trefoil

I completely agree that Gerrard's best seasons were 05/06 and 08/09 when he wasn't playing in centre mid. The likes of Souness, McMahon and Molby were also playing in 2 man midfields that were never overrun by the oppostion, which is a rare thing today.

It's hard to stay interested when it feels like the club no longer relates to you. Next season I'm going to be sat in the new Dunkin Donuts stand with a middle tier that is empty until ten minutes after kick off, and is empty ten minutes before the end. I'll be watching Mighty Red parade before me to entertain the middle class kids sat in that middle tier, who's dad has brought them up from London for their first game to experience the "Anfield atmosphere" which is now just an idea used by the club that patronises fans who still believe in our traditions. And of course I'll be paying nigh on a grand for the privilege.

I must admit, when I saw FC United celebrating their promotion a few weeks ago I did get a bit jealous. Lads on the terraces with their mates, celebrating with players who probably only earn as much as them. And they probably paid less than a fiver to get in.

Make Us Dream

That's all I ask

Sterling plays every game and is relied on by us every game as a main man. He does a few things wrong, but he's there to do them wrong. Unlike some players, example Sturridge and Balotelli, who aren't playing yet are picking up a lot more. Whilst he's playing every week and putting in 100% I wouldn't want to be selling him. If he was scouse our fans would already have him down as the best player in the world.

DIC were part of Dubai Holdings, who are in turn owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the man responsible for Dubai being what it is today. He built the Burj Khalifa and spent £30mil on a fireworks display to open it. That's an Alexis Sanchez on a fireworks display.

I personally feel if DIC took over we'd have been dominant ever since, and we'd currently be playing our football in a 200,000 seater stadium on an island constructed in the Mersey shaped like Thatcher's stroke face. But Moore's wanted his extra 50p a share or whatever it was.

And that's my well researched analysis of the situation.

We seem to have turned a corner since they beat us at their place, including our ability to raise our game for the bigger games, like we did against City.

 

If we play to that level, with the same intensity of pressing without the ball, I'm confident that we'll have enough to beat them. Their back line is relatively poor on the ball, so press high and then use our pace to get in behind them.

 

I'd bench Sturridge. He still looks off the pace. Sterling up top and bring Markovic in on the right of the midfield four.

Earlier in the season nothing annoyed me more than our lack of strikers, but now I find myself inclined to agree with this. The team that played against City without Sturridge would destroy United

Disagree trefoil.

 

Sterling had nothing to lose when he was brought in, we were shit and we'd have hung our hopes on anything positive.

 

Ibe has come into a side with totally different expectations.

Surely then he had everything to lose? We were shit, we hung our hopes on him, and had he been shit or not lived up to our hopes it could have ruined him? Ibe has come into a side with totally different expectations, whereby we weren't relying on him to perform. But with Sterling we were. I see your point though... I think, you're saying Ibe is looking good in a good team whereas Sterling looked good in a shit team? It's down to opinion which you think is more difficult though I suppose

I won't be happy unless we beat them on aggregate

I'd tend to disagree on the Ibe better than Sterling argument as well at this point. Sterling was brought into the team at a young age out of necessity and stepped up to the plate. Ibe has had the luxury of being brought in slowly. Plus, Ibe has only played a few games and therefore has nothing like the consistency of Sterling.

I read an interview with Ray Clemence a few weeks ago where he said "The problem these days is too many people make snap judgements. Have a few bad games and everyone says you’re rubbish, play well for a short period and they talk about you cementing your place for years to come."

This is very true I feel and can be applied to Jordon Ibe in this situation. I also think the same has happened with Emre Can, although that's a different topic altogether.

It's a terrible comparison. Sterling is a far more intelligent player.

I think your view of Wright-Phillips is a bit off there, or skewed by the player that he became after years on the bench. He was one of the best young talents in the country, that's why he was signed by Chelsea in the first place. I don't think there's anything so far to say Sterling is better than Wright-Phillips was at that age

Sterling has also kept his head down and worked hard to improve, and he's also honoured his current contract without complaint. He also started on a lower level than most first teamers, so as he's progressed he's quite rightly inline for contracts that reflect this.

 

Harry Kane is currently on his 2nd new contract of the season.

 

Sterling has done nothing that warrants being called a prick by supporters, apart from being a footballer in the year 2015, as opposed to 1976.

Sterling is asking to be the highest paid player at 20 years old with no guarantee he won't be asking for more in 6 months time. At least with Henderson you can expect he will stick to his current contract until the club have to offer him a new one again based on what happened with his current deal. Coutinho accepted less than Sterling with little fuss and I'd say is the better player out the two and is older and more experienced, and that's what you'd compare Sterling to when saying he is being a bit of a prick. I still say Henderson had every right to decline his offer.

The Wright-Phillips comparison is a good one I reckon. Who knows how good he could have been had he not spent his best years on the bench. Sterling could go either way depending on choices he makes in the near future

We'll be good... on FIFA...

Why is sterling being a prick but Henderson isn't?

This is just my opinion of the situations:

Sterling is a bit of a prick because he's 20 years old and actively seeked a new contract less than 12 months after signing his last one, a contract which he is now stalling on because he wants a ridiculous amount of money.

Henderson is not a prick because he's kept his head down and worked hard to improve, he's honoured his current contract without complaint until the club have had to offer him a new one, and at 24 years old and being the next in line for the captaincy he has every right to turn down an offer of £80k.

Hope that clears it up.

Everton used to wear David Moyes' wage cap like a badge of honour, whilst simultaneously blaming it for their mediocrity. If Liverpool start refusing wage demands and lose good players because of it, I wouldn't take mediocrity for the sake of the moral high ground. Especially when the club are charging us fans more and more anyway. I'd rather pay the wages personally. That being said in Sterling's case in particular I think he's being a bit of a prick

I agree. And to be honest the longer this drags on, unless he starts doing special things on the pitch week in week out, our fans will start to think he's a prick. At 20 what's the difference between £100k and £150k anyway? There's no rush, but if he wants to take the £150k at City now he can be playing in relegation battles for Sunderland by the time he's 23 just like Rodwell. If that's the attitude you may as well go to Qatar or the MLS now and get it over with. I'm sure his baby momma is loving his agent right now mind, child support will be going right up.

To be honest, Im indifferent to sterling. Its not that I dont rate him, I just dont see him as this elite player able to change games we're struggling to win which, one could expect a player asking for over 100k a week to be able to do.

 

I dont think he's worth 100k a week and I dont think 'market rate' is over 100k a week either. If it was, all our players would be on it and clealer they arent.

 

Some fans look on these club v players battles as the player being bigger than the club. That's up to them. For me, its always club first.

 

 

The club has done that ie tell him he's in the best place for his career and to take the 100k. Someone's in his ear telling him he can get more elsewhere and if he did move, it will not harm his career otherwise they'd have told him to sign.

Agents get paid based on transfer fee and how big the wages they secure for their player are, so they'd be inclined to not tell him what's best for his career if it meant more money for them. We'd just have to hope that someone is in his other ear, Brendan, or even Gerrard, telling him that there may be other clubs willing to take him but other clubs won't benefit him as much as Liverpool.

I rate Sterling highly, but feel him leaving would detriment both parties. I just think that whilst Sterling may think he has all the weight in this as he can get a move elsewhere, I also feel the club has a bargaining chip in the fact that if he leaves he will struggle and won't progress, be as popular, or get as much game time as he would here. It's whether Sterling would be happy, at 20, to take the large wages and a lot of bench time. Personally think we should tell him to take the £100k and when he starts scoring the sitters he's missing he can have the £150k in a years time

As Rodgers has said, Liverpool is the best place for Sterling. If he goes somewhere like City or Real it won't take long before the fans turn on him and he's left on the bench. As they haven't watched him develop like we have, they will expect him to come in and instantly work magic and score goals, and the Sterling we know at the moment just won't do that. Rodgers has already had to invent two new positions for Sterling just to get the best out of him, he won't have that luxury at another club.

Sherwood is Sky Sports wet dream. He's full of gimmicks that they love to see. Watch him after a game, grabbing his players and pointing to the away fans and telling them to acknowledge them. All for the cameras of course. Knocks me sick

Always liked Meireles.

I too always liked Meireles. When Kenny first took over he hit form during that last half of the season and started banging them in, as well as linking well with Torres. I always felt that Kenny's team never recovered from losing him.

Why the fuck are Terry and Drogba involved in this.

Pantomime villains. Mighty Red will be leading the kids in a chorus of boos

The player I think Carragher came closest to throwing digs at in his career is on his team

When Zlatan goes you do better in Europe

Just ask Inter Milan, who sold him to Barcelona and the following season won the European Cup. Then the season after that Barcelona sold him and went on to win the European Cup.

Ronaldo would go back to Sporting Lisbon before going to Liverpool