If players are fit I think he will drop Sterling Dalglish " You earn the right for a run out by what you do the pitch" OR Dalglish"You just need to draw your horses back a bit," said the Scot. "He wouldn't have been there if we weren't in the position we were in. "It is nice to see the kids get a game but it is also better for us to look after them and manage them. We are not going to throw kids in and destroy them, but it is nice to see them on the pitch. If a player does well in my book he stays or gets more minutes, its not complicated, Sterling should get MORE mins v Newcastle
He may stay on the bench. Flanagan got a run at right back at the end of last season when Kenny could have just as likely rearranged his back 4 (Carragher Skrtel Kyrgiakos Wilson).
I think he may even be dropped from the bench ( while Hendo who has contributed less to our attckin play all season than Raheem did in 10 minutes, gets game after game after game ) The only thing is if Kenny wants to keep his job he will need to win games, Sterling will only help him do that
What a waste of a thread! If you even bothered to Listen to Dalgliesh's post match interview you would already know that he feels that throwing him on at present was "unfair to the lad" and was "no way to manage the lad".
I won't really be upset if he gets dropped off the bench. Because it will probably mean the return of Maxi/Bellamy into the team. He's still physically fragilee to be relied on as an impact sub just yet. Maybe next year after a summer camp with the first team.
I think if Sterling did well when given his chance, and then was dropped, I think that would be UNFAIR TO THE LAD. Not giving Sterling a chance until now, despite putting in 9 and 10/10 in the reserves week after week, is UNFAIR TO THE LAD. So Kenny doesnt really believe " You earn the right for a run out by what you do the pitch", shame cos I suspect that pretty much ALL fans would like team selection to be based on that ( it looks like your not one of them), not what players The MANAGER BOUGHT, the ones the manager gets on with in training best, age ,race,background, whether your British or not, but ON WHAT YOU DO THE PITCH, on that basis Sterling will be in the squad Sunday regardless of injuries,as there are plenty of players not doing it ON THE PITCH , where Sterling did do it for the limited minutes he was given If you play well, you play again, its that simple And if Kenny wants to be LFC Manager in August, he will have a lot more chance of it happening if Sterling gets pitch time between now and the end of the season
What a load of a shortsighted rubbish! When he came on the pitch he looked exactly what he is - a boy playing a man's game. Sure he has some pace but he did nothing that would suggest the he should even be considered as a first team regular. What Dalgliesh said he should be applauded for. He was considering the boy's best long term future.
Raheem Sterling won the LFC website MOM yesterday with nearly 40% of the vote, after playing SIX MINUTES PLUS ADDED TIME, so that boy playing a mans game didnt do too bad after all, he made some of the MEN on the pitch look 2nd rate, the entire crowd were shouting " Get him on Kenny""Lets have a look Kenny", for half an hour before he came on.The crowd was lifted as soon as he came on, there was antipation and excitement whenever he touched the ball. I know cos I was there, as I have been for every other League game at Anfield this season.All of them You just cannot admit the fact , Kenny is well past it and hasnt got a clue, I dont think hes the only one
Exactly right. "Boy playing a mans game", How wrong you are Foredeck. Look at him then look at Downing, young, walcott, lennon. See where i'm going? All of the aforementioned players have very similar physiques, thin and small, in fact Raheem looked more muscular than Downing and Young. He's quick, clever, has an eye for goal, and done more for our attack in 8 minutes of play than Henderson/Downing/Carroll have all season long. Look at Rooney when he was at Everton, just 16 years old. He was given a few chances to prove himself and look where he is now. Now I'm not suggesting Sterling will be as good as Rooney but i AM suggesting that we will never know if he doesn't get a chance to prove himself. Another example would be Oxlade-Chamberlain. About Raheem's age, and about the same level of skill. One is a regular for Arsenal and considered arguably the countries top young prospect, and the other can't get a game or even make the bench of an (And i hate to say it, but it's currently the truth) average team. If Sterling was at Arsenal or pretty much any other team in the top flight, he would almost definitely make the bench at LEAST. What does this say about Dalglish? His comments about Sterling playing being unfair on him are truly baffling. I can understand not wanting to risk stunting growth or picking up injuries, but this is ridiculous. I'm not saying he should be playing 90 minutes every week, but 25-30 minutes on the end of each game won't hurt. Why do people keep giving Henderson and Downing (Who is certainly getting better, but still frustrates me when he always cuts in when he should beat a man) chances to get better but say Sterling shouldn't play? I personally think Kenny is getting very Stubborn and bitter in his old age, and i mean that with the greatest respect to him as a man, but not as a manager. Another one who should play more is Ecclestone (I think I'm spelling that correctly). Sure he didn't set the world alight when he got a couple of games under Roy, but who is currently setting the world alight in our current team? Again, it wouldn't hurt to give the young guys/fringe players a chance. Just look at Wilshere or Sturridge, sent out on loan to get some experience, and are now first team regulars (Injuries aside, of course). And I'm out.
Some of the stuff here is laughable. In what way did he look like 'a boy playing a man's game'? He had maybe 3 or 4 touches of the ball, all of which were useful and kept possession. He beat a couple of men straight away, got a shot away (although it was poor), made a cross and won a free-kick later. All in 6 minutes. Certainly, you can't judge him fully on 6 minutes of action, so you definitely can't criticise him for it! We literally will never have a better opportunity to bring some youngsters into the squad. That said, I know how it'll pan out. Maxi and Bellamy will be back in for Sterling and Ecclestone. Those two coming back is fine, but it should be for Henderson and Kuyt. P.S Dave - his long term future? Pretty much all the world's best players made their professional debut at 17 or under.
I will be the first to admit that I was reluctant to play youngsters at this time considering we're going through a poor run of form, and that it would be easier for players like Sterling to fit into a winning team which is high on confidence. However, he only played about 10 mins and wasn't afraid to take on players and use his pace. I was actualyl quite excited and surprised at his confidence and beat a few defenders, put a decent ball, and won a free kick. Another player I like is Shelvey - the lad WANTS the ball. I admire the way he sits deeps and almost demands the ball and looks to get higher up the pitch. Very similar to Stevie IMO. Put Coates back in defence - I've had enough of Jamie C now.
The old saying of if you are good enough you are old enough is true. However, all of the top managers also need to manage their young talent. Kenny just might think he needs to develop both mentally and physically to the rigours of 1st team Premiership football (which is a hell of a lot harder than the reserves ). I'm sure you will see him getting more game time but probably just bit by bit.
Sterling getting voted MoM on the LFC website is a lttle silly, lets be honest. He did well for those 6 minutes, sure, but after a dismal game all round, fans only chose to remember the last few when some 'kid' was trying to show his worth. Flanno I thought had a solid game overall and should have been ahead of Sterling, Spearing also played well and Downing looked better albeit from cutting inside. I think Kenny feels there's alot of expectation about Sterling given how ****e we've been and that alot of fans might start pinning their hopes on the lad. That IS unfair at his young age. The pressure will be huge. He played well the other day because there was no pressure on him, he was told to just go out there and enjoy the game, show us what he can do. He might get a few more cameos but he's certainly not going to be a regular when more experienced players return to fitness. Next season will be his season imo where he gets much more game time. The question for me is whether kenny will keep Flanno on at right back. He took his opportunity (like last season) well. One or two slip ups, but that's to be expected. He needs the game time. Physically, he looks ready to compete and mentally he'll improve if he just plays more. So no doubt he'll be dropped :> And yes. Coates, after last week's game, certainly deserved to be in the starting team again. I have NO idea why he was dropped when Carra could have played right back...well, unless he wanted Jamie there to help Flanno through, but that's a little lame.
JJ, my sentiments exactly. There's a hell of a lot of difference in playing say a 15 minute cameo and either being picked as a first choice 'starter' or even being picked as a first change sub. Of course its good to give those youngsters who show promise the chance to display their skills. That's totally different from (or is it to?) putting full first team responsibility on their shoulders.
i think the statment waste of a thread is exactly right here. come on! if you want to BASH the manager, do that... don't dress it up in some veiled reference to sterling. A kid, cannot "be dropped" if we was merely brought along for expereince can he.... come on get over it or come out and say what you think really.
"What's fair to the lad" means just that- what is best for Raheem Sterling and his long term career, not what seems best in the short term for a team struggling to find flair. He shows great promise, but perhaps the coaching and medical staff have advised that he's not yet physically ready for the step up? "Good enough is old enough is true", but a little simplistic. Football, and sport in general, has many examples of young people showing exceptional talent but being burnt out within a few years because they've been thrown into the deep end too early. People develop at different rates and if a club takes a responsible attitude towards its young players it will take that into account. Comparison to exceptional cases like Rooney are a bit unfair, he was already built like a brick ****house by the age of 16 but not everyone is like that. I don't know any more than anyone else why Sterling isn't getting much playing time, all I'm saying is that there may be more to it than has been debated here.
It does make me smile at all the armchair managers that come on here spouting their crap about who should play in what position and the relative merits of kids coming through the ranks etc as if they are the first to ever consider it! I have had some limited involvement with the inner workings of LFC and trust me they know what they are doing from top to bottom. Surely no one is naive enough to think KD doesn't know exactly the strengths weakness of all of the players even remotely close to first team standard?! This is professional sport dealing with atheletes worth tens of millions of pounds FFS! There is a proven talent system and daily form / fitness assessments working with the squad each day. KD understands the squad better than anyone and he makes his decisions based on that knowledge with the best interest of LFC at heart - I for one trust him 100% - especially when the going is tough. Get a grip people, yes the results are crap at the moment but let's try and support our team huh? Including the manager.
I've been calling for Sterling to get some game time for a long while so was happy to see him get some minutes on Saturday. However the people pointing out that young kids thrown into a poorly performing team often suffer are spot on. Some of you are already talking as if the lad is some kind of wonderkid who will instantly turn the team around...now that is exactly why he should be treated with kid gloves. The statement "if Kenny wants to be in the job next August he has to play Sterling" is way way over the top. So within the space of two months Kenny has gone from being Liverpools saviour to (in some peoples eyes) not good enough? So for the know all, impatient fans we have our new saviour waiting in the wings (no pun intended) in one Raheem Sterling. The kid is pretty good and he is quick but at the moment he needs to be eased in gently and given chances as and when appropriate. Enjoy him when he plays and support the manager if he feels the time is right for him to play and not to play. Whatever some people might kid themselves into believing Kenny knows more about football and what's best for LFC better than all of us lot put together.
