Dear Ryan, word has it you were on your way to London to sign for either West Ham or Tottenham on transfer deadline day. Did you ever get in that helicopter or was it just wild speculation that prompted Sky Sports News and several other media outlets to report that you were on your way out of Merseyside? It seems that in every recent transfer window your name has been on the “departure list”. How does this make you feel? Unloved, rejected, misunderstood, alone?
It has become a trend in the sporting world for its stars to tweet about their careers and problems, to let their fans know how they are feeling and to elicit empathy. Sometimes emotions run so high that players have to turn to the written word as a way out of their “crisis”. Just ask Kevin Pietersen. Liverpool fans have become accustomed to your online updates, some tire of them and some are indifferent. I hadn’t paid much attention to any of them until i saw the post “I’m going nowhere! #LFC all the way… #ynwa” just as the transfer window was closing.
The failure to secure a striker to support or even challenge Fernando Torres for a starting place prompted more criticism among Liverpool fans. It seemed the “big summer” that Tom Hicks had spoken about had failed to materialise as a fourth consecutive transfer window passed where Liverpool had made more money than they had spent. A debt-ridden club with aspirations of a return to the top again looked ill-equipped for the fight ahead. Despite not being a target or a necessity to Liverpool, Tottenham’s capture of Rafael van de Vaart was a painful reminder of the pull of the Champions League and the absence of it at Anfield this year. Liverpool needed a “name” but got no-one. Disillusionment reigned but the news you were staying gave me a glimmer of hope.
I say a glimmer because I, like many other fans, feel the jury is still out on you. However, If i were pleading your case to those 12 individuals I would say that football was more important to you than tweeting and rapping. I would tell them that you have never played more than 6 consecutive games in your 3 years at Liverpool; scant time for a footballer to get into his rhythm. I would remind them of your strike in Lyon and your 11 goal debut season. I would argue you that you have only played in your favourite position a handful of times and that you looked a natural when you scored against Trabzonspor.
I imagine communication with Rafael Benitez wasn’t that great and his insistence on playing David Ngog ahead of you when Torres was injured must have been very frustrating. So what can be done now? You are staying. A new manager and a new start is what you have got. So, on the premise that Roy Hodgson gives you your chance to shine, are you ready to show us what you can do? Can you finally shed your “great potential” tag? Liverpool Football Club needs all the help it can get at the moment so your assistance is needed.
Thanks. Glad you’re going nowhere
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Good article with a lot of good points, i think this could be a massive year for Ryan, and i fully agree that this guy has a demon inside him just itching to get out and cause havoc. i doubt he’ll read your open letter mind!
Good article true!!! ryan is a fantastic player i’d personally always appreciate his sense of going forward, got us some great goals hold on ryan guess ur time is now!!!
Maybe fans should plead to roy to play him upfront?!!! kinda unrealistic though…
I thought Roy has said, he’ll be played upfront. Jovanovic will be on the left with likely back-up Aurelio (as this is where he was played in the away leg vs Trabzonspor)
Ryan looks like lately he has been playing with more confidence and a smil on his face. I think this could be a good year for him in which he scores alot of goals!
Pace, yes.
Passing, quite poor.
Shooting, eratic.
Finishing, inconsistent.
Need I go on ?
I would rather have Kris Boyd upfront than Ryan Babel at least he knows where the net is.
Why has Roy joined Rafa in playing Ngog before Ryan? Any ideas? Perhaps right now Ngog is better!
fantastic player, great speed and shooting ability but it seems like roy doesn’t have much faith in him. playing ngog upfront instead of him shows roy doesn’t rate him much. but i do hope he gets a chance this season, preferably upfront instead of left wing. when and if torres gets injured, hopefully that doesn’t happen of course, i hope roy puts babel upfront.
Berno!
Now we know why you’re not Liverpool manager!!!
we’d be relegated in no time!
Great reading…
Ryan Babel you have great potential so now can you please stand up..??
Gr8 article …….
we cant go on forever having potential, we used to say this of 16 year olds, this is the season or rather half season because if he does not perform in the next few months he should be packed off in january so that he does not run his contract down,lets hope he finally performs consistantly and gets offered a new contract.
I have always thought babel playing on the left was a big mistake he has no left peg.
I beleive he should play right wing or up front.
With kuyt seemingly out for a few weeks this could be babels opertunity to finaly give liverpool what they need.(pase out wide)
Great article!!!! I feel people are un fair to Ryan. I believe that if rafa had shown half as much faith in babel as he had kuyt we wud be looking at a completely different player. You don’t come to the premiership with a reputation like his then suddenly turn to a bad player. Roy give him a chance please!!!!!!!
He isn’t a striker in a million years. Why Rafa never gave him a decent run on the right wing beggars believe. He may well excel in that position.
“you looked a natural when you scored against Trabzonspor.”
Very true. But he was awful at times for the rest of the match.
awful at times for the rest of the half, Bob. He got subbed at half-time after scoring the only goal in his first pro appearance since last season remember…
It’s funny that Babel is an inferior player, but is held to a higher standard than Torres and expected to shine with EVERY touch of the ball with no excuses allowed
I disagree with you slightly Chris – the problem isn’t playing him on the left, it’s playing him so deep and far away from the goal!
It’s not just him though – Jovanovich and Kuyt would also benefit greatly from being deployed further up the field (433 or 4231) instead of playing in such a deep, flat 4 man midfield.
In a four man midfield though, out of our current squad, unless Johnson is going to be pushed up into midfield where he belongs, or Gerrard is going to be shifted out wide, then Babel is definitely our best option to be played out on the right
seems to me that he is surplus to requirements.
Roy accepted at least 2 bids for him in the window..
true he has showed flashes of brilliance but we cant afford to wait for him to develop any longer..
he wont be at anfield next september..
These ‘open letters’ always make me laugh; do you actually think (a) Babel would take the time to read this tripe, and (b) whether he’d actually care even for a glancing moment what you think.
I stopped reading at ‘the jury is still out’. How patronising. What qualifies you to act as juror? One tweet, and Babels a hero all of a sudden.
Quite pathetic to be honest. If you have something you’d like to say about Babel, just say it. Better still, if you DO want to write to Babel, try emailing him in private, I’m sure he’d really love what you have to say.
Come on Ryan.
There are a lot like me who have backed you all
the way. I think you could be the striker we have
all been waiting for, we Know you are a lot better than we have seen of you so far . so honour that red jersey you wear with many goal’s
we know you can do it,( good luck Ryan.)
ALFRED WYNNE.