Phil is an odd one for me, as to where I put him in my mental boxes for ex players
For context ex players for me tend to fall into a couple of different categories
One. I really miss them and I always have a bit of a gut churn when I see them play for other teams
Two. I don’t really care one way or the other about them for whatever reason
Two easy examples of this are Torres and Suarez
Torres falls into number one, Suarez into number two.
There is always various reasons for that, but on those two it’s pretty much like this
Torres, I never felt when he signed for us we were a stepping stone in his mind, he’d turned other moves down and left his boyhood club to come to us because he felt he could achieve everything here he wanted, I always felt he would leave and probably go back to Atleti once he’d won what he came to win.. but. Unfortunately we weren’t at that level, the off field stuff, the team slowly breaking apart around him, he get he had to go somewhere else to win what he wanted to win, he did that at Chelsea and it always hurt me to see him there because of how he was loved at Anfield and how much he obviously enjoyed it here, it was his second home after Atleti.. you can tell he never enjoyed his time at Chelsea like he did here even if it provided him with the trophies his career wanted
Also I think the whole club makes me remember his time better, I loved that time in Our history, I loved what Rafa built, the players we watched at the time, the European nights, the feeling of being right there on the edge of being a real team again.
For Suarez I never felt the same, I always felt he used us as stepping stone, he never saw us as a destination. He’d have gone to Spurs if we hadn’t stepped in.. the Arsenal move he tried to force left such a bitter taste, going on strike to try to force it
An unbelievable talent, but a c**t of a fella
Also that 13-14 season, yes great in the moment but built on sand, I never felt as fully invested in that group of players or manager as I did Rafas or Houlliers or even Evo’s.. let alone Kennys of the late 80s or Jurgens now
At times when I sit back and watch season reviews I’ve never watched back that one
For Phil though, I guess he goes into the second category, but for other reasons, it’s a shame because he could and should have been part of Jurgens era, but would we be in this current era had Phil not left so we could reinvest his fee into two players who have helped transform us to this level? Because we wouldn’t have them had he not left
I guess I’m glad he did personally but I bet he regrets it massively, he left when we were right on the edge of greatness and he’s gone on to be just another squad player wherever he’s gone since, he can’t get into what’s the worst Barca team for two decades
He left us some nice memories but I don’t think about him really anymore, apart from the odd season review when you see performances like his one at Old Toilet in the europa league and the like
Perfect example of someone who thinks the grass is greener when in fact you’re sitting on the lushest lawn you’ll ever see
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