aka Dus

Meant to post this yesterday but site was down. Richard Sadlier column: It's time we put this tired Sterling-gate argument to bed Liverpool star deserves praise for having honesty to admit he wasn't fit I knew I was in trouble one Saturday morning. I hadn't eaten a meal in 48 hours and kick-off was only five hours away. It was to be my full debut in senior football, the occasion I had been obsessing about for as far back as I could remember. I was about to start a league game for a professional club for the first time, but the problem was I just couldn't eat. The Millwall physio took one look at me and confirmed what I knew to be true. I wasn't fit to play. I looked pale and sick and felt weak and tired, but I knew things were about to get worse. The manager needed to be told and there was a good chance I would have to tell him. Eighteen-year-olds are meant to run through walls without thinking, but here was I saying I would prefer to be left out. Raheem Sterling was reportedly tired last week. A lot has been said and written about this since, but nobody is disputing that Sterling said he felt tired prior to England's Euro 2016 qualifier with Estonia in Tallinn. England coach Roy Hodgson has been criticised for bringing this private exchange into the public domain, while Brendan Rodgers has rejected claims Sterling asked to sit out because of fatigue. "It has been grossly unfair how the kid has been put on the back pages for something he did not say," said Rodgers on Friday. "Things have been written which are not true." There is nothing remarkable about a professional athlete feeling fatigued. It's even less surprising in this instance when you consider the physical and mental pressures Sterling has been under in the recent past. If anything, the only newsworthy aspect of this story is that a 19-year-old footballer had the wherewithal to say to his coach how he felt, knowing full well he would be open to ridicule and be the target of outrage. When I told my manager how I felt all those years ago, I got the response I expected. He urged me to give it a go. He said adrenalin alone would get me through and that I shouldn't be concerned that I hadn't eaten or that I felt weak. He did his best to persuade me otherwise, but I knew I couldn't play. I was still young, but I understood before I left the room there would be a price to pay for standing my ground. My willingness to play for the team first would be in doubt, and I took it for granted my manager thought less of me as a result. Sterling is now facing a similar period in which his character is the focus of much scrutiny. "The boy is being hung out to dry," said Rodgers on Friday, "and I dare say the criticism will continue for a few more weeks to come." If the past week is anything to go on, he's probably right. Alan Shearer spoke out on behalf of "the working man" who gets up in the early hours for a full day's work, tired or not, and who "does not want to hear about how tired a 19-year-old professional footballer is." Others felt the need to point out that people younger than Sterling fight and die in wars. And, by God. you don't hear them complaining of fatigue. And many blogs and columns contained the words 'precious', 'pampered', 'rich' and 'spoilt'. I wonder if these people ever think to write about player welfare. Have they ever written about mid-season breaks or the physical and psychological demands of playing in the Premier League? Have they ever quoted former professionals talking about their regrets at not looking after themselves better? Have they ever broached the topic of mental health in sport? It took me several years to admit why I couldn't make my debut that day. Like the best man who can't eat his meal at a wedding because of fear of making his speech, my body shut down as soon as I knew I was going to play. It was an attack of anxiety that I couldn't overcome, but there was no way I was able to say that at the time. There was only room for one type of footballer back then, and it wasn't the kind that would be affected in that way. Hiding the truth was the only way to go. Sterling has a great job and it's one that millions of people would like, but that doesn't protect him in any way from feeling fatigued. Given the ferocity of the backlash he was always going to face, he should be respected for showing the strength to say how he felt. Many people think Shearer is right, but there's a lesson to be learned from the past seven days. If this is the reaction to a disclosure of feeling tired, how can we expect players who are suffering from worse to come forward at all? rsadlier@independent.ie Sunday Indo Sport

Nice article.

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Bloody hell.

Aren't the papers breaking a law by removing the anonymity a victim received in a trial like that?

Possibly posted already but the mood needs brightening olé olé. http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/oct/18/liverpool-real-madrid-champions-league-laurie-cunningham

Which if any of BR's backroom staff are defensively minded? You usually get one in a coaching team. Pascoe? Marsh? Brendan himself? The defence is now officially an open sore that throwing money at has not healed.

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f*** Suarez anyway, imagine this game was being played last April. We'da marmalised em.

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AT LEAST I HAD THE BALLS TO START THE THREAD! And anyway, I am hoping we play like against Spurs and then we might well win.

Left Loftus Road in the 83rd minute today.

Gala tifo v Fenerbache yesterday.

Tony Pulis. Rafa wanted him.

All right, all right! f*** sake like. Picked the wrong day to give up not starting threads in the football forum.

And the s***ness has nothing to do with losing Suarez.

Brendan is playing him as a protest to the transfer committee that he was the best we could do. No other explanation makes sense.

What odds a repeat of the 7-3 from 1960? Which of Real Madrid's defenders can we hope to chip in with a few OGs? Over to you, Rory.

Sterling played a wall pass in off Caulker. He certainly wasn't aiming for Balotelli, why would he?

Nothing to do now except enjoy reflecting on that ridiculous match and start the rosaries for Wednesday.

Who has the balls to start the Real Madrid match thread?

Losing Luis Suarez should have little or nothing to do with us not being able to defend.

We're playing Real Madrid on Wednesday.

This will sound very match thread, but if he doesn't score today now, that miss might be the straw that broke the back of his popularity. Almost unforgiveable if we don't win this.

Whatever it is, however million watching the 10 o'clock news knows he is "ready".