26 Mar 2020 11:09:56
Just sat down with my son to watch some Liverpool goals of the past and he asked me dad who was maxi Rodriguez he looked a very good player
Ed 001 of your around just how good was he in your opinion and did he leave us too soon?

{Ed001's Note - he had excellent technique and popped up with some great goals, usually important too (or it felt like they were) and was a very good player. However he would flit in and out of games and never seemed to get up to speed to the Prem imo. I think the problem was we signed him too late in his career and he could just not quite cope. There was certainly no lack of effort on his behalf and he had ability, games just seemed to pass him by at times. Though he was certainly not helped by the lack of quality around him.}

26 Mar 2020 12:34:20
🎶Maxiiiii, Maxi Rodriguez run down the wing for me de de de de de🎶.

26 Mar 2020 13:56:37
Honestly, Maxi was like playing with a goal poacher at times. 10 men most of the game, but he'd often pop up to stick it in the net. Except he was a midfielder instead of a striker.

Whilst we're on this period, views on Raul Meireles? I remember Kenny getting a lot of stick when we sold him, but I didn't think he was all that great. He was a bit like Maxi in that he'd pop up with goals/ assists but would drift out of games for periods.

Always felt his skillset was divided between two positions: Central midfield and attacking midfield, and he didn't have quite enough quality in either one to be class at it in the Premier League.

26 Mar 2020 14:21:27
Cheers for reply Ed will let me son read
I honestly felt he was class but around him like you said was some very ordinary players
This period of supporting Liverpool was fun but often very frustrating.

{Ed001's Note - some things don't change! It is still frustrating.}

26 Mar 2020 18:23:26
How is it still frustrating Ed?

{Ed001's Note - because we are so close yet so far from the title.}

26 Mar 2020 21:51:09
I think Maxi is still playing somewhere, or was until very recently. Cracking player, should have stayed with us for another season I always thought.

27 Mar 2020 11:22:45
How did you rate Raul Meireles during his shirt time with us ed? Was gutted when he went to Chelsea.

{Ed001's Note - why were you gutted? He was woeful. Only thing he did was the odd goal, the rest of his game was terrible. Couldn't pass or tackle, had no brains. I was glad to get rid personally, he was part of a bad period for the club, when the scouts were crap.}

27 Mar 2020 12:24:45
Similar era yossi benayoun he was git and miss I thought never understood why chelsea bought him wasn't good enough for thier team.

27 Mar 2020 13:31:41
Benayoun was a wonderful little player. Was gutted when we sold him. His winners against Fulham (Last minute after we dominated the game) and against Madrid at the Bernabeu will live long in the memory.

27 Mar 2020 18:13:56
Maxi's legs were pretty much gone when he signed for us, IMO. In the 3 years prior to that when he was with Athletico Madrid, he was brilliant. A truly smart, intelligent player who was a ball of energy and very skillful with great technique. Check out the goal he scored in the 2006 WC vs Mexico in extra time. One of the best and quality volleys (top bins, btw) you will ever see.

The fact that he was still an effective player for us just shows the amount of talent and ability he had as a player and became a tryue fan fav.

27 Mar 2020 22:33:49
Benny soured with me a bit when he said he left Liverpool because of Rafa, even though Rafa was sacked before he left.

Also he made some ludicrous claim that Rafa didn't let the players train with footballs during pre-season and just did all running and fitness, which people immediately shot down by going back and getting pre-season training pics from years gone by where they were all using balls to train.

If he'd said, "Look, I'm coming up on 30, Liverpool's form has nosedived and the Chairman is about to take the owners to court, I need to be somewhere else to try and win a trophy or two before my legs go. " I'd have respected that.