Raheem Sterling

[My Blood Is Blue]

11 minutes ago, east lower said:

Fall outs happen at most clubs and more than once - I remember Florent Malouda being ostracised, a player that divided opinion amongst fans, but was a good servant overall, so it happens at most clubs and with numerous ownership (I thought we looked a better balanced side with Malouda in it, than not FWIW).

This current lot though are a special breed and not in a good way. They are de-sensitising our fan base, what’s going on is not normal and not acceptable.

I remember the Malouda situation, felt very odd at the time and I like you felt we were better with him than not.

I think the owners at the moment are being quite cut throat and brutal, but aren’t doing anything others have done in the past or will do in the future. For whatever reason (and we all have our views) we currently have too many first team players, so they have to do something about it and the quicker the better. The other option is Maresca does actually have to try and coach 30+ players all season. The speed and seemingly brutal way it’s being done is hard to watch though and doesn’t look or feel nice all the time.

The Sterling situation I find interesting though, as many on here for almost his entire time here have called for him to be gone, slagged him off etc, but are now jumping to his defence because the owners are doing exactly what so many wanted them to do sooner.

[Blue Moon]

Seems a shitty way of saying farewell to old employees, but it's the American way - sorry if any of you are Americans, but I've worked for American companies, and in my experience that is how they behave. And yes, any members of the old regime can expect to be given the old heave-ho at a moment's notice, along with those whose faces don't fit. Good luck, Raheem, but to be frank I never rated you either. And certainly not as a winger. Not quite sure what you were, actually .....

[east lower]

1 minute ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

I remember the Malouda situation, felt very odd at the time and I like you felt we were better with him than not.

I think the owners at the moment are being quite cut throat and brutal, but aren’t doing anything others have done in the past or will do in the future. For whatever reason (and we all have our views) we currently have too many first team players, so they have to do something about it and the quicker the better. The other option is Maresca does actually have to try and coach 30+ players all season. The speed and seemingly brutal way it’s being done is hard to watch though and doesn’t look or feel nice all the time.

The Sterling situation I find interesting though, as many in here for almost his entire time here have called for him to be gone, slagged him off etc, but are now jumping to his defence because the owners are doing exactly what so many wanted them to do sooner.

Man City had to do it, Liverpool have done it - both did it with more class than we are doing (and with the latter named, it really pains me to admit that). Heck, Arsenal did it and only got brutal with Aubamayang - he did his own bit to get that treatment though.

The owners and D’sOF have got themselves into the situation they are in and acting like prize ****s is not the answer.

On the last paragraph, yes Raheem polarised opinions - but even those people who didn’t rate him as a player can perhaps see just how poorly he’s being treated? The fact he’s here is down to Boehly and Eghbali, they did the deal and made that judgement. I think he has something to offer, still quick over the first 5 yards or so, which makes him a danger in the last 30 yards of the pitch. Ask him to defend as well, then he’s not the best option.

[Ham]

4 hours ago, Ham said:

I'm certain everyone on here will be horrified at Chilwell being frozen out in this way 😏

 

The silence is deafening. 

[Proud-Blue]

1 hour ago, Ham said:

The silence is deafening. 

To be fair, I think the communication on Chilwell was a little more open from the start. But yes, I don't like that he's been frozen out really either. I still think he has something to offer, especially if we're not inverting our LB every game.

[thevelourfog]

I've only just read that he's training away from the main group. Guess no one else wanted his squad number.

[boratsbrother]

1 hour ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

 

The Sterling situation I find interesting though, as many on here for almost his entire time here have called for him to be gone, slagged him off etc, but are now jumping to his defence because the owners are doing exactly what so many wanted them to do sooner.

Wanting him out is perfectly good by most fans, but  it's simply the way they've gone about making it clear they want Sterling out which is all wrong.  

Yes, he's been another terrible signing and waste of wages (the fee was ok) and clearly never endeared himself to the fans, but hes hardly been a Lukaku level of prick and hate figure. It's just wrong for the owners to have treated him in this way.

[johnnybozo]

Pigeon Boy being stripped of No. 7 and sent to rot in catering has made me more happy than winning a trophy 😂 finally a manager who recognises the overrated sack of [insert flavourful French word here] for what he is.

Never wanted him here. Glad he's out.

[Ham]

Just now, johnnybozo said:

Pigeon Boy being stripped of No. 7 and sent to rot in catering has made me more happy than winning a trophy 😂 finally a manager who recognises the overrated sack of [insert flavourful French word here] for what he is.

Never wanted him here. Glad he's out.

I'll say one thing for you JB, you're consistent, and I mean that as a compliment. 

A lot of revisionism on here these last few days regarding Sterling.

 

[johnnybozo]

1 minute ago, Ham said:

I'll say one thing for you JB, you're consistent, and I mean that as a compliment. 

A lot of revisionism on here these last few days regarding Sterling.

 

Appreciate it. For me I've not been upset over a football game for longer than 30 minutes since I was a teenager. It's a sport. I watch a lot of boxing and MMA and favourites regularly get sparked out. I'm sad for a few minutes then move on. Which is why I find what we're currently going through as a club funny. Can't change it. May as well laugh at it like a bad comedy movie.

All I ask is for players to find some passion for the shirt. Sterling has always been a mercenary and a fraud. He could announce retirement tomorrow from health issues and I wouldn't change my tune. I'd say, "That's sad. Still a terrible player though"

[Rob B]

7 hours ago, MickyDroy said:

I wonder what the likes of James, Palmer and Colwill must think about it all. Surely they must all secretly be shaking their heads in disbelief about their mates being banished. 

Indeed….

What a way to build a squad culture and a togetherness.   There is more to come from this lot too.  

[thevelourfog]

11 hours ago, Ham said:

A lot of revisionism on here these last few days regarding Sterling.

I'm unclear on what the revisionism is ... Are there posters here who were previously pro-stripping him of his squad number?

It isn't revisionism to think we're treating a player you don't rate badly. Personally, I won't regret Sterling not being here and never wanted him to be. I do regret how those concerned are going about it.

[Mark Kelly]

48 minutes ago, thevelourfog said:

I'm unclear on what the revisionism is ... Are there posters here who were previously pro-stripping him of his squad number?

It isn't revisionism to think we're treating a player you don't rate badly. Personally, I won't regret Sterling not being here and never wanted him to be. I do regret how those concerned are going about it.

The thing is , it's not "his" shirt number .

The number belongs to the squad and he's no longer in it . 

Harsh yes but true also. 

[NoblyBobly]

1 hour ago, Mark Kelly said:

The thing is , it's not "his" shirt number .

The number belongs to the squad and he's no longer in it . 

Harsh yes but true also. 

Agreed. I actually didn’t mind Sterling . He went through a very good patch when I think he should have got an England place. But we now have a huge squad and the new coach sees no place for him . The people saying a short while ago that he should never kick a ball for Chelsea again are now upset at his treatment. I’m sure there are precedence where a player leaving losing a squad number. 

[paulw66]

19 hours ago, east lower said:

The decent thing to have done, and the best thing for the club also in terms of selling power - was to have had this conversation a month ago.

 

Sell Sterling first, the price for Neto goes up.

Damned if you do, damned if you dont

I expect if the club had failed to bring in another winger, Sterling would have remained part of the squad, hence not having the conversation a month ago, but rather once he wasn't needed

[paulw66]

Honestly, people now upset about squad numbers.

If he , or anyone else, isn't going to play, why do they need one???

Is anyone complaining that Kepa and Lukaku dont have squad numbers? No. 

[Mark Kelly]

What is becoming even more clear is that these players agents aren't worth tuppence , none of them can seemingly get their players a move away .  Lukaku may as well have a garden gnome for an agent the amount of good it's doing him. 

[east lower]

22 minutes ago, paulw66 said:

Sell Sterling first, the price for Neto goes up.

Damned if you do, damned if you dont

I expect if the club had failed to bring in another winger, Sterling would have remained part of the squad, hence not having the conversation a month ago, but rather once he wasn't needed

Might have been able to do a deal, unlikely but possible. The £30m ish they’d have gotten for him wouldn’t push Neto’s price up . 

Now, everyone and their dogs knows he’s surplus to requirements and that will almost certainly negatively affect the bargaining position and to add to it, they’ll probably have to pay his contract up. If they had a bargaining position on the latter, that’s up the swanny now.

The sympathy I have with Raheem is at a human level. No matter how much he earns, there’s simply no excuse for dishonesty or not telling him how it is, and assuming it is true that he was told he was in the coaches plans (in a positive way) the stuff that’s playing out in public. 

Some have said that Stirling helped to make it public, so what - rise above it and be decent people.

The club have backed themselves into a weak position on Chilwell and Stirling. Chilwell doing absolutely nothing wrong that we can see to be ostracised. Maresca has commented on how he is a ‘lovely bloke’ and conducted himself well - reciprocate then, costs nothing.

 

Edited August 22 by east lower

[NoblyBobly]

6 minutes ago, Mark Kelly said:

What is becoming even more clear is that these players agents aren't worth tuppence , none of them can seemingly get their players a move away .  Lukaku may as well have a garden gnome for an agent the amount of good it's doing him. 

At least his gnome can keep his dietitian gnome company. 

[Bison]

2 hours ago, thevelourfog said:

I'm unclear on what the revisionism is ... Are there posters here who were previously pro-stripping him of his squad number?

It isn't revisionism to think we're treating a player you don't rate badly. Personally, I won't regret Sterling not being here and never wanted him to be. I do regret how those concerned are going about it.

We're living in strange times.

Somebody is now considered a hypocrite if they've ever been critical of Sterling's performances but also criticise the club for abruptly telling a player he has no future here, is removed from first team training and stripped of his number. If you said he played badly away at Wolves last season you're not allowed to criticise the club for anything they do to him!

Edited August 22 by Bison

[boratsbrother]

No surprise the agents can't get some of our players a move. There simply aren't any clubs who are stupid enough to pay the players anywhere near what we paid them.  Lukaku and Sterling's combined wages were a laughable and obscene £700k a week. Two players who wouldn't get in the second eleven for the top three teams in the league.

[NoblyBobly]

I have a much bigger gripe at Connor going than I do about Raheem not getting a shirt number. He ran his socks off for us. 

[NoblyBobly]

8 minutes ago, Bison said:

We're living in strange times.

Somebody is now considered a hypocrite if they've ever been critical of Sterling's performances but also criticise the club for abruptly telling a player he has no future here, is removed from first team training and stripped of his number. If you said he played badly away at Wolves last season you're not allowed to criticise the club for anything they do to him!

Criticism is fine, but it bordered on vitriol. A bit unpleasant actually. 

[paulw66]

9 minutes ago, east lower said:

Might have been able to do a deal, unlikely but possible. The £30m ish they’d have gotten for him wouldn’t push Neto’s price up . 

 

It may well have.  You can't have it both ways like........

9 minutes ago, east lower said:

. 

Now, everyone and their dogs knows he’s surplus to requirements and that will almost certainly negatively affect the bargaining position and to add to it, they’ll probably have to pay his contract up. If they had a bargaining position on the latter, that’s up the swanny now.

 

 

As soon as you decide to sell a player, that happens. It's unavoidable. 

9 minutes ago, east lower said:

 

The sympathy I have with Raheem is at a human level. No matter how much he earns, there’s simply no excuse for dishonesty or not telling him how it is, and assuming it is true that he was told he was in the coaches plans (in a positive way) the stuff that’s playing out in public. 

 

 

That's exactly what did happen. We bought Neto. We then told Sterling he was surplus to requirements. 

He probably was in the coaches plans until the point we got a replacement.

[boratsbrother]

20 minutes ago, NoblyBobly said:

Criticism is fine, but it bordered on vitriol. A bit unpleasant actually. 

Being booed off after being subbed was the low point for me. Brought back some very unpleasant memories of the treatment received by Paul Cannovile.