1) Was he a pawn in a power struggle between Rafa, Parry & the Owners?
2) He wasn’t performing well enough to fit his 20-million-pound price tag?
3) Insert your own ridiculous reason here

It is a known fact that Rafa’s 1st choice target during the summer was Barry. That boy will probably be counting his lucky stars it’s not him being pushed around like an unwanted baby.

Regardless of all the conspiracy theories, I am beginning to have certain concerns.

1) With Robbo gone, we have only Kuyt as a proper striker in the event that El Nino gets injured/suspended/overworked. Egg Nog just don’t cut it. Even then, Kuyt will never be as prolific as Nando, I feel.
2) We just lost about £5m on this deal.
3) What’s with Benitez saying things to the effect of Keane’s value will drop to about £10m at the end of the season when he just signed Keane for £20m at the start of the season? Doesn’t seem exactly like a great deal to have your purchase depreciate by half after just a year! (Someone please enlighten me on this!) Is this just some excuse cooked up when he was taking a crap that morning?
4) Benching Robbo after he scored 2 in a match just isn’t giving the boy a sporting chance, I feel.

All things said and done, somehow I feel relieved that Keane has moved back to a club where he is treated as he deserves. A class act and a hero. I haven’t heard any whining or complaints about the way he was treated by the Club. A true professional.

I trust I speak for most of us when we wish Robbie all the best in White Hart Lane.

Cheers, mate!

Gerrard’s first competitive goal for England in 19 months came after a great display from Wayne Rooney. Rooney’s really found his form. I’m getting a little bit worried about playing Man-Yoo next time. He later scored two for the squad, but it was Stevie G that fired off the cannon after only 11 minutes. I’ll never be able to figure out where he gets that power from so far away.

Fernando Torres could be out for at least a week after feeling a pain in his thigh after only 16 minutes against Belgium. It is not known yet whether he suffered a strain or a tear.

Robbie Keane also found his place on the score sheet when he gave Ireland their only goal after six minutes.

EDIT:
Apparently, Ryan Babel was also injured today. No word on the extent of that injury. Freakin’ yay…

On the other hand, Torres and company squeaked by Italy on penalties. Hopefully, they’ll be able to put away Russia on Thursday. I had hoped for Spain and Portugal in the final, so my bracket is shot to hell now. I’d settle for Spain and Germany. I still don’t understand why Spain doesn’t start Fabregas. Torres said back in June that he loved playing with Cesc because Fabregas understood where to put the ball and could anticipate his runs. Seems like a no-brainer for me.

There’s not much going on in the world of Liverpool at the moment so, I’ll leave you with a cute video.

Bounce!

He’s big
He’s Red
His feet hang out the bed
Peter Crouch Peter Crouch!

We haven’t seen Crouchie in quite some time. Rafa chose to put him in the lineup Saturday, preferring to rest Torres, Babel, and Kuyt. I’m sure even after Crouch’s performance at the Emirates, that salvaged a point, we’ll see the three amigos again on Tuesday and Crouch shall make his dramatic return to the bench. And this is why I think that maybe the best thing for Crouch is to leave.

For a 27 year old International player, the last thing you want to do is play second fiddle to anyone. Unfortunately, as long as Torres is on the team and is fit, that’s exactly where Peter Crouch is going to be. This does not benefit him at all and does not benefit the English national team. Quality English players are becoming few and far between and when one of them go down with an injury, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find someone to fill their shoes. Unless, they’re Wayne Rooney’s shoes. Those look quite small. And you know what they say about men who wear small shoes? They also wear small socks. Pervert.

Portsmouth have shown continued interest in the big man this season. Crouch could go there and be in the starting lineup. No, he wouldn’t be on a team that’s in the Champions League. No, he wouldn’t be on a team that could be a contender for the league title, but then again, there’s a difference between being on the team and in the squad.

Pompey is one of the few teams that stand a chance at challenging the big four for their status. With the right players, they just might sneak into Europe. Crouch could be in the starting XI every week and could improve his ability. Then, when international games come around, he can do more than sit on the bench in a coat. I don’t blame him for not wanting to give up Liverpool. I sure as hell wouldn’t want to leave after having a taste of what could have been.

For whatever reason, Rafa just does not have the big man in his future plans. He would prefer to keep him as a backup for when Torres is injured or needs to be rested and it just does not matter how much Crouch trains or how many goals he scores when he is put on the pitch, he won’t be in the starting XI. If Crouch wants to remain a part of the national team, he must get in with a Premier League club that will play him consistently and give him the opportunity to hone his skills. Then, he will be able to show his greatness and who knows? Maybe one day he’ll end up back with the one of the big 4 or maybe a team in Spain or Italy. For now though, the road he is on only goes one way, and unfortunately, is a side street that dead ends. And there’s no U-turn. Also, there’s those one way spike things that slash your tires if you try to back up. And crocodiles. You get the picture.

Here’s vintage Crouch to warm the soul.

As far as injuries go, Torres should be fit for the match. Tim Cahill will more than likely be out for the rest of the season for Everton and they will also probably be missing Andy Johnson. Mascherano will definitely miss this match, serving a suspension for his red card debacle last week. Hopefully, this will be the only match he has to miss.

Coming off of a routing by Man Yoo, LFC will be looking to redeem themselves and the derby at Anfield is the perfect place. All pressure will be on Everton who trail the Reds by 2 points on the table. If they somehow manage to pull off a win, their hopes of the Champions League next season will be kept alive. This seems unlikely though because if they couldn’t win when Liverpool were struggling earlier this season at home, they definitely will not get the job done at an away game. This is the match that Everton do not want to play.

We get the Gunners in the next round of the Champions League. That’s okay with me. With the current form of the club, taking down Arsenal should be doable. I do think it will be an interesting game though. If we can shutdown Arsenal’s speed, we’ll be fine. Is this round only one leg? Friggin weird. This also keeps my hope for a Roma/Liverpool final alive.

Harry Kewell will more than likely be leaving. Rafa recently gave Kewell the thumbs up to go play for the Australian national team since he wasn’t currently in the Reds’ lineup. The hope is that Kewell will be fitter and in better form when he returns.

We play Reading this weekend. Shall crush them. That is all.

Fernando Torres has been named Barclays Player of the Month for February. Don’t be surprised if he takes the award again in March. Sure his goals are costing us a few bucks, but it’s so worth it!

I think this will be a match where everyone on the Newcastle side, including the coaching staff, trainers, and bus driver, will try to shutdown Torres. This will give opportunities to Babel, Kuyt, and Gerrard to score a few. But considering the strength of Newcastle’s defense, Torres may just run right through them.

Crystal Ball predicts LFC 20 – 0 Newcastle

I hate to say it, but I missed you so much, Fernando! Don’t leave me again!

Okay that’s enough man love, but really, you don’t understand how important someone is until they’re gone. I was hoping Kuyt could come in at the Chelsea match and prove that he needed to be back in the lineup. Even when Torres isn’t scoring, he’s at least penetrating and making the other side nervous.

I’ve now grouped the words “penetrating” and “man love” in the same blog entry. Oh, Fernando, what you do to me…

I feel dirty.