Sterling

[Modo]

Sterling left due to Rodgers - agent

LIVERPOOL, LATEST NEWS UPDATE: OCTOBER 20, 2015 12:21 PM

Raheem Sterling should still be a Liverpool player, according to his agent.

The winger left Anfield in the summer to join Manchester City and the smooth transition he has made belies the acrimonious nature of his departure from the club he joined as a 15-year-old.
Aidy Ward, Sterling's agent, has pinned the blame for the breakdown of their relationship with Liverpool at the door of former boss Brendan Rodgers.

"I have no issue with anyone but Rodgers," Ward told the Daily Mail.

"He had a massive job with massive funds. How did he do? Good coach, but as a manager I didn't like certain things about how he dealt with Raheem.

"Fifty per cent of the players would probably tell you Brendan is not a good manager, but he is a good coach.

"Raheem could've stayed, he should be at Liverpool. I think for me it was like he was being told to be a good boy and sign a contract.

"In December I spoke to Liverpool and said we'll sign a contract if there is a buy-out clause - those clauses are now common practice. They said no to that.

"Then there were remarks. In press conferences, Brendan told everyone Raheem would sign - why do that?

"I knew, Brendan knew and Liverpool knew there was an issue. Right now he probably should be a Liverpool player, but he's not and he's in a great place at City."

Sterling appears to be a natural fit at top-of-the-table City, scoring five goals so far, including a hat-trick against Bournemouth on Saturday.

On the same day, Jurgen Klopp made his debut as Liverpool boss following Rodgers' sacking a fortnight earlier.

Ward is a big fan of the German and expresses a certain regret that Sterling did not get to play under him.

He said: "The new Liverpool manager probably would have been a great fit for Raheem - passionate, disciplined in the right way, new ideas, not afraid of trying new things. He'll do great at Liverpool.

"He's going to get the best out of those players. It could have been a dream come true."

 

[Fabio]

Just saw this. It is interesting the stuff with Rodgers. Course it's from ward who is a chancer and is now arguably trying to rebuild bridges with the club... But it is interesting

 

[Modo]

Sterling can fuck off, but I think there's some truth behind those comments.
I always believed that Rodgers was one of the reason Sterling left.

It's a scary thought that in today's football players don't sense that they owe the club anything.
If the team that made you asks you to sign a contract and you're still in your early 20s and haven't achieved anything, you should sign it.

 

[Skullflower]

I'd chop sterling's head off if you put him in front of me.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

Just saw this. It is interesting the stuff with Rodgers. Course it's from ward who is a chancer and is now arguably trying to rebuild bridges with the club... But it is interesting

Trying to re-build bridges, and based on how his client probably regrets how he left Liverpool (if not how he'd rather be there) ...

 

[tony]

As if Rodgers would be negotiating the finer details of a contract, surely that would be Ayre's domain. The only conclusion you could come to is that this is a pile of disingenuous bollocks from an agent attempting to restore some sort of career. The way he conducted himself was unprofessional and shambolic and didn't serve his client's best interests, attempting to shift the opprobrium onto Rodgers just shows what a total cunt he is.

 

[juniormember]

Apart from him saying that he was pissed off with Rodgers saying that Sterling would sign a contract, there's fuck all there that says it was solely the fault of Rodgers that he left.
What was the buyout figure Ward suggested? How much more than 100k per week was he insisting on, so that Sterling could leave on the cheap when he felt like it, having tripled his wages for a season or two?
The guy is scum. And though I wanted Rodgers out, I place no blame on the man for the Sterling fiasco.
A cunt of a kid and a cunt of an agent.

 

[Holle]

Whatever.

He's gone and he can fuck himself.

 

[King Binny]

[article]“Raheem could’ve stayed, he should be at Liverpool,” Ward said.

“I think for me it was like he was being told to be a good boy and sign a contract.

“In December I spoke to Liverpool and said we’ll sign a contract if there is a buy-out clause - those clauses are now common practice. They said no to that.

“Then there was an underhandedness, there were sly remarks. In press conferences, Brendan told everyone Raheem would sign - why do that?

“I knew, Brendan knew and Liverpool knew there was an issue. Right now he probably should be a Liverpool player, but he’s not and he’s in a great place at City.

“The new Liverpool manager probably would have been a great fit for Raheem - passionate, disciplined in the right way, new ideas, not afraid of trying new things. He’ll do great at Liverpool.

“Would Raheem under Klopp have been a good scenario? Yes, 100 per cent, definitely, mainly because of the person Klopp is - the passion, the drive, the emotion, wanting to achieve.

“Raheem has all of this, but you won’t always see it outwardly. Working with Klopp - that could have been great. He’s going to get the best out of those players. It could have been a dream come true.”

Ward found himself underfire back in May when a conversation, which he claims he thought was off the record with a journalist, ended up being published.

In it he said Sterling wouldn’t sign a new contract even if Liverpool offered him £900,000 per week and insisted he “didn’t care” about the damage being done to the club’s image.

“I became the bad guy, that’s how I was portrayed,” Ward told the Daily Mail.

“I was being criticised and my back was against the wall a bit, so I would have changed the way some stuff came out into the public domain, that's my only regret.

“It started from the PR behind Liverpool. There is no issue with the fans there, they don’t know the full story, and there are lots of good people at Liverpool.

“I had no problem with (chief executive) Ian Ayre for example. I have no issue with anyone but Rodgers: he had a massive job with massive funds. How did he do? Good coach, but as a manager I didn’t like certain things about how he dealt with Raheem.

“Fifty per cent of the players would probably tell you Brendan is not a good manager, but he is a good coach.

“Last season I thought subliminal messages were being sent to Raheem. Why would Liverpool play him at left wing back? Would you play Simon Mignolet up front?

“I think it was the game against Manchester United, he was played as an attacking midfielder, moved to right back, then up front, then left back, and eventually back to attacking midfielder. I was watching thinking: ‘Well this is interesting’.”

Rodgers frequently bemoaned the “bad advice” Sterling was getting from Ward, but the agent insists his conscience is clear.

“Let me tell you about advice,” Ward said.

“In that documentary Being Liverpool, when Brendan Rodgers pulled Raheem on camera - it went on TV - and said he’d be on the first plane home (from a pre-season trip to the USA) if he answered back to him again, what do you think Raheem did after that?

“He called me, telling me he had not said what the manager had accused him of saying. I listened, and then said to Raheem: “Go and apologise to the manager, and get your head down and work hard”.

“Brendan was so impressed that Raheem had apologised that he then put him in the first team. Do all these people think that was me giving him bad advice?”

Manchester City were the only club to officially table a bid for Sterling but Ward claims “every European super-power bar Barcelona” wanted to sign him.

Sterling has helped lead Manuel Pellegrini’s men to the top of the Premier League and grabbed a hat-trick in Saturday’s 5-1 thrashing of Bournemouth.

“The only club I didn’t speak to from all the super-powers was Barcelona - they were the only ones, and that was because they had a transfer embargo, so it was pointless,” he added.

“But you know Xavi came out and said Raheem is a world-class player in the making and could play at Barca in the future. In the end it was Manchester City and I thought he’s got a job to do, go and do it, and he’s doing it.

“So those who thought he would be a sub - what did they think of his performance last weekend?

“He’s scoring, he’s playing, what’s the opinion of those critics now? Are they trying to destabilise Raheem? Or back him so a young England player can compete at the very highest level in the Premier League, the Champions League and on the international stage?

“If Raheem is caught in a situation when he does something silly off the field every paper picks it up. He scored a hat-trick and there is barely a mention of it.

“Look at Raheem now, he’s buzzing, he’s happy and he’s at a good club, with good players, a good manager, good coaches and good staff. He’s in a good place.”
[/article]

In the BBC interview in April
[article]Sterling was asked if the manager had explained to him why he was playing in this more defensive role: “Obviously we’ve got great players, good players, up front, obviously Dan (Daniel Sturridge) coming back in the team and Ads (Adam Lallana) and Philippe (Coutinho) doing really well and I think it was just another chance to fit everyone in the team and obviously someone’s got to get sacrificed to be in the more defensive positions.

“So I just think it’s the manager using his experience in the game and just trying to fit everyone in, for the best of the team, but as I said I will do my best for the team if that means playing at wing-back.”

Ultimately though, he wants to be up front? “Yes,” he replied, “Everyday going into training that’s what I train to do, to be up front – taking players on, trying to assist and score goals.

“Ultimately that’s where I see myself.

“As I said before though, if it’s for the team I don’t mind helping out.”[/article]

 

[gkmacca]

Ward trying to avoid being shunned by everyone he's alienated, the cynical twat.

 

[jon545660]

@DietmarHarmann
That Aidy Ward doesn't half talk some garbage. Time to zip it mate. Worry about City now not Liverpool anymore. The bridge is burnt.

 

[Judge Jules]

Whether or not there's anything in the comments about Rodgers is no more than a side issue. The way Ward and his client behaved was totally unacceptable under any circumstances. He knows the club will never deal with him again, also that other clubs (and individual players, Berahino for one) will surely have drawn their own conclusions, so he's trying to mend his fences. Good luck with that, Aidy, you 24-carat pr!ck.

 

[Jack D Rips]

I'd chop sterling's head off if you put him in front of me.

And Ward's . They would make a fine pair of book(bell)ends

 

[jimmy]

Water under the bridge

 

[Hansern]

He's gone so it doesnt matter, and he can go fuck himself.
But you have to wonder what would have happened with Sterling if Klopp were in charge.
Hate him or not but if it was possible I'd rather have Sterling in the team then at City.

Anyhoo, doesnt matter. Fuck him.

 

[mark1975]

Klopp likes players who want to play for the club, so the bollocks he's just spouted about JK being perfect for his prick of a client, doesn't wash.

 

[Hansern]

No, its obviodusly bs. But I keep thinking of what might have been with Sterling in that 4-2-3-1 under Klopp. As I said though, fuck him. Aidy Ward should just say it like it is. The 200k was the deal clincher.

 

[Leo]

Or just shut his fucking mouth.

 

[localny]

Ward just getting a dig in on Rodgers for whatever Reason. Total crap: trying to thrown manager under the bus. We know what they are - trash.

 

[#roadred]

Water under the Brodge. Forget about Sterling and his AIDS Ward. C#?%&€#nts

 

[Markeh]

I got this far

"He had a massive job with massive funds. How did he do? Good coach, but as a manager I didn't like certain things about how he dealt with Raheem.

His opinions aren't worth reading

 

[moron]

Klopp likes players who want to play for the club, so the bollocks he's just spouted about JK being perfect for his prick of a client, doesn't wash.

Could not agree more - if the quotes at the time attributed to that agent that I read are true - he can go screw his own mother and sister.

 

[mom]

He's gone. Move on.

 

[cochyn]

ward just looking to stick the knife in because he was mad rightfully to look like a bad guy