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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Footy is 90% confidence in yourself and team,,,, if he gets the confidence he will be the new striker we all hoped to sign last week. He has the talent,,, he needs a good run and some luck,,,, with the small squad and league, euro and 2 domestic cups and need to rest Torres at this point,,,, plus Kuyt being out for a month or two we need him to step up and show us why he wears the red shirt and why he earns a fortune every week.
Dear Ryan,it’s now or never,we believe in you,we need you now,and it’s only up to you,to step up and be a World class player,or be lost.C’mon ryan you can do it!!!!
kris boyd were havin no hun reject 1 hun is enough in danny wilson
Roy,it’s easy to see,played Ngog ahead of Babel cause he came late from the W.cup.
Ngog made all the pre season,is fitter,and played well also.Now i hope he’ll give to Babel a fair chance to play.
(Van Der Vart is a very good player,but in his position LFc don’t need him,we don’t need a name,we need a striker)Go Babel!!!!
The Dutch team don’t pick Babel ahead of Kuyt, so why would we play him at right wing? With his failure to impose himself on a game, why would we picjk him at left wing, or striker either?
But sometimes, just sometimes, he comes off the bench and does something amazing and we all sigh about his potential again…
I reckon Babel is better than NGog and is just unlucky that his confidence has been ruined and form has dipped along with his reputation. I think Babel would do better given the same oppurtunity as Ngog has had. It would save wasting money on signing crap like bobby zamora and Carlton cole.
And Ryan has actually read it lol. Look at his tweets from 5 minutes ago if you don’t believe me.
Lol at jay1978. Ryan read the letter. Heck his twitter
yeah! Ryan you can shine, i really believe you have all it takes to become a great player. I hope to see you play upfront along side Torres.
i tell you what, that sounds great to me!
Ryan Babel RULES!
I appresiate it was only a testamonial but am I the only one who noticed the difference in the way babel played in Carra’s testomonial. The style more than anything. Instead of running with the ball, the ball was being put into space for him to use his pace to get beyond the defenders.
This seems a much better way to use his pace. Instead of driberling parsed an aponent put the ball past and use your pase.
I hope Babel has a great season.
bring it on babel! you can do this! yes you can! try and challenge torres in terms of goal scoring. impossible is nothing.if there’s a will,there’s a way!
@Jay1978 funny you should say that, ‘ause i found this letter through his tweeting, he obviously did read it.
Well babel, to me is a wonderful player but fell into the wrong manager, in person of Rafa.
And I want him to know that I love him as a player and person. Cuz he is committed, and devoted to the club. That he should try to live up to our expectations is so true but he should let our pressure to be much on him.
Before I drop my ‘pen’ I would like him to remember the arsenal game, where he came from the bench to win a penalty after stupid mascherano allowed walcott to storm past making adebayor to score.
Babel gave us the penalty and still scored.
Well babel, to me is a wonderful player but fell to the wrong manager, in person of Rafa.
And I want him to know that I love him as a player and person. Cuz he is committed, and devoted to the club. That he should try to live up to our expectations is so true but he should not let our pressure to be much on him.
Before I drop my ‘pen’ I would like him to remember the uefa arsenal game, where he came from the bench to win a penalty after stupid mascherano allowed walcott to storm past making adebayor to score.
Babel gave us the penalty and still scored.
If Roy makes the same mistakes as rafa, then he will go the same way, it is worrying that a player of babels upper ability is left to founder when the likes of ngog and Lucas with no where left to grow are used instead. Any Liverpool fan who believes Ryan has had a chance simply does not understand the game or simply does not get that it is much harder to be creative and change a game than the pass it back merchants we use all too much these days!!! Come on Roy stop messing about!!! I’d play him up front with torres and build the rest of the formation around Cole and gerrard, at worst 12 games on the bounce on wing with beat a man attitude instilled, ynwa
babel has read this!! its on his twitter page!!!!
I think Babel is one of the few talents that have not yet been fully exploited. In the eyes of every team, he has a huge potential. with all the speculations failing to mature, it shows he(Babel) has the Reds at heart and he just needs time especially that he is at one of the top clubs.
Go Babel, Keep it tight. YWNWA
Ryan Babel. The man, the mystery and the undoubted talent. To me he is easily the most underrated player ever to be underrated by Liverpool FC. However, if we ask ourselves and indeed if Ryan asks himself, we all know why. It’s because of poor consistency of touch, his passing could be much better and at times his decision making can be erratic. BUT, I watch Torres week in week out lose the ball high up the park, trip and fall over his laces and generally being a goon only for that moment when he turns in a lightening bolt and his boot connects sweet.. wondergoal. The difference is no-one cares if Torres performs likes this, why? GOALS. Ryan has goals in him, if I know nothing else I know this and supporters know this. Roy Hodge more than likely knows this, so come on, GIVE BABEL AN EXTENDED RUN!
Excelent artical as for Ryan he is a footballer that thrives on confidence and to me his confidence was shatered by rafa you were able to see that every time ryan played or came on as a sub and he was not alone in the confidence thing so far what i have seen of Ryan he is playing with confidence although not everything has come off on the field for him he does look to be enjoying playing for liverpool and i believe roy is the manager to bring the best out of Ryan as he did with a player who to be honest had become a bit of a joke bobby zamora and roy turned his game around and the lad has got into the england set up so come on Ryan produce the form that we all no your fully capable of and have a fantastic career at liverpool ywna Ryan you have our support its now up to you to produce the goods