Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Liverpool failed me says Ryan
RYAN BABEL believes Liverpool neaver gave him a chance to succeed or make him welcome.
He insists he was often left to look and learn for himself at Anfield without the help of managers or coaches.
Now the 32-year-old winger is back in England following eight years away after joining struggling Fulham and hopes to show his old club what “they missed”.
Babel was considered the next Dutch star when he joined the Merseysiders from Ajax for £11.5million in 2007.
He had previously turned down a chance of joining today’s rivals Spurs. He thought Liverpool could help him grow as a player and person. Babel admits his attitude and controversial use of social media, particularly Twitter, didn’t help at times.
In fact, he became the first professional footballer to be censured for comments made on the social networking site after posting a mock-up picture of referee Howard Webb wearing a Manchester United shirt.
The new Fulham arrival, his hair dyed Liverpool red, said: “I didn’t expect my words to spread too quickly. Now I urge youngsters to beware.
“I wasn’t hoping for anything when I joined Liverpool, just to develop well as they promised me.
“Give me the guidance to become a better player. That didn’t happen.
“For different reasons I didn’t fulfil my potential, I guess. I was young. I wasn’t managed properly. The Premier League only saw glimpses of me.”