A few years ago (mainly after the 2007-2008 season) I would have snapped Inter Milan’s hands off if they had offered anything over £8 million for Dirk Kuyt back then. Fast forward to this summer however, and I’m dreading the constant reports linking our Dutchman with the European Champions. The stories are conflicting however, with the British press reporting that Roy Hodgson won’t allow Kuyt to join Inter, while the Italian press are reporting that they are actually getting closer to signing him.
I have to admit that in the past I have been one of Dirk Kuyt’s many critics. I never actually wanted him to be sold but I used to feel that he would be best utilised as a third choice striker who could come on in games and give us new options along with more energy. Another reason why I used to want Kuyt to be dropped to the bench was because up until the 08-09 season I felt that the Dutchman had become a bit complacent about his place in the team due to the fact that Rafa Benitez clearly favoured him.
It was in the summer of 2008 however when I began to see how effective Kuyt was playing in a good team. He was brilliant at Euro 2008 with Holland and never looked out of place playing in a team full of very technical footballers. Maybe the reason why I took Dirk for granted was because I can’t relax when watching Liverpool games, meaning any mistakes made by players are more likely to wind me up. But being able to sit back and watch Dirk play as part of a team that I wished well but wasn’t attached to meant I was able to view his contributions from a new perspective. They were unlucky not to go further in that competition but the tournament clearly seemed to have a positive effect on Dirk Kuyt’s form going into the next season as he went on to have his best year to date with us, finishing with an impressive 15 goals and being a key player in our charge for the title.
Last season wasn’t his best but he really did establish himself as a player to be relied upon during the big occasions (his winner against Everton being an example). The World Cup confirmed that Dirk Kuyt really has taken to his role as a wide-forward/winger with the Dutchman finishing as the tournament’s joint top assister. Watching him representing Holland in the World Cup final, the biggest match a footballer could ever play in, made me proud and what made it more satisfying was that people were no longer wondering how Dirk Kuyt managed to get into Holland’s first XI, he had truly proved himself as being worthy.
His performance against Arsenal a week ago showed that he may again be ready to carry his international form into the new season with us. He was very good while in possession and along with that showed some nice touches to take on Arsenal’s defenders every now and then. I’m a believer in Dirk Kuyt’s abilities and I also believe that under Roy Hodgson we could yet see the very best that the Dutchman has to offer. I can only hope that we manage to hold on to Dirk this year, as we’re hardly in a position to allow any more key players to leave with such little time left to find replacements.
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WHY I WOULD BE GLAD IF THIS TIRELESS DUTCHMAN GOES
he can’t beat a man, he can’t cross a ball past the first man, his first touch is that of an elephant which makes his second touch a tackle! yeah yeah, i know, he’ll run all bloody day, so bloody what? we need more than sweat!
Liverpool are NOT a team full of quality players – thus we can not afford to carry Kuyt and at his age his value will drop with every transfer window that passes. We have to let him go and bring in somebody that can stretch the play, beat a man out wide and deliver some quality into the box
but he can’t pass, tackle or shoot…..
Jovanovich also looks more like Baros with every game that passes – I didn’t expect him to be any better than Riera but I did expect him to be better than this, and at least put in a few dangerous crosses or shots.
We have one top class striker and a bunch of average/unproven backup strikers, but all of our wingers are average at best. Shouldn’t common sense then dictate that a top winger should be a priority, rather than a striker?? The sale of Kuyt and Masch should all be directed at the likes of Mata or Suarez, with any leftovers spent on replacing Lucas with a bigger & better central midfielder
Sell Kuyt and buy Ben Afra or Ardan Turan,Someone that can dribble,pass and has alot of skills to beat defenders.
@Akash, are you a cartoon character? i can’t believe you are for real! i know, you’re harry enfield aren’t you?
………..
………..
LETS PLAY 4-3-3 Attacking Game…..
Reina
Johnson-Carragher-Skrtel/Agger-Aurelio
Gerrard-Mascherano-Cole
Kuyt-Torres-Babel/Jovanovic
Play…
Attack-Attack-Attack and Attack..
Kill Every Team That We’re Meet.!
I agree with Jay Wright,and have had this view for a long time. Kuyt can only be indulged in a team of real quality players.He is a workhorse with limited technique, poor crossing ability and no real pace.His ability to run at everything or come of the bench to do the same is his biggest asset.However, Ive said it once and will say it many times more we will never win anything with Lucas and Kuyt in midfield!!!!
Sell Sell Sell, enough of this he works hard excuse, i was one who use to say that. We bought him as a striker he hasnt lived up to that, credit to his hard working and delivering on big occasions in the past, but his form in the world cup is a blessing because now his valuation has gone up slightly and we should use this opportunity to sell him and by a natural winger we need width if Roy wants to play 4-4-2 and thats natural width not what Kuyt, Babel and Jovanich do come in the middle instead of hugging the touch line……YNWA
Sell him look how can u be a winger and not beat a man or put in a dangerous cross. He can’t shoot very well he has no strength can’t cross or pass the only reason he has done so well for club and country is down to rafa favoring him. Igf rafa showed half as much faith in babel as in kuyt we wud be lookin at a different player now. Get rid of kuyt and lucas please bring in parker and another winger
I agree with the majority of the comments. We won’t ever get better money for him and we need better width in the park. Thanks Dirk for the memories.
ALL of you jokers need to realise that missing out on the champions league on top of having massive debts means that you can only afford average players and against city they showed you what to expect for the future ,you wont even be able to afford players like kuyt, never mind better ones ,you are no longer involved in challenging for the title ,your biggest battle this season will be trying to finish above EVERTON . SUPER SPURS TO WIN TITLE AND CHAMPIONS LEAGUE AND DOMINATE FOR A DECADE while little liverpool will face relegation in two seasons . AS A SPURS FAN I AM SO GLAD JOE COLE SIGNED FOR YOU SADDO’S
We should never have bought this sorry excuse for a premier league footballer, therefore the need to sell him is long overdue.
If someone placed an offer for him then I’d sell him in a heart beat.
Ok, he has good energy but so have many championship players trying to ply their trade. Other than that, Kuyt has no pace, very little technical ability, he can’t shoot, can’t cross and it’s no wonder hew doesn’t play up front any more. Problem is, Rafa tried to save face after wasting 9 million on him by using him in a right midfield spot. Compare him to Adam Johnson and James Milner the other night and you’ll see how far out of his depth Kuyt actually is.
We could sell him tomorrow and we’d never notice he’d gone. In my opinion, shared by many a pundit, he is a complete waste of time and money.
Get rid asap.
Good idea….
let’s sell the only guy other than Reina, who actually puts in a shift… Makes sense!
Every player wearing a red shirt looked average against city… Including kuyt…
11 players having an off day?
I think Roy thinks we already have crouch in our side, the way we were hoofing the ball up the field!
4-5-1 at home and 4-4-2 away?
Made his first change after we were 3-0 down?
Still playing agger out of position when aurilo was available?
Aqualani loaned out without giving him a chance… As if we have loads of creative players?
Previously cole takes pen while torres is on the pitch.?
We can blame the players…
But under rafa we never lost 3-0 like that… It was shameful!
Roy is Not the man for the job…
His school boy errors already have shown this…
He is only a yes man!
another poor media driven sky sports made liverpool fan, having a go at kuyt again.
er- go and support two minute clubs like spurs or chelsea if you want to have a go at players who have always been important to the team and club.
if you take a look at the respect gerrard and torres give kuyt and the fact that snjeider wants kuyt at inter i think you will have to change your eye sight on what you see from kuyt.
Make no mistake, aguero he is not, messi he is not, but before ronaldo left man utd for real, kuyt was the best scoring winger after him! and he hadnt ever really played as a winger.
Kuyt has made liverpool’s right flank hard to break, but with that waste of space johnson behined him, he has to do far to much work which stops him from being higher up the pitch.
johnson is only worth having for his offensive qualities, kuyt does his and glens job going to other way!
kuyt has always scored very important goals, which fans forgett too!.
if you want kuyt gone, then you need your head opened up, at a times when money grabbing pricks are jumping ship, kuyt is has love for the club and he is the last character or player you want out the door when the club is in a mess,,, think long and hard about wanting some other overseas money grabbing player for the quick fix rather than kuyt,, wake up
you a4re dead wrong.sell kuyt who is just hot air,hard worker but nothing comes out.i would rather have arda turan or even ben arfa than kuyt.did u see wat adam johnson was doing in the city game and u say kuyt can do that on the wing?.
I kind of agree but it would also be nice if Kuyt came out and said he was/wanted to stay. I hate it when there is doubt over a player’s future and he keeps his mouth shut. Dirk is a great player and a good person, but a little bit quicker with the ‘I’m going nowhere’s’ please Dirk.
well samuel charles & david tyrer, according to mr kuyt’s agent, dirk has told liverpool he no longer wants to be involved until inter milan link is sorted! mr loyal eh?
Mr. Loyal indeed. If this is true about Kuyt then he may as well just rule himself out and start buying his flip flops and learn how to dive effectively, because he is bound for Italy. I like to think of myself as a forgiving person, but after Monday night, any more players that don’t want to be involved until they see if a move away works out are welcome to leave. Just hope Dirk comes out and says it isn’t true.
I couldn’t agree more sir, people say that Dirk is useless, that he is old, and that he can’t get a good grip of the ball, but i say different. I think he is an exceptional player. I really don’t want to see him leave