BLOOD RED: Unity key for Liverpool FC to rise again

22 May 2010 05:00
THE sentences were short but the sentiment was clear: as Jamie Carragher spoke about his return to England duty, talk began to move forward.[LNB]'I can't wait to get back to Liverpool, get back together again and try to put it right,' he said.[LNB]'I want the people who want to be there to come back. If they don't, no problem. Nobody is bigger than Liverpool Football Club.'[LNB]And so the fightback begins. Another week has passed with speculation raging about the futures of Javier Mascherano, Fernando Torres and, to a certain extent, Steven Gerrard, the three men whose sales could raise an enormous windfall for the Reds.[LNB]Throw in a story which saw Pepe Reina linked with Arsenal and Albert Riera's latest outburst and it's clear to see why the perception that Liverpool are vulnerable is growing and why some players might be tempted to consider their options.[LNB]First of all, it must be stressed the story regarding Reina is absurd; there is no way he would consider jumping ship just weeks after he has committed his future to Anfield for the next six years.[LNB]Another tale that, to put it mildly, raised eyebrows was the suggestion Manchester City were ready to offer Liverpool £40m plus Emmanuel Adebayor and Stephen Ireland for Torres and Gerrard.[LNB]That sounds an attractive business deal, doesn't it? One player whose mood changes like the wind, another who was told by his manager to 'get his head right' and an amount of cash that can best be described as pocket change for the oil-rich club for Liverpool's two finest players, the side with whom they will be competing for a Champions League spot next year.[LNB]It simply doesn't add up but, sadly, such stories will become commonplace this summer, due to the state of flux in which Liverpool find themselves - vultures are circling and the club's critics are expecting the star names to begin an exodus to more stable destinations.

Source: Liverpool_Echo