Daniel Sturridge

[Lee]

Jordon Ibe and Jerome Sinclair, incredibly racist post Frenchie!

It's a pointless comment but not racist. This sort of bollocks is probably more offensive:

Frankie Boyle is the deep fried Mars bar version of that tit Russell Brand

[baronvonskidmark]

We've got to try to keep him. Him and Origi could be great together and would hopefully be able to cover each other's absences. Plus Ings in there as well.

He is just too good to let go. Perhaps a song might help him feel appreciated? He arrived and was banging in the goals from day one but no song. Origi arrives begins scoring after a couple of months and now his name is sung. Torres had a song, Suarez - his strike partner did too - but not him and by all accounts he is a good laugh around the place.

I'd definitely keep him. If Klopp's management keeps him injury free and playing a greater and greater part he'd probably be more appreciated.

[redmike65]

Ah don't drag other threads on other sub-forum into this to make cheap point (this aimed at Lee obviously, why does it take so long to post anything on this site?)

[baronvonskidmark]

We've got to try to keep him. Him and Origi could be great together and would hopefully be able to cover each other's absences. Plus Ings in there as well.

He is just too good to let go. Perhaps a song might help him feel appreciated? He arrived and was banging in the goals from day one but no song. Origi arrives begins scoring after a couple of months and now his name is sung. Torres had a song, Suarez - his strike partner did too - but not him and by all accounts he is a good laugh around the place.

I'd definitely keep him. If Klopp's management keeps him injury free and playing a greater and greater part he'd probably be more appreciated.

[redmike65]

If Origi was fit he'd be starting every big game in Europe not Sturridge and that is the thing to remember in all this - the 21 year old is now Klopp's first choice striker. The only question for Sturridge is whether he'll be willing to be second choice for the big games? If not then he's gone.

[baitman]

Ffs, if its a song we need to make him feel loved and score five each game then sing any old **** and polish his ego.

danny sturridge, danny sturridge, wo-oh-wo, danny sturridge... etc

there. Now we can go unbeaten and win the ****ing lot

[G]

He's had the Dalglish one lately hasn't he? I'm more concerned about Klopp not loving him then him feeling loved but the fans!

[Kenneth]

I'm not really bothered either way. Klopp will make us great with or without Sturridge for the x% of our games that he'll be fit. KCDNW

[dom9]

I'm not bothered wither way. Klopp will make us great with or without Sturridge for the x% of our games that he'll be fit.

KCDNW

Self confidence ftw!

[Frenchie]

Jordon Ibe and Jerome Sinclair, incredibly racist post Frenchie!

What?? **** me that's not racist... I just don't like their style of play and attitude. I make no mention of race...what is wrong with people..I don't like what Sakho has done either.

Yes they are all black but that's a coincidence, I not fond of Moreno's game or Enrique..does that mean I'm racist against white Spaniards..?

[Kenneth]

Self confidence ftw!

[inijjer]

What?? **** me that's not racist... I just don't like their style of play and attitude. I make no mention of race...what is wrong with people..I don't like what Sakho has done either.

Yes they are all black but that's a coincidence, I not fond of Moreno's game or Enrique..does that mean I'm racist against white Spaniards..?

It did sound a bit off, but then I found this article and I knew where you got the 'lil bros' thing from.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/talking-point-liverpool-fcs-three-9228795

[Red_Polo]

What?? **** me that's not racist... I just don't like their style of play and attitude. I make no mention of race...what is wrong with people..I don't like what Sakho has done either.

Yes they are all black but that's a coincidence, I not fond of Moreno's game or Enrique..does that mean I'm racist against white Spaniards..?

Yes, definitely. In fact if there's one thing I've learned on here, it's that everything you do is motivated by racial bigotry.

.




.




.


Think this may all be a joke.

[Slinky Skills]

What?? **** me that's not racist... I just don't like their style of play and attitude. I make no mention of race...what is wrong with people..I don't like what Sakho has done either.

Yes they are all black but that's a coincidence, I not fond of Moreno's game or Enrique..does that mean I'm racist against white Spaniards..?

So I hear you're a racist now Frenchie!

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zkL91LzCMc"]I Hear You're A Racist Now, Father! - Father Ted - YouTube[/ame]

[marcus50bucks]

Daniel Sturridge: 'I'm not here to have fun... Liverpool, for me, is work - and anyone who questions my integrity should take a long, hard look at themselves'

• Daniel Sturridge has been blighted by injury problems in the last two years
• However, he's back fit and firing for Liverpool since returning in February
• The Liverpool striker has 11 goals in 21 appearances so far this campaign
• Sturridge has ambitions of being England's No 1 striker at Euro 2016
• The 26-year-old Christian is passionate and personable in the flesh

By ROB DRAPER FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY
PUBLISHED: 22:31, 30 April 2016 | UPDATED: 21:08, 1 May 2016

Summer in Boston can be a delight: balmy weather, perhaps the odd thunderstorm, lobster on the seafront. Sixty or so miles south of the city, the financial and political elite of the east coast decamp to the island of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts for the beaches and tranquillity. You would imagine the living is easy.

Not so for Daniel Sturridge during his stay. Often there was an appointment at Mike Boyle's strength and conditioning gym at 6am, so the striker would be up at 5am and heading out of town on Interstate 93. Later he would be at physio Dan Dyrek.

It was August last year and, back home in England, a Premier League season was starting. Harry Kane would take a few games to get going but soon he would be uppermost in people's thoughts. Jamie Vardy was about to break records.

Sturridge? He was 3,000 miles away doing the long, hard slog of rehabilitation. 'There were days when Mike would have to go out of town or he'd say, "Look, the best time would be to be here for 6am." 'So I'd have to be up at five and I'd drive 30 minutes to his gym,' says Sturridge. 'At that point, it was about being an athlete. I wasn't a footballer. I was an athlete who was training myself to be in the best condition possible.'

Sturridge does not say this as a man looking for sympathy. After all, it was his job. It is a matter-of-fact response to a question about how he spent his time this summer, attempting to resolve a hip injury which had plagued him the season before. And he is enormously grateful to the surgeon, Bryan Kelly, and to Dyrek ['unbelievable'] and Boyle ['a guru'].

Bill Shankly used to banish injured players from first-team training. They brought bad vibes, he said. And though Sturridge was not being punished by going to Boston - a trip organised by Liverpool to support their player - that attitude can still permeate some parts of football. Sturridge was out of sight and out of mind. Many pundits were giving up on the player who, in 2014, seemed to be on the cusp of becoming one of the world's great strikers.

It is a feeling that has persisted among some this season as Sturridge made aborted attempts to comeback. His return finally came in February - and six goals in 10 starts, four in the last five games he has played. Even with his truncated season, he has 11 goals in 21 appearances and is Liverpool's second highest scorer.

But he is aware of the murmuring. 'I don't pay any attention to it whatsoever,' he says. 'The majority, probably 95 per cent of the people who talk and say things about me, don't actually know me. Even some of the people who've played with me don't actually know me. Because they're a team-mate, doesn't necessarily mean we're friends or we talk outside of work. But anybody who knows me will know that I'm one of the most ambitious people out there.

'And for people to say, "Oh he don't try enough or he doesn't want to be fit"... 'do you honestly believe I'd want to just be sat down picking up wages when I've dreamt of being a professional footballer ever since I can remember? I don't think I'd want to be here now, just to be sitting in my apartment, twiddling my thumbs every day - because pretty much that's what I do.'

Some queried why, as a striker, he did not take a penalty in the League Cup final against Manchester City this term when it came down to a shootout. They extrapolated it was a further sign of weakness. Sturridge remains resolute.

'I was told not to take one by the manager, so I can't argue with the boss on the pitch and tell him, "No, I'm taking one". 'The list had already been drawn up so it was a case of, "OK, no problem". 'In terms of criticism, if people want to talk about me that's fine. I guess I'm doing something right because there have been many players who've had injuries that nobody talks about.

'I'm not here going out for nightlife. I can't go out, really. I'm not here having fun with all my mates. I live alone. My family's close but all my friends live down south. I'm here to work. I'm not here to have fun. I'm not here for a jolly-up. Liverpool, for me, is work. It's a job. It's something I take seriously and for anyone to question my integrity, it's disrespectful. The people who say those things should take a long, hard look at themselves and probably think before they speak.'

Though the season has been largely disappointing thus far, there is now a Europa League Cup final to aim for, with just a 1-0 deficit from Thursday's defeat at Villarreal to overcome at Anfield this week. With Jurgen Klopp at the helm, new possibilities are emerging. On Thursday, Klopp did not play Sturridge, although he is expected to start today against Swansea.

And speaking on Monday, before the Villarreal game, Sturridge seemed relaxed about their relationship. 'In every job in life, someone's the manager, everyone else is employees and that's life,' he says. 'For me, our relationship is OK, there are no problems on my part. I've never said a bad word about the boss and never will say a bad word because he's the manager of Liverpool and he's the voice of the club. He's the person who represents the club on a global stage, so you have to respect the man and the things he says.'

Sturridge is passionate and personable in the flesh. He adopts a serious tone when responding to criticisms, yet is much more playful and relaxed than you might imagine. But there is no mistaking the singlemindedness. His Christian faith defines him. Even his name is rooted in the Bible and the Daniel of the Old Testament, who faced down autocratic authorities in both the Babylonian and Persian Empires, ended up in the Lion's Den but was miraculously saved.

'My dad always used to say to me, "We named you Daniel for a reason". 'And if I read that scripture, it shows you the things Daniel went through, the strength he showed and the faith he had to have in God. My dad kept saying that and I didn't believe him at first. But he keeps saying it so I do have to take it and say that was part of one of the reasons, probably, why I'm so mentally strong and why I have a lot of faith as well.'

He attended Midnight Mass at Sandbach on Christmas Eve, an event he tweeted [prior to the service starting]. He is unabashed about his faith, yet it remains personal. 'My faith grew all the time but there were certain moments in my life where I'd say it was probably heightened a bit more,' he says. 'I was always one who prayed and was always quite religious. My parents pray every morning and night.'

He remains close to his family, mother Grace and father Michael, who was signed by Sir Alf Ramsey for Birmingham as a teenager. His uncle, Dean, of course, played for Derby and Wolves. 'I went to Sunday school in Hockley [Birmingham]. It's important for me to have my personal relationship with God and that's what makes me happy, to have a relationship where I can pray and can say anything I want. But for me it's important to read my Bible, to pray and to speak to God and let Him know my feelings.

'The midnight service at Sandbach was a good little vibe. I went with one of my best mates from school and my mum, dad and niece came with us as well. I wanted to go and pay my respects to hear the word of God in church because I was able to. As I say, for me it's important. Not everyone has to do it. Everybody is different. I'm not somebody who's going to say, "You have to do that" 'but for me it's important. It's very personal. Everybody has their own journey, their own story.'

It does partly explain the self-confidence which exudes him. 'I guess it's a privilege and an honour that people still think about me and talk about me,' he says. 'I can only show these people what I'm capable of when God allows me to be on the pitch. Like I said before, the scripture of Daniel shows you go through some things in life where people want to bring you down. People will want to say this or that about you but take it with a pinch of salt.'

Still, in his absence Kane has risen to be the nation's No 1 striker. Even at Liverpool, Divock Origi, before his injury, was seemingly threatening his place. You might imagine that watching their respective rises was disconcerting. 'Not at all,' says Sturridge. 'God has His plan for every individual. Good luck to everyone else. It doesn't matter to me.'

Yet while most might expect him to make Roy Hodgson's squad for Euro 2016 now he is fit, few would expect him to start. 'I disagree. It's Roy's decision. Roy picks the team and I disagree that I shouldn't start. Why shouldn't I start for England? I disagree totally. I can start for England at the Euros. I'm not saying I should, I'm saying I can.

'Each game, they will select which players they feel are best on the day and I feel I can bring a lot to the table. I'd be the best player on the day because I believe in myself and my abilities. So I don't have any doubts about starting for England or who else plays for England. It doesn't matter. Names or any players don't mean anything to me at all.

'In life they say cream rises to the top. That's the one thing that my dad always used to say. I have total faith in my abilities, total faith in what I can do on the pitch and I just have to focus on that, on my game and help the team be successful and I have no worries. I'm so relaxed in my life right now. So relaxed with everything that's going on and I don't look at anything that's going on anywhere else, but what's going on for myself and my team.'

Perhaps Sturridge remains confident because he feels he has walked a similar tricky path earlier in life, staying strong and coming out well in the end. He refers to growing up in Hockley at a time when the influence of gangs were starting to leave children with difficult choices to make.

'Seeing the gang culture and all those things is normal to me,' he says. 'I don't look at that and frown upon it because of that, because I grew up around that type of thing - the crime and the hustle and bustle of Birmingham, it was something you had to escape and I'm just thankful to God that I was able to escape it.

'It's easy to get roped into that type of thing because the friends you grow up with at school are maybe involved in that type of thing now. I'm grateful to God that I'm out of that environment. When you're growing up and you're 14, 15 or 16, at that age any person can go down any road, really, because their decision-making may not be as great as they think it is.

'You think you're older than you are. So it was great to have my mum, dad, brother and sister and other family members around me, to be able to keep me grounded and totally focused.'

It is also why he is enjoying the sponsorship event he is attending, promoting Sainsbury's Active Kids' vouchers. 'Growing up in Birmingham and being in a school which had some equipment but didn't have access to a lot of things, to be able to get equipment for schools and to get the kids active, is great,' he says.

'In Hockley, I played football on a local patch of grass. I used to go with my best friend Shaun, with my older brother Leon and Shaun's brother, Duane, and everyone in the neighbourhood.

'There was a lot of guys older than myself, my brother's age group, so I used to play with them as a kid. They were eight years older than me, so it was tough playing with them as a youngster but it was great to be out.

'The pitch was a bit beat down. The ball probably had a little hole in it but it just was enough that you could still play. And if you didn't have a football you played with cans or whatever. That was how it was.

'Of course my mum wasn't happy when I was out late so I had to be home at a certain time before it got dark but it was a great place to grow up and there were so many different characters there that I'd probably say it gave me a good platform for the future.'

And the future now looks encouraging, be it with Liverpool or England at Euro 2016. The season started in a very lonely place, 3,000 miles from home. It could yet have a glorious finale. You sense Sturridge never doubted it.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3567393/Daniel-Sturridge-m-not-fun-Liverpool-FC-work-questions-integrity-long-hard-look-themselves.html