PrittStick

It's almost two years since Antonio Puerta died, a year since De La Red collapsed with heart issues. I know three players over two years might not be considered a Hell of a lot in comparison to the number of actual players there are but surely alarm bells must be ringing? I recall Arbeloa speaking of Puerta's death. He indicated that there is a test that can be carried out that would define if a player is at risk but it is 'invasive' and 'costly'. Considering that teams are spending 80 million on players, these days, what price is on a player's life?

Your son marries a woman who already has a child. Apparently the kid's had surgery for pressure on the brain. Not a good thing, that.

How I wanted to hug the lad for trying to sing Abide With Me in a language that isn't even his.

Plessis did nothing wrong.

That was two years ago. We're supposed to drop everything and do anything for him because he had a decent season in 2006?

He chooses what to say. He's smart enough to know that stuff does get documented here. Anyone else implying this 'lack of communication' with Rafa would be slaughtered on the forums, but he's not. Why is it that he can do anything, say anything, and nobody bats an eyelid? Other players in this situation, like I said, would be shipped off to Fulham by our support. Good, yes. Consistently good? No. In all of the years he has put in for us he's never stayed fit for long enough to prove himself over a season. I'm all for accommodating talent but you have to draw a line. Do we sacrifice what we have to please Agger? This is a crucial time in the season, now. Skrtel and Carra are the pairing we've had all season. They're what's kept us in the position we're in, now. How is it fair dropping one of them for no reason other than to accommodate Agger's threats to leave? Why drop them now just to keep him happy? It's simply not logical to change it, now. Not this late on. Not with so much at stake. "At all costs" cannot equate to "giving in to all-but blackmail". Not if Rafa wants to keep any kind of self respect ans authority he has over this team. It would undermine him. It would undermine his management. Surely you see the wrong in that?

There is rating someone highly and then there is expecting every 'rule' to be broken for one player and one player alone, i.e. that rule about no player being bigger than the club. "Sign him at all costs," they say, but where do you draw the line? The Agger Brigade, for lack of a better title, have no lines. It's sign him, no matter what. Give him whatever he wants. I seem to remember when Benayoun was demanding more playing time and stating that he was unhappy with what he was getting. He was jumped upon. "If you don't like it," people said, "leave. Nobody is bigger than the club." If Aurelio were demanding extra cash and being non committal about his future? If the likes of Riera were? A fair few number of our support would be saying "f*** you, then. Get lost. If you can't show commitment then you don't deserve to wear the red shirt." These same people are falling over backwards begging for the club to 'please' Agger. Agger, who consistently refuses to show commitment. Agger, who actively gives sound bites that CAUSE speculation. He's nowhere near the finished article. A finished article has to stay at that top level consistently and Agger has never had a long enough run of fitness to prove that he can maintain this perceived 'top level'. He's never even put in a full season for us yet and already people are painting him as world class? He hasn't proved, to me, that he is 'better' than anyone. Not long term. Not consistently. Until he actually proves himself in the long term, then I for one won't be advocating this special treatment of him. He deserves a run in the side if his performances in training warrant it. If his contributions prove to our manager that he should be pushing Skrtel and Carra out. The fact that he remained dropped even when fit suggests to me that there is more to it than people are willing to see. I don't buy this 'lost in translation' stuff, either. The lad's clever enough to know when what he says is going to be translated. He implies enough to give them something to write about. If he just shut the eff up, then there'd be nothing to misconstrue.

I'm firmly in the camp of those who are increasingly frustrated with the "Agger FC" brigade. Yes, the lad has potential talent. That's a big word, potential, because it means that nothing is set in stone. It means that he COULD be The Next Big Thing...but, on the same hand, it also means that the injuries that have utterly plagued him for the five or six years he's actually been playing top flight football (he only started at nineteen - has been injured for roughly three years of that, altogether) might actually mean a possibility of never quite reaching the heights he is apparently destined for. I'm not saying that's going to happen. I'm just saying it's a possibility. There are those who think that his (alleged) wage demands are acceptable. Considering the fact that before he signed for us he was on £500 per week Brondby, moving up to £30,000 when he signed us, I think he's done very, very well for himself. Considering the fact that for the years he's been earning that money he has been fit for roughly 30% of the time? I think he's got a bit of a cheek asking for double his wages. "If this is true, that he wants double his wages, pay him whatever he wants," I have read so many posters saying. "Anything, to keep him." Are they serious? Do they not see the wrong in this statement? Do the Agger Brigade not see what position that would put us in, giving in to demands like that? Incidentally, what is Skrtel on? Because, if I were Skrtel and our club were suddenly to bow to this lad's apparent demands I would wonder what on Earth the point of humility was. I would wonder, "Why SHOULD I keep my nose clean in the papers? Why SHOULD I keep quiet? Why should I pledge myself to LFC? I might as well be nonchalant about it; might as well shout to every journalist that will listen that I'm thinking of leaving. Look at what shouting does!" Then, there is his PLAYING demands. Understandable, for a lad his age, but honestly, should he not be trying to push himself in training. should he not be trying to show the manager that he SHOULDN'T be left out of the side rather than going to the papers and moaning that he's not getting games? Should he not, dare I say, talk with his feet? I read a classic post on another forum recently. "Rafa MUST play Agger every game until the end of the season or he will leave us. We cannot afford to let that happen." I felt like the only person who could see how utterly ridiculous this suggestion was. Rafa should play him in favour of one of the two centrebacks who have got us to second place in the league and mostly kept us there because Agger is threatening to leave if he doesn't? Wait a minute...is that not giving in to blackmail? Is that not bowing to a perceived ultimatum? Hmm. Reminds me of a poor, harassed boyfriend who stays with his girlfriend because she threatens to kill herself if she leaves him. If Rafa were to follow what these posters are suggesting then it would totally undermine everything. That age old saying of "no player being bigger than the club or the manager" would be well and truly overturned. For a player who, even when fit, could not manage to force Skrtel or Carragher out of the first team. That, to me, makes no sense at all, especially when we are basing all of this absolute leeway on 'potential' to be world class. There is so much wrong with this whole situation. And THIS is why I am so frustrated with the "Agger can do no wrong" brigade. If he kept his mouth shut, kept his head down and actually got on with the job of proving to his manager that he should be first choice then this wouldn't be a problem. It seems to me that all he's doing, of late, is moaning that he's not. Any other player doing or saying what he had done and said, lately, would be hung, drawn and quartered - banished to Fulham or the like for lack of commitment. Why is it different for Agger? What makes HIM so special?

Looked injured to me. Would have rather had The Doss there and given Fabio an extra few days to get up to fitness.

I don't think we can win the league like this. Something needs to change. I also don't think that Rafa CAN change. Make of that what you will.

I recall seeing him go over Yossi's head once and land on his arm. He looked in a fair bit of pain afterwards. My heart is in my mouth every time he does it now. Clearly not right in the head, that lad.

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When I watch us these days I get the feeling we could play on and on for 4 hours straight and not score a goal. I am wondering if our opposition feel the same way!!!

I will risk the wrath of many by saying that I simply don’t see the point in them. At least with ShareLFC there is an action plan, an outcome, a solution. At least they have an idea on how things will progress. How realistic that is remains to be seen but it’s a template used by most of the German League and used by two of the most successful clubs in Spain. Why CAN’T it work? Why IS it unrealistic? SOS seem intent only to make noise and get the owners out. Then what? What next? Objective met? What if they don’t like the next owners? And the next? If I were a potential owner I might actually take my business elsewhere if only to avoid the potential aggro of The Fans not liking one of my decisions… “We demand the immediate resignation of these liars or we will protest.” Yes. Okay. Because they're just going to sheepishly hold a hand up and say "Sorry, sorry, let me just pack my things." How on Earth is this going to work when the only language that people like Hicks and Gillette understand is money? Living thousands of miles away they don’t have to listen to the protests, they don’t have to see the banners. They can turn a blind eye to the fact that people hate them. They can put some wax ear plugs in their ears. What they can’t turn a blind eye to is their own greed though. That’s why the sticks and stones and noise approach of SOS is not going to work, IMHO.

He hasn't, no, and allegedly nor does he intend to.

Ah, but they are not footballers. What would be the point? De La Red, at least, knows how to kick a ball. Whether he can walk on water is another thing.

I’d actually rather have De La Red. Any man who looks that much like Jesus (excluding Pedro Mendes) must have something about him.

According to his passport he is!

Harsh. Very harsh.

How long's left on his contract? He's almost 28 already. Do we want him at thirty?

He's a big lad. If he were the size of the likes of Silva (i.e. resembling an eleven year old boy) and he was getting kicked about then it would be a worry but, he's strong, he's athletic, he's built well. He's no shrinking violet, either.

Unfortunately there are those that already have. That's why the excitement levels are...low, shall we say.

I heard it was Bascombe he texted

Rafa criticised for fielding understrength sides. Important game on Tuesday. Gerrard does not feature. Press start furiously scribbling about dropping both Gerrard and Torres, the two most influential players. Rafa smiles, says, I could not play Gerrard. Gerrard was injured. Press stop writing as resting only Torres does not seem half as severe or newsworthy. Rafa learned to play the press. Simple as that.