Milan Baros

[LeTallecWiz]

Has announced his retirement.

Now I know he wasn't a legend - but I'm only bringing it up because he is the last player from that miraculous night in Istanbul who was still playing footy ...

YNWA Milan!

 

[Woland]

2004 when everyone I knew backed him to win the euros golden boot at 50/1, plus the CL win. Total legend

 

[dantes]

I was blissfully unaware of his tactical shortcomings at the time, and considered him a most pleasing striker to have in the team.

 

[HC]

I always had a soft spot for both Baros & Cisse , the latter was fueled by my borked view of him becoming a world class player for us

 

[darkstarexodus]

The name on the back of the first kit I purchased. I started following football during Euro 2004 and Baros' performance was part of what led me to finding Liverpool after the tournament.

 

[Modo]

oh he's not dead. Good.

 

[Athens]

Thanks for the memories, Milan.

 

[juniormember]

The corner flag was his best friend. Head down, running straight or zig-zag, he'd always end up there and defenders would just guide him there like matadors.
He was so shite a lot of the time, but was a massive part of our 2005 CL winning side. Worked his bollocks off as a lone striker in many games, and even played with a torn thigh muscle by taping it up like crazy (was it against Juventus? Can't remember) because we didn't have other options at the time. Brainless most of the time but had that fire in his belly that lots of players don't have.

 

[dogboy]

2004 when everyone I knew backed him to win the euros golden boot at 50/1, plus the CL win. Total legend

Me too.

 

[Donavan Ried]

YNWA Baros

 

[Judge Jules]

Unlucky to some extent in that he was around at the same time as Michael Owen. Baros and Heskey played a small number of games as a duo up front and the combination looked very promising (better than Owen/Heskey in my book, as it enabled Heskey to look like a player instead of a battering-ram who kept falling over) but it was never going to be our first choice option while Owen was around. And yes, as others have said he did his bit during our CL run, especially in the final itself when he set up Stevie's run which led to the normal time peno and then, when that was initially saved, refused to be pushed out of the way by Nesta who was desperate to get to the ball, giving Alonso vital extra seconds. Try and find a clip which includes the camera angle behind the goal and you'll see it clear as day.

Milan Baros YNWA.

 

[6TimesaRed]

didn't he drop the trophy of the bus causing it damage or something ?

Its been left as is never repaired, as it tells its own story..

 

[Beamrider]

didn't he drop the trophy of the bus causing it damage or something ?

Its been left as is never repaired, as it tells its own story..

Yep, it was damaged partying at the team hotel.

Sergio Ramos (spits) dropped the Copa del Rey off the open top bus, which then ran over the cup.

 

[Dreambeliever]

Loved Baros.

He had major flaws but was electric at times.

Scored some belters and was unlucky to have Owen around when he was breaking through.

He won be a bucket load at Euro 2004 and his movement to get out of the way of Smicers shot in Istanbul will always be a thing of beauty!

YNWA!

 

[mwake]

He was still playing... Didn't ngog also retire recently too... Are they the last of Gerrard houlliers players to retire?

 

[dantes]

He was still playing... Didn't ngog also retire recently too... Are they the last of Gerrard houlliers players to retire?

No, there is another still playing in France.

 

[got red on me]

He was still playing... Didn't ngog also retire recently too... Are they the last of Gerrard houlliers players to retire?

Houllier didn't sign N'Gog.

 

[dmishra]

Always had a soft spot for him. Had his flaws, but always ran his socks off.

 

[rurikbird]

I started following LFC in Fall 2004 and the first time I saw the pair of Cisse and Baros I thought they were going to be world-class. Both fast, hard-working, aggressive and Cisse had a cannon of a shot. The world-class thing certainly didn’t materialize (and in hindsight I should have known better), but it’s still a pity Rafa didn’t play them together more as a pair.

 

[dmishra]

The one combination which I thought we never used properly was Cisse as no.9 and Garcia as no. 10.

I remember we played them together against Monaco in the CL, and they were absolutely brilliant that day. But for some reason, Rafa never tried that again.

Of course, the problem was that all three of them - Garcia, Baros and Cisse just had too many individual flaws to ever become top class players.

 

[Richey]

He was still playing... Didn't ngog also retire recently too... Are they the last of Gerrard houlliers players to retire?

Le Tallec is still playing I think. And some of the youth players from back then too, but whether you’d consider them Houllier’s players is another matter.

 

[6TimesaRed]

Always had a soft spot for him. Had his flaws, but always ran his socks off.

With his head down looking at the grass..

 

[Richey]

I started following LFC in Fall 2004 and the first time I saw the pair of Cisse and Baros I thought they were going to be world-class. Both fast, hard-working, aggressive and Cisse had a cannon of a shot. The world-class thing certainly didn’t materialize (and in hindsight I should have known better), but it’s still a pity Rafa didn’t play them together more as a pair.

To be fair, Benitez did tend to play them both together at the start of that season. Remember though that Cisse broke his leg in October and was out until the middle of April. Then Baros left at the end of the season.

As I recall Baros was one of those who was heavily hyped when we first signed him (in the same way as Le Tallec, Pongolle, Gonzalez) but when he actually played he didn't look so great. Then he re-emerged again the next season and he was really good. Obviously it became clear eventually that he wasn't quite good enough but compared to others we have had over the past 20 years or so he was fine really.

 

[RedStar]

Maybe Im misremembering him but my general recollection of him was being infuriatingly inconsistent. Capable of dribbling past 3 opponents and then shanking the ball well wide of the goal. He had some good raw talent but almost no awareness of the game around him. Once decent opponents figured out he would just put his head down and run into space they would just usher him wide and let him attempt a shot from an impossible angle.

 

[SummerOnions]

My dad used to take me to watch the reserves when it was in Southport and we could get there in one train. He was offside 4 times a game and he was mostly shite.

The fact he retires as a CL winner a la Traore is one of the best things ever cos he was mostly fucking useless and yet somehow has an amazing little medal to show for his time. Fair play

 

[juniormember]

Maybe Im misremembering him but my general recollection of him was being infuriatingly inconsistent. Capable of dribbling past 3 opponents and then shanking the ball well wide of the goal. He had some good raw talent but almost no awareness of the game around him. Once decent opponents figured out he would just put his head down and run into space they would just usher him wide and let him attempt a shot from an impossible angle.

Yup pretty much. He did give us the ‘ghost goal’ and he did work his socks off away at Juventus and he did do his bit in the CL final, so I’ll always remember him fondly, for all his flaws.

 

[Athens]

Was it not Garcia who scored it?

 

[Richey]

Maybe Im misremembering him but my general recollection of him was being infuriatingly inconsistent. Capable of dribbling past 3 opponents and then shanking the ball well wide of the goal. He had some good raw talent but almost no awareness of the game around him. Once decent opponents figured out he would just put his head down and run into space they would just usher him wide and let him attempt a shot from an impossible angle.

About right on the whole, yeah. Still better than some of the other rubbish we had over the years but I don't recall anyone being too upset when he left.

It's extraordinary really that given the 2005 was the year of one of our finest ever achievements, that squad probably had the worst collection of strikers we have had in recent history.

 

[Judge Jules]

I wonder. Whom did we have at the same time as Voronin? I ask because that dipstick was quite possibly the worst even I can ever remember, certainly worse than either Cissé or Baros in my book.

 

[Richey]

I wonder. Whom did we have at the same time as Voronin? I ask because that dipstick was quite possibly the worst even I can ever remember, certainly worse than either Cissé or Baros in my book.

Torres and Kuyt would have been there at the same time. At some points Crouch and Keane too I think?