Liverpool FC Forum

by **Dundalk** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 12:39 am

http://articles.squarefootball.net/squaref....ne.html

When Rafa Benitez loses faith in a player it does seem that the player might as well contact his agent and start packing. Robbie Keane, a £20.3m signing from Tottenham last summer seems to have reached that position today in not being considered worthy of a place in the matchday squad of 18 players. Whilst Ryan Babel, Fernando Torres and Dirk Kuyt got starting berths along with Steven Gerrard in a very attacking line-up - Keane was not considered to be a better option on the bench than the raw David Ngog.

Benitez's pre-match comment that:

"I think Robbie Keane has a future here. I wanted to pick 19 players, but could only have 18."

Is hardly one that demonstrates that Keane has a future - suggesting that Keane is the 19th pick for a domestic cup game (hardly Liverpool's top priority) is not a ringing endorsement.

Whether Keane can come back from this situation is a difficult question. The front six of the side appears to be settled, with Riera or Babel on one side; Kuyt or Benayoun on the other and Gerrard supporting Torres through the middle. If Ngog is ahead of Keane as first drop then only a crisis of injury or form can get Keane a chance to redeem himself. But last month, Dirk Kuyt was often getting the lone striker role when Torres was unfit.

It seems that Benitez wanted to play with two conventional strikers at the start of the season, but has since confirmed the suspicion that Gerrard and Torres are such a potent partnership that Keane is superfluous. Even in the games that Keane plays in the other Liverpool players seem unsure about passing to the Irishman, Keane is so often flapping his arms in frustration that you wonder if he might actually take off. All of which suggests that he will be shipped out in the summer.

Other players have gone from being favourites to completely off the radar; Jermaine Pennant left for Portsmouth complaining that he was getting no games. This season he got four games for Liverpool - the last in October; compared to 25 the season before. Peter Crouch left in 2008 (oddly also for Portsmouth) after a season spent largely coming off the substitutes bench - but in previous seasons he was pivotal.

One player that has recovered under Benitez is Xabi Alonso who was slated for transfer in the summer, just as soon as Gareth Barry was signed from Aston Villa. But to Liverpool's benefit that deal fell through and perhaps re-motivated, the Spaniard is enjoying his best season for the Reds.

Martin Keown asked on 5 live earlier 'Has he [Keane] played his last game for the club?' - that seems a bit strong. But unless Keane can perform some extraordinary feats on the training ground his dream move is probably not going to last more than one season. Only one question really, do Tottenham need a striker?

by **JC_81** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 1:05 am

Keane being left out of the squad today was a signal to any potential buyers that his days at LFC are well and truly numbered now.

Whether or not Keane could turn his form around here was always subject to debate. What isn't up for debate is the fact that Benitez doesn't want him.

by **GYBS** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 1:06 am

The question is did rafa really want him in the first place then ? even if players arent doing well he still normally gives them a season or a season and a half before shipping them out .

by **JC_81** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 1:10 am

GYBS wrote:The question is did rafa really want him in the first place then ? even if players arent doing well he still normally gives them a season or a season and a half before shipping them out .

Again that's debatable. Whether he wanted him or he didn't, Keane is here now and we have spent 20 million on a player whose relationship with the manager is fu.cking terrible. There is only ever one winner in this type of situation and that is that the player will leave. Not that I think Keane's a bad player, but this situation is clearly not workable any more. We should find a buyer for him now before his stock drops any further.

by **GYBS** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 1:12 am

john craig wrote:
GYBS wrote:The question is did rafa really want him in the first place then ? even if players arent doing well he still normally gives them a season or a season and a half before shipping them out .

Again that's debatable. Whether he wanted him or he didn't, Keane is here now and we have spent 20 million on a player whose relationship with the manager is fu.cking terrible. There is only ever one winner in this type of situation and that is that the player will leave. Not that I think Keane's a bad player, but this situation is clearly not workable any more. We should find a buyer for him now before his stock drops any further.

think im going to have to agree with you on that - whatever happens will just have to be put down to a bad experience - maybe he will react the same way dossena seems to have done so far and knuckle down to prove himself or maybe he will leave - who knows - all i want is whats best for the team with or without keane in it .

by **JC_81** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 1:17 am

GYBS wrote:
john craig wrote:
GYBS wrote:The question is did rafa really want him in the first place then ? even if players arent doing well he still normally gives them a season or a season and a half before shipping them out .

Again that's debatable. Whether he wanted him or he didn't, Keane is here now and we have spent 20 million on a player whose relationship with the manager is fu.cking terrible. There is only ever one winner in this type of situation and that is that the player will leave. Not that I think Keane's a bad player, but this situation is clearly not workable any more. We should find a buyer for him now before his stock drops any further.

think im going to have to agree with you on that - whatever happens will just have to be put down to a bad experience - maybe he will react the same way dossena seems to have done so far and knuckle down to prove himself or maybe he will leave - who knows - all i want is whats best for the team with or without keane in it .

Well, that's what we all want. Gutted for Keane really but the team comes first.

Man City and Spurs are the teams that seem to have money to burn this January - I'd be sounding them out right now - I'd take 15 million for Keane and both he and LFC can move on from this.

by **GYBS** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 1:19 am

15 mil would be good - but if its from man city i would expect more considering the money they paid for bellamy

by **bigmick** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 2:00 am

I can't believe that some people are still clinging to this idea that keane wasn't Rafa's signing, Rick parry went out and spent 20 million quid of the clubs money on a striker who the manager didn't want :laugh:

. Then, even though Rafa didn't want him, he thought "feck me Rick nice one. Tell you what, I didn't actually want him but now you've bought him I'll play him in our first sixteen matches and see what happens".

I do wonder sometimes about people wanting to stick up for the manager by posting absolutely ridiculous things on here. This is the same fella who is threatening to walk away from the club if he doesn't get full control of the youth academy, but he'd stand back and let the chief executive spunk 20 million quid of his transfer budget on a player he doesn't want

.

I have heard many ridiculous things on here over the years, but this one is just about the best I think. I said a couple of months back AS A JOKE!!!!! that it wouldn't be long before people were claiming it wasn't the managers doing to bring Keane to the club. Now, the whole idea has gathered momentum to the point it is almost an accepted fact. Incredible :laugh:

by **Madmax** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 2:09 am

If keane does go i think he will be known as one of the biggest flops. Putting into consideration how much we payed for him. Would agree with micky i think it was rafas choice of bringing keane to liverpool. If it wasnt than i want proof. He must have chosen keane out of the bunch he had on the list. What strikes me is the sum. Did he really think keane was worth 20 mill???

by **account deleted by request** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 2:18 am

Swop Keane for Barry ...... then everyone's happy

by **Madmax** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 2:21 am

i would take that saint..

by **alanricouk** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 2:29 am

Not if you can get Barry for 2mil or something in the summer I wont.

by **Number 9** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 8:53 am

Madmax wrote:i would take that saint..

I would'nt..it would be daft!
Our priorities are either anther striker or a Rigt sided MF!

by **Ace Ventura** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 9:53 am

Keane being bombed totally yesterday is making Rafa look really bad imo.
Yes he stunk the place out against Everton last week but still to not even be sub and Ngog to be on the bench ahead of him means its the end of the road.
Rafa has probably done it for the way Robbie reacted when he was dragged off in the league game, to be fair to the manager on that day Keane was woeful and deserved to come off - also hos reaction wasnt great.

But at the end of the day i would hope he would just have a word with him in training and still selected him at least on the bench yesterday because the options we have in attack are so limited.
Some people have said the fact that Rafa spent 20 million on Keane is irrelevant, he will get treated the same as every other player, while i agree with that to an extent, we cant afford to spend 20 million on a player and then leave them out. What i mean is if we spend that much we need to make sure its on a player that is going to work.

And i am with bigmick, its laughable to suggest that Robbie Keane wasnt the player Rafa wanted at the time, he definately would of walked out if Parry had signed a player he didnt want.

by **RedSi35** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 10:10 am

Well he might get a spot on the team for the replay.
Rafa needs to change something as Everton doinated us to be fair. We may have had the lions share of possession and the more shots at goal. But tbh everton never looked stretched.

We need to up the tempo of the way we play, we are far too bloody slow in our build up at the moment. We have :censored:

all movement from the wingers.

Get Riera on the left permanent, get Kuyt out of the club and give Babel a prolonged stint on the right.

Liverpool FC Forum

Robbie keane - [EDIT: On His Way Back to Spurs]

Who is online