Former Liverpool winger Ryan Babel has revealed that he regrets his 'dangerous' use of Twitter during the latter stages of his career at Anfield.
Babel, who now plys his trade in Germany with Hoffenheim, admits that he is 'addicted to Twitter', and warned that becoming 'too emotional', can be 'very dangerous'.
Babel got into a couple of high-profile Twitter scrapes at Liverpool, one of which still bothers him to this day:
"The first mistake I made was when I was at Liverpool and I hadn't been selected for the squad.
"We were having problems up front with Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun all injured, and had to play Stoke away.
"I was left out of the squad completely, and it didn't make sense to me. So I tweeted "Do you guys understand that", to hear fans' opinion.
"Within 15 minutes it was on Sky Spots News as 'Babel blasts his manager'. It put the team and the coach under extra pressure, and when they lost, I felt bad"
Babel must be referring to the 2-0 defeat at Stoke in the 2010-11 season under Roy Hodgson. He shouldn't feel so bad though; until recently, the Brittania Stadium has been a bit of a cursed ground for Liverpool.
Babel seems to be enjoying life at Hoffenheim. In a recent interview with De Telegraaf, he enthused:
“I think I’ve really benefited from the move to the Bundesliga. We do more preparation work at Hoffenheim than I ever saw in England and we do longer training sessions. I’ve never felt so fit".
Babel had a strong start the season, scoring 5 goals in 7 games, but his form has tailed off a bit in recent weeks, and he's failed to find the back of the net in the last 6 starts for his new team.
Jaimie Kanwar
Babel, who now plys his trade in Germany with Hoffenheim, admits that he is 'addicted to Twitter', and warned that becoming 'too emotional', can be 'very dangerous'.
Babel got into a couple of high-profile Twitter scrapes at Liverpool, one of which still bothers him to this day:
"The first mistake I made was when I was at Liverpool and I hadn't been selected for the squad.
"We were having problems up front with Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun all injured, and had to play Stoke away.
"I was left out of the squad completely, and it didn't make sense to me. So I tweeted "Do you guys understand that", to hear fans' opinion.
"Within 15 minutes it was on Sky Spots News as 'Babel blasts his manager'. It put the team and the coach under extra pressure, and when they lost, I felt bad"
Babel must be referring to the 2-0 defeat at Stoke in the 2010-11 season under Roy Hodgson. He shouldn't feel so bad though; until recently, the Brittania Stadium has been a bit of a cursed ground for Liverpool.
Babel seems to be enjoying life at Hoffenheim. In a recent interview with De Telegraaf, he enthused:
“I think I’ve really benefited from the move to the Bundesliga. We do more preparation work at Hoffenheim than I ever saw in England and we do longer training sessions. I’ve never felt so fit".
Babel had a strong start the season, scoring 5 goals in 7 games, but his form has tailed off a bit in recent weeks, and he's failed to find the back of the net in the last 6 starts for his new team.
Jaimie Kanwar
"Babel, who now plys his trade in Holland with Hoffenheim," No mate is club plays in Germany! Strange mistake to make...
ReplyDeleteHoffenheim is not in Holland
ReplyDeleteHoffenheim in Holland? have they moved away from the German league?
ReplyDeleteBabel is a rough diamond who can be further polished if he is to make the grade in EPL. Pity for him Benitez didn't the best of him.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I meant Germany; just must've had Holland in my mind as Babel is Dutch.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't be that game because Benayoun was sold in the summer of 2010!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure he got mixed up and is referring to the the 2-0 defeat at middlesbrough or sunderland actually the season before
ReplyDeleteWWonder if Babel is still frightened of his own shadow..he used to fall over overtime he saw it on the pitch.
ReplyDeleteYes, you're probably right. The 2-0 defeat to Stoke is the only defeat at the Brittania during Babel's time at LFC.
ReplyDeleteBabel on paper was a superb signing for us , his potential was & to a lesser degree still is absolutely massive .
ReplyDeleteHowever reality kicked in & the age old problem of "Too Much Too Young " kicked in , he stagnated in his development , got comfortable under performing & the rest is history .
His down sides were
His bad attitude .
Poor/slow match intelligence in comparison to the players around him .
Unable to sustain a valuable level of performance over a run of games .
His good points were ...
Fantastic pace .
Very Strong on the ball .
Excellent touch & technique .
The boy has all the tools to rival Thiery Henrys best for Arsenal , sadly though it looks like he doesn’t have the mental skills to go all the way with his talent .
That said ?
4 years is a long time in Football & perhaps in 4 years time if he has matured & toughened up mentally we may be considering re signing him as one of the best if not the very best attacker in Europe .
he was never given the time of day, we have a very good habit of recking talented young players, unless they are english ofcoarse then it doesn't matter even if they haven't got any talent ie. spearing compared to pacheo (in my view will be a great player....and really hope babel ends up at man u or arsnal as much as i hate to even say that as a liverpool fan, just so he can prove the doubters what he really is about, he never was managed the way he should have been.
ReplyDeleteIts not that simple Rassell .
ReplyDeleteLiverpool have released hundreds if not thousands of English kids this past 10 years .
Fact of the matter is unless you are already on top then you are wasting your time trying to bring kids through .
At best you might develop an outstanding player as we did with McManaman , Fowler , Owen , Gerrard , Carragher but its costs the club silverware .
Babel cost us over £10 million & he was also on massive wages .
He never took the opportunity to progress his game , hi simply took the pay check , cashed is & thought that the joke was on us .
He had an awful attitude & he had to go .
Liverpool FC was built upon signing top quality players who could come into the club & fit in straight away , similar to how Enrique , Adam & Downing have done , while developing outstanding kids like Kelly , Henderson & Carroll alongside them in the squad .
We never won anything regularly using kids & thats the bottom line .
We always have & hopefully always will spend top dollar to get the player we target .
Babel underachieved in Liverpool shirt, he was full of potentials but his work rate was not good enough on other hand, he work hard to express his views out of pitch.
ReplyDeleteI rarely crtize any liverpool players unless they dont give 100% and he is one that he had many chances and only played when he felt like to.
sad really as I haveno doubt that if he had a good attitude, he could have become a liverpool great.
I agree with tour last two posts but I will add this. Babel played on the left of three forwards in the famous Ajax 4-3-3 formation which literally meant no defending. We tried to turn him into a left midfielder in a 4-4-2 formation which is completely different and completely alien to Ryan Babel. He never adjusted to the amount of defending Rafa wanted him to do and most importantly never had the engine to both attack and defend in a league as quick and fitness based as the premier league.
ReplyDeleteMy fear is that Downing will eventually go through the same technical problems (although downing has a good engine) on the pitch as Babel as he to performs at his best playing wide of a forward 3 in a 4-3-3. The contrast in form of Downing last season to this is alarming and the main reason for this is Downing is playing out of position and out of formation. He found his natural position last season and we decided he could replicate his previous seasons form in a 4-4-2, a formation he has never excelled in (bar one) in his whole 8 year career.
We should have learnt from the Babel shenanigans but nope we've gone and done it again with Downing, unless that is of course Kenny is happy that this is as good as Downing gets in a 4-4-2 because history tells us that it is.
I disagree .
ReplyDeleteUnder Rafa we basically played a 6 -0-4 , not unlike the old Brazilian 4-2-4 of the 1970's .
Rafa's version of it was defensively more solid & as such anything or one ahead of Alonso & Mascherano had very little to do defensively .
Our Fullbacks had to cover a lotta ground but definitely our wide men couldnt have been accused of that .
In any case Babel didnt just turn up for games on Saturday & get asked to play in a formation new to him .
He was training daily in the squad preparing for years on end .
He has absolutely no excuse .
Downing has been flawless .
He hasnt set the world on fire with individual match winning performances but his flawless contribution to our overall tactical game has been immaculate as has Hendersons , they make Lucas who is also tactically flawless look average in that way .
For us to be a great team we dont have to have the best , most magical individual players .
We have to have the best players possible who will fit in with our way of playing & as such Downing has been superb .
Even with being dogged with bad luck in his finishing there hasnt been a game he has played in that an opponent fullback has had one moment of relaxation ..... because Downing is always at it , every second of every minute of every match , he never switches off up stairs & is always no more than one run , two touches or one finish away from either delivering or getting on the end of a final ball .
There is more to being a good footballer than just dribbling , which Downing does well also & apart from heading & tackling I cant think of many aspects of the game that Downing could immediately improve on .
Yes he could have Rudd Gulliets heading ability , Usain Bolts pace , Graham Souness's tackling ability , Steven Gerrards Shooting & bla bla bla ....
But what he already has & what he already is maintaining is a standard of excellence that has seen us become a very solid unit because of his presence & contributions .
I wont pretend to have seen a lot of Villas games this past two seasons but in the Villa games I did watch Downing was always one who stood out , for his versatility , I seen him play LW , RW & both ACM + DCM in a 4-3-2-1 for them under Martin O'Neil & he was their captain in at least one of those games .
He was also superb in their cup runs , again he might not have enigmatically single handedly carried the team but what he did do was give them leadership , when they were level , when they were behind & when they were ahead .
He never stops .
He is a constant threat .
Take your eye of Downing for half a second & you will be punished .
Stress is a medical condition & he is contributing to us very quickly returning to our Title winning standard of being 90 minutes of 100% mental pressure to play against , we are footballs version of death by 1000 cuts .
As far as I'm concerned Downing has a role in our squad until such time he decides to retire .
One of the main reasons kuyt played on the right consistently under Rafa was because he worked the line ala De Livio for Juventus. Surely you must have heard all of the "Kuyt is such a hard worker" tags over the years....well this is why. He spent most of the game under Rafa helping out his full back. why did Finnan and Riise intially played wide midfield positions under Rafa? It wasn't because of their flair and creativity I can assure you of that. It was all about tactical discipline. One of the reasons Zenden played in the Champions league final at left mid was in the words of Rafa so he could "carry out tactical instruction" which was to work up and down the line. Under Rafa fans are under the impression that we played a 4-2-3-1...I never witnessed this. Barca, Ajax and Arsenal play play 4-2-3-1. At Valencia Rafa played 4-2-3-1 at Liverpool he played a very rigid 4-4-1-1 or 4-4-2 at best.
ReplyDeleteYou mention that Babel was training regularly in this position. That doesn't mean he'll become comfortable in the position. With this logic anyone can play anywhere so long as they train in this position. Simply not true. Babel was used to picking up the ball primarily in the final third and or running on to through balls at Ajax. He never got to do that with us. Instead he was asked to defend and be a playmaker. As good a player that Babel is it isn't his game. You cannot convert a primarily physically gifted footballer into a primarily technical one such as Silva, Matta or Benni. We all saw how Babel performed against Villa when given one of his few chances to play upfront. I thought he was outstanding during our 2-0 win and took his goal superbly only to bee dropped for the next match.
What we are seeing from downing in the specific role of Left midfield of four is the best we will see. It gets no better. If you think he has been superb you'll be glad to know that he will maintain this level of superb performance until such time he decides to retire.
One of the main reasons kuyt played on the right consistently under Rafa
ReplyDeletewas because he worked the line ala De Livio for Juventus. Surely you
must have heard all of the "Kuyt is such a hard worker" tags over the
years....well this is why. He spent most of the game under Rafa helping
out his full back. why did Finnan and Riise intially played wide
midfield positions under Rafa? It wasn't because of their flair and
creativity I can assure you of that. It was all about tactical
discipline. One of the reasons Zenden played in the Champions league
final at left mid was in the words of Rafa so he could "carry out
tactical instruction" which was to work up and down the line. Under
Rafa fans are under the impression that we played a 4-2-3-1...I never
witnessed this. Barca, Ajax and Arsenal play play 4-2-3-1. At Valencia
Rafa played 4-2-3-1 at Liverpool he played a very rigid 4-4-1-1 or
4-4-2 at best.
You mention that Babel was training regularly in
this position. That doesn't mean he'll become comfortable in the
position. With this logic anyone can play anywhere so long as they
train in this position. Simply not true. Babel was used to picking up
the ball primarily in the final third and or running on to through balls
at Ajax. He never got to do that with us. Instead he was asked to
defend and be a playmaker. As good a player that Babel is it isn't his
game. You cannot convert a primarily physically gifted footballer into
a primarily technical one such as Silva, Matta or Benni. We all saw
how Babel performed against Villa when given one of his few chances to
play upfront. I thought he was outstanding during our 2-0 win and took
his goal superbly only to bee dropped for the next match.
What we
are seeing from downing in the specific role of Left midfield of four
is the best we will see. It gets no better. If you think he has been
superb you'll be glad to know that he will maintain this level of superb
performance until such time he decides to retire.
That is my point entirely about Downing yet you say is in such a scathing manner I'm almost sure you mean it as an insult to the man ?
ReplyDeleteDowning is what wins Titles , he is consistent , he is a team player & he is capable of delivering the bonus play , those moments of individual skill that turn games .
Because he has been very very unlucky in his finishing so far this season those moments havent worked out for him yet but that in no way weakens us because his tactical game is so strong we are stronger for his presence .
As players Ryan Giggs & Downing are cut from the exact same cloth , the only difference being that Giggs in football terms was lucky enough to have been born with a silver spoon in his mouth while Downing was born with a plastic spoon in his & he from the age of 17 has been performing in the Premier League with unfashionable if not struggling teams up until he joined us .
The man has genuine heart & genuine character , he is a credit to his parents , his family , friends & neighbors & I am delighted to have a person & player of his quality at our club .
Babel on the other hand is nothing but Bonus play .
He is either wonderful or he is woeful , he has zero consistency & his contribution tactically is zero .
His wonderful moments come at around about 5 minutes out of every 10 games played & that for a professional footballer at any level is appalling & it definitely wasn’t acceptable at Liverpool FC .
I'm not going to argue with your opinion about Rafas tactics , I'm not a Rafa fan but he is/was an outstanding tactician & I really liked us under his 4 2 3 1 formation .
I again disagree with you about Babel being played out of position .
Firstly he was a 20 year old not a 30 year old veteran when we signed him , he was still in development
To say a 20 year old is being played out of position is like saying that water is too wet for a glass .
Secondly , as you are seeing under Kenny , genuinely good players with good attitudes toward the game , the club , the manager & the players around them daily , enjoy playing no matter what position & good players LOVE playing alongside other good players which is why you often here the likes of Kuyt welcoming competition for places within the squad .
Babel has no excuse .
He had a wonderful opportunity & he blew it .
He scored against The Scum. He scored against The Arse. He's a good lad and I wish him all the best. Hopefully he regains his confidence and fulfills his potential.
ReplyDeleteYer easy pleased .
ReplyDeleteAgreed. There's no doubt he has potential, though as Jaimie says, his performances of late at Hoffenheim have tailed off after a blistering start.
ReplyDeleteWith regards to his inconsistent form at Liverpool, I believe part of the problem could be based on personality clashes. Babel strikes me as a player who thrives on high levels of demonstrative praise and encouragement. His excitable and sometimes erratic personality always seemed completely at odds with Benetiz's very measured and logical style of man management. There were definite issues in their relationship, as suggested by Babel's assertion that the Spainiard had denied him the opportunity of extra training sessions that he wanted to improve his performances. Whilst his comments were ill advised, they were in response to considerable pressure from the fans regarding his perceived poor work ethic and attitude towards improvement. I also think THEYCALLMEMRBURT makes a very valid point. Hodsgon publicly stated that Babel was going to be given opportunities, yet when he did perform well and score at Villa he was dropped for the next match.
I'm glad Babel can reflect on his use of twitter and understand how inappropriate some of his tweets were. Though he wasn't the right player at the right time for Liverpool, I truly hope he does well in Germany.
So what yer sayin is that he missed getting a hug & a kiss from his mammy after every game & training session ?
ReplyDeleteIts a mans game !
He is either up to the job he is being paid to do or he isnt & if he isnt up to the job ?
He deserves the sack !
We are no ones charity shelter & you lot need to get in touch with yer masculinity again !
Babel was not a good buy in the first place, showed glimpses of promise but faded away as times goes by.
ReplyDeleteHe was an outstanding prospect when we landed him but when you take a risk on a youngster like that its always going to be a shot in the dark & a club our size doesnt need to be taking unnecessary cheapskate chances like that .
ReplyDeleteWe should simply spend the money & buy in players who are already in their absolute prime & leave no room for excuses & or mistakes an or failure .
Its over 20 years since we won a title & I'm Fcuking sick of all this dirty houres basta*din failure !!!
Jesus. Let it go man. He left you - get over it.
ReplyDeleteMate unless your downings dad or something i dont understand how you ncan talk so much garbage about one player, downing has made 0 assists o goals has only had one good game against sunderland working the lines does not win u titles how often to the barcelona forwards trak back, not alot you will find, as for comparing him to ryan giggs ? i can assure you if he had the talent ryan giggs had he wudve been snapped up by a top four team a long time ago the fact is kenny got carried away with buying Englush at first it was great but its jus became a joke when he bought a certain stewarts downing close to 20 ,illion quid i wudnt pay more than 12. He could go out and buy junior hoillett who at 21 is loooking like becoming a real quality player . Also wiv raheem stirling and suso lurking in the reserves i think its tme for their push. And on the formation front you insane again first because you say kuyt is a good player and then you go good players should play together. Would you see luis suarez play defensive mid ?? NO. i think if Rafa had the money Kenny did now we wud be in an even better position when he bought big he bought Torres,Alonso,glen johnson,mascherano these are top players if they were still here long with the added additions of further quality players i would say we would have a few more points omn the board, in addition im not saying kennys doin a bad job but it aint grat either forking out 35 million for carroll when he vould of bought LLorente for a similar amount is ridiculous.
ReplyDeletehey Brehon Law
ReplyDeleteLOL! I like your first paragraph!
Anyway, with regards to the point in hand, I'm just trying to offer another possible perspective as to why it didn't work out for him, based on comments he made. The reason he was sold was probably a combination of the factors discussed, but in fairness as Felderkirk says, he did pop up and score a few big goals for us and we didn't lose too much money when he moved.
We played 4-2-3-1 under Rafa. Fact. It may not be how you perceived it, but I saw it and I realise there are variations in how you implement it. The pressing game he honed was developed at Valencia and inspired by the AC Milan sides during the 60's and 80's.
ReplyDeleteIn many ways the exact opposite to Houllier's and Hodgson's 'sit back' and counter approaches.
I agree - I thought he was a bit odd when he first joined with his comments about wanting to be a rapper, and then the Twitter nonsense only compounded that. But I like the dignity he's shown since. And given the fact that some LFC fans lost patience with him, it would have been easy for him to have ignored us or even dissed us. But he was pretty cool after he left and he's expressed regrets that it didn't work out.
ReplyDeleteSo, in spite of the PL being a step too far for him, he still bagged some important goals for us, and I'm not going to let his initial immaturity tarnish him for life.