Liverpool fans bitter towards Raheem Sterling

Many Liverpool fans are bitter towards Raheem Sterling for the wrong reasons

As a Liverpool fan, writing this article is probably going to get me a decent amount of stick. Let’s start by looking at the definition for the word ‘bitter’ – “feeling or showing anger, hurt, or resentment because of bad experiences or a sense of unjust treatment”.

Well, I feel that many of our fans are bombarding Raheem Sterling with bitter treatment and unfair comments simply because they are salty he screwed us over.

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Let’s get one thing straight – I hate the guy. He was never worth £50 million. Although he was one of our better players before he left, he didn’t carry the team like people made out and he is massively overrated as a promising talent.

I would never (even on a free transfer) want Raheem Sterling back at Liverpool after he took on the club believing he was bigger than us, but that’s because of his actions not his playing ability. His performances at Manchester City haven’t come close to warranting his price tag, and his displays for England have been utterly pathetic – yet I’ll sit here and defend a player I despise because I’ve seen some pretty silly comments fluttering around social media.

Raheem Sterling is a quality footballer, and at 21 years old, he’s an outstanding talent. He’s often over-hyped as the ‘next big thing’ (which he isn’t) but he surely isn’t a bad player – just a struggling one. Our fans seem blind to the obvious loss of confidence he’s suffered since going to Manchester City, and who can entirely blame him?

In 47 appearances for his new club, he bagged 11 goals and 10 assists – yet many people act as if he’s done nothing for City. He’s far from the £50 million price tag that seems to be weighing him down, and that appears to have put far too much pressure on someone whose only 21 years old.

The reality check that’s hit Sterling is that he cannot currently perform as his price tag would suggest – so he’s lost confidence. When he takes on players, uses his pace to burst down the wings and cut inside, he’s deadly. He showed his talents in bursts for City, but because he wasn’t a key influence in everything they did (being overshadowed in most cases) people have given him stick.

It’s not just Liverpool fans, but some of the most ridiculous comments along the lines of ‘how is Raheem Sterling actually a footballer?’ have come from fans I follow on Twitter. Criticising a player’s performances, sure, hounding on a 21 year-old and ignoring how much better than the majority of players his age he actually is just comes across as nothing but a bitter grudge.

I fully expect him to grow as a player, and I fully expect him to make a good go of it at City if given the chance. Some of the hate he receives just baffles me. I understand his faults and his poor finishing, decision making and passing in the final third, but the guy does have the ability. He left us, he’s a bit of a *insert word of your choice here*, but hounding on him constantly just makes you seem like a bitter person whose mad he thought he was better than our club.

If anything, you should take his performances as a sign that he isn’t bigger than are club, and just be happy with that.

*Edited in response to the comments mostly, and to clear up meaning. Yes, I hate Sterling’s actions, but I appreciate his talents and won’t repeatedly slander somebody who clearly has bags of potential. It’s the frequent ‘hate’ from the fans that I’m talking about, even if I’m not fond of him for reason, I wouldn’t sit and hate on him.