The Soccer Blog: Paul Konchesky Looks South

Thursday, 27 January 2011

Paul Konchesky Looks South

By: Noel | January 27th, 2011
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With news coming out that Paul Konchesky’s move back to his former club Fulham is all but assured, it looks as though Liverpool will be saying goodbye to one more reminder of the short-lived Roy Hodgson era at anfield. This is, at least on the surface, good news, though it has been in the works in some form or another for a while now. When the window first opened there were a number of rumours floating around as to possible destinations for the underperforming fullback, but in the end they came to nothing with the revelation of FIFA rules stating that a player could only play for two clubs in the course of any given season.

This wouldn’t be an issue with a player like Christian Poulsen or Joe Cole, if a suitable buyer appeared and they were judged surplus to requirements, as they didn’t actually play in any competitive matches in league or cup competitions for their former clubs. However, Konchesky is in a similar position to a player like Javier Mascherano, who played in Liverpool’s opening day fixture against Arsenal before moving on to Barcelona. In a case like that, the rules state that the player must remain with his new club for the rest of the season–or at least that he cannot go on to play for a third team, which is where the loophole, and Konchesky’s potential escape route, lie as he looks to head back home.

One expects, though, that whatever the final details of the deal are they will not be favourable to Liverpool. This was already, taken as a whole, one of the worst transfer deals in the history of Liverpool football club. Not so much for the particular player involved, as the club has bought many who didn’t work out or simply weren’t up to the task before, but for the way in which Christian Purslow and Roy Hodgson managed to send £4M pounds along with youngsters Alex Kacaniklic and Lauri Dalla Valle to Fulham while also shipping English-trained 21-year old Emiliano Insua to Galatasary on loan when he had twelve months left on his contract.

Even if Dalla Valle looks as though he may go down as one of those who didn’t quite pan out in the end, he was rated as highly as £3M pounds last January when Fulham first came sniffing around for him. Meanwhile, the act of loaning out a player on a non-recallable loan for a year when he only has a year left on his contract is an act so bizarre it still boggles the mind six months later. And all of that was done to bring in the new manager’s favourite underwhelming English fullback and remind people that hey, at least Insua could get forward effectively and was young enough that one could hope for further development.

Whatever Liverpool gets back when Konchesky heads south–and given an understandable desire on his part to do so and both sides willing to deal, it seems fairly inevitable–it won’t be anywhere near what Liverpool paid to bring him north, even if one only considers the cash involved while ignoring the likely permanent loss of three prospects for absolutely nothing. That isn’t to say Liverpool should hold onto Konchesky as a matter of principle, of course, as that wouldn’t do any good for anybody involved in this whole mess, and in the end Konchesky probably even deserves this escape–he’s even likely to willingly take a pay cut for it. After all, it’s not his fault he got offered the move, and even if he clearly was never up to the task he didn’t sulk or complain. His mother does deserve ire for her “Scouse scum” comment, but at that point the relationship between the fans and the player was already untenable, seen as he was as an underperforming representation of the unpalatable Hodgson era. He still applauded to the stands when he was subbed off to unfortunate boos and catcalls, and meanwhile he, his agent, and the club all just buckled down and looked for a way out.

After an initial set back, it looks like that way has been found, and one more reminder of that awful summer when Christian Purslow somehow got himself the job of real life Football Manager will soon be heading back home. The club will take a hit on the whole exchange, but past mistakes aren’t improved by a stubborn refusal to deal with them, and this seems clearly a situation where cutting any losses is the best course of action. Whether the likely arrival of Stephen Warnock on loan to replace him will be all that much on an improvement on Konchesky, even if he’s fairly guaranteed to start with a less toxic relationship with the fans, is another question entirely.

Some Related Liverpool Posts:Konchesky Lets His Mouth Do The TalkingRyan Babel Leaves, Joe Cole’s Still Here, and Other Tuesday NotesSquad Announced; Fernando Torres Has Been Paying AttentionMatch Preview: Liverpool v. West Bromwich Albion, 08.29.10Matchday: Liverpool v. Sunderland

Category: Premier League, Team News, Transfer News

Tags: Christian Purslow Is Worse Than Hitler, Fulham, Paul Konchesky, Premier League, Roy Hodgson, Team News, Transfer News, Transfer Rumors
Tweet « Liverpool 1, Fulham 0: Luck is Earned | Home | JoelTorres responds to Chelsea bid: [img]http://img683.imageshack.us/i/...]JoelTorres responds to Chelsea bid: http://img683.imageshack.us/i/.../liverpoolfootballblog"To all you Liverpool Scouse scum, take a real look at your team. Stop living in the past. The team are crap. Never should have left Fulham."

Wow. I didn't hear about this until today. Where does she get off? Rest assured he won't be playing again this season for us or Fulham. Seriously, does he think he's just going to walk back into their first team after the way he dogged them earlier this season.

He's a gold digger and quite frankly he's going to rot on the bench for the rest of his career. Glad we beat Fulham on Wednesday and I hope we spank them next season.RoscoSee those dirty blues have failed to pilfer el niñoLFCLOOKS LIKE JOVANOVIC IS GETTING BURNED AS WELL THE CHEEKY TWAT JUST TURNED A MOVE TO WOLFSBURG DOWN FUCK OFF MILAN YOURE SHITE AS WELLYannSome of the sweetest words I’ve read recently: From the Guardian yesterday – “Four league games into his second coming and Kenny Dalglish has Liverpool where Rafael Benítez left them: seventh in the table and longing for new faces to take them higher. It really is like the Roy Hodgson era never happened.” Oh, if only that were true.

The only correction I’d suggest is that it’s the Hodgson ‘error’ not era.

He’s the disastrous marriage and quickfire divorce quickly buried and never again spoken of. Ahh!

And if we need any reminding about the quality of our new manager, here’s Dalglish: - "I think we are better than seventh but it [the table] is getting a wee bit more realistic now. We will not get carried away with seventh, that's not where this football club wants to be."

Once again, ahh!
JerodIt will take some getting used, this feeling of agreeing with nearly all the club's squad & personnel decisions.

I'm still having nightmares of Carlton Cole driving a moving van toward Merseyside.LFCNA IM NOT HIS MUM I THINK WE SHOULD BURN HIM HE IS A BALD WANKERplastic scouserhaha. now come on, don't be baldist!! hahaEdSeems like the logical next step if he can't be sold.Andy-swede-nortoncan we burn his mum too? The cheeky slag...LFCna we can all get blown by mrs konchesky and sponk all over herNoelAll right, kids, let's not sink to Andy Gray's level all of a sudden.LFCANDY GRAY JOINING BLACKPOOL AS COACH HE CAN TAKE KONCHESKY THERE AND KARL OYSTON CAN BRING OWEN OYSTON BACK 2 THE CLUB AND RENAME IT BLACKPOOL SEX OFFENDERS FCAndy-swede-nortonJust downloaded the new xbox fifa11 with comentary, It's dead realistic, my wife just walked in and andy gray told her to fook off back to the kitchen! :-)LFCPAUL IS A GREAT PLAYER KEEP HIM KENNYAndy-swede-nortonLFC - Are you his mum? :-) He is average, good enough for premiership, but not Liverpool.NoelHeh, seems possible. But you were right earlier, even if Dalglish wanted to give him another shot, I don't think he can in the circumstances.plastic scouserHe was never gonna get another game after what his dear mummy said about us scousers. Had she not done that, Kenny may have given him a chance, like poulson.Ianrouillonits the level were at signing players, noone else wants. even now we cant sign a class left back, a striker or midfielder. and even when we sign rubbish we cant sell them noone wants them unless there free lets hope now kenny is back it all changes ..blog comments powered by Disqus