A young, smart and energetic lad started in our place last year, having apparently grown tired in his previous role and wanted a new challenge. He came into work that first morning bursting with enthusiasm and we thought we'd hired a good'un. His CV was impressive and everything pointed to him adding to the workforce and improving the company as a whole. Exciting times lay ahead for us all.
We gave him a few jobs to do but he was slow to find his feet, which I suppose is understandable in a new environment and working with new people. The first distress signals went out when he used to storm off a job. Annoyed with himself and annoyed with his manager for taking him off it. He wanted to finish it himself, thought he was capable, but his application told us differently. He wasn't quite ready. Each time he was taken off a job, he became more and more frustrated with both himself and those around him. It wasn't working out quite as planned. He's now left and gone back to his old place, his comfort zone, as he just wasn't as cut out to handling the step up the ladder; a shame really, as everything looked in place for it to be a successful step. Sometimes thinks just don't work out as first thought.
That man's name was Robbie Keane.
Last summer, I was over the moon when I was told of his signing. At last we had a top class striker to play alongside Torres, or take some of the weight off his shoulders at the very least. But just like the similarly exciting signing of Harry Kewell a few years before, it doesn't always go to plan. And while a lot of people last night and this morning have been bleating that he was treated terribly by Benitez, I'd like to strongly disagree. His attitude more than anything has cost him a real go of making it at Anfield. That and his absolutely hopeless performances in a red shirt.
The press have been reeling out their usual rubbish this morning, with some fans being taken in by it all without forming their own opinions on the situation. I had the radio on this morning driving into work, and after listening to a few "fans" going on about him being treated disgracefully, I had to switch off.
Even stating we bought him for £20.3m (which was inclusive of add-ons we will not have had to pay - so the figure was nearer £18m), yet have sold him for £12m (with add-ons to follow, taking the fee to £15.5m) - so instead of portraying the actual loss on the player more than likely being around £2.5m, they are reporting to be an £8m loss, which is wide of the mark.
"He was never given a chance and he's been treated like a leper"
"Benitez is a disgrace for the way he's shunned Keane this season"
This is the supposed treatment of a player than has played 28 times for the club in the first half of the season, scoring only 7 goals. A player that has looked woefully out of his depth, and carried with that an attitude that stunk almost as badly as that pint of milk I spilt in the back of the car a few months ago; it lingers forever and shows no sign of improvement. Maybe I should sell my car to 'Arry as well.
With Fernando Torres out for a large portion of the early part of the season, Robbie Keane was given every chance of leading the line for Liverpool. Yet time and time again he underperformed, and was taken off on or around the 70 minute mark, more often than not shrugging his shoulders, mouthing obscenities and generally spitting his dummy out at being removed from the action. It was that attitude and behaviour more than anything that annoyed me. And he was taken off as he wasn't performing, not because the manager had it in for him.
If he'd just scored two and was running the show on the pitch, you could understand him being frustrated. But when the reality involved him missing yet another open goal, failing to link up with other attacking players and generally looking 10 yards of the pace, what has he got to moan at? He had done very, very little to justify being on the field for 90 minutes. And if he thought his performances did warrant a guaranteed place in the side, then he needs to take a step back and realise that he's nowhere near as good as he thinks he is.
He scored a couple of goal against Bolton at Christmas, and was then dropped / rested / rotated for the trip to Newcastle, which brought widespread criticism from the usual voices. We went to Newcastle and wiped the floor with them, winning the game 5-1 when in all reality it could have been double figures. All without Robbie Keane. He was then brought back into the side for the trip to Preston a few days later, and stank the place out once again. Another handful of sitters missed, and this is the man that is supposed to be undroppable?
A few weeks later we faced Everton in one of the biggest Merseyside derbies in recent memory. He started the game up front with Torres, yet once again massively disappointed. Torres must have won 5 or 6 flick ons that evening, yet each time his strike partner was struggling 20 yards off the pace and offering him no support. I don't think he touched the ball more than a handful of times all night, and was sinking in front of 45,000 people. When his number went up and he left the field, we were subjected to the usual "not me again" attitude and off he went. Can someone please tell me, what he had done to justify staying on the field that night? He was the worst player on the pitch by an absolute mile, yet somehow felt hard done by in being withdrawn?
He was then left out of the squad completely for the FA Cup tie the following weekend, and rightly so in my eyes. He'd done nothing to justify being involved seeing as he'd flopped badly a few days previous, and displayed once again that petulant attitude when removed from the game. The writing was on the wall. He was gone.
There is a common belief that Benitez didn't even want Keane this summer, and that Rick Parry made the signing, not the manager. The contract situation in recent weeks adds substance to that notion, and whatever way you look at it, the way transfers are dealt with at Anfield are a disgrace, and something I've covered before in previous articles. But for some to suggest Benitez has shunted Keane all season as he never wanted him in the first place, are well, well wide of the mark in my opinion. Keane has been given every chance to prove himself, but failed time and time again; with his attitude and dissent contributing more than anything to his exclusion.
You may have been a boyhood red Robbie, but you've thrown away the chance you had of making it here. Back to being a big fish in a small pond, which is probably your level, as you were embarrassingly out of your depth at Anfield.
But to suggest he wasn't given a fair crack of the whip - rubbish.
Paul Jones
We gave him a few jobs to do but he was slow to find his feet, which I suppose is understandable in a new environment and working with new people. The first distress signals went out when he used to storm off a job. Annoyed with himself and annoyed with his manager for taking him off it. He wanted to finish it himself, thought he was capable, but his application told us differently. He wasn't quite ready. Each time he was taken off a job, he became more and more frustrated with both himself and those around him. It wasn't working out quite as planned. He's now left and gone back to his old place, his comfort zone, as he just wasn't as cut out to handling the step up the ladder; a shame really, as everything looked in place for it to be a successful step. Sometimes thinks just don't work out as first thought.
That man's name was Robbie Keane.
Last summer, I was over the moon when I was told of his signing. At last we had a top class striker to play alongside Torres, or take some of the weight off his shoulders at the very least. But just like the similarly exciting signing of Harry Kewell a few years before, it doesn't always go to plan. And while a lot of people last night and this morning have been bleating that he was treated terribly by Benitez, I'd like to strongly disagree. His attitude more than anything has cost him a real go of making it at Anfield. That and his absolutely hopeless performances in a red shirt.
The press have been reeling out their usual rubbish this morning, with some fans being taken in by it all without forming their own opinions on the situation. I had the radio on this morning driving into work, and after listening to a few "fans" going on about him being treated disgracefully, I had to switch off.
Even stating we bought him for £20.3m (which was inclusive of add-ons we will not have had to pay - so the figure was nearer £18m), yet have sold him for £12m (with add-ons to follow, taking the fee to £15.5m) - so instead of portraying the actual loss on the player more than likely being around £2.5m, they are reporting to be an £8m loss, which is wide of the mark.
"He was never given a chance and he's been treated like a leper"
"Benitez is a disgrace for the way he's shunned Keane this season"
This is the supposed treatment of a player than has played 28 times for the club in the first half of the season, scoring only 7 goals. A player that has looked woefully out of his depth, and carried with that an attitude that stunk almost as badly as that pint of milk I spilt in the back of the car a few months ago; it lingers forever and shows no sign of improvement. Maybe I should sell my car to 'Arry as well.
With Fernando Torres out for a large portion of the early part of the season, Robbie Keane was given every chance of leading the line for Liverpool. Yet time and time again he underperformed, and was taken off on or around the 70 minute mark, more often than not shrugging his shoulders, mouthing obscenities and generally spitting his dummy out at being removed from the action. It was that attitude and behaviour more than anything that annoyed me. And he was taken off as he wasn't performing, not because the manager had it in for him.
If he'd just scored two and was running the show on the pitch, you could understand him being frustrated. But when the reality involved him missing yet another open goal, failing to link up with other attacking players and generally looking 10 yards of the pace, what has he got to moan at? He had done very, very little to justify being on the field for 90 minutes. And if he thought his performances did warrant a guaranteed place in the side, then he needs to take a step back and realise that he's nowhere near as good as he thinks he is.
He scored a couple of goal against Bolton at Christmas, and was then dropped / rested / rotated for the trip to Newcastle, which brought widespread criticism from the usual voices. We went to Newcastle and wiped the floor with them, winning the game 5-1 when in all reality it could have been double figures. All without Robbie Keane. He was then brought back into the side for the trip to Preston a few days later, and stank the place out once again. Another handful of sitters missed, and this is the man that is supposed to be undroppable?
A few weeks later we faced Everton in one of the biggest Merseyside derbies in recent memory. He started the game up front with Torres, yet once again massively disappointed. Torres must have won 5 or 6 flick ons that evening, yet each time his strike partner was struggling 20 yards off the pace and offering him no support. I don't think he touched the ball more than a handful of times all night, and was sinking in front of 45,000 people. When his number went up and he left the field, we were subjected to the usual "not me again" attitude and off he went. Can someone please tell me, what he had done to justify staying on the field that night? He was the worst player on the pitch by an absolute mile, yet somehow felt hard done by in being withdrawn?
He was then left out of the squad completely for the FA Cup tie the following weekend, and rightly so in my eyes. He'd done nothing to justify being involved seeing as he'd flopped badly a few days previous, and displayed once again that petulant attitude when removed from the game. The writing was on the wall. He was gone.
There is a common belief that Benitez didn't even want Keane this summer, and that Rick Parry made the signing, not the manager. The contract situation in recent weeks adds substance to that notion, and whatever way you look at it, the way transfers are dealt with at Anfield are a disgrace, and something I've covered before in previous articles. But for some to suggest Benitez has shunted Keane all season as he never wanted him in the first place, are well, well wide of the mark in my opinion. Keane has been given every chance to prove himself, but failed time and time again; with his attitude and dissent contributing more than anything to his exclusion.
You may have been a boyhood red Robbie, but you've thrown away the chance you had of making it here. Back to being a big fish in a small pond, which is probably your level, as you were embarrassingly out of your depth at Anfield.
But to suggest he wasn't given a fair crack of the whip - rubbish.
Paul Jones
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