Topic: Raheem Shaquille Sterling

[Jookie]

He might only be 18 but Sterling needs to get his head together otherwise he'll throw away what could be a promising career. Too many off the field incidents when he needs to be knuckling down and concentrating on his football.

A loan deal would be a good idea. Needs playing time and probably needs time away from the his current lifestyle to get himself back on track. Somewhere like Yeovil which is out in the sticks but playing at a good level might be ideal.

[Sat1]

Lads young, and looks like confidence is gone.

Needs a bit more muscle and to believe in himself more. Shouldn't be starting. Should be coming on when we play shit and look for a bit of inspiration from the bench. Should be coming on when we're on fire, our play is gelling and we're scoring for fun. That'll help in progress on the pitch and then help him mentally.

[OldBloke]

Lads young, and looks like confidence is gone.

I'd say just the opposite. He gives me the impression that he thinks he's made it and is now happy to swan around on easy street. He doesn't seem to understand that the contract was to stop him going anywhere else and NOT because that is what his present contribution to the club is worth.

[sattapaartridge]

I think Sterling needs to play a more "narrow" position inside of the opposing fullback rather than outside. he seemed to be the one who was able to find spaces between henderson and suarez, but only when he came more central. I'm encouraged by his game intelligence to be able to do that. Definitely struggled with the physicality of the game though, but look at the size of him!

Im probably more dissappointed by johnson not coming into that position, forcing sterling inside.

Not going to say anything about his mentality, as forums tend to pin the babel and pennant on all players of same descent.

[the_red_pill]

Sterling had the same sort of "blimp" with no end product when he made the step from the U18s. Month after month of glitz & glamour without much end-product and we wondered what was going on. Dribbling into dark alleys- holding onto the ball too long- and being dispossessed, tame shots at the keeper and misplaced passes as well as wayward crossing.

He adapted and it worked out.
I doubt Raheem is coasting, thinks he made it or sits back on his laurels. He's not the type of kid to do that- judging from his background, his mom's attitude towards his career, his hard work to get to grips with the Reserves and his eventual breaking into the team.

For me, it's a simple issue of trying to understand his role in the team, getting to grips with playing against men and a new environment as well as adapting his skill and understanding to this level.


He'll come right- just like he did a season or so ago. He just needs to learn from each game. I believe in the kid.

[AB LFC]

Hasn't been the same since the club threw all that money at him. Now where have I seen that before

[Bird Bird Bird The Bird Is The Word]

Needs to go on loan to a Championship club and gain some first team experience that isn't under-21 level.

[TobyLFC]

Needs to go on loan to a Championship club and gain some first team experience that isn't under-21 level.

Agree, some regular game time in.

[RedSince86]

i also noticed in the game when suarez had a chance to pass to him he would wait and pass to moses or someone else, happened about 5 or 6 times in the 1st half

[Aaron Rattray1]

Well to me i think hes overrated, just like i have been saying for months and months and months, poor decision making, hes like theo walcott, pace and that is it, whereas Ibe looks alot better, Ibe should be considered ahead of sterling i think

[Solomon Grundy]

Surprise he even started yesterday to be honest with you.

[the_red_pill]

Hasn't been the same since the club threw all that money at him. Now where have I seen that before

Doubt Rodgers would play anyone who doesn't show signs of promise and hard work in training or behind the scenes. I think he is a good judge of character and he won't hesitate to single you out and put you down- whether within the group or publicly.

If you don't perfrom, you're not going to play and you'll be off at the earliest window, so yeah- I think it's an issue of adapting. Raheem had it easy when he made the step-up, but now his enthusiasm and "can't-believe-it" attitude has worn off(that's natural- it's not a "made it" attitude). Now comes the part where Rodgers actually coaches him and that's what he(Rodgers) is about.

Raheem is only 18 years old. He's not laced with wisdom and the might of the sun coursing through his veins, coupled with years of experience edged on his face and fire in his eyes. No- in fact, he only developed pubic hairs 5/6 years ago!

How do we know he's doing what's required in training? Rodgers plays him. Why was Daniel singled out? He didn't train well due to other commitments and he was singled out. Not so with Raheem. We should just give the lad a chance and support him.

[gazzalfc]

Well with Sturridge out and Coutinho carrying his injury I think we'll be seeing a lot more of Raheem this month.

Good luck to him because he'll have a lot to do to convince everyone that he is a Liverpool player

[The G in Gerrard]

Good luck to him because he'll have a lot to do to convince everyone that he is a Liverpool player

Before his 19th birthday?

[Fordy]

Well with Sturridge out and Coutinho carrying his injury I think we'll be seeing a lot more of Raheem this month.

Good luck to him because he'll have a lot to do to convince everyone that he is a Liverpool player

You being serious?

The lad is 18.

So wait - Allen, Henderson and others can convince some they're Liverpool players but an 18 year old doesn't get a fair amount of time too.

We spent over 30m on Allen and Henderson.Sterling cost about 5m and so far has broke in the 1st squad, got an international cap and plays for the under 21's. Considering he is 18 I think he is doing well myself.

[Hank Scorpio]

I'm not quite sure we are being fair to him.  We seem to throw him into situations where he will struggle.  How about some minutes when we are a few goals up?  Instead it's a case of 'go and get us a goal, Raheem' or international striker is injured, in you go.

[Hazell]

I'm not quite sure we are being fair to him.  We seem to throw him into situations where he will struggle.  How about some minutes when we are a few goals up?  Instead it's a case of 'go and get us a goal, Raheem' or international striker is injured, in you go.

Yep, would have liked him to get some more games time with us this season instead of being thrown in with unrealistic expectations. We need to make better use of the squad we have.

[Dubred]

Needs to go on loan to a Championship club and gain some first team experience that isn't under-21 level.

Some players need more regular gametime than others to discover form and potential and Sterling is definitely one of them.

He's a talented lad but has digressed considerably.

Its doing a lot of harm though that hes not regularly playing to iron that inconsistency out of his system.

Would love to see him go out on loan.

The staff really need to get the loan move right though.

[Fordy]

I'm not quite sure we are being fair to him.  We seem to throw him into situations where he will struggle.  How about some minutes when we are a few goals up?  Instead it's a case of 'go and get us a goal, Raheem' or international striker is injured, in you go.

Totally agree. The lad is 18 and needs games.

Instead of getting Moses we should of just stuck with Sterling/Ibe and counthino.

It's so hard for a kid not to shine every game unless they're getting a run of games.

[Fordy]

Would love to see him go out on loan.

The staff really need to get the loan move right though.

Buy back Ince and send Sterling to Blackpool for 6 months.

[The G in Gerrard]

Buy back Ince

That'd be pointless

[Fordy]

That'd be pointless

Not as pointless has having Moses.

[Dubred]

Buy back Ince and send Sterling to Blackpool for 6 months.

Would love to see Sterling go to Blackpool.  I think Daddy Ince would be good for him.

[MobileBayRed]

He may need a run of games but after Sunday it is hard to see the manager trusting him again.  He was given a start against a newly promoted mid/bottom table side and failed to impress.  Compare that with Flanagan who got a game at Everton and has firmly grabbed the LB job until Enrique comes back.  It's all well and good to say "he's only 19" and "he needs games", but when you are given an opportunity you have to grab it.

Way to early for people to give up on his career, but this weekend was a disappointment.

[Cracking Left Foot]

I think Derby in January would be best for him. Wisdom's already there, and he knows Hughes through the U-21 set-up. Plus he'd be working with McLaren who, for all the deserved stick he gets from his time with England, is a top-class coach who'll be able to develop his game. Plus Derby, with all due respect to any RAWKites who are from there, is a pretty small place and won't distract him off-the-field like a London club may.

[Johnnyboy1973]

Should have been given Moses's time thus far.

I'd play him next game, from the left, whilst switching Henderson back to his tucked in right sided role.

Dont get me wrong, I thought he was poor but he did find space, something which neither Henderson nor Moses did. He didn't use it effectively but you know.

To boot him back out would do little for his confidence.

[Hank Scorpio]

Suarez seems to have a particular disliking to him lol.  Was on his back all game.

[rocco]

Buy back Ince and send Sterling to Blackpool for 6 months.

to be honest I think Ince is over rated and would be found out in the Premierleague

[robgomm]

He was fine in the cirucmstances but he didn't get much of a sniff at the ball, for whatever reason. Moses on the other side had a worse game I feel, especially in being culpable for the first goal with a ridiculous loss of possession in his own half.

[ElstonGunn]

I hope everyone writing off Sterling also thinks that we don't have a single player at reserve level who will amount to anything (except maybe Rossiter). When Sterling plays for the reserves, he's about the same age as most of them and is BY FAR the best player (and yes, he was and continues to be on a different level for the reserves than Ibe).

That's also without mentioning that he was our only front 4 player yesterday who looked capable of getting into a playmaking position and picking a decent pass. He had a poor opening half hour, but after that, I thought he drifted into good positions, won some free kicks and was probably our brightest attacker (though of course that's not saying much).

[The G in Gerrard]

Not as pointless has having Moses.

We haven't bought him though?

[farawayred]

I didn't read all of the posts after the game, but caught up with the last couple of pages. I seem to be of the minority opinion that Sterling played a decent game. A lot of exciting situations started with his creativity. Sure he wasn't at his best, but remember that his best was shown in a team that lacked any sparkle. Now we have a better quality on the field and we got used to Suarez, Sturridge, and Coutinho. Well, Sterling can't replace the creativity of those three. Suarez was off his game, Sturridge was injured and Coutinho didn't start. And on the other end we had Moses who was next to useless. The players around Sturridge made him look worse than he actually did, IMO.

[Caligula?]

I didn't read all of the posts after the game, but caught up with the last couple of pages. I seem to be of the minority opinion that Sterling played a decent game. A lot of exciting situations started with his creativity. Sure he wasn't at his best, but remember that his best was shown in a team that lacked any sparkle. Now we have a better quality on the field and we got used to Suarez, Sturridge, and Coutinho. Well, Sterling can't replace the creativity of those three. Suarez was off his game, Sturridge was injured and Coutinho didn't start. And on the other end we had Moses who was next to useless. The players around Sturridge made him look worse than he actually did, IMO.

How can you say that Moses was useless but Sterling wasn't? They were equally as bad, perhaps Sterling even more. The fact that Sterling went off first seems to suggest that. I'm not going to get into the "he isn't good" enough debate or judge him over one game as he's only 18 years of age, but the fact is he had an absolute shocker yesterday and based on that performance shouldn't be anywhere near the first team currently.

[Pinky_Bieber]

he's 18 and he already have more children than Bin Laden

too many off the field problems for such a young lad...i dont think he have the right attitude to be a top footballer...and i remember his mother was pretty vocal about new contract and all that, but to me seems like she wasn't vocal enough to educate hers own son

[Fordy]

he's 18 and he already have more children than Bin Laden

too many off the field problems for such a young lad...i dont think he have the right attitude to be a top footballer...and i remember his mother was pretty vocal about new contract and all that, but to me seems like she wasn't vocal enough to educate his own son

Oh please!

It's football not mastermind

[Number 7]

I'm not quite sure we are being fair to him.  We seem to throw him into situations where he will struggle.  How about some minutes when we are a few goals up?  Instead it's a case of 'go and get us a goal, Raheem' or international striker is injured, in you go.

We started him against a team that has barely scored at home all season. That isn't a situation he should struggle in if he's expecting to be at the calibre required for a Liverpool first team. He started against Palace too and was pretty poor in that game as well. And I'm not sure what he would do differently if he was coming on for 10 minutes at then end compared to the beginning of a game. Most players wouldn't be able to make much of an impression in a few minutes anyway.

I admit that he's only 18 and we can't expect so much from him, but it's not like we're waiting for him to explode, because we know from early last season that he can make an impact. But he seems to have regressed.

[farawayred]

How can you say that Moses was useless but Sterling wasn't? They were equally as bad, perhaps Sterling even more. The fact that Sterling went off first seems to suggest that. I'm not going to get into the "he isn't good" enough debate or judge him over one game as he's only 18 years of age, but the fact is he had an absolute shocker yesterday and based on that performance shouldn't be anywhere near the first team currently.

Well, I started by saying that I subscribe to the minority opinion...  

Of the entire game, I remember only one instance when Moses created a situation that could have evolved (even though it didn't) into a goal scoring opportunity, and that was when he switched on the right. Sterling created at least four similar plays (could have been more, but that's what I remember). Perhaps I'm also more critical of Moses than Sterling because I expect him to be far more assertive at his age, but even age aside, Moses contributed less than Sterling.

[jizzspunk]

Well, I started by saying that I subscribe to the minority opinion...  

Of the entire game, I remember only one instance when Moses created a situation that could have evolved (even though it didn't) into a goal scoring opportunity, and that was when he switched on the right. Sterling created at least four similar plays (could have been more, but that's what I remember). Perhaps I'm also more critical of Moses than Sterling because I expect him to be far more assertive at his age, but even age aside, Moses contributed less than Sterling.

Our very first meaningful attack of the game in the 2nd-3rd minute Luis played it out to Moses on the left side edge of the 18 yard box, he attacked on the outside........made half a yard and rolled it across the 6 yard box........the centre half just got there ahead of Hendersons run and bundled it out for a corner.....so that has been overlooked

This point has not been raised primarily to defend Moses, this is the thread about Raheem Sterling of course, but this one attack sums up Sterling's game in my eyes, the overhead camera on the replay shows at the point Moses drops a shoulder to attack the outside, Henderson and Sterling are in close proximity a few yards from each other infield, Henderson makes a 20 yard sprint into the box and nearly gets on the end of the cutback, at worst winning a corner in the process, Sterling doesn't move 1 yard from the point that Henderson starts his run.........his continual unwillingness or lack of desire to back the play up and make the box when the ball is on the other side of the pitch.......Maxi for a period got a number of goals just drifting into those areas when the attack was building on the other side, since his integration into the first team we just haven't seen an appetite in Sterling's game to back up the play and get himself into scoring positions, this is an absolute must for the team when Rodgers employs the attacking 3

[Juan Loco]

Well to me i think hes overrated, just like i have been saying for months and months and months, poor decision making, hes like theo walcott, pace and that is it, whereas Ibe looks alot better, Ibe should be considered ahead of sterling i think

Ibe's decision making is far, far worse. People are kidding themselves and just moving onto the newest thing if they think Ibe is ahead of him. That lad tries taking on an entire defence when he picks up he ball on the half way line in the U21s, and because he does it one time in a match people think he's having a great impact on the game.

Hopefully Swansea will still fancy him on loan. No reason they shouldn't, he's better than all their wingers when he's playing regularly.

[Juan Loco]

he's 18 and he already have more children than Bin Laden

One?

Rest is speculative based on the personality of someone you don't know at all. If you'd have added how much more he makes than nurses and soldiers you could've printed it as an opinion piece in the Daily Mail. SINGLE MUMS AND THAT.