6 Jan 2013

Reds hero warns: 'Lightweight' star is 'not really suited' to LFC. Big mistake?

Anfield legend Kevin Keegan is the latest ex-Liverpool player to question Brendan Rodgers' decision to spend £12m on Daniel Sturridge.

Prior to the signing, Dietmar Hamann, Steve Nicol, Stan Collymore and Ray Houghton all expressed reservations about 23-year old striker, and now, Keegan - who worked with Sturridge during his time as Man City boss - has delivered a withering verdict on his suitability for Liverpool.

In his column for the Daily Star today, Keegan questioned whether Sturridge has what it takes to play 'week-in, week-out at the highest level, adding:

“He’s not the centre forward figure that Liverpool need. He’s like Theo Walcott in that he wants to play up top but he’s not really suited to that as he’s just too lightweight and can’t hold the ball up.

“What Suarez needs is someone in front of him to play off and Sturridge is too similar. Daniel can definitely beat people and has got an eye for goal, but he’s not the sort of player who will have Liverpool fans saying ‘wow, he’s the one’.”


At 6'2, it's hard to believe that Sturridge is too 'lightweight' to play up front, but there has to be a reason that most of his managers persisted with playing him out wide.

Jim Cassell - the Manchester City coach who brought Sturridge through the ranks at Manchester City - sees things differently. Sturridge spent three seasons under Cassell's stewardship at City's academy, and according to him, sturridge can go on to achieve 'great things'. He told the BBC:

"Daniel was exceptional, even as a 13-year-old. He had great pace, fantastic feet and magnificent vision. I couldn't speak too highly of him when he was with us. He trained hard, was respectful and always immaculately turned out - I thought he was great. He has the potential to be a top-class international striker".

I really hope Sturridge starts today's game against Mansfield. For me, there's nothing more frustrating that seeing a new signing on the bench after joining the club. Joe Cole only moved to West Ham a couple of days ago and he started for them against Man United yesterday; you can't tell me that Sturridge isn't ready to start against a *non-league* team.

One thing is for sure: Sturridge has to work out for Rodgers. If he doesn't, it will means he's spent £25m on two strikers who don't score regularly, and that will cast even more doubt on his ability in the transfer market.

Jaimie Kanwar


53 comments:

  1. i think Sturridge will work out pretty well for us, hes not the world beater everyone wants but people have to be realistic and see where we are as a team right now and for me Sturridge is a step in the right direction.

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  2. Sturridge is only back from a lengthy injury. Cole has been fit for ages, there's a big difference.

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  3.  Rodgers isn't the only person picking these players in the transfer market as we've known since his first day at Liverpool. I thought you would've known that.

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  4. I hope Sturridge will have a run out today. He is a Liverpool striker now and he needs our support. I wish him to prove his critics wrong, me included. 

    BA has scored a brace on his debut for Chelski. So why not give DS a go. Even as a substitute later on in the game. But I would like to see him plat from the off.

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  5. Sturridge was back from his hamstring injury for Chelsea at the end of November. It's now over a month later.

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  6. Yeah cos Theo Walcott ain't doing much upfront for Arsenal is he?

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  7. Football has changed over the last five years; pace is more critical than holding a ball up. BR is trying to promote a fast passing style of football. If he wanted a player to hold the ball up he would have retained Andy Carroll.
    Aguero, Tevez, Messi, Van Persie, Suarez - none of these players are giants. He is only 23 and still maturing, lets give him a chance !.   

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  8. I really do think Sturridge will make an impact on Liverpool. He seems to have a great attitude and genuinely wants to succeed with us, and I'm sure if he's given the opportunity, he'll have a great return. Look at his loan spell with Bolton, when he was given the chance, he delivered. 8 goals in 12 appearances I think.

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  9. Sturridge has all the attributes required to potentially become a great player, unlike Borini.

    I think he'd be one of the top wide forwards in the league immediately (along with Suarez), but he should also be able to do a good job through the middle too.

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  10. i believe him will work for lfc

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  11. :Maybe Walcott is maybe not" doing much for Arsenal? You will have to check with Keegan on that statement as it is his POV. I don't think Keegan will logon to comment.

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  12.  exactly we don't need a single player to hold the ball up as we often attack in numbers and pass a lot anyway so don't think that holding the ball is that important

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  13. Definitely agree, we needed a top class striker a 25 goal season one, arent we tired of these expensive british flops? People cant stop saying hes young hes young can improve bla bla, we cant afford waiting for players to improve until they become what we need NO, forget about this why do we have to wait 2-3 years and pay silly amount of money for a so called talent then he might work for us, with this mentality we aint going nowhere, lfc transfer policies are killing us, just terribly wrong fans dont deserve this at all, we're not getting a world class player for three years now since suarez, and how you pretend to get into that top four then, this is ridiculous.

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  14. It's hard to believe the negativity surrounding this club at times. We should all be bristling to see what he can do and backing him to the hilt. I hope he silences this nonsense immediately.

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  15. So judgemental. This is ludicrous. The guy hasn't even pulled on a shirt yet. What is wrong with you?

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  16. legend though he is, Keegan is stuck in a time warp. Hence his last two attempts at management.

    That Messi's way too small. And that Ronaldo can't score much from wide areas either.. RVP is shorter (can't believe he's 6ft 2) Rubbish CF.

    Ok they're on another planet, but the point still holds true.

    You blew your chance for managerial immortality that 'Love it' year Kevin

    It's the 21st century now...

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  17.  please explain

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  18. With the pace and eye for goal he has, he'll be  running past the defenders and firing shots on goal or getting into space created by his strike partners. Holding the ball up is for forward players who are big lumps and haven't the ability to beat a man and accurately shoot on goal. That's old style football and not what BR is trying to implement at LFC.

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  19. Maybe he is a similar player to Suarez because if as is likely we fail to achieve top 4 this season then Suarez will want to leave. FSG cash in and we will have a ready made replacement to take Suarez's place with Borini playing off him.

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  20. You raise an interesting point as I'm not sure whether I fully agree with you or not. You base most of your comment on emotion, which you are most entitled to and of which I am guilty of myself at times. I recently had a debate where I too got emotionally upset at FSG for how they have approached this January transfer window and can genuinely say I felt very disappointed towards them not spending more, (they may still surprise as the window is not finished yet!). But I have now had time to reflect on certain issues and put emotions to one side for a minute, which will allow for realistic views of where we are. For us to acquire a 'top striker' in the 25 goal a season bracket, you are talking of names that would require  above 20 mill for transfer fee plus wages, it's really not going to happen for one player. The expensive british flops aren't too bad as Cole has gone, Carroll loaned out, Downing and Henderson finding some form thankfully, and Daniel Sturridge not even kicking a ball yet! (which I think he is going to do well for us). There are other expensive flops that aren't british....We have young players due to the 'plan' the establishment has put in place so as to have a sell on value, so people are going to be saying "he's young, he's young" to many of our players, that is our policy, 'talented' young players. But this is where I got confused, as although I believe in this policy (mainly because Liverpool can't do much wrong in my eyes, I seem to love them no matter what!), this plan is going to take a while to fruit as our squad is not at any stage of making realistic challenges yet; but I hear not just fans dreaming of top four finishes, but also the hierarchy of LFC talking it, which leads to the confusion. If we want top four soon then money must be spent soon should it not?. If we are prepared to wait for talent to develop then top four has to wait too imo. 

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  21.  at least he has pace...and speed is a killer in any sport........having watched him he seems as strong as any forward in the division and to be honest i dont want him fannying about on the ball i want him to be direct...there are enough doing that all ready in the team

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  22. I disagree with him being lightweight, his time at Bolton showed he can do it, and when he has played at Chelsea I would say the same. Like all players there is areas he needs to improve on.

    I do agree though that he has to work out. If this transfer doesn`t, and Borini doesn`t start scoring (once he is back) then it will be hard to have faith in his future transfers, and this will cast a big doubt on if he can cut it. From my understanding FSG originally wanted a Director of football to work with BR, and he said no. I have thought maybe in BR`s case a DOF might actually work, as they might get in better players. It would all depend on who that DOF was mind. If this transfer doesn`t work out, and his others don`t step up there game, I think FSG would have a good case for looking to bring one in, which might undermine BR.

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  23. Yeh I hope he gets a good amount of game time too, it is a good chance to score, and as a striker getting off on a goal can work wonders. That duck needs to get off every strikers back asap, however we must bear in mind he has only been with us a few days, and will take a bit of time to gel into the team.

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  24.  why who else is yankee doodle dandy....of coarse rogers is picking them ...i cant really see fsg identifying players for rogers ticka taka

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  25.  Borini is neither slow or fast or big or small....hes neither a poacher or a hammer shot .....in short he seems a jack of all trades and i cant see where he can develop .....lets hope rogers knows where he fits in because i cant see a spot for him on the bench let alone on the pitch

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  26. I wasnt talking only about sturridge, but for the most of players we signed since dalglish took over until now, try to read a comment properly, if you can

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  27. All those ex-players and pundits have to have their say on every matter. It surely is easier for them to follow the pack, or jump the band-wagon, than thinking up something different, an alternative view. Hope Sturridge makes all his critics eat their words, and I actually think he will.

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  28. Any clever player will benefit from just playing with Saurez and I think DS is smart enough to be that player. I enjoy his confidence as well, never shy to take responsibility. DS is a red now and I also hope he gets a run today.

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  29. exactly, I don`t understand who Juah thinks is picking them. Under KD I could understand it, as Com-man was there to get players, but under BR he is in full control. Now if we had only signed say Amercians, then yes maybe you could say FSG were doing a Chelsea, but as thats not the case I can`t work out who else is picking them.

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  30. same here ....everyone bangs on about stats on this site but sturridges are as good as any for a 23 year old ...im not sure hes 6;2 ....as ive read somewhere hendo is 6;3 and so is gerrard ...maybe the tv makes them seem smaller

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  31. Agreed, plus the fact we play along the floor most of the time, height isn`t a issue, even though Sturridge isnt small anyway.

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  32. Well said. We are Liverpool not Chelsea, we support a player until he proves otherwise, and even then we still show respect.

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  33. I think he would be good on the bench, from seeing him play before, his skill is being that fox in a box type player. So if things aint working out, he can be good to add, just to give a different option. 

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  34. Another PUNDIT and another former player with little credibility.
    This is the SAME KEVIN KEEGAN  who stated that Andy Carroll when signed for Liverpool would become a 'LIVERPOOL LEGEND'.
    Also that CARRROLL could break the all time scoring record for Liverpool.

    I REST MY CASE MY LUD !

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  35. And when he does (which I also think he will) I bet they wont mention about how they said he wasn`t going to work, but will act like they always knew he would. Pundits are more fickle than us fans. I think a lot forget that you don`t need to side with the masses to get paid as a pundit. Savage is one of my fav pundits, not because he is great at it, but because he truely says what he feels, and doesn`t fit any molds, he just says what he thinks, rightly or wrongly.

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  36. Hey jamie I know its off the point but i ve noticed you havent picked up on the james lawton article in which he praises suarez. Im a long time follower first time poster and thought you might have picked up on it for the sake of "balance"

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  37. Think they (pundits and ex-players) mainly say what they think the majorit wants to hear. And of course they don't tend to admit mistakes in their assessment.

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  38. your having a laugh if hes suarez,s replacement we mite as well give up all hope now

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  39. I don't post articles based on the personal opinions of Journalists. What's the point in that? 

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  40. I think clubs just make up injuries quite a lot when they don't want to use a player. e.g. Assaidi and all his mysterious injuries this year at LFC. I've no doubt that Sturridge is 100% right now and has been for a while.

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  41. We seem to have replaced all the other good experienced players with younger less able players, so at least it would be consistent.

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  42. Yep i too had a few things to say on here not long after the stoke game which were emotionally based or more in my case a good old rant...It's going to take some time before everything falls into place and i couldn't agree more with what you say about if we want top four soon we will need to spend a fair bit of dough but we would also need to get exactly the right players too as well and it does look like we are probably waiting for what we have now to develop.....Mind you i would love to see us at some point get that one player (whoever that may be).. who could make all the difference and provide that vital spark.
    So my patience is now restored and fingers crossed

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  43. I too believe in the future we will eventually be able to compete at the top end of the transfer market, and have my fingers crossed so tight they are difficult to pry apart when I need to use them! However, as supporters of this wonderful club, brought up on a diet of success (if you are as old as me!) then a rant now and again is fully justified, and warranted at times.....

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  44. Roll on FFP and yes I am no spring chicken either mate unfortunately lol

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  45.  the negativity by the fans is natural because the  club has been poorly run on all fronts for several years.....this is our 4th manger in nearly as many years  and we have mi-spent an obscene amount of money on rubbish....you can only have enthusiastic optimism for false dawns for so long before you start sinking into acceptance...its far easier to accept defeat when you never thought you would win......not so easy to accept defeat when you thought you would win ...two very similar sentences with two vastly different meanings

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  46. KEVIN KEEGAN is a man that can only see what's in front of him.That's the reason along with tactical nous that he isn't managing right now.The best pundits and managers see football matters with a birds eye point of view.Which gives them the ability to lead better and analyse to a high standard.
    I like hearing views different to mine from media outlets and fans because it opens up my mind to things i might have missed.But if a pundit has a view that falls in line with popular opinion is it really jumping on the bandwagon?
    Giving something different or putting forth a strong alternative to what you believe,is being fake.Pundits should give honest views even if it does follow the same train of thought of what most think.

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  47. Don't know it "jumping the bandwagon" was the right phrase to use. My point is that, as you've put it too, Keegan isn't able to take a different point of view or see the wider picture. Just like many other pundits. I actually don't know why he felt the need to comment on the transfer of Sturridge.

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  48. a month and he hasnt hardly played any football as well in that period ,when he gets fully fit and works wel lwith suarez then i thin kwe call all judge his performances for us

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  49. Ah yes, the managerial genius that is Kevin Keegan. It looks like we have a new member for the former reds who know better squad. I hope Sturridge will be just as lightweight as Messi or Cuenca. What he probably means to say is that we won't be able to lump the ball up the pitch sixty yards to Sturridge, then expect him to win an aerial duel against Huth and Shawcross and then hold on to the ball for another thirty seconds whilst attackers and defenders alike flood the penalty box.

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  50. Suarez is hardly 'heavyweight' and he seems to have done a decent job up front so far this season. There has been a lot of talk about us trying to emulate Barcelona, who have Messi up top who's pretty much featherweight!

    Lets face it, the game has passed Keegan by as it did Dalglish. Their mantra is one of a bygone era, where a team needed the likes of Andy Carroll up front to succeed.

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  51. Hi Pajhickey, Jaimie often bases his articles around the views of footballers/managers except for Harry Redknapp who recently called Suarez a genius. Obviously Harry hasn't been a manager long enough for him to be considered like the mighty Nicol, Lawreson and now Keegan.

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  52. I hope many ex- liverpool players will step up to give suggestion,opinion,comment and critick positive to build up liverpool very good development.They very important to keep pressure for underperming players and for warning clubs becarefull when dealing flops or rejected players.They also can see the lack or clubs weakness from outside.

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