Fantastic words from Morientes

[Dule]

Great Guy

 

Morientes: Too much pressure on Liverpool new boys

tribalfooball.com - November 16, 2006

 

Valencia striker Fernando Morientes has revealed the pressure new players are under at Liverpool.

 

Morientes, 30, insists being reminded about Liverpool's illustrious past made him feel he had let the club down by not firing them to the league title.

 

The same could be said now about Rafa Benitez's entire squad as a 3-0 defeat at Arsenal has left them languishing 14 points behind leaders Manchester United.

 

Morientes said: "There were times when I felt like I should have been paying them to play.

 

"I really hope things pick up for them. The players want to repay the fans for their support.

 

"I had a good first year but the second was worse and the last three months were terrible.

 

"Liverpool has a special mystique. It's one of the greatest clubs in Europe and they should be title challengers every year."

 

f***en sad that he did not work out. He really was a nice guy and i dont think his comitment was in question, just his ability to adapt and also the pressure of playing for us.

[Hodgson for Chelsea]

Was his move not held up because he wanted some sort of payout that the club were stalling on? Not being funny just seeing if there's more to it than the quotes there. Whenever I saw him I just didn't think his heart was truly in it for us and that frustrated me. He wouldn't die for the club.

[Falconhoof]

I just didn't think his heart was truly in it

 

I got that impression too.

[Hodgson for Chelsea]

I got that impression too.

 

Did you read the article by Niall Quinn after the Benfica game (I think) when he compared Crouch to Mori? He was saying that Crouchy really wanted to fight for the shirt but he doubted Morientes was bothered either way. Had to agree with him TBH.

[Murphman]

That shot of him and Rafa laughing after THE game will stay with me forever. Plus I love to remind the chavs he has played in 4 more finals than Chelsea.

[tomasjj]

I got that impression too.

 

I bit like Gerrard then.....

 

 

 

I defo think Morientes' heart was in it, he just lacked strenght/pace to cope.

[Hodgson for Chelsea]

I bit like Gerrard then.....

 

I defo think Morientes' heart was in it, he just lacked strenght/pace to cope.

 

I've seen Stevie G go absolutely mental on the pitch on a number of occasions - not just at Riise on Sunday but at Westerveld and others. Nobody can say he doesn't care, the guy hates losing full stop.

[Figaro]

Morientes has admitted that he found the game too quick - he also had the wife nagging like hell during his final season about moving back to Spain or least letting her go back to Monaco.

 

He has continously spoken well about the club, players and fans since he left.

[Hightown Phil]

Of course his heart was in it, he just wasn't suited to English football.

 

He put a huge amount of effort in and ran his balls off.

[mercury]

past asking anyone to die for the shirt - that's a bonus. as long as the player gives 100% on the pitch, that's fine. And we cannot argue Mori did not do that - sometimes it hurt to see how hard he tried but just couldn't pull it off, as with some of our new players at the moment.

[Armin_Tamzarian]

I think towards the very end his heart wasn't in it. You could tell when he scored that he knew there was no redemption. Previous to that I think he tried but where in Spanish football he was considered strong in English football he was relatively weak. I don't think he ever adjusted to that.

 

As for the money/payout bit, these are professionals and they defend their interests. I don't have a problem with that.

[Nerik]

Great player who I think tried hard for us but could not adapt. It happens. He was a good pro and a nice guy and it was a real pity it did not work out.

 

He is apparently wanted by Juventus now.

[Leo No.8]

Morientes is a top class professional, and an excellent footballer (which he has proven since his return to Spain) whose game wasn't suited to England. Rafa said as much himself, I think he really liked Morientes and was hugely disappointed it didn't work for him here,and I feel the same.

 

It happens sometimes that a player isn't suited to English football - to suggest he wasn't committed is totally unfair; I hate it when people say things like that about foreign players on a whim, its so Ian St John. Why not say 'The Spaniard's' heart wasn't in it and go the whole way. I mean what exactly are the grounds for suggesting his heart wasn't in it - the famous body language chestnut again? Wasn't he waving his arms around enough and shouting, or diving into crunching tackles? Because he's never been that type of player so I don't know why people would have expected that to show he cared.

 

The domestic game here was simply too quick for him and it had a severe effect in other areas; he wanted far too much time on the ball in general play, and without that time he lost his composure in front of goal as well which was the real killer of his Anfield career. He missed chances and every one he missed sapped his confidence that little bit more.

 

Nevertheless, every time I saw him play he worked hard, and at times I think his finishing problems showed he was trying too hard. Sometimes a cross would come in and it would just need any kind of connection on the ball from a few yards out to score, but he'd try to guide it right into the corner and end up missing. He was thinking about it too much and for a striker, that is a serious problem - he's usually a fantastic header of the ball but he ended up missing some absolute sitters with his head.

 

He has said some nice things about Liverpool since leaving, and I think that shows the mark of the man; he clearly left with a great deal of respect for us despite things not working out, and there was no bitterness or arrogance on his part, no blame attributed to anyone but himself. Many footballers leave clubs, and because of their ego its always something else to blame rather than them under-performing.

 

I wanted Morientes to go myself, because it was clear his game wasn't going to work here after Rafa had given him plenty of chances. But I really do wish him all the best, and I'm made up to see him doing so well again. I'll always feel disappointed such a great striker wasn't able to perform for us, but it winds me up when I hear people say he didn't care because I think that is completely untrue.

[smithdown]

He missed chances and every one he missed sapped his confidence that little bit more.

 

Nevertheless, every time I saw him play he worked hard, and at times I think his finishing problems showed he was trying too hard.

 

 

Spot on post.

 

As well as chances he missed he had at least his fair share of top saves against him, as Rafa was always pointing out.

 

If only that one he lashed against the bar in the derby (when Garcia got the rebound) had gone in we might have seen a different player.

[Molby]

The Boro game at home, last season was the best

 

worked so hard and with so much guile too, already man of the match, he then scored 2 late goals to win us a game we could have lost - went home absolutely buzzing that day

[Armin_Tamzarian]

Good post Leo.

 

Until the World Club Championship I still thought he'd get it together. He missed chances in that game that he'd have buried without thinking before.

[CarraLegend]

I loved him, you could never fault his work rate and moments like his goal at Charlton, the header at home to Fulham, the double against Boro were all quality.

 

It's funny now, was watching him last weekend for Valencia and he mis hit a shot and it just went straight into the corner. Stuff like that never went for him here.

 

Some people seem gutted he's doing well at Valencia but I cant understand why, it's a totally different League and he's back in his own country, he just wasnt suited to English football like many other great players over the years. I wish him all the best and he's still one of the best strikers around.

[Nerik]

I consider myself lucky enough to have witnessed his best ever game for Liverpool. The 3-1 vs Fulham in 04/05. In the 1st half he had Fulham bamboozled with all the moves that he was carrying out.

[Guest BrianF]

He's a class act, on and off the pitch.

[tomasjj]

Excellent post, Leo.

[Hector McDougal]

I consider myself lucky enough to have witnessed his best ever game for Liverpool. The 3-1 vs Fulham in 04/05. In the 1st half he had Fulham bamboozled with all the moves that he was carrying out.

That was my first ever game at Anfield. He was superb that day. They couldn't cope with him at all. I thought that he would go from strength to strength after that. Glad to see him doing well at Valencia now.

Edited November 17, 2006 by Hector McDougal

[Nerik]

Yeah he was. I was Anny Road end and in the 1st half he pulled a trick by the corner flag in which he dragged his foot back and with a clever touch played in Traore to cross. Amazing.

[anfield]

Was his move not held up because he wanted some sort of payout that the club were stalling on? Not being funny just seeing if there's more to it than the quotes there. Whenever I saw him I just didn't think his heart was truly in it for us and that frustrated me. He wouldn't die for the club.

 

No one should die for the club or even consider it

[Rua]

A real shame it didn't work out for him, always remember the excitement building up after he had signed in time to play against the manc filth, maybe a game too early for him. Here are a couple of clips from youtube to bring a smile:

Goals

 

Good luck to him, nice guy, great player just didn't work out for us or him.

[Guest Cameron]

The Spanish league is easier to score in compared with the Premiership. The defending isn't as good and it's not as physical. Even Diego Forlan scored shed load of goals there. I doubt many of the top Spanish goal scorers would cut the mustard in English football, so Nando shouldn't feel to bad.