Masch Gone - fee agreed but not yet disclosed

[gkmacca]

I was intrigued to see if those dullard hacks on the Sunday Supplement would dare to defend Mascher, and, sure enough (apart from Samuels), they did. Patrick Barclay, in particular, who's gone from fairly sensible to a raving loon over the past couple of years, bent over backwards to excuse the player, and also managed to shoehorn in a (completely irelevant) dig about how much bigger a club the mancs are compared to LFC. If it had been Fabregas going they would have been demanding his execution.

[Captain]

Good luck to Mascherano, I'm sure he'll do well at Barca.

 

It's sad to see yet another top midfielder leave the club, though.

[Juan Galonso]

That Anfield Road "article" is a stitch-up on the new manager. Disgraceful. If a journalist had written that we would be giving them shite for it and accusing them of being a blue or a manc. Luckily the new manager probably won't get to read this.

[sir roger]

I am very unhappy with Javier's behaviour & if it is confirmed that he paid for Konchesky as well, my rage will know no bounds.

 

Agree with JG that the piece was pretty poor & seemed to be just an attempt to have a go at Hodgson

[sh#t waffle]

Thanks Masch, you twatwaffle.

 

I'd appreciate you not taking my mother's name in vain, Lance.

[shanks96]

Nothing wrong with wanting a move.

 

there is with "refusing" to play though and pritty much putting the manager in a situation were he has no choice but to sell you

[MLB]

The players' reaction to Mascherano said everything really. Anyone defending him should look at that and then get back to us...

[Redzion]

TBH the day ANY player does not want to play for LFC should be shipped out an personally i dont give a fuck if thats a 16 ressie or the capt.

So mash thanks for all you did for us but kindly fuck off you cunt.

[4YRstrong]

He shouldn't have refused to play but if he did and got injured, we'd all be sitting here after missing out on 20m and with no Meireles.

[Dougie Do'ins]

Mascherano paying the price for happiness

Posted on August 28th, 2010 by Jim Boardman

 

Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano arrived in Barcelona at lunchtime today as he moved a step closer to setting up home in a country where he hopes his wife will be happy and where in turn he will be able to finally enjoy something approaching normal family life.

 

"Normal Family life" Eh. Poor little Masch. So poor Mrs Mascherano, couldn't handle all the wealth and finery that being a footballers wife brings theses days Eh. Could have chosen to live in any part of the most desirable parts of the NW and never want for anything. But couldn't handle a few grey clouds and a little rain, or be bothered to learn our fucking language. Maybe he and you, should have had a word with Gerrard and his wife and the rest of their immediate families, who still, to this day and for most of his Liverpool career, put up the vicious rumours being spread around the world.

 

His desperation to see his family happy has, according to reports in Spain, personally cost him over €3m.

 

He’ll be unveiled to fans on Monday, subject to passing a medical.

 

Javier Mascherano arrives at BarcelonaMascherano played a vital role for Liverpool during his three and a half years at the club. Although he started last season with his mind clearly on other issues he has on the whole been treated as a hero by most supporters since he arrived at Anfield, initially on loan, in 2007.

 

But no matter how he felt about his time on the pitch it was his home life that was troubling him of late. He was desperately unhappy that he was unable to spend a great deal of time with his wife or young family after his wife had been unable to settle in the country. She spent a lot of time back in Argentina and it was clearly not the kind of situation that can go on without causing lasting problems for all concerned. It’s understandable he was looking for a move.

 

Right. So what was it that his bone fucking idle wife suddenly realised about life in the UK, that wasn't apparent while Mascherano was playing for West Ham ? Surely the time to show and unhappiness was before you decided to sign for another UK club. But no, lets move up to the NW and sign for a club who'll resurrect my career first, then we'll use the "family not happy" get out of jail free card.

 

On his arrival in Barcelona today his words explained so much about how relieved he felt to be this close to the start of a new stage in his family and career life: “It’s a dream, a great joy. It is a pride for me and my family to take this step forward in my career.”

 

So what happened to all the dreams of playing for Rafa then ? You know because he plays your kind of football. Noting to do with your family, it was just a career move.

 

But it seems Liverpool’s new manager doesn’t do empathy. Sending Mascherano on his way to Spain with a blast in the ear the increasingly prickly Roy Hodgson branded him as “selfish”.

 

Rumours from the club on Monday suggested Mascherano had refused to play against Manchester City. Some of those rumours also gave Hodgson a partial excuse for the embarrassing 3-0 defeat by adding that Mascherano’s alleged impromptu strike action had forced the manager to change his tactics at the eleventh hour.

 

But sources close to the Argentine captain reportedly denied he’d refused to play, insisting the decision to leave him out of the clash had already been taken on the Saturday, two days before the game, by a manager who was concerned about his state of mind. That gave Hodgson ample time to prepare his side. The club are yet to confirm in any official capacity that he refused to play.

 

Sources close Eh. Who ? His agent ? His wife ? His cleaner ? If the allegations are false, why doesn't he just come out and say so ? No, that would be far to easy and not as good as a nice bit of juicy sensationalist gossip, would it. Or could it be that he did refuse to play ?

 

"Reportedly denied" eh. So yet again not a single quote from anyone prepared to go on the record and defend him against these allegations. Just another line spun out by any mainstream tabloid journalist in order to peddle unsubstantiated agenda driven bollocks. Did someone say this or not ?

 

The failure of the club to set a deadline for Mascherano to leave without it eating too far into the league season is as much to blame for any hostility as anything Mascherano himself has done. By the time Liverpool faced City there were only 8 days left to go until the closure of the window. Mascherano had picked up a knock against Arsenal and must have known there was a good chance of picking up an injury sufficient to rule him out of any medical for a new club in the days that remained.

 

For someone who saw that move as such a key stage in his life, let alone career, it’s understandable if he was reluctant.

 

So, the club and all us fans who travelled to Man City, who also pay his wages can get to fuck as, "it’s understandable if he was reluctant" because he didn't want to jeopardise his move to a sunnier climate. Unbelievable, quite unbelievable.

 

Hodgson sounded like the manager of a club from the bottom half of the table trying to bump up the price of their only good player as he explained why Mascherano missed Monday’s defeat, saying he “is not in the right frame of mind to play the game because his head has obviously been turned by the offer from Barcelona.” He said that unless the fee offered by Barcelona was upped to meet Liverpool’s valuation Mascherano “might be unhappy for a long time to come.”

 

 

 

But Roy isn’t even taking part in transfer negotiations, as he admitted himself: “I don’t really want to get involved in it. The discussions between Barcelona and the club are being held at high club level and as a result I don’t want to start saying things which may or may not be true. I have no wish to create headlines over the Mascherano situation.”

 

As the week went on Hodgson had perhaps been briefed by his management on how the negotiations were progressing and the new manager decided to go on the attack against the Argentine: “It’s not easy to defend his actions. Professionals are paid to play and, when called upon to do so they should.

 

“I don’t think players mean it as a challenge to your authority or the club’s, but it’s a selfish situation where they want to do something and then expect the club and me to bow down and accept they are going to get their way.”

 

The manager was talking tough yet he knew this player wanted out and why he wanted out. But he was on a roll: “Players must also understand when you sign contracts, you do so to play. If the club decides it’s going to accept an offer for you and let you go, then that’s one thing. If the club say, ‘You have a contract; we’re not selling,’ then therefore they are staying.”

 

But that’s not what Mascherano was told. He was told Liverpool were selling, as long as the right bid came in. And Roy contradicted himself to a certain degree when he admitted he’d not taken the player to Turkey during the week in case it scuppered the transfer.

 

“Javier’s not here because the negotiations are ongoing between the two clubs,” Hodgson confirmed. “I wouldn’t say he has played his last game for the club but if he played here it might prejudice the transfer and I don’t wish to do anything like that.”

 

Would loved to have seen the slant put on this had it been Rafa playing hardball Jim. Absolutely fucking pathetic.

 

Mascherano described as 'selfish' despit spending millions to see family happy.

 

Pass me a hankie, I'm near to tears at this mans sacrfice.

 

Mascherano being cup-tied in Europe until Christmas may well prejudice the transfer, but so would an injury that left him unable to undergo a medical for a new club before the closure of the window. It seems odd that the manager was willing to refer to Mascherano as “selfish” for missing Monday’s game yet left him out of Thursday’s squad for what boils down to the same reason.

 

Hodgson was very dismissive on Thursday night when he described an offer from Inter Milan: “I saw a fax the other day [from Inter Milan’s sporting director Marco Branca] but I think it was sent tongue-in-cheek. The offer was so unbelievably far from our valuation it seemed to me he was putting the fax in to maybe satisfy people at the club. We didn’t even bother to answer it – that’s how ridiculously far from a serious offer it was.”

 

But as Roy and his Europa League squad travelled to Turkey there would be further offers from Branca on behalf of Inter, going against assurances Hodgson claimed he’d been given by his old boss, Inter president Massimo Amoretti. The Reds’ boss said Inter wouldn’t be trying to sign any Liverpool players, but Branca contradicted this: “Everybody knows that Mascherano would like to change team and to change country. He also has a good relationship with our manager. We’ve made a very good offer, around the amount they are asking for.”

 

And that “very good” offer would prove to help Liverpool receive the fee they had been seeking. That offer had been enough to block Barcelona’s highest – and what they said was their final – offer.

 

According to reports in Spain it was only a sacrifice from Mascherano that put his move to Spain back on.

 

Barcelona’s vice-president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, met Liverpool’s MD Christian Purslow and Eduardo Macia (chief scout but seemingly operating more like a director of football in the past few months) in Manchester on Thursday to try to do the deal. Barcelona’s bid was reportedly short of the required price by more than €3m but they were unable or unwilling to go a penny higher.

 

And that’s where Mascherano stepped in. He had his heart set on a move to Barcelona by now and came up with a solution to the impasse.

 

He would pay the difference between Barça’s final bid and Liverpool’s asking price himself.

 

He asked Barça to reduce the amount of money he was entitled to in his new contract by a sum equivalent to the extra money required by Liverpool, and for Barça to add that onto their offer. It did the trick; Liverpool accepted the new offer.

 

If the Spanish reports are correct, Mascherano was a long way short of being the selfish mercenary he was being billed as in England. He was desperate to make his wife and family happy and was unwilling to risk missing this opportunity again. He effectively paid over €3m to move to a club in a new country.

 

Even without knowing he would give up over €3m from his new contract it was well known why Mascherano was leaving. Hodgson’s “selfish” comments were quite unnecessary and, some might say, extremely ‘cold’.

 

Those comments, tied in with the rumours from Monday, led to a backlash against the player. Observers unwilling to consider for a moment that there may have been some exaggeration in what was said, or at least a lack of context, condemned the player without considering there is usually more than one side to a story.

 

Quite right Jim. Now if you'd like to show us evidence of the "other side of the story" instead of just your agenda driven shit, I'll happily give it due consideration.

 

With reports that Roy is going to use the money received from Mascherano on at least two replacements it’s extremely clear that the club – and indeed Hodgson – needed this transfer as much as the player did.

 

Well that makes it OK then. All is forgiven, as there wasn't a singe chance that this transfer money would disappear into the owners coffers, was there ?

 

Anfield Road » Mascherano paying the price for happiness

[dave]

Not particularly arsed about Mascherano leaving, refusing to play was shithouse but the likes of Michael Owen piss me off far more than Mascherano's recent actions.

[VladimirIlyich]

Not particularly arsed about Mascherano leaving, refusing to play was shithouse but the likes of Michael Owen piss me off far more than Mascherano's recent actions.

 

We got a fee for Owen at least,although a lot less than we should have,but why Owen more than Masch?

[dave]

We got a fee for Owen at least,although a lot less than we should have,but why Owen more than Masch?

 

His actions since he left, not necessarily the way he left. His interviews and lack of acknowledgment of this football club, the club that made him and his obsession with the English national squad are things that especially annoy me when it comes to Michael Owen. Probably shouldn't, but he gets under my skin.

[VladimirIlyich]

His actions since he left, not necessarily the way he left. His interviews and lack of acknowledgment of this football club, the club that made him and his obsession with the English national squad are things that especially annoy me when it comes to Michael Owen. Probably shouldn't, but he gets under my skin.

 

I know what you mean but I never felt Owen was anything other than interested in himself while at Liverpool.

He was professional but he always seemed more interested in England than us.

 

I pity him because since he left us,before we became European Champions,all hes won is a poxy Carling Cup last season.

 

We are currently having the last laugh.

[Torvald Utne]

 

Doing his best dopey face.

[Ponz]

Fuck him and fuck his wife.

[Durango]

This one got legs,plenty of mileage in this.

[ChunkyMonkey]

This one got legs,plenty of mileage in this.

 

Do you mean the 'fuck his wife' comment?

[Dougie Do'ins]

This one got legs,plenty of mileage in this.

Please tell me you meant to put this in the, Bog Eyes to Villa thread.

[torahboy]

I'd love to be all magnaniimous and understanding, and accept that the twat wanted what was best for his fucking pikey family. But, and I apologise for this fault of mine, I hope his wife gets fucked by Guardiola's dad, likes it and fucks that gap toothed prick right off. Sorry, but I can't wish someone well who has refused to play for our club when he is contracted to us.

 

The Chief is a despicable little shithouse. And, unlikely as it seems, I hope he and Barca have a disaster of a season. I fucking detest the little, unwashed, sub-human shit eating cunt.

[Brownie]

Just seen him doing the usual keepy-upy thing that all new signings for Barca and Real Madrid do when they're unveiled. He got to about 4 and then started struggling.

 

They should have just thrown a dog onto the pitch with a ball and had Mascherano chase it; would have given them a better idea of what they're getting after all.

[Brownie]

Can't wait Maschy!

[Joe Le Taxi]

I have never seen such divisions in my support. I don't know what is true or not but over the past two pages I have seen two different opinions on the matter ranging from one extreme to the next. Either one is a scenario I wish the club would never be in.

 

IF what Jim says is true then it's another fuck up by the club and I will sympathise with Masch a little. However if it is as ATK says then I am appalled by his actions and in my opinion he will have tainted the reputation he once had.

 

However for now, I am willing to sit on the fence I just built.

 

This part is for John however:

 

You mention it being an attack on Roy in parts and while yes I feel it is worded strongly I doubt it is an attack on Hodgson and more an attack on the way the club is run.

 

The part about Macia acting as a director of football worries me a lot as well!

[Carra_is_legend]

Fuck him. And whatever he has to say.

[Red Mist]

He's just another shithouse Barca footballer. Fuck him, his wife and the cunt of a club he's gone to play for.