No thread on the front page, search facility is something that comes out of a dogs arse so:

Right we are here, in the semi - final.

Let's win this thing now, we can - oh yes we can but, but:

Not with Raheem Sterling in the team.

End product = woeful!

Aside from that, I think he brings quite a lot to the team.

Don’t agree.

He doesn’t always provide the end product, but his creativity is very much needed in this team.

England's most important player.

Made some great runs today but end product was woeful. I feel he’s got better as the tournament has progressed so I would still start him in the semi. We’ve got to look at the next game as a 120 min match which leaves plenty of time to change personnel. Besides, Rashford is a better impact player.

He is bobbins!

Rather have Vardy or Rashford any time. I appreciate his pace and that he can open chances for others. But so far in this world cup he has zero composure in front of goal. The semi might come down to one chance. Don't want him to have it

Leave Stirling in for me, creates space for others. Agree that his finishing should be better though.

No denying he works his socks off and drags defenders out of position but nobody is taking advantage of the space he creates.
But as soon as he has to think he’s shocking. If he just chilled and played off the cuff he’d be better. As is he doesn't deserve a place. Both Vardy and Rashford have the pace to drag defenders around but both of them are far better finishers.

It's amazing how so many actual football managers keep getting it wrong about Sterling, isn't it?

An extremely frustrating player, clearly talented but his finishing for England is shockingly bad for an international player.

“Sometimes we judge him on ‘he missed that goal, he missed that shot,’ but the amount of actions he creates, assists, he creates fouls, penalties... His understanding of the game is global: he can create inside, outside, dribbling, runs in behind."

Guardiola on Sterling in April

Anybody critical of Sterling and his role in this team knows nothing about football.

Socrates wrote:Anybody critical of Sterling and his role in this team knows nothing about football.

Agee, but that doesn't excuse his finishing ability. At the end of the day he's a striker and misses far to many easy chances.

Is he sponsored by Northern Fried Chicken because he runs around like a headless one and who forget his open goal miss at the Turf last year?
No end product,never looks up to pick up team mates and a first touch like a man wearing wellies.
Yes he did run around a lot.

Less minutes per goal / assist than De Bruyne, Jesus, The German lad, Silva for Man City last year..... no end product apparently. 23 goals, 12 assists. Aguero with 30 goals and 7 assists the only larger contributor to Man City's tally. Sterling averaged 142 minutes per goal / assist. De Bruyne over 300.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/team ... op-scorers" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Its one of them...hes that bad ..hes good...

BBC crew - Lineker, Shearer, Klinsmann & Ferdinand - were having a proper love-fest for Sterling at half-time. And at the end Rio states, "I think he is one of those player's player type that you love to play alongside but the fans out there don't like!" Pretty much says it all, really.

He irritated the Swedish defence today. Not devastating but worth his place.

With the ball at his feet,in the penalty area,when he should score,he crumbles like a biscuit,give me Andy Payton any time,He would have scored with ease,Double Arm Salute!

dandeclaret wrote:Less minutes per goal / assist than De Bruyne, Jesus, The German lad, Silva for Man City last year..... no end product apparently. 23 goals, 12 assists. Aguero with 30 goals and 7 assists the only larger contributor to Man City's tally. Sterling averaged 142 minutes per goal / assist. De Bruyne over 300.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/team ... op-scorers" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What's the stats for England games? Because that is what I'm interested about at the moment. Man City stats are interesting but irrelevant

Oh right - thought somebody had used his open goal miss on the Turf above my mistake. Number of runs in behind defences for all the games is far higher than any other forward, creating space for other players to play in.

His end product is terrible. I’m in drop him camp. Vardy is a much better option

The injured Vardy or another one?

Sunday 15 July Raheem Sterling
Scores winning goal to win World Cup
Assisted by Jordan Henderson

His finishing has been woeful but creates a headache for opposition with his movement and pace unlike any other option we have so I say keeps his place
Love him or hate him he's always involved

i slag off sterling as much as the next man but then i realised that was because he is always involved in the action.

He is always there. he is always involved. hes decent

Finishing abysmal but a nightmare to defend against, I'd imagine.
If even he doesn't know what he's going to do next, how the hell can a defender be expected to ?

Shore claret wrote:At the end of the day he's a striker and misses far to many easy chances.

At the end of the day .... he’s playing as a striker but he isn’t one.

He’s getting used to playing with his back to goal in a World Cup. His use of movement and creation of space for others has been top, top drawer and teams are genuinely worried about him.

As long as the team are scoring and he’s a massive part of our attacking play it really doesn’t matter. He’s getting better and better every game in the tournament and in this new role.

Not sure why people think Vardy is suited to our style of football? The majority of the teams England play sit deep and leave hardly any space in behind which Vardy normally thrives on. I think his subs appearances where he has struggled to get involved shows he struggles without the areas to spin into. He has no impact and doesn’t seem to possess the know how of when to drop in and collect the ball from deep allowing the likes of Lingard and Alli to press on.

Kane does this naturally as a target man (although he was quiet today, looked tired or carrying a knock) and Sterling has done really well in dropping into the pocket of space between the defence and midfield lines.
Yes his end product is not the best, could you put it down to a good save??!
I’m his biggest critic but it seems very fashionable to slate him instead of looking at the game as a bigger picture.

Does not have the composure to score for England and after 30 games never will. Rashford to start for me.

Socrates wrote:At the end of the day .... he’s playing as a striker but he isn’t one.

He’s getting used to playing with his back to goal in a World Cup. His use of movement and creation of space for others has been top, top drawer and teams are genuinely worried about him.

As long as the team are scoring and he’s a massive part of our attacking play it really doesn’t matter. He’s getting better and better every game in the tournament and in this new role.

I'm massively thinking about winning this thing now, yes the the whole thing, The ******* World Cup, I don't want this clown anywhere near the penalty area with options in the the last few minutes of extra time.

Russia just scored

We are nowhere near as good as France or Belgium but if it comes down to 1 game anything could happen.

DCWat wrote:End product = woeful!

Aside from that, I think he brings quite a lot to the team.

We are a better sidevwith him in we would be phenomenal if he had some composure. We would sail through games.

Diesel wrote:I'm massively thinking about winning this thing now, yes the the whole thing, The ******* World Cup, I don't want this clown anywhere near the penalty area with options in the the last few minutes of extra time.

I refer you to my initial post and not knowing anything about football.

Such a talented individual with zero confidence in front of goal. Southgate left him on because he was praying he would score. He didn't Gareth so time for a change IMHO.

As said on another thread on the bench then bring him on late for his undoubted speed if needed against a tired opposition.

Progressing despite him, not because of him, imagine what we could be like? That number 10 position is massive.

The one question that nobody has asked is who else could play Sterling's position?

He's just a headless chicken who for chances missed of 1 on 1s n tap ins he will go down as the WORST finisher of all time! but it will make a great dvd for the future generations of bloopers n what happens next in quizzes..

dandeclaret wrote:England's most important player.

He is. After about 8 or 9 others.

Socrates wrote:Anybody critical of Sterling and his role in this team knows nothing about football.

Spot on. Excellent today, just missing a finish.

He runs like John Inman having sh1t himself.

Stayingup wrote:He is. After about 8 or 9 others.

Still in the first 11 then.

Socrates wrote:At the end of the day .... he’s playing as a striker but he isn’t one.

He’s getting used to playing with his back to goal in a World Cup. His use of movement and creation of space for others has been top, top drawer and teams are genuinely worried about him.

As long as the team are scoring and he’s a massive part of our attacking play it really doesn’t matter. He’s getting better and better every game in the tournament and in this new role.

I agree with most of that, but some of these chances he's missing are going to bite us on the arse.

Shore claret wrote:I agree with most of that, but some of these chances he's missing are going to bite us on the arse.

Not if we keep scoring the chances he’s playing a massive part in us creating.

dandeclaret wrote:“Sometimes we judge him on ‘he missed that goal, he missed that shot,’ but the amount of actions he creates, assists, he creates fouls, penalties... His understanding of the game is global: he can create inside, outside, dribbling, runs in behind."

Guardiola on Sterling in April

Bet he wasn’t saying that after the burnley game. Seriously, after selecting hin in most of Man City’s games, whaddaya expect him to say?

Or rather, utter ********. He’s fuckin dogger-fact. So many times he gets the ball in promising positions, and it ends up with a goal kick, or an opposition throw. Very, very poor.

Pace is only scary to an opposition defender, if the player with it has serious ability. Raheem Sterling would struggle to start for Burnley. Sometimes, he’s soooooo ineffective, it’s like starting with ten men.

Seems to me that he’s trying too hard to make a name for himself. Far too many times the easy pass was the ball, but he makes it all about him and tries to finish the game. Very poor. Frightened to death of hearing “you let your country down” to such a point he’s actually letting his country down by trying to be the game winner. Disappointingly, his manager should see that, and deal with it.

Raheem sterling has pace to burn, but he consistently makes the wrong decision. Shouldn’t start.

bobinho wrote:Bet he wasn’t saying that after the burnley game. Seriously, after selecting hin in most of Man City’s games, whaddaya expect him to say?

Or rather, utter ********. He’s fuckin dogger-fact. So many times he gets the ball in promising positions, and it ends up with a goal kick, or an opposition throw. Very, very poor.

Pace is only scary to an opposition defender, if the player with it has serious ability. Raheem Sterling would struggle to start for Burnley. Sometimes, he’s soooooo ineffective, it’s like starting with ten men.

Seems to me that he’s trying too hard to make a name for himself. Far too many times the easy pass was the ball, but he makes it all about him and tries to finish the game. Very poor. Frightened to death of hearing “you let your country down” to such a point he’s actually letting his country down by trying to be the game winner. Disappointingly, his manager should see that, and deal with it.

Raheem sterling has pace to burn, but he consistently makes the wrong decision. Shouldn’t start.

Congratulations.

Against some pretty stiff opposition that’s the most incorrect post i’ve ever seen on here.

bobinho wrote:Raheem Sterling would struggle to start for Burnley. Sometimes, he’s soooooo ineffective, it’s like starting with ten men.

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha

That is an absolute doozy.

Sterling is our most important attacking player, No one else can take the ball into enemy territory the way he does. When he can score as
Maradona and Pele we might give him some space.