ECHO Comment: "Fears of Witch-hunt Against Liverpool FC"

[davek]

The problem is, like a lot of young people they are badly advised. It is easy to judge him, but I was a massive whopper at 19/20 and thought I was the big I Am. I wasn't a very successful athlete and had nothing to back up my arrogance, so I dread to imagine what modern footballers are like.

The problem is this hasn't been helped by Rodgers. In fact it has been openly championed by Rodgers. Rather than challenging that arrogance he feeds into it, telling Sterling he's the best young player in Europe and other such nonsense. It's little wonder it's all gone to his head. They've created a monster.

It's no good now telling him to "concentrate on your football and move to Real Madrid when you are good enough too" once you've boosted his ego.

The sending him on a trip to Jamaica as a bribe to get him to sign and all the flattery looks all the more stupid now. Sterling has taken their hype, believed it and unfortunately for them feels he is too big for Liverpool.

That's the bit of the equation they miss, which I love, when they brag about how great their players are. That if they were that great they would leave a club like Liverpool, and want to work with a better manager than Rodgers.

They've been weak with Sterling, because they know from experience now that these players who leave them have gone onto success and bigger and better clubs. As far as I see it they have no hand to play with Sterling other than leaking info and getting the angry mob on his tail and try and pressurise and scare him into signing a new contract. That's the pathetic position they're in.

As for Sterling himself: leaving aside the wage demanded, my point is that he's plenty old enough to realise that the strategy as set out by his agent simply doesn't work. When you find yourself propelled onto the BBC evening news to explain your position you know you've been advised by an utter nobhead who cant handle the situation. I dont know, maybe I'm giving too much credit to him, maybe he's a bit childish for his age and cant think for himself. Perhaps all those who've been pampered like him are and they cant think and act independently.

 

[tsubaki]

As for Sterling himself: leaving aside the wage demanded, my point is that he's plenty old enough to realise that the strategy as set out by his agent simply doesn't work. When you find yourself propelled onto the BBC evening news to explain your position you know you've been advised by an utter nobhead who cant handle the situation. I dont know, maybe I'm giving too much credit to him, maybe he's a bit childish for his age and cant think for himself. Perhaps all those who've been pampered like him are and they cant think and act independently.

Going on the BBC was more about the weakness of the RS position than it is about the failures of his/his agents strategy - it was them after all who told everyone about how he wasnt signing a contract despite it being more money than anyone has the right to turn down / dont they know they are born / YNWA / he is probably a Tory anyway / real people would take decades to earn that money / didnt he hit his bird? etc etc.

He and his agent know that people will give him more money than that, either the Man Citys of the world or the nonsense when they realise they are in a corner and have no option but to give him the huge wedge he is after (just as they have done with Gerrard, and Suarez at least twice), or he will jib them off for nothing.

 

[davek]

Going on the BBC was more about the weakness of the RS position than it is about the failures of his/his agents strategy - it was them after all who told everyone about how he wasnt signing a contract despite it being more money than anyone has the right to turn down / dont they know they are born / YNWA / he is probably a Tory anyway / real people would take decades to earn that money / didnt he hit his bird? etc etc.

He and his agent know that people will give him more money than that, either the Man Citys of the world or the nonsense when they realise they are in a corner and have no option but to give him the huge wedge he is after (just as they have done with Gerrard, and Suarez at least twice), or he will jib them off for nothing.

That's not a negotiating strategy it's a huge blunder brought about by pressure on the player from fans and the Kopite commentariat. The agent and the player have buckled under that pressure. I'm sure LFC didn't want this to happen like. They'd have hoped that by slowly turning up the heat on him they'd have got his signature eventually.

But Sterling now has to contend with this situation: Liverpool go away to Arsenal relying on him as the main striker and he needs to deliver. If Liverpool lose and United steal an 8 point gap the scapegoating of him will be irreversible. The club are saying he cant leave and he'll desperately want to go this summer especially with only the EL to look forward to.

 

[No8Bally]

"Liverpool are one of the superpowers of football and if the owners don't want to sell, they don't have to," said Rodgers.

Rodgers added: "Concentration should be on his football. If his ambition is to win trophies that's aligned with what we do here."

"This is one of the great clubs of the footballing world and, for Raheem, to be playing here it's an honour," added Rodgers. "He understands that, he sees that."

Mr Waffle continues to make my sides ache!

 

[catcherintherye]

They've been weak with Sterling, because they know from experience now that these players who leave them have gone onto success and bigger and better clubs. As far as I see it they have no hand to play with Sterling other than leaking info and getting the angry mob on his tail and try and pressurise and scare him into signing a new contract. That's the pathetic position they're in.

As for Sterling himself: leaving aside the wage demanded, my point is that he's plenty old enough to realise that the strategy as set out by his agent simply doesn't work. When you find yourself propelled onto the BBC evening news to explain your position you know you've been advised by an utter nobhead who cant handle the situation. I dont know, maybe I'm giving too much credit to him, maybe he's a bit childish for his age and cant think for himself. Perhaps all those who've been pampered like him are and they cant think and act independently.

It could be that the agent has been weak and is bottling it. However I suspect that it is more indicative of a breakdown in talks and the agent going for the nuclear option. I'm inclined to think that because of how "Stevie" behaved earlier in the season, breaking rank and implicitly criticising the club/management.

It's not to say that it's not a huge mess up. Clearly if he's anticipating staying it is. If he's made his mind up he wants to leave then it takes a slightly different twist. Maybe he just can't hack playing for Rodgers anymore?

The joy of it for me is that nobody comes out of it well. Not Sterling nor the club. Rodgers is slowly losing that dressing room. A bit like Moyes he can't handle the big personalities one iota. This is why he went out and bought a whole cluster of solid decent players like Lallana with the Suarez money. Also contrast Sterling to the ease with which Martinez got Stones and Barkley to sign a contract.

I also think Rodgers is boxed in by an American board who are treating the football club like it's a mathematical conundrum. They place a worth on each player and clearly that is restrictive. The premise is ok, but you end up a squad full of decent players but very few match winners. The problem comes though, when you employ David Brent who needs to the world that his also rans are actually the best players in Europe, but you have an ownership who are only willing to pay them what they are worth (which is far beyond his expectations).

As for Sterling realising, he will probably know the strategy doesn't work. The Club have hung him out to dry a bit though. He could have either backed down and signed in, or come out fighting. It's clear the lack of discipline from Rodgers, and also a lack of trust the players have in him means they are happy to break rank and make him look a mug.

 

[catcherintherye]

"Liverpool are one of the superpowers of football and if the owners don't want to sell, they don't have to," said Rodgers.

Rodgers added: "Concentration should be on his football. If his ambition is to win trophies that's aligned with what we do here."

"This is one of the great clubs of the footballing world and, for Raheem, to be playing here it's an honour," added Rodgers. "He understands that, he sees that."

Mr Waffle continues to make my sides ache!

He just makes a rod for himself. The problem is they are not superpowers. They are a decent top 6 club but a million miles away from a superpower. On the radio today they were called a selling club, that sums them up perfectly. Welcome to our world Brendan.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

If they do make the FA Cup Final, I'm starting to wonder whether Rogers will even play Gerrard at this point

I don't think he'd start him, and he'd be justified based on current form

 

[Minimeister]

Don't get the argument that he's better off staying where he is. This is the club who told him not to play for England but played him in the 3rd round of the league cup because their manager is that desperate for silverware to keep his job. How is it good for him to continue playing under a plum who's never won anything. He's seen what playing alongside Suarez can do for him as a player and as well as winning something he also knows he's more chance of developing with better players around him instead of the garbage they've bought in the last couple of years. I don't think it is all about the money, I think he sees they're going nowhere and wants out.

 

[LinekersLegs]

It could be that the agent has been weak and is bottling it. However I suspect that it is more indicative of a breakdown in talks and the agent going for the nuclear option.

The joy of it for me is that nobody comes out of it well. Not Sterling nor the club. Rodgers is slowly losing that dressing room. A bit like Moyes he can't handle the big personalities one iota. This is why he went out and bought a whole cluster of solid decent players like Lallana with the Suarez money. Also contrast Sterling to the ease with which Martinez got Stones and Barkley to sign a contract.

I also think Rodgers is boxed in by an American board who are treating the football club like it's a mathematical conundrum. They place a worth on each player and clearly that is restrictive. The premise is ok, but you end up a squad full of decent players but very few match winners. The problem comes though, when you employ David Brent who needs to the world that his also rans are actually the best players in Europe, but you have an ownership who are only willing to pay them what they are worth (which is far beyond his expectations).

As for Sterling realising, he will probably know the strategy doesn't work. The Club have hung him out to dry a bit though. He could have either backed down and signed in, or come out fighting. It's clear the lack of discipline from Rodgers, and also a lack of trust the players have in him means they are happy to break rank and make him look a mug.

Putting that second string team out at the Bernabeu is likely to have dented the confidence in Rodgers, both in those first team players who wanted to start (Gerrard, Sterling) and those who did begin the match but knew that he was throwing them to the wolves.

They only lost by one goal but they still lost and it ultimately proved pointless resting their "stars" as Chelsea beat them. Must have been even more dispiriting for the second string players that actually performed well versus Real Madrid but who still got benched in the later games.

 

[davek]

It could be that the agent has been weak and is bottling it. However I suspect that it is more indicative of a breakdown in talks and the agent going for the nuclear option. I'm inclined to think that because of how "Stevie" behaved earlier in the season, breaking rank and implicitly criticising the club/management.

It's not to say that it's not a huge mess up. Clearly if he's anticipating staying it is. If he's made his mind up he wants to leave then it takes a slightly different twist. Maybe he just can't hack playing for Rodgers anymore?

The joy of it for me is that nobody comes out of it well. Not Sterling nor the club. Rodgers is slowly losing that dressing room. A bit like Moyes he can't handle the big personalities one iota. This is why he went out and bought a whole cluster of solid decent players like Lallana with the Suarez money. Also contrast Sterling to the ease with which Martinez got Stones and Barkley to sign a contract.

I also think Rodgers is boxed in by an American board who are treating the football club like it's a mathematical conundrum. They place a worth on each player and clearly that is restrictive. The premise is ok, but you end up a squad full of decent players but very few match winners. The problem comes though, when you employ David Brent who needs to the world that his also rans are actually the best players in Europe, but you have an ownership who are only willing to pay them what they are worth (which is far beyond his expectations).

As for Sterling realising, he will probably know the strategy doesn't work. The Club have hung him out to dry a bit though. He could have either backed down and signed in, or come out fighting. It's clear the lack of discipline from Rodgers, and also a lack of trust the players have in him means they are happy to break rank and make him look a mug.

Yeah, I think that's right about the club owners. They seem to have backed Rodgers in terms of fees (even if they cant attract star players they are still spending at the rate of a regular CL club, transfer fee wise). But they seem intent on holding the line on wages and it'll probably see more than Sterling out the door before long.

Liverpool want the status of a 'superpower of world football' (as sh1t for brains has described them as today), but players at the very top of their trade dont buy into it, and they cant attract or keep top quality (or what passes for top quality).

The other thing to note about the Gerrard and Sterling wage sagas is that it'll be registered by the agents of the type of players who Liverpool need to step up to the next level and they will steer their clients a million miles away from playing for them. Then the whole thing feeds in on itself and they dont progress, which means that the next one through the ranks like Ibe, maybe, leaves even more quickly than Sterling.

 

[roydo]

the next one through the ranks

The last one "from the ranks" is off to play football in America the last time I looked mate.

 

[Jags..class]

100k is a great offer for a 20 year old who has one very good season. He been tapped up but who tapped him up

 

[davek]

The last one "from the ranks" is off to play football in America the last time I looked mate.

Yeah, Sterling and Ibe were bought, so I suppose that doesn't strictly count.

 

[roydo]

Yeah, Sterling and Ibe were bought, so I suppose that doesn't strictly count.

I was being a bit unfair really!

 

[tsubaki]

That's not a negotiating strategy it's a huge blunder brought about by pressure on the player from fans and the Kopite commentariat. The agent and the player have buckled under that pressure. I'm sure LFC didn't want this to happen like. They'd have hoped that by slowly turning up the heat on him they'd have got his signature eventually.

But Sterling now has to contend with this situation: Liverpool go away to Arsenal relying on him as the main striker and he needs to deliver. If Liverpool lose and United steal an 8 point gap the scapegoating of him will be irreversible. The club are saying he cant leave and he'll desperately want to go this summer especially with only the EL to look forward to.

How is it a huge blunder? Him and his agent either want more money than is on offer, or he wants to move to a bigger club, or both. Going on TV to explain himself isnt "buckling under that pressure", the only thing that would qualify as that is him meekly signing the deal (edit) before anyone knows if they will be in the Champions League next year.

Besides, the club bringing about the pressure from fans and the twatterati just shows how bereft they are of any real options.