Liverpool FC Forum

Reg » Wed Apr 01, 2015 7:45 pm wrote:Sterling is not a spokesman for the club so I don't place any credence on what he says.

I do however take great exception to the absolute greed of people like Sterling turning down 100k a week then saying it's not about the money. The 2 faced arrogant greed compared to the fanbase of the club is disgusting and quite frankly if we have to start paying half the team 150k+ a week to win the league then I'm not sure I want to be part of it.

I completely agree.

F**k him. He's been poor this season and (while he has played out of position) has hardly shone when Up front or wide.

He's also heavily reliant on his pace, which means he's one major injury away from being the next Shaun Wright Phillips.

Eh, he won't be missed that much. Anything north of 30 mill will do for me. It won't hurt us that much IMO, but it will hurt him, he's not as good as he thinks he is and will find it hard to settle wherever he goes.

If I were FSG I'd start preparing for a fight because we need to milk whatever we can from him, and if I were Brendan I'd start looking for good replacements.

We Know all about Brendans replacements, thats the most worrying thing .

Ibe will be a better player than him anyway, the main damage will be reputational but as I said if we can bring in a Veratti or Barkley that would go a long way to putting that right.

As soon as you hear "Its not about the money" then you know it is. If he wants to progress his career and win trophies and doesnt see himself doing it here then fair enough. Thats football and players arent always the judge of whats best for them. What annoys me is the utter bo'llocks and insulting our intelligence. Hes a baby, talking baby language.
Fu'ck off lad and keep your bullsh'it to yourself

For me i wouldn't be offering him 100K a week because he has 'potential' to be great.

He needs to prove his worth and then reap the rewards.

I see a kid who thinks hes 'made it' and can do what he wants.  He needs to remember who gave him his chance.

F%uck the little sh!t off, i cannot be arsed with people like him. 

Hope if he leaves he becomes the next Arron Lennon.

I'd be delighted if we got £30 + million for someone who can hardly kick a ball.

Ive said it once and I'll say it again he should not put on a Liverpool shirt again until that contract is signed

Really good article in Telegraph this morning by Chris Bascombe, thought i would share it...


Raheem Sterling's interview was opportunitistic, offensive - and a massive PR own goal with Liverpool fans

The Liverpool forward has made a catastrophic misjudgment with his decision to go public on his contract impasse - now wait for the backlash

There’s a golden rule when assessing contract disputes. As soon as they say it’s not about the money, you know it is definitely about the money. Whether it’s about the pound, the Euro, or the sterling, it is always about money.
Raheem Sterling sat there, the Liver Buildings in the background and the chance to 'put the record straight' about being the kid who values titles over wages directly ahead. The Liver Bird and a ticking clock were over his right shoulder - an appropriate image given this is seen as the beginning of the end of his Anfield career. We can appreciate the choreography.
Sterling played the game as instructed. It's the 'cake and eat it' strategy pursued by all those who want out, but fear being hammered for having itchy feet.
• Sterling: Why I turned down £100,000 a week
The intention was for Sterling to position himself as the innocent party in a mess of someone else’s creation. Here is how we are meant to interpret it.
Yes, Sterling turned £100,000 a week, yes he asked for more, but this is not about fast cars, this is about trophies. It would not matter what he was offered now, but a recent revelation he would reject £180,000 a week to play for Liverpool was not presented as intended so he needed to make it clear that was, in fact, a way of underlining this is not about money.
Are we clear about the money and it not being about it? Good, we'll continue.

Next comes the implication the club does not appreciate him and can't match his ambition. They should have approached him sooner, and now they've let world-class players leave he needs time to consider all the options. It's not his fault - it is the club’s for not acting quickly enough (we won’t mention the trigger clause in the contract ensuring fresh contract negotiations as soon as Sterling played a certain number of games).
Then comes the plea to the fans for understanding. It's not easy being Sterling, with all those expectations and people creating a false impression, saying you want all that money. He has no idea where these figures come from, anyway. It's all so frustrating.
Next there is the unsubtle hint to potential suitors about his availability. It's always flattering to be linked with those clubs your representative has already got someone to link you with.
Those clubs might even want to sign you, too. It’s not that you really want to leave - you weren't thinking about leaving until that ill-timed £100,000 a week offer messed with your head - but you have been put in a difficult situation.

This must have seemed to play well to Sterling’s agent Aidy Ward when the film was in the can, but the conclusions being drawn this morning is the player has done more harm than good.
From the outset of the negotiations, Sterling’s own advisor pounded the money angle, and the player’s current response was necessary because it backfired so horribly.
It was not the club who sounded the alarm about the first, second and third breakdown in talks. It was not Liverpool who suggested Sterling should be paid a salary worthy of one of Europe's most exciting young players because that is how Brendan Rodgers had the audacity to describe him after an exceptional performance last season. It was not Liverpool who kept going on about ‘market values’ and paying an England international what he is worth.
• Scholes: Sterling doesn't realise how good he has it at Liverpool
The ambition line was more cunning, but wholly opportunistic. It is a lot easier to question the likelihood of Liverpool’s Champions League participation next season since their defeat to Manchester United than it was during the unbeaten run.
We've even heard some guff about Sterling being played out of position at wing back, as if this has been a seasonal trend rather than the consequence of an emergency due to injuries or suspensions. For the record, Sterling played wing-back for one half against Swansea and the first half against Manchester United.

He would have been up front in the second against United, but you will recall the small detail of a key player being sent off so the 20-year-old had to fill in at wing back for the rest of the game, too. It was most inconvenient to all concerned - except for those eager to promote the ridiculous notion Sterling is being misused.
We can debate if the desire to win the title will ever be realised under Fenway Sports Group, but we know one undisputable fact. Anfield is far more attractive under them than when Sterling signed in the bankruptcy-threatened final throes of Tom Hicks and George Gillett's reign in 2010.
The difference between then and now is the previous regime was willing to make Sterling the best paid 15-year-old in England. He liked the smell of that ambition, and turned down clubs in a far more promising position at the time because they offered less. Not about the money?
It is worth contrasting Sterling’s situation with that of captain-in-waiting Jordan Henderson, who has avoided the same negative publicity because of the professional approach to his current contract negotiations.

Henderson desperately wants to stay at Liverpool and, privately, will have his frustrations he has not signed despite only having a year left. Henderson could leave on a Bosman in 12 months so his situation is more pressing.
The club knows that and there is a respect between player, club and representative that makes an agreement far more likely.
Unlike Henderson, Sterling gives the impression he is ambivalent about whether he stays at Liverpool.
It was the same in February when in an interview organised by the club Sterling insisted on answering only one question on his future.
A follow-up asking whether he imagined playing for anyone else was met with a rebuke for daring to go beyond the single query limit.
By setting up his own Q&A, Ward hoped his client would look sympathetic, mistreated and 'just a kid who wants to play football'. Instead he looks desperate, ill-advised and a kid besotted with his agent.


If the plan was to appease Liverpool supporters, Sterling's interview was a failure. If the intention was to create a hostile reaction to facilitate a move it made more sense.
There is a fundamental flaw. There are two pesky years left on Sterling’s £35,000 a week deal and a club owner who has shown he is never bullied to sell, only doing so for a ridiculous price. Far from angry with Sterling, the Liverpool hierarchy give the impression they have the biggest cigar in Boston to chew on as they reflect on the folly of the unsanctioned interview.
The next move won't be Liverpool's. Sterling will need a second PR offensive to repair the damage of his offensive PR.

Former Manchester United star Paul Scholes has told Raheem Sterling to commit his future to Liverpool, adding "these young players don't realise what a good thing they are on."
The England international has rejected what manager Brendan Rodgers described as an "incredible offer" - believed to be £100,000-a-week - as the club look to tie down one of their prize assets.
Sterling still has more than two years to run on his current £35,000-a-week deal but talks have been put on hold until the summer, with the player claiming all the speculation over his new deal has been "a bit much" and he wants to "focus on football".

Are Arsenal any more ambitious / better placed to compete than us ?

Within the last 10 years how many trophies have Arsenal won? No more than we have...

Within the last 10 years how many times have they came within touching distace of the league ? None of the top of my head.... We have.... Twice.

Is consecutive 4th place becoming the 2nd best achivement in England ?

League & FA cups mean nothing to people compared to finishing 4th.  I find his 'ambitious' comment farce.  I see money grabbing agents and advisors who's ill advised him to do a pathetically stupid interview and told him what to say.

Football has gone to the dogs.

Not everyone is that way inclined though.....gone to the dogs....harsh I think.

This whole thing beggars belief largely due to his age more than anything else. Personally I don't know why there's such a great difference between winning a trophy at 20 or 23 if he were to do the smart thing and sign and manufacture a move in a couple of years if he really wants to go. Perspective from years on the clock is something you can't easily transfer. It's a shame that it's gotten to this, but it's inevitable that it was going to happen as we lack senior experience to knock him down the pecking order. The correct way to deal with this is spend wisely in the summer and bring in some undoubted experience. I still hope we can do that

In fairness to him, the old saying is that if you want to improve your game you have to play with people better than you. He clearly is now seeing himself as one of the best players in the club from the summer onwards and based on the current squad, that is hard to dispute. If the club can't support his development that way, I understand the situation. I am not convinced it is about money although the way that he is handling the situation is v. clumsy and poorly advised.

Kopite-Jud » Thu Apr 02, 2015 10:55 am wrote:Are Arsenal any more ambitious / better placed to compete than us ?

Within the last 10 years how many trophies have Arsenal won? No more than we have...

Within the last 10 years how many times have they came within touching distace of the league ? None of the top of my head.... We have.... Twice.

Is consecutive 4th place becoming the 2nd best achivement in England ?

League & FA cups mean nothing to people compared to finishing 4th.  I find his 'ambitious' comment farce.  I see money grabbing agents and advisors who's ill advised him to do a pathetically stupid interview and told him what to say.

Football has gone to the dogs.

I was just thinking the same thing. I have read that he's been closely linked with Arsenal and it was reported on the news this morning and he was described as "a London lad", so the media are setting this up, but I don't see Arsenal as having been more successful than Liverpool in the last decade.
Maybe someone can come up with stats, facts and figures? I don't see that as being an ambitious move at all.

Anyway, fu'ck 'im, I say.
If he doesn't want to wear the shirt, then he doesn't deserve the opportunity to wear it.
Slap a fee of £45M on him and see who comes calling. If no-one is that daft then let him play out his remaining two years on £30,000 a week without a review.
See how he and his money-grabbing agent likes the taste of that!
They can kiss the back of my balls.

BR quotes from the pre match press conference today...

Rodgers: "Raheem is not going anywhere this summer."

Rodgers on Sterling interview: "There was no permission from the club. It surprised us all. But he's a young player who is still learning."

Rodgers: "For Raheem, it's purely about the football. What the kid is trying to do is put off talk about him being all about money."

Rodgers on Sterling: "As a club we've shown that (money doesn't come into it). If the club doesn't want to sell, it won't sell."

Rodgers: "I'm quite relaxed on it. It's part of the modern game. Raheem still has a lot of improvements to make. This is great place for him

Rodgers: "Raheem's ambition is to win trophies and that's perfectly aligned with what we're trying to do. This is one of the great clubs."

Rodgers on Sterling: "Focus is purely on his football.That's my only concentration.I said intention of player and club was to put it on hold"

Oh man, unsanctioned interview. Very disappointed with RS. I watched it all and cringed, it was awful and he came over like a spoilt brat. 

What are the core issues here, imo, I don’t think it’s all about money, however,
1:  If BR didn’t speak so publicly, like he’s done before, about LFC internal business, I’m sure RS wouldn’t have done this. As I see it, when BR mentioned in public that RS had been offered an “amazing salary” or something along those lines, it sort of back RS into a corner.

2: RS definitely needs help with being represented correctly and appropriately. His reps are total waste of space and have made a massive mistake in allowing him to do the interview. RS looked totally out of his depth and really looked naïve and provided ample silly answers for the media to run riot. Totally not ready to handle the media like this (sound like anyone we know……)

3: FSG will definitely be unhappy with the circumstances that have led to yet another LFC  player giving an unsanctioned interview that brings major attention (unwanted I might add) to the club.

4: Perhaps RS will be fined a couple of weeks wages, I’m sure he will. However more importantly, I’m pretty sure LFC will hold his reps/agent to account for this debacle, so much so, that I hope LFC tell RS to find other reps/agent  as they will refuse to have further dealings with the existing one.

5: BR must be gagged from speaking to the Press/media. He should have known not to speak  contracts, player behaviour, negotiations of players etc.  BR is the person that publicly put pressure on RS. Therefore BR  has to  accept he handled it badly in the first place. He really needs to keep his pearly whites hidden about contract talks and leave it to the club and the agent to sort out - a better agent mind).

6: Who was it that decided to send RS on holiday? It will take RS time to mature into a top player, so in a sense fans have to accept some inconsistency from the youngsters in the early days. It’s the experience which will  teach the youngsters like RS to effectively step up (even when one is having a bad time of it). Imo he’s being mismanaged and sending him on  a holiday was a stupid thing to do.  This action said to him that he is ‘special’, and would have caused issues/rifts with the rest of the team. Imo, he never needed a break from the squad, i.e. if a player is knackered, then give them a day off training (or even take the whole team on a little break), but not one player.

I've stayed very quiet on the Sterling Fiasco, but here is my thoughts on the matter.

The media have really done us no favours with this kid by building him up to be the best young player in europe. He's good for his age don't get me wrong, but he's not even close to deserving that "tag"

His dribbling and speed can be devastating. . But pair that up with his terrible finishing and poor final ball and you have Aaron Lennon, Theo Walcott, Chamberlain. Sterling IMHO is no better than these 3 players, and did any of these players get offered 100K at 20 years old? No chance!!

If we honestly get offered £30million for Sterling we should accept immediately. .. players like Suarez made this average player look exceptional last year, now he's gone he looks back to being average.

Only problem then is Brendan Rodgers.. a guy thats proven to be terrible in the transfer market.