Liverpool FC: 9 Poor Choices Made Off the Pitch
While Liverpool fans have reason for disappointment with what happens on the pitch, there have been more than a few cases where off-field matters have been drawn into the limelight. With such a captive audience of people around the world, every single action of both club and players are closely scrutinized.
The current defensive crisis as well as the season-ending injury to Steven Gerrard may dominate the minds of fans at the moment. But there have been more than a few times when matters outside of those white chalk lines have been a cause for concern.
From the potential departure of players to ownership struggles and illegal activities, the recent and ancient history of Liverpool is filled with events that gave fans and players alike no end of grief.
Here are nine off-field incidents that Liverpool fans have had to endure.
Fernando Torres Plays Lucifer in the Eyes of Liverpool Fans
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Fernando Torres scored 65 goals for Liverpool and up until the beginning of the current season was a firm fan favorite. The Spaniard set a Premier League record for the highest goal tally of any foreign striker in his maiden season, 24 goals to beat out Ruud van Nistlerooy's record of 23.
Liverpool's No. 9 was the perfect fit in Rafael Benitez's favored 4-2-3-1 system, and he forged a telepathic understanding with Steven Gerrard. The 2008/2009 Premier League season was Liverpool's best in some time and only lost out to Manchester United by the skin of their teeth.
Instead of building on their success, Liverpool stagnated the following season. The frustration on Steven Gerrard's face was visible for all to see when Torres was substituted by Benitez early in a match when the Reds were desperately seeking goals. The dream of Champions League football vanished and it only got worse from there.
By the time the Anfield hierarchy were signing Roy Hodgson's severance check, Fernando Torres looked like a player who had given up on the game completely. But surely he wouldn't abandon the club that had brought him to England when they needed him the most? After weeks of "will he, won't he," the deal was done and Chelsea had their man.
No. 9 shirts were burned and Torres was cursed to the nine hells and will forever more be a figure of hate for Liverpool fans. That is, right after he ceases to be a laughing stock as his move to a more "competitive team" has yielded zero goals in 11 hours and 33 minutes of soccer.
Steven Gerrard Gets a Little Too Pushy with His Music Taste
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After spending a full day in police custody, the news broke that Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard had been involved in a fracas at a local nightclub and was facing assault charges. Apparently, the row was a result of the DJ refusing to hand over control of the music to Gerrard, who was out celebrating the Reds' hiding of Newcastle 5-1.
While all Liverpool plays fully deserve some time to celebrate such a great game, it seems that the club's captain had a certain soundtrack in mind.
The likes of Joey Barton and Eric Cantona spring to mind, but Gerrard was to escape serious punishment and didn't miss out on any playing time for Liverpool. It was the first time that the club captain's name had been dragged through the mud (much to the amusement of Manchester United fans) and many believe he got off the hook simply because he is a soccer star.
Regardless, things could have turned out quite differently for both the player and the club.
Gillett and Hicks Nearly Destroy Liverpool
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In 2007, Liverpool was purchased by George Gillett and Tom Hicks, two American business owners who wanted in on the action following the takeover of Manchester United by the Glazer family. In the beginning all of the signs were good. Both Gillett and Hicks had experience owning sports franchises and signs were positive that development of Stanley Park would proceed on schedule and Rafa Benitez would have their financial backing in the transfer market.
Following the collapse of the worldwide stock market, the owner's resources began to dry up and cracks began to spread. Rumors of a fall-out between the co-owners saw Hicks block Gillett's attempt to sell his shares to Dubai International Capital. Things got progressively worse from there, and a failure to back Benitez in the transfer market as well as the questionable capture of Robbie Keane cast a dark cloud over Anfield.
Things didn't get any better as a failure to re-finance their loan to creditors saw Liverpool fall under the ownership of the Royal Bank of Scotland and the search for new owners began. After a lengthy legal battle that spanned the Atlantic, the club was purchased by John H. Henry who has effectively erased the club's debt.
Liverpool was saved from administration and a possible points deduction as well as other penalties.
Jurgen Klinsmann Is Offered the Anfield Hot Seat
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In 2008, rumors surfaced that Gillett and Hicks had approached Jurgen Klinsmann to take over at Anfield, with Rafa Benitez completely in the dark over the matter. Benitez's already frosty relationship with the club's owners took a turn for the worse as a war of words erupted between them.
Tom Hicks claimed that the approach was simply an insurance policy in case the Spaniard walked out on Liverpool, but Benitez was furious nonetheless. The last thing a team needs is uncertainty over its future, and after Klinsmann was snapped up by Bayern Munich, Liverpool was in real trouble of not having a manager at all.
The episode eventually calmed down but this was just another battle in the epic war between the owners and their estranged manager. The fact that Klinsmann only lasted a season at Bayern gave Benitez the license to enjoy a private chuckle.
The Nutter with a Putter
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In 2007, Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez thought it would be beneficial for the squad to enjoy a bit of team bonding ahead of their Champions League clash with mighty Barcelona. They were in Portugal for training and were given a midnight curfew to go out and have a good time and blow off some steam. What was supposed to be a smooth build-up to the big game ended up as a media circus.
Reports emerged that during the night Craig Bellamy had attacked teammate John Arne Riise with a golf club. The obvious question of just where the Wales striker had procured such an instrument went unanswered. Instead, Steven Gerrard and Benitez found themselves up against the press attempting to deflate the situation and insist that there was nothing but harmony in the camp.
Instead of falling over themselves after the incident, Bellamy scored and set up Riise for the winner. Perhaps Liverpool should encourage nights out before every big game?
Ryan Babel Being a Twit
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Its happened before and it will happen again: some people just don't understand that the internet is a public forum. From employees being fired for unleashing their frustrations online to Ashley Young getting frisky on his webcam, there will always be drama when the bored or angry are given somewhere to vent.
Ryan Babel is well known in his native Holland due to a budding rap career, and the outspoken striker makes good use of his Twitter account to speak to the world. Unfortunately, when you photoshop a Manchester United shirt on referee Howard Webb following Liverpool's defeat to United in the FA Cup, things don't go too smoothly.
This wasn't the first time that Babel's tweeting had landed him in hot water. After being left out against Stoke in 2010, Babel fired off a stream of criticism towards Benitez for his team selection. As if the former Liverpool manager needed another reason to keep Babel on the bench!
Steven Gerrard Contemplates the Unthinkable
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Even after Steven Gerrard's heroics in Istanbul inspired Liverpool's fifth European Cup triumph, there was a very serious chance that the club could lose their star player—to Chelsea. One of Rafa Benitez's very first challenges when joining the club was ensuring that he didn't lose his captain before being able to make his mark on the team.
In the summer of 2005, things got so serious that Gerrard handed in a transfer request that rocked Anfield to its core. The team was in a period of transition with Benitez looking to begin his "Rafa-lution" but the rug was about to be pulled out from underneath him.
In his autobiography, Gerrard explains that he always wanted to remain at the club but he was yet to see a contract offer despite Liverpool's insistence that they desired their captain to remain. His decision to submit the request was an attempt to reach some resolution to the situation as the midfielder was close to breaking point with frustration.
The thought of Jose Mourinho being able to field Gerrard at Stamford Bridge was terrifying, and it was to the relief of Reds fans everywhere when their captain put pen to paper on a new contract.
Joe Cole Is Being Paid £90,000 a Week
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This is just ridiculous.
Liverpool Intentionally Throw a Game to Manchester United
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A Liverpool player today would certainly be hung and quartered before he would be able to begin to contemplate losing to Manchester United on purpose. This great rivalry is one of the best in Europe and has been the stage to some of the most intensely fought battles the Premier League has ever seen.
Rewind back to 1915 and things were completely different. With World War I drastically sapping interest in the game in England, it looked like soccer would be off the menu in the near future. Manchester United were rooted to the foot of the table (how much would you pay to see that?) and a handful of players from both sides met and decided on a 2-0 outcome for United.
The game ended at that score, but match officials and the FA were suspicious. A missed penalty could have been luck but the sight of Liverpool players berating Fred Pagnam after a goal attempt which cannoned off the crossbar was a little too much. As the plot eventually unraveled, several players were handed lifetime bans (only to be rescinded due to service in the war) and the event was effectively swept under the rug with the continuation of soccer and a new league format.
With the recent match-fixing scandals in Italy, you could be forgiven for thinking that perhaps something like this would be possible in the future. Though I'd hate to be a conspiring Liverpool player when the fans eventually find out!
