Sami Hyypia Tribute Thread

[Assassin]

He should start and Gerrard should hand over the armband for the occasion.

It's not like starting him and making him captain is a token gesture either - Sami was on the whole an excellent captain whilst he had the role and showed against the Mancs that when you're a class professional you can come in at the last minute and be sublime.


Take him off with a few minutes to go and let him get the ovation he richly deserves. I hope he gets a testimonial at the end of all this.

Totally agree

[sitoca]

[red g]

sure he will be back one day!!

Our best defender in the last twenty years and deserves to be put up with the very best.

Good luck Sami, come back soon

[MrMichael]

What a buy, what a player, what a man.

The word "legend" is well overused in football, but absolutely not in Sami's case

[Reece]

I always loved his cheeky grin.

Legend

[Big Dave]

He should start and Gerrard should hand over the armband for the occasion.

It's not like starting him and making him captain is a token gesture either - Sami was on the whole an excellent captain whilst he had the role and showed against the Mancs that when you're a class professional you can come in at the last minute and be sublime.


Take him off with a few minutes to go and let him get the ovation he richly deserves. I hope he gets a testimonial at the end of all this.

Absolutely! The guy's been a legend for us and really deserves a proper send off from the fans. There would be a massive ovation for him if he was taken off, and something that would be well deserved too.

I really hope that Rafa goes for this.

[PTP]

Say it ain't so sami

[Darkon]

What a player he was. Our best defender for a decade, and a model professional for everyone to look up to!

A LFC legend, will really miss him. I hope, and believe, that Rafa will give him the last game of the season with nothing to play for - and hopefully taken of the pitch with 5-10 min to go, so he can take his applause.

Hopefully he will come back in some sort of role later on.

[Joe King]

HENRY WINTER ON SAMI HYYPIA
Henry Winter 21 May 2009 [Offal]

Even as a Finnish schoolboy growing up in a land where ice hockey and cross-country skiing dominated, Sami Hyypia's potential to be an outstanding footballer was spotted early.

In 1984, Hyypia was playing so well for the Under-10s of his local side, PaPe, that the club invited him to be a mascot on their Under-14s tour of Denmark. The nine-year-old so impressed them in training that he got a couple of games.

So when Liverpool fans think of Hyypia's strengths, such as the marvellous loyalty now being celebrated in 10 years at Anfield, they will also know that this is an idol shaped by his childhood. His father, Jouko, was a good coach at amateur level, and nurtured Sami's technique, placing an emphasis on touch and reading of the game, knowing that the stamina was being taken care of Sami's interest in cross-country skiing.

Those traits, the lung-power and intelligence, once saw Hyypia star in a season where PaPe's goal difference was plus 141 (142 goals scored, one conceded). They are qualities noticed at MyPa and Willem II that have since served Liverpool well. Hyypia did not enjoy the idea of gym-work as a kid back in Voikkaa, leaving others to go and bench-press all night, and for a centre-half he is not a 'big unit', to borrow a Steven Gerrard phrase. But he is so adept at spotting unfolding danger, nipping in ahead of a centre-forward to nick the ball. Anticipation is the name of Hyypia's game.

In keeping with a Liverpool tradition best embodied by Alan Hansen, Hyypia has a good touch for a centre-half, and his control of a speeding ball is impressive. Comparing any centre-half with Hansen is difficult because the Scot was so elegant in possession, but echoes of Hansen can be detected in Hyypia's game. The Finn is certainly confident in distribution, passing the ball accurately to his deep-lying midfielders like Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso, or clipping it wide for full-backs like Fabio Aurelio or Alvaro Arbeloa to use.

Hyypia does more than head, tackle and pass. He is a fine team player, a person who understands the importance of constant encouragement for his colleagues, particularly the younger ones. His voice demands – and commands - respect.

There has always been a determined streak to Hyypia, making him a natural leader for Liverpool until Steven Gerrard's emergence, and also for Finland where his example has inspired many schoolboys to follow his path into football rather than take up snow-bound activities. Such was Hyypia's determination to play football as a kid that he even played on 10 inches of snow, where the need to wear spikes rather than studs required a certain bravery in the tackle.

Reflecting Hyypia's selflessness was the moment when he passed the armband on to Gerrard. Everyone at Liverpool was impressed by the dignified way Hyypia accepted a decision that must have been painful for such a proud warrior. Yet he backed Gerrard, and has never given anything less than 100 per cent to Liverpool. Even when others moved ahead of him in the pecking order to be Jamie Carragher's sidekick, Hyypia has always been there for the manager if injury or suspension befell either Martin Skrtel or Daniel Agger.

When called upon, Hyypia has never let Liverpool down. A year ago, he looked to have been slowing up, and particularly vulnerable to opposition pace, but he seems to have adjusted his game, perhaps dropping deeper to reduce the space they have to run into behind him. This season, Hyypia has played well.

In a sport where loyalty is increasingly rare, where players can act as mercenaries and move quickly, chasing the money, Hyypia has been a great ambassador for football. He has settled well, contributed immeasurably to Liverpool's pursuit of trophies, and embraced the club philosophy. The tall Finn will always have a place in Liverpool hearts.

[zimbo]

[zimbo]

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[red g]

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[Tee]

Gutted, absolutely gutted we could not send Sami off with a PL Championship medal.

A genuine legend, and easily one of the best foreign player to grace the PL.

[Imy]

I remember how we used to defend before we signed him, every time a corner or a cross came in I used to **** a brick as I fully expected us to concede a goal - My first memory of Sami is a cross comes and he powerfully heads it away

Sami Hyypia LFC legend.

[lickedlollipop]

@ zimbo

hahahahahaha :lol: