Saying Goodbye to Joe Allen
The news was devastating. Something that shook me to my core. So much so that Blink 182's "I Miss You" became a comfort song. Joe Allen was leaving Liverpool. Stoke City had offered 13 million for the central midfielder and Liverpool accepted. Like a poof of smoke my favorite Liverpool player on the current roster was gone. Honestly the news hurt when I first heard it. There was shock, depression, and anger. After four years as a Red, Joe Allen is now leaving the club. The move is perplexing to say the least, given how well Allen performed under Klopp and being named to the Euro 2016 team of the tournament. Plus Allen has become a cult like figure to certain sections of the Liverpool fanbase, yours truly included. While Allen does have an expiring coming up next season, the move is still perplexing to say the least. But I am not here to get into a debate about the move, I am writing this to say goodbye to Joe.
Joe Allen has been a lightning rod of divisiveness amongst the Liverpool fanbase. Joe Allen's tenure at Liverpool did not get off to the best of starts. When he was signed, many felt that the 15 million price tag was a bit high. While he did have some inspiring moments such as winning player of the early in August 2012. Yet Allen appeared to have periods where he would never reach that potential. In his first year, Allen only scored 3 goals, one of which was in a league cup game against Oldham Athletic. Sure he was a midfielder, but he atleast needed to have more goals. Worst he had no assists, which is a terrible sign for a midfielder. On top of that a shoulder injury would limit his season. The following seasons were not much better. For all of Rodgers tenure he lacked any assists. He appeared to not be a creator which is how Rodgers sold him to the fanbase as. Instead some Liverpool fans mocked him for his "sideways" passes.
Yet, under Klopp, Allen had a resurgence. One could argue that in the early weeks of the Klopp reign that Joe Allen was carrying Liverpool. He was critical in the Capital One cup run, hell when he came onto the field against Dortmund in the Europa League it sparked the comeback that sent Liverpool to the semi finals. With his heroic performances Joe became a cult like hero to a portion of the Liverpool fanbase. Compounded with his performance in the Euro Tournament(no midfielder had more interceptions) and it appeared that Joe Allen was going to be a building block under Jurgen. It would have been nice to see Joe work with Klopp more. But now we will never get to see that. Never get to see how well Jurgen would have continued to mold Joe Allen.
I admit that I did not grow up a Liverpool fan. In fact being an American, I really did not come into my Liverpool fandom till 2011. So I missed the glory days of Liverpool. Instead of memories of Liverpool's glory, they have been replaced with heartache. Yet even in heartache, I had found a line bright spot. That bright spot was Joe Allen. I saw Joe grow up, from Wee Joe when he came over from Swansea to the running internet meme he had become to the cult hero he became under Klopp. He was never the best player on the team, never a superstar and that was why he was so easy to root for. He was the every man at Liverpool. He didn't have a particular skill he excelled at, rather he did all the little things well. Sure, he struggled at times, but that is what made him endearing. Joe Allen never quit. Allen had no public ego or public disagreement with the management of the team. Joe Allen was more substance than flash at Liverpool. He just played football and that is all any Liverpool fan could ask of him. So from this Liverpool fan to Joe Allen I want to say thank you for everything you gave Liverpool.
Some will say that the move to get rid of Allen and his expiring contract was a smart idea. And yes, on the business side this was a good move. But on a personal level, this move hurts. It hurts to have my favorite player is no longer part of my favorite club. But that is just part of football I suppose. So Goodbye Joe Allen and good luck.
