Harry Kewell heading for the exit at Liverpool FC

[Imy]

Forget the waste of space Harry Kewell,

AF11 comeback, we need your links to obscure South American players and so forth.

[Sean_LFC_1892]

3rd highest paid player at LFC behind Gerrard & Torres, so regardless of his loyalties or allegiances it's a bloody good thing that he's leaving..! There's no room for mercenaries still happy to collect that kinda money for little or no return... (and I mean the times he wasn't injured..!)

[ronanm]

Aurelio



The lads a star, maybe a bit injury prone at the moment but then wasn't Gerrard for a while.

The lad canny defend!

[zimbo]

No new deal for Harry Kewell at Liverpool FC
May 7 2008 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

RAFAEL BENITEZ has called time on Harry Kewell’s disappointing Liverpool career.

The Australian will not be offered a new deal at Anfield when his current contract expires at the end of the season.

Such an outcome has been inevitable with Kewell having not figured for Liverpool since the FA Cup defeat to Barnsley in February.

The 29-year-old was signed in a blaze of publicity by then Anfield manager Gerard Houllier for £5million from Leeds United in July 2003.

Kewell scored 11 goals in his first season but, since Benitez assumed charge in 2004, has been dogged by a catalogue of series injuries ranging from serious groin, knee, thigh and ankle problems to septic arthritis in his foot.

Nevertheless, Benitez has been a consistent admirer of the Australian and turned to Kewell for all four of the major finals of his tenure.

Typically, though, Kewell limped off injured in the Carling Cup final in 2005, the Champions League final later that season and the FA Cup final the following year before emerging from the bench in the 2007 Champions League final despite having previously played only 46 minutes that season.

The Australian, who is unlikely to be given the chance of a swansong at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, has made 138 appearances and scored 16 goals in his five years at Anfield.

And when wages and his transfer fee are taken into consideration, Kewell has cost Liverpool an estimated £157,000 per game.

Kewell has been determined to stay at Anfield but is thought to have already lined up a possible move elsewhere, with Juventus among a clutch of potential suitors.

Shurely shome mishtake??

[Harv]

was there any need to resurrect this thread?? We all know he is going....lets just move on.

[pezzzer]

people keep saying what a great proffesional harry was but i dont get how? In what instance has harry been a great pro?

he sufferd from injury (a blow to any player agreed) but whats he done that sets him apart from any other injured player. He sat out his contract and recieved his undeserved wages week in week out like any other crocked player, when he did come back he looked jaded and miles away from his (leeds utd) best.

if he knew 2 years ago (whilst injured) that he wasnt going to be part of rafa's plans then why stay? rafa would of oppend the door for him but then, why give up a £60,000 a wekk wage when you wouldnt get half that any where else? well you wouldnt.

so you stay, train and make yourself fit for your country and pick up your wages, fair enough.
but that does not IN ANY WAY make you a good proffesional, it makes you a crocked (unfortunately tbf) mercenery, lots of them in the game we know but perleaseee dont give me this great pro ****.

good riddance.

[Maestro]

was there any need to resurrect this thread?? We all know he is going....lets just move on.

He's not going...he's gone.

[El Jefecito]

He's not going...he's gone.

Any new insider info for us Maestro?

[BFG]

I can't believe what I'm reading here. He's been a total ****in' waste of space. When you consider the amounts of money that a lot of fans stump up and that gob****e's been pickin' up 60K a week for five years. Then there was his wife's revelation on live TV that he'd always fancied a move abroad !! Brian Reade reckons he's going to City. Holby City!!! Good riddance.

What gives you the right to call him a 'gob****e?' I don't disagree that he's not been worth his money but that is purely down to injuries and nothing to do with him being a gob****e or anything else. Pathetic post really and this thread is full of them.

[Gaz]

people keep saying what a great proffesional harry was but i dont get how? In what instance has harry been a great pro?

he sufferd from injury (a blow to any player agreed) but whats he done that sets him apart from any other injured player. He sat out his contract and recieved his undeserved wages week in week out like any other crocked player, when he did come back he looked jaded and miles away from his (leeds utd) best.

if he knew 2 years ago (whilst injured) that he wasnt going to be part of rafa's plans then why stay? rafa would of oppend the door for him but then, why give up a £60,000 a wekk wage when you wouldnt get half that any where else? well you wouldnt.

so you stay, train and make yourself fit for your country and pick up your wages, fair enough.
but that does not IN ANY WAY make you a good proffesional, it makes you a crocked (unfortunately tbf) mercenery, lots of them in the game we know but perleaseee dont give me this great pro ****.

good riddance.

How do you know Rafa said to him 2 years ago that he wasn't in his plans any more? Rafa obviously had a lot of faith in him as when he was fit he went straight into the team.

I feel sorry for the poor lad, he's a liverpool fan and wanted to do his best for the club, the injuries are a sad situation because if he could have replicated his Leeds form for us he would have been a great player, his first 6 months for us were very good, scored goals and played well then things went pear shaped for him, sadly he had his best days at Leeds.

[Rich]

I think Rafa gave Harry every chance, sadly Kewell hasn't recovered the skills or form of his youth.

[Marky]

How Harry Kewell's boyhood dream turned into a Liverpool nightmare

When the young Australian moved from Leeds he was meant to be the missing piece in the jigsaw that would bring the league title to Anfield. For a number of reasons it hasn't worked out that way . . .

It all started off so well, and there was only one club Harry Kewell wanted to join when it became clear that his future would not be at Elland Road. Other clubs offered more money and higher wages but he was determined to sign for his boyhood team and in the summer of 2003 the dream became reality.

An unbelievable succession of injuries has meant he has never been able to fulfill his potential for the club, and has resulted in him receiving a good deal of criticism from some sections of the media and even some supporters. This is rather unfair, and I'm sure that if he'd suffered one serious injury that kept reoccurring attitudes would have been much more sympathetic.

Ironically, it is the faith that Rafa Benitez has shown in his undoubted ability that led to some of the worst criticisms of him. There is no doubting that a fully fit Harry Kewell would have been vital to the Liverpool team had he been available, so it is no surprise that Rafa has been tempted to involve him in a series of finals where he could have made the difference between winning and losing.

It wasn't the player's fault that he picked up an injury in Istanbul, or again during the FA Cup Final in 2006. Nor was it really a surprise when he appeared from the bench in Athens, despite having spent the season on the treatment table as his talent cannot be questioned.

Much has been made of the amount he has been paid in wages during the time with the club, which again is an unfair criticism. If he was motivated by the size of his wage packet he would never have joined Liverpool in the first place!

This suggestion also ignores the fact that clubs take out insurance policies against the possibility of players being injured so much of the cost won't have been born by the club but by whichever insurance company was unlucky enough to offer that particular policy.

There were bright spots, particularly during the 2005/06 season where he managed to stay clear of injury for long enough to find something approaching his best form. When I think of Kewell I will always remember the FA Cup game against Manchester Utd that season, during which he was as committed, effective and aggressive as I have ever seen him.

His challenge with Gary Neville that day, which resulted in Neville becoming acquainted with the advertising hoardings, showed the comments made before and after suggesting he was lazy and not bothered as being nothing more than ridiculous twaddle.

Ultimately though such good times were all too brief, and such showings were like a fisherman offering a chunk of something tasty to the unwary fish. Just when you thought it was safe to bite, it was all taken away again.

Reports suggest that he may well be heading to Juventus, and as he approaches his 30th birthday he will be hoping he has a couple of good seasons left in his career. That will depend on whether he can find some long term fitness, but as he heads out of the door at Anfield we should be wishing him well in his endeavour to do so.

[Hass]

What pisses me off with Kewell is that whilst he's injured he picks up his wages and when he's fit he's happy to train or swan off to Australia to help them.

If you want an example of a honest and decent pro who was in a similar position then look further than Fernando Redondo, when he left Real Madrid to join Milan he got injured and was out for over 2 years. He told Milan he could not accept any wages whilst he was out injured.

If only Kewell had the same kind of ethics and principles.

[Skillz]

How Harry Kewell's boyhood dream turned into a Liverpool nightmare

When the young Australian moved from Leeds he was meant to be the missing piece in the jigsaw that would bring the league title to Anfield. For a number of reasons it hasn't worked out that way . . .

It all started off so well, and there was only one club Harry Kewell wanted to join when it became clear that his future would not be at Elland Road. Other clubs offered more money and higher wages but he was determined to sign for his boyhood team and in the summer of 2003 the dream became reality.

An unbelievable succession of injuries has meant he has never been able to fulfill his potential for the club, and has resulted in him receiving a good deal of criticism from some sections of the media and even some supporters. This is rather unfair, and I'm sure that if he'd suffered one serious injury that kept reoccurring attitudes would have been much more sympathetic.

Ironically, it is the faith that Rafa Benitez has shown in his undoubted ability that led to some of the worst criticisms of him. There is no doubting that a fully fit Harry Kewell would have been vital to the Liverpool team had he been available, so it is no surprise that Rafa has been tempted to involve him in a series of finals where he could have made the difference between winning and losing.

It wasn't the player's fault that he picked up an injury in Istanbul, or again during the FA Cup Final in 2006. Nor was it really a surprise when he appeared from the bench in Athens, despite having spent the season on the treatment table as his talent cannot be questioned.

Much has been made of the amount he has been paid in wages during the time with the club, which again is an unfair criticism. If he was motivated by the size of his wage packet he would never have joined Liverpool in the first place!

This suggestion also ignores the fact that clubs take out insurance policies against the possibility of players being injured so much of the cost won't have been born by the club but by whichever insurance company was unlucky enough to offer that particular policy.

There were bright spots, particularly during the 2005/06 season where he managed to stay clear of injury for long enough to find something approaching his best form. When I think of Kewell I will always remember the FA Cup game against Manchester Utd that season, during which he was as committed, effective and aggressive as I have ever seen him.

His challenge with Gary Neville that day, which resulted in Neville becoming acquainted with the advertising hoardings, showed the comments made before and after suggesting he was lazy and not bothered as being nothing more than ridiculous twaddle.

Ultimately though such good times were all too brief, and such showings were like a fisherman offering a chunk of something tasty to the unwary fish. Just when you thought it was safe to bite, it was all taken away again.

Reports suggest that he may well be heading to Juventus, and as he approaches his 30th birthday he will be hoping he has a couple of good seasons left in his career. That will depend on whether he can find some long term fitness, but as he heads out of the door at Anfield we should be wishing him well in his endeavour to do so.

That's a very good post. Is that yours Marky or an article you have quoted?

[Marky]

That's a very good post. Is that yours Marky or an article you have quoted?

It's mine big man