Luis Suárez

[Shaggy]

I don't see the fuss at all. What are the grudges all about? Is it a combination of everything, his indiscretions on the field plus the summer transfer shenanigans?

What's wrong with forgiveness anyway? Didn't Nelson Mandela teach you anything? Holding grudges isn't healthy.

And besides, I don't really see there's anything to forgive him for in terms of the summer stuff. It was a misunderstanding, he wanted to play in the CL to which he is entitled and fully deserves, he's still here and he's amazing. It's not just the goals he's scoring, it's the passion and will to win with which he plays. No-one wants to win more than he does. He was never going to sulk, we established that in the summer ...and, backed by a solid team, he is taking us to new heights. I don't see the fuss. I ****ing love him.

[EwarWoo]

What a crazy world we live in, £100,00 per WEEK is considered not enough, we discuss doubling the wage.

Wow, just ****ing wow.

All relative innit.

Supposedly RM made 90m just from using Ronaldo's image in his first year. That's 1.7m per week. And that's excluding his contribution to the team.

It's his image, how much of that is a fair distribution? Supposedly he gets 288k a week. Just 17% of what he generates, assuming he plays for free. Is that really out there?

I use Ronaldo as an example as the reports are so readily available.

We take it too seriously and forget that footy (or any sport for that matter) is an entertainment industry. Generally in the entertainment industry "actors" expect a fair distribution of the revenue they create.

The wages these days sound utterly nuts. But really, they're not.

What is nuts is the ridiculous prices of match tickets and merchandise that generates these insane amounts of revenue.

But then again, it's not an essential service, it's entertainment, so if the market will bear it then it's priced just about right.

[Muddled]

No doubt he's a fantastic player, and I love his contribution to the team. But he's also the player that has caused the club most grieve in a long time.

Depends how you define 'a long time'? Torres went to Chelsea in 2011, Gerrard flirted with Chelsea in 2005, Owen leaving in 2004, McManaman leaving in 1999, etc, etc. I'm not saying they are of the same calibre, just highlighting that these things happen in football; no doubt the saga will continue in the summer.

He hasn't sulked, he's returned from his ban and continued to give 100%. No toys have exited a pram - he had his head turned by an opportunity to play at the top, top level, it happens. Just enjoy his time here because I don't think we'll see a better all round footballer for a long time.

[The_weatherman]

I don't see the fuss at all. What are the grudges all about? Is it a combination of everything, his indiscretions on the field plus the summer transfer shenanigans?

What's wrong with forgiveness anyway? Didn't Nelson Mandela teach you anything? Holding grudges isn't healthy.

And besides, I don't really see there's anything to forgive him for in terms of the summer stuff. It was a misunderstanding, he wanted to play in the CL to which he is entitled and fully deserves, he's still here and he's amazing. It's not just the goals he's scoring, it's the passion and will to win with which he plays. No-one wants to win more than he does. He was never going to sulk, we established that in the summer ...and, backed by a solid team, he is taking us to new heights. I don't see the fuss. I ****ing love him.

Yup. I know I said I wouldn't forgive and forget. But I have and I will. Love the guy. Thought his fingerprint was on the whole team against Tottenham. I mean he demolished them phsycologically, they will never recover, he's that good

[EwarWoo]

Yup. I know I said I wouldn't forgive and forget. But I have and I will. Love the guy.

I don't think even his fiercest fans expected him to throw himself into it quite this much but, so we can be forgiven for changing our mind

[Muddled]

What is nuts is the ridiculous prices of match tickets and merchandise that generates these insane amounts of revenue.

Which are at a high because they have to fund the gargantuan wage bill - it's a vicious circle. It's often said that you don't make money from owning a football club, it's a toy for rich people to spend their cash ... I have no idea how it is going to fall from grace.

The rest of your initial post is an interesting take on the situation though; when you actually think about it all and see some of the figures in black and white, the money involved is astronomical.

[focusedonfootball]

Stevie G has made the best comments on Suarez. 'If his transfer doesn't work out he won't sulk like Torres.' and 'Enjoy him while you can.' What else is there to say?

[Resu]

Depends how you define 'a long time'? Torres went to Chelsea in 2011, Gerrard flirted with Chelsea in 2005, Owen leaving in 2004, McManaman leaving in 1999, etc, etc. I'm not saying they are of the same calibre, just highlighting that these things happen in football; no doubt the saga will continue in the summer.

He hasn't sulked, he's returned from his ban and continued to give 100%. No toys have exited a pram - he had his head turned by an opportunity to play at the top, top level, it happens. Just enjoy his time here because I don't think we'll see a better all round footballer for a long time.

This is a big plus, he is giving it a 100% and seems to be really happy now. It is also looking like he's respected and liked by his teammates.

So, will I ever forgive him?
Yes, all it takes is to sign a new contract, stop biting and shut up on the field and to the press.

[spider-neil]

For me, it isn't about forgiveness, it is about enjoying one of the best players to ever wear red (top 4 imho, maybe even top 3) whilst he is here. In the summer if he moves so be it, hopefully we'll reinvest the huge transfer fee better than we did the last time our superstar went for mega bucks.

[Shaggy]

This is a big plus, he is giving it a 100% and seems to be really happy now. It is also looking like he's respected and liked by his teammates.

So, will I ever forgive him?
Yes, all it takes is to sign a new contract, stop biting and shut up on the field and to the press.

Tbh I don't think the new contract will mean anything in terms of him staying long term. It just protects us, his value and puts him in the wage bracket he deserves to be in.

Bale signed a new deal about 3 months before he ****ed off.

[Resu]

You could be right not the contract thing, I'm sure he'll be gone if we don't get CL or if Barca or RM comes in.

[Resu]

For me, it isn't about forgiveness, it is about enjoying one of the best players to ever wear red (top 4 imho, maybe even top 3) whilst he is here. In the summer if he moves so be it, hopefully we'll reinvest the huge transfer fee better than we did the last time our superstar went for mega bucks.

Maybe forgive is the wrong word, it is to strong. Let's just say I still have some reservation when it comes to Suarez.

[fah-q]

True, that is why he is paid more than me when I'm kicking around the inflated bladder covered by a dead cows skin The ludicrious part is that anyone is paid to do that

What is life without art though? Mere existence.

[RedReet]

Led me to this one. The imperious stats just keep coming.

The last paragraph of this though is probably correct, so it's good we have Sturridge, however, i think we could do with another who finds the net with regularity.

Luis Suarez scores and makes teammates better.

Despite missing the first five games of the Premier League season because of a suspension for biting Branislav Ivanovic, Luis Suarez leads the league with 17 goals this season. Having played only 11 league games, he's on pace to shatter the league record of 34 goals, which was accomplished by both Andy Cole (1993-94) and Alan Shearer (1994-95) in 42-games seasons. Here are five other notes on Suarez's recent run of form...

• His productivity may be a byproduct of his activity, particularly in the penalty area. Over the last four seasons, Suarez leads the top four European leagues with 817 touches in the penalty area, 23 more than second-place Lionel Messi.

• Suarez doesn't just score; he also makes his teammates better. He has created the most scoring chances in the attacking penalty area of any player in the top four European leagues over the past four seasons. He's eight ahead of Franck Ribery and 12 ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo. In that same span, Suarez has completed the fourth-most passes in the penalty area of any player in those leagues.

• Suarez is a timely scorer. He has 14 go-ahead goals in the 80th minute or later since the beginning of last season, tied with Sergio Aguero for second-most in the Premier League, behind only Robin van Persie’s 18 such goals.

• Suarez is also a threat from distance, one of the league's best long-range shooters. His 17 goals from 18 or more yards are the most in the Premier League since the beginning of the 2010-11 season, and he ranks only fifth in total shots from that distance during that time.

• But how sustainable is Suarez's scoring rate? He's scored on 25 percent of his shots this season, far above both his rate of 10 percent in his first three seasons with Liverpool and the league average of nine percent in that span. The reason isn't his average shot distance of 18.3 yards, which is only slightly below his previous Liverpool average of 18.7 yards. But he'll be hard-pressed to continue putting 54 percent of his shots on target, when his previous Liverpool average was 37 percent, and the league average has been 31 percent.

http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/fiveaside/id/1618?cc=5739

Sort of makes a mockery of those that said he'd never be a 20 goal a season striker or that he's too greedy.

He's just ****ing great!!!

[spider-neil]

It's like having a super hot girlfriend. You know she is going to **** off eventually so it's better to enjoy the time you share right now rather than continually looking over your shoulder.