Yesterday I was upset at Robbie Keane leaving, I didn’t think it was fair on the player to mess him about the way we have, and I didn’t think he’d been given a fair crack of the whip. I felt that we should have at least given him until the end of the season.
But after reflecting on things today, I realise that maybe I was a little hot-headed and rash in some of my thoughts (yes, that can happen sometimes – it’s what being so passionate about this club does to you).
I realise now, that Robbie, even though he was a boyhood Red, never fitted in at Anfield. Whether he was Rafa’s buy or not, and whether Rafa actually wanted to keep him or not past this transfer window, is all subject to interpretation and conjecture.
What was clear though, was that although he liked being here as a person (you could tell that from the smile on his face walking into the dressing room before the Chelsea game, and I mean, come on – what boyhood Liverpool fan wouldn’t love walking into the home team dressing room minutes before a big match), he obviously didn’t like being here as a player.
At Spurs he was a big fish in a little pond. Here he was a small fish in a big pond. He was used to being billy big balls, the captain of the club. Not here. Here, he had to get used to someone else being the captain. Someone else having the responsibility. He was just another cog in the works.
And unfortunately he was a cog that didn’t fit. Rafa knew it, and I think even Robbie knew it, given the amount of times he was subbed, started the game as a sub, or left out altogether. And he didn’t like being a bit part player. So it was never going to work for him. Billy big balls he may have been at Spurs, but he was never going to be here. That’s Gerrard’s job! The fact that Torres was injured so much and he had no real opportunities to strike up the partnership everybody wanted to see didn’t help matters either.
So yes, I was sad to see him go, I’d rather he’d stayed and been given more of a chance. But at the end of the day, as the old saying goes, there is no I in team. And if Robbie being sold back to Spurs is the best thing for our team, for our title challenge, then we have to accept that and move on. We have to believe that Rafa knows what he’s doing. And right now, he’s got us up there fighting for the title, he’s got us in the best position to win the title in the last 19 years. And if those plans didn’t include Robbie Keane, then so be it.
So I say to Robbie, hard luck mate. Sorry it didn’t work out. We all want to play for our boyhood team, but sometimes the grass isn’t always greener. Hope everything works out for you back at Spurs, and you will always be remembered fondly by some for the short time you spent here.
And I say to everyone else, Robbie’s history. He’s gone. Lets forget about him and move on. We have to trust in the boss. We have to trust that he knows what he’s doing. We’ve got the League to still fight for. We’ve got the Champions League to fight for. And tomorrow night, we’ve got the FA Cup to fight for.
So come on, lets use this to kick on and fight all the way for number 19.
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