[Archived] Lucas Neill

[jim mk2]

Apologies if this is elsewhere but Liverpool dispute Neill's version of events :

PARRY: NEILL SPOKE TO BENITEZ

By Mike McGrath, PA Sport

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry has denied claims Lucas Neill did not speak to the “people that count” before choosing West Ham over a move to Anfield. Neill was long-term target for boss Rafael Benitez but the Australia defender, despite being a boyhood Liverpool fan, opted to move to Upton Park to help Alan Curbishley’s battle against relegation.

The 28-year-old insisted the move from Blackburn was not motivated by money and he was impressed with West Ham’s approach, while he did not speak to important figures within Anfield.

However, Parry told the Daily Post: “I don’t know who was on the other end of the telephone talking to Rafa when I was sat next to him, but I’m quite sure it was Lucas Neill.”

Parry believes fans will be “bemused” by Neill’s decision. He added in LFC Magazine: “The decision by Lucas Neill not to accept our terms after we agreed a fee with Blackburn will bemuse many fans.

“Players make their decisions and while you are sometimes surprised, you have to move on to the next one.”

Parry also hinted at Neill lacking the passion for Liverpool, given his indecision over a possible move. “Neill had the choice between Liverpool and West Ham, we were offering him the opportunity of Champions League football,” said Parry.

“What we want are players with an instinctive desire to play for Liverpool. We want people with a real passion to come here and help us win trophies. From our side, we never want to be in a position where someone is only coming here for the money. A player has to be driven by something more than that.

“Because of the stature, history and ambition of Liverpool, there should be no need for us to sell the

merits of this club."

[OscarRaven]

Undisclosed.

[thenodrog]

Neills gone for money! No doubtabout that and no doubt that that was his intention from the start.

i think you should look at your own stupid posts and stop slagging people off. It's quite clear why Neil joined West Ham and if you are thick enough not to realise this, well then that just sums you up

Sorry I was wrong! The above is most stupid post of the year.

Sorry but your earlier commendably stupid effort about Sav showing loyalty to a club has just been beaten into second place gaz.

Keep it up though Gaz. I've got to say you are a lot more entertaining than an inebriated Jordan.

[Eddie]

Despite which side of the Lucas debate you're on, is anyone else amazed at the arrogance of Rick Parry's comments today? Effectively he's saying we don't need to sell Liverpool to a player - if you don't want to come you want your head examined.

To a certain extent that is how it is and I can understand why he said what he did.

[Exiled_Rover]

Who isn't a boyhood Liverpool fan these days?

[thenodrog]

To a certain extent that is how it is and I can understand why he said what he did.

Parry's living in the past and basing his views on past glories imo (and prob their own press and media based PR dept). He shat on 'little' brfc with Bellamy and wanted to do likewise with getting Neill on the cheap! I'm glad in a way that he misjudged the situation so greatly. If he wants Lpool to get to the summit of English football he needs to learn humility and use this example with Neill to re-think his policies.

[thenodrog]

I agree with 99% of what you say there but as a Club we can't afford to simply let players come and go as free agents.

If one of our more highly regarded players leaves occasionally we HAVE to be in a position to cash in. We need the fees more than most.

Tell you what Simon, given that Harrison is Todds agent I can see this scenario being repeated with him come the summer. Also don't tell me that all our better players will happily sign long term contracts now that they have seen what is on the table at some of the Premierships 'nouveau riche' clubs if all it takes is for them to play well and allow their current contracts to wind down naturally.

Edited January 24, 2007 by thenodrog

[pg]

Most Australians of his generation grew up watching Craig Johnstone score in the FA Cup back in the mid 80's.

Perhaps Lucas is smart enough to realise that he'll never make at a 'top' club as a player, so he's better off earning the cash to run his own club to make his other football dreams come true.

If he ends up bankrolling an Australian team that wins the Asian Champions League in 10 years time, does that mean he is ambitious enough and you'll all forgive him?

[FourLaneBlue]

West Ham for £70,000 a week or Liverpool for...what? £30k a week - if that?

I'd choose West Ham without a shadow of a doubt. Look at the money they are spending - they are a team on the way up and London is a great place to live. Certainly a lot more to do than if he just stayed at his gaff in Turton.

Liverpool might have Champions League football but it isn't the be all and end all. Surely turning down an extra 40k a week is a major lack of ambition?

Rovers fans are a strange bunch...many lambasted Bellamy going to Liverpool as he would be on the bench a lot then have a go at Lucas for West Ham for what will likely be a certain starting place! Why don't we just admit we like to slag players off when they leave?

[Jimmy Jupiter]

Rovers fans are a strange bunch...many lambasted Bellamy going to Liverpool as he would be on the bench a lot then have a go at Lucas for West Ham for what will likely be a certain starting place! Why don't we just admit we like to slag players off when they leave?

In some people's eyes I guess there's never a "right" way for a player to leave a us.

[brfc_jonesy]

West Ham for £70,000 a week or Liverpool for...what? £30k a week - if that?

I'd choose West Ham without a shadow of a doubt. Look at the money they are spending - they are a team on the way up and London is a great place to live. Certainly a lot more to do than if he just stayed at his gaff in Turton.

Liverpool might have Champions League football but it isn't the be all and end all. Surely turning down an extra 40k a week is a major lack of ambition?

Rovers fans are a strange bunch...many lambasted Bellamy going to Liverpool as he would be on the bench a lot then have a go at Lucas for West Ham for what will likely be a certain starting place! Why don't we just admit we like to slag players off when they leave?

I admit it! Big players that leave us i love to slag em off! It makes me feel better! Especially when they do really bad or get injured for long periods of time! Evil has no boundaries

[Roversider]

Who cares about Neill anymore? He's in the past and we ended up with Warnock which is what Sparky wanted.

Lucas was never popular with followers of the Reds after his appalling tackle on Carragher (yes, I thought it was when it happened). Guess he won't be intimidated walking out at Anfield though.

Claret and Blue - equates to the colour of bruises, injury and disease.

[yoda]

Who isn't a boyhood Liverpool fan these days?

ME

[AggyBlue]

Who? Lucas Neill, didn't he use't play for us? Yawn

[RevidgeBlue]

Tell you what Simon, given that Harrison is Todds agent I can see this scenario being repeated with him come the summer. Also don't tell me that all our better players will happily sign long term contracts now that they have seen what is on the table at some of the Premierships 'nouveau riche' clubs if all it takes is for them to play well and allow their current contracts to wind down naturally.

Well if that did suddenly become everyone's intention then we'd need 'em on long contracts so we could suss 'em out with 2 years to go and move them on then for a sizeable fee if necessary.

Edited January 25, 2007 by RevidgeBlue

[USABlue]

Maybe we've been a bit hard on Lucas. I saw today on Yahoo where a 77sqft Apartment, er flat, in London was selling for $335,000 with no heat or electric. Bloody hell 70K a week won't even pay the mortgage on a house

[thenodrog]

Well if that did suddenly become everyone's intention then we'd need 'em on long contracts so we could suss 'em out with 2 years to go and move them on then for a sizeable fee if necessary.

Eh? 5 year contracts for the likes of Amoruso and Matteo Simon? It cuts both ways you know.

Incidentally as for those two, BRFC had no qualms or sympathy over potting them and chucking onto the scrap heap had they? Quite right of course too but it just shows that there are two sides to the freedom of contract situation. Football by necessity is a hard and often dirty business innit?

[laughatthedingles]

Lets look at the facts:

Neill says he didn't go to West Ham because of the money but because they showed they wanted him, Liverpool tracked him for 6months and didn't we show we wanted him enough??

Neill says he didn't go to West Ham because of the money but because they offered him a regular game, wasn't he our captain?

Neill talks out of his arse, he went for the money, simple.

Not that I really care, average defender who now has a HUGE wage to rival the size of his ego.

Edited January 25, 2007 by laughatthedingles

[RevidgeBlue]

Eh? 5 year contracts for the likes of Amoruso and Matteo Simon? It cuts both ways you know.

Come on Gordon, you said initially "our better players!"

Were my ears deceiving me or did Lucas say something along the lines of "if Liverpool had maybe tried to get me then I would have signed for them." And didn't Curbs say something like "for an average player there were a few clubs after him". Maybe it was just me but the whole press conference didn't seem like a marriage made in heaven to me and I think it may all end in tears.

I saw that as well. It was a feeble attempt at humour by Curbs as in:

"For someone who is supposed to be an average player, but is really Roberto Carlos mark 2, it's not surprising there were a few clubs after him."

Unfortunately it went totally over the heads of everyone in the room (not even the merest titter) because they were probably all thinking "Yes, this is an average player."

[tcj_jones]

Liverpool only offered 30k a week? Do we have anything to suggest that? How much were we rumoured to have offered?

I'm sure that Liverpool were meant to be offering more than that.

[stuwilky]

Liverpool only offered 30k a week?

there were several stories the week before he went to West Ham suggesting that he was "pricing himself out of a move"

[thenodrog]

It still begs the question just who the f%^& do Liverpool think they are? "Pull on the red shirt and the honour will cost you 30k per week". They are of course reacting to the embarrassment of what is tantamount in the eyes of the scally supporters, a small club poking them in the eye with a sharp stick. (We saw it when Uncle Jack was splashing the cash and the old RFW openly stated that MU would never pay over £3m for a striker!) If Liverpools attitude is actually kosher though it will ensure that they are always in the wake of the other 3.

If I were the 'new broom' arab I'd see that as an opportunity to test his loyalty by halving Parry's own salary!

Edited January 26, 2007 by thenodrog

[herbergeehh]

It's arrogant, but their point is valid. They just lost a player to a side in the relegation scrap, as a team playing in the Champions League they were bound to make a big deal out of it.

[Bobby G]

Benitez has said that he did speak to Neill contrary to what Lucash has told the media and cant understand why he is not telling the truth.

Looking bad for you Lucash.

[Eddie]

It still begs the question just who the f%^& do Liverpool think they are? "Pull on the red shirt and the honour will cost you 30k per week". They are of course reacting to the embarrassment of what is tantamount in the eyes of the scally supporters, a small club poking them in the eye with a sharp stick. (We saw it when Uncle Jack was splashing the cash and the old RFW openly stated that MU would never pay over £3m for a striker!) If Liverpools attitude is actually kosher though it will ensure that they are always in the wake of the other 3.

If I were the 'new broom' arab I'd see that as an opportunity to test his loyalty by halving Parry's own salary!

I would have rather gone to Liverpool for less money than West Ham for more and I can understand where they are coming from. I don't know why people think it is pure arrogance that they think Neill has made the wrong decision. We would all be saying the same thing if a player turned us down and went to Watford for more money.