reportedly had Robinho 7 kits being ready for order in their official website prior to the deal being completed. When negotiations between Chelsea and Madrid broke down, the Abu Dhabis came knocking in the last minute and Robinho had to take it or endure another 6 months minimum with the club. Not a shabby move though, I heard he's on 160,000 quids a week, putting him above Lampard.

re Duke Red, but Tomassi was on the verge of being left with no contract if i remember correctly no? As he had just sustained a serious injury. If thats the case, it is questionable whether he stayed on for "fairness" on just wanted to be paid even when he is not working. Again I am just guessing and citing from my poor memory.

When we talk about loyalty here, are we referring to the "one club player" only? Cos although most of the times it is a noble and rare feat, I do not think the definition of loyal should be so narrow. To me, being a professional, as long as you give your employers your full commitment and loyalty during the subsistence of your contract then you are one loyal lad. Lets not forget that sometimes matters are out of the player's control. Robbie Fowler was a childhood Evertonian fan, but can you call him disloyal to Everton when he played for Liverpool FC? Or call him disloyal to Liverpool when he left for Leeds when his career was at a stalemate? I would say no to both. As a professional, I think Robbie is a role model which players should emulate. He gave his all for his club during his tenure there, and even in his second stint back at the club, he never once whined to Rafa and gave his all whenever the opportunity came. And the fans can see and feel that in him.

I dont even want to start on Robinho In my humble opinion, his is the classic case of "no loyalty" to anyone in particular. I wont say he is treating RM badly, as it was the club themselves who had given up on him and wnted to offload him in the first place. I just pity the way everything was done, so comical. The stand-off between player and club was pathetic and shows the ugly side of the game.

The topic is about the attitude of the players, and how they leave the club, for money?

Just wanna stress that Robbie turned back at Everton for all the rumours the Everton fans made up. Even his father took it seriously, which is why he got so upset with the small blue side of Everton. As for him leaving Leeds Utd, he was pretty much forced by GH to go out.

And he even stated that he would play for free in Liverpool if Rafa Benitez wants him

This post has been edited by lilredridinghood: Oct 7 2008, 06:12 PM

yup the shirt 'debacle' sealed the deal for robinho. which meant him moving somewhere other than chelsea.
the best part is the ad was put up there by an external supplier and not chelsea fc themselves.
not a single shirt was sold, but obviously some of the site's administrators were sleeping on the job.
so in the end yes it was a case of anywhere but madrid for rob.
a lot of people including chelsea players have ridiculed the move but credit to the lad for keeping his head down and doing his talking on the pitch.
maybe one day he'll come out and explain what really transpired. until then its probably best for him to focus on his football instead.

when Tomassi signed the rookie contract, he's oledi recovered from the horrible injury that wrecked his career. its Tomassi himself who requested to be offered the minimum wage as the management unsure of extending his contract.

he could juz simply walked out to tons of other mid-table Serie A teams that hav no problem offering him a wage like 5-6k per WEEK, instead he signed a contract that is 1.5k per MONTH.

re Chrisky, Thanks for the info i stand corrected then.

From my point of views, some of them deserve to be loved and some of them don't......I'll love them if they respect their club and not making a big mess out of it if really wanted to leave the club.....

just like the case with c. ronaldo...when he come out in the newspaper making a big mess just to force his way out from the club don't deserved to be love.....he's just not respecting the club that brought him into who he is today.....

for some of the case which chcher mention like fowler, he still deserved to be loved since he only leave the club to revive his footballing career.....

so for me, if you have enough respect for the club, you deserved to be loved because without the club, you're nothing.

Lilred has just answered your question for me. One club players are almost non-existent these days and it's more about showing respect to your employer. Refusing to play, or stalling on a contract before leaving on a bosman (ala McManaman) are examples of how players show disrespect to their employers.

well u were wrong for questioning Tomassi's loyalty n intentions.

One example I can think of : Matt le Tiss

His commitment to a financially less-well-off club like Southampton was unusual in the money-driven world of football. In his autobiography he told of rejecting moves to AC Milan and Chelsea, (the latter having been managed at the time by Glenn Hoddle, who later rejected him as an England player), and tore up a contract he signed with Tottenham Hotspur in 1991.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Le_Tissier

I see we all have our opinions on who our picks for most loyal footballers are now but as yourself this question. If a player has a spectacular season and you worship him only for him to say he wants to leave next season because another club offers him more money, do you:

a) Thank him for his contributions and say a quite bye bye

OR

b) Curse him for being disloyal

I know a) is the logical answer but I've seen more b) to be honest.

I think we should have stand firm from the beginning. I never liked El Hadji Diouf because I've always thought he was a cheating diving ****, even before we signed him and I wasn't sorry at all to see him leave. If Torres does leave however, I will be sad but I will be thankful and appreciative. After all, he did say that he'd like to go back to Atletico Madrid some day.

I don't think a player needs to be strictly a one-club man to gain respect and trust towards his loyalty from the fans.

I respect players like Fernando Torres (previously of Atletico Madrid), Gabriel Batistuta (Boca Juniors > Fiorentina > AS Roma), Cesc Fabregas (previously of Barcelona) and Roberto Baggio (Fiorentina > Juventus) just to name a few.

Important thing is that they are loyal and passionate about the club they represent, not so much about how many years they have spent in the team.

Gerrard almost swayed to Chelsea couple of years ago even though he was born to play for Liverpool. Yet players like Batistuta stood by Fiorentina through relegation all sorts of crap even though he changed quite a number of clubs beforehand.

It's all down to the principles and characteristics of the player I suppose.

Though personally I prefer players who show loyalty and respect to the club they play for, I also understand why certain players go for big money moves. At the end of the day the player has his own interests to defend just as the club will defend theirs. Whether it's for ambition or a big paycheck it is part and parcel of the game now.

Of course players like Raul, Maldini, Del Piero will always have a special place in fans' hearts. But as long as a player understands the values of the club and shows it on the pitch fans will generally take a liking for the player. There's a reason why Madrid fans like RVN more than Ronaldo (the fat one).

agreed.

gerrard represents the heart n soul of the liverpool team. seems hard not to think of him whenever i think about liverpool. anyway, i think he was just disappointed with his team, because a player of his stature certainly would like to achieve more.

I hate to say this, but Alan Smith stood by Leeds Utd till they are relegated, even though he went to Man Utd, their bitter rivals, the supporters of the club still thanked him.

I however, disliked the way Sol Campbell left for Arsenal.

Are you kidding me? Alan Smith left Leeds to Man Utd and the Leeds fans thanks him?

Just in case you didnt know

I've met with a couple of people from Leeds here in New Zealand, who are both fans of the club. They do not find it too hard to accept the transfer.

There are definitely a few people who do not favour him going to Man Utd, they are rivals after all, but let's not forget the ones who thanked him for fighting for Leeds Utd.

Lets say Torres did leave Liverpool this upcoming January for Man City for obvious reason(money)? How do you respond to that? Does he still deserve your respect?

Please dont respond by saying its never gonna happen becoz well it probably wont. Just in case it did happen

To be honest, I'd be freaking pissed over it. No way I would respect him.

How do you define loyalty? Are the likes of Gerrard and Terry loyal to their club? They probably are but there are times they create havoc while still playing for their beloved club.

Terry = refuse to sign a contract which pays him below Scheva and Ballack
Gerrard = declare that his club ambition doesnt match his

Both are the heart and soul for their club. Yet they create this mess to the anger of their own fans. This is no sign of loyalty as I never heard the likes of Buffon or Totti complaining with this issue.
As for me I still respect those guys (Terry and Gerrard) because they put in 100% effort whenever they are playing. Just curious on how supporters for both club take on this..

Well this example is based on papers talk. If someone has proof that both issues are not true, kindly correct me.

BTW how do you guys view the Alan Smith situation? Does he deserve to be called Judas under those circumstances? IMO if he really loves Leeds he wont even consider the move whatever the reason is. That is why until today I cannot forgive Sol Campbell for leaving us to our london rival, Arsenal.

loyalty... or money... if its up to me, honestly ill pick money:p
but then again, for people already had enough of it. for sure theyll stay where they grown and raised^

At the end of the day players are still human. You can't really blame a lack of loyalty for Terry wanting to a higher wage and Gerrard saying he wants to win titles. As for Alan Smith, he didn't really have a choice did he? The club had to sell him. Why blame him when you can easily blame Leeds United for accepting Man Utd's offer. I mean if Leeds Utd really cared about that "rivalry" they shouldn't have accepted it in the first place. But that would be stupid wouldn't it.

I will be heavy hearted to see him leave but I'll bear no grudge? Why? Did he ever proclaim his loyalty to us? Did he every kiss his badge saying that the only English club he'd play for is us? No so how can I hold a grudge? It would be different if he left and then slandered the club. In the end, everyone knows his heart lies with Atletico Madrid, a club he captained at the tender age of 19 and a club whose fans he has vowed to return to. I can respect that.

I'm not one of those that brush of questions because I can't answer them



I haven't a doubt that Stevie loves Liverpool and would want to win things here. I would like to think that he's stay no matter what (i.e. Jamie Carragher) but if he cannot fulfill his personal ambitions at this club, then perhaps it's the fault of the club and not his.



I have always said that the epitome of LFC is to me, Jamie Carragher, not Steven Gerrard. It doesn't mean I dislike Stevie G, it just means I would not be surprised if he were to move away one day.

ah so true, i just cudnt see jamie playing for any other club other than liverpool. but stevie g, dont be surpirse if man city offering him millions to play there and he as human, will accept it:p

torres left for man city? ...

during my years, the only 2 reason liverpool players left: 1) manager sold them 2) they didn't get to play

My points exactly. How do you define loyalty?Both issues are well solved by their clubs but how about others who couldnt? Sol Campbell move to Arsenal is the main example. He wants to move to a bigger club which can compete for league title (same as Gerrard). The difference here is Gerrard continue his loyalty by signing new contract while Campbell didnt.
Maybe you are right about Alan Smith. He fights for his club during their problems while others (Rio, Fowler, Viduka) all having a new life in their new club. I'm sure he deserve some respect from the fans

I think the focus of this thread has shifted away from whether or not it's fair to cheer for one guy one minute, and then boo him when he decides to leave.

One of the main issues on why Spurs are still hating on Sol is that he came out saying that he will never play for Arsenal before, and eventually left the team free to Arsenal

Plus he almost joined Chelsea... twice. The closest one (to him joining) was in 2004.
The end result was a bumper new contract from Liverpool.

Hm...
You got the wrong idea or maybe it's me??...We are talking about mercenaries here. I read your post that you didnt respect this kind of behaviour. So imagine if Torres is doing the same. Will you still have the same respect? That is my main questions actually.


Jamie Carragher is an example of loyalty that is almost non-existent in todays world. He puts his club first and his body second. Another example is Gary Neville from Man Utd. These 2 are perfect models for every youngster

---

Added on October 8, 2008, 3:46 pmAnd when he sign for Arsenal he still saying that he loves Spurs and his decision is completely professional. I can understand his decision but unfortunately I cannot accept.

This post has been edited by ban45: Oct 8 2008, 03:46 PM

I thought I did give you an answer. You first asked me what I would think of him if he left for Man City. You even added a disclaimer to say "don't say it won't happen", so fair enough. Now you're asking me again and this time it's purely hypothetical because I don't see him as a mercenary mainly because he left Atletico on good terms telling the fans that he will one day return. This suggests that his loyalty does not lie with Liverpool so why would I be pissed if he left?

I guess I'm wrong then. Sorry
I understand your view but dont you hate players who move to another club for financial reason? Remember Ashley Cole? I'm just trying to make the same example for Torres, thats all

In general I hate that money makes the world go round. I dislike the fact that clubs like us have to whore ourselves to the world and sell our souls.

I however do accept that this is what it has come to and we have to embrace change. It comes down to the circumstances of a players departure. Man Utd fans would have had no problem with Heinze departing had he not chosen Liverpool as his next destination. Now here is a player in his prime wanting to play top level football. He comes from Argentina and has little or no appreciation for the history between these two clubs. How much blame can be attributed to him? It wasn't as though he was getting regular football. Anyway let's not start addressing Heinze's case for this isn't the place for it.

Atletico fans would probably crucify Torres if he chose to join Real. Has Real even ever made a bid for Torres before? Not to me recollection. Verx, any idea? I think they know he would never fantom the idea of joining them which is testament to his character, if I'm right that is. If he does make a money move to anyone other than Chelsea, Man Utd or Everton, I will have no real issues. I won't like that he's leaving for those reasons but I won't hold it against him. In the end he is Atletico Madrid through and through.

Welcome to the world we live in.
Sucks, I know.

Nope we have never made a bid for him. However I don't know whether he would consider joining us if we did. I think he's said in interviews before that he would never join us but you never know in football sometimes. Real Madrid is the biggest club in Spain after all and the appeal does cut through every Spaniard. If he were to move from Liverpool maybe the Atletico fans wouldn't mind it so much but I don't think we're interested anyway.

Nowadays he dont even dare to go to the place where he used to live in. Some fans might think he is still a hero but not all them. I dont think he will ever step a foot in Leeds especially where he has been staying without his bodyguards around

This post has been edited by melt: Oct 8 2008, 04:56 PM

We know the kind of reception Figo got when he crossed over but I wonder if it will be the same if a player from Atletico crossed over to Real or vice versa?

Figo was an exceptional case. I don't think we'll ever see a transfer like that again. And I think over the years the rivalry between Atletico and Madrid have paled somewhat in comparison to the rivalry between Barca and Madrid. There's generally more reaction when a player from Barca moves to Madrid and vice versa.

verx.. is it u suggest that no one ever play for both club (RM and Barca) in his whole carier? except for figo?

is one of the few...still possible...but rare case

was he the one who got a pig's head thrown at him when he went to take a corner?
i know someone got the piggy head..not sure if its figo though

ronaldo, fat one



if not wrong, figo have been become thrash bin when he plays @ nou camp....



anyway, bastituta is the one should be cite

well not really 'a few', the list is quite long.

the most recently 1 if i'm right is a certain Javier Saviola who seem to be a forgotten man now.

No. There have been players who played for both clubs. Players like Luis Enrique, (Fat) Ronaldo, Laudrup, Eto'o, and even our current manager Schuster (who has actually played for the 3 biggest clubs in Spain: Madrid, Barca and Atletico).

What I meant was the way Figo ended up at Madrid which made it different. We didn't negotiate a fee. We just paid the fee in his release clause. So it was down to the player himself to decide whether he wanted to make the switch. Money may have been a motivating factor for him deciding to switch. But if u ask me did I lose respect for him doing that? No. He was a very good professional and showed the same commitment for us as he did for Barca. A transfer like this will not likely happen again. Messi's release clause is something like 150M euros . Maybe Man City could do it

Based on his performance and considering his age, I would say it's a bargain lol..

I did mention before that a friend of mine has a girlfriend that is Catalan, like born and bred. She does come down to visit every now and then. From what I've heard if a Barcelona native drives to Madrid or vice versa, they face the risk of having their vehicle damaged, stolen or whatever. I'm guessing it's pretty intense! In any case, I can sorta empathise with Barcelona fans. From what little I know, he made the move mainly for financial reasons. I know it was a world record transfer at the time and the player does receive a percentage from the fees but I've no idea how much more they offered in wages. There is no doubting his ability and I'm sure he did a professional job but if it was because of greed, I do doubt him on a personal level but at the same time it's the guys career and like any of us, we are willing to go to great lengths to attain our goals. The reality of it is though that fans will react on an emotional level which often means that logic and reasoning are thrown out the window. I don't like it but we all have our price which means we can all be bought.

I can see whr you're coming from but we don't really know what happened behind the scenes so I'd like to give Figo the benefit of the doubt . For that same reason I don't really blame Robinho for choosing Man City either.

As for driving between the 2 cities, from what I've read, the Madrid locals are generally more receptive to outsiders compared to the Catalans. But I also think times have changed and you don't really get the same level of animosity compared to like 50 yrs ago for example. Not all Catalans are pro-Catalan nationalism after all. Heck Real Madrid is actually the 2nd most supported team in Barcelona believe it or not!

What makes a youngster who leaves for a bigger club a hero and what makes him a villian? (No, joining Aston Villa is not the answer )

The manner in which he leaves. Basically, imho if you're from the non 'elite' clubs, and you are indeed good enough to be a superstar there's only one real choice. Leave.

Some chose to throw a tantrum, openly court all comers and go on strike when things don't work out.

Others quietly hand in their transfer request and let their club make a decision that benefits both.

That said, at times the behaviour of the club themself leaves much to be desired.

exactly. d club itself or manager/board etc. it will always differ based on situation..

you can't compare with those 2 players.. because they already played in one of the best club in england.. they can achieved many things there and have a good pay instead.. for those people who played for smaller club like Alan Smith, he also might have some kind of dream to win BPL but it can never be achieved with his old club.. so he moved to bigger club.. its not about loyalty.. everybody have dreams..





its not a good deal.. there is one possibility that he will be severely injured.. pay 150M for him then he got severe injury and be an injury prone player (like what happen to owen).. or the worst situation he can't even play anymore (soksjaer; sorry i dunno hoe to spell this).. its not even worth your money.. hahahaha..

This post has been edited by sanfa: Oct 9 2008, 03:20 PM

Anelka is a very good example of a mercenary footballer. He's played for so many clubs thru out the span of his career, mostly motivated by money. Off the top of my head I can remember him playing for Arsenal, Real, Man City, Bolton, Fenerbahce and now he's at Chelsea. IMO, he made a wrong decision by leaving Arsenal early in his career becoz he had so much potential to develop.

This post has been edited by Hevrn: Oct 9 2008, 03:25 PM

From my little understanding, it's his greedy agent who just so happens to be his brother that wheels and deal for him.

I'm not trying to take the piss because I think he is a good striker but Fowler did say that Anelka only played for one person, Anelka. In his autobiography, Fowler writes about how he would keep to himself and how he is a really selfish player that won't pass the ball even if another is in a better position. He tried warming up to Anelka when he was at Liverpool but the Frenchman had an air about him. I don't know the man but I've read about him.

talk abt greedy player reminds me of Cristian Chivu.

with a year left in his contact n refuse to sign the new offer from us, he forced his way to the big fat ass pay cheque from Inter by rejecting Barca n Real (!!!), as well as annouced that he wil juz sit out his contract if he doesn't being allow a move to San Siro.

what a farking disgrace.

he was on loan in liverpool too before this...

Thanks for the reminder. How many players can actually say they've played for 3 of the Big Four in their careers? And he was actually linked with Man Utd during his Bolton days to solve United's attacking woes. The player's reputation as Le Sulk will forever precede him.

What?