Uncategorized
I’m not sure I was even sober on my Liverpool debut but still feel harshly treated by Jurgen Klopp
I’m not sure I was even sober on my Liverpool debut but still feel harshly treated by Jurgen Klopp
Former Liverpool loanee Steven Caulker made just three appearances for the Reds during an emergency-loan spell at the club
SHARE
1
ByConnor O’NeillSenior Football Writer
05:00, 29 DEC 2023
Bookmark
Jurgen Klopp talks with Steven Caulker and Brad Smith during a training session at Melwood Training Ground (Image: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
There were quite a few eyebrows raised by Liverpool supporters when the club announced the signing of Steven Caulker.
The defender joined the Reds on loan from Queens Park Rangers in January 2016, but made just three appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side and was used as a makeshift striker before spending the remainder of the season representing the clubâs under-23s.
His first three appearances for the Reds were as a late emergency striker, setting up a 95th-minute winner for Adam Lallana at Norwich City. He then played the full 90 minutes of the FA Cup fourth-round tie against West Ham, and apart from two occasions as an unused substitute, he never featured again.
Caulker, who celebrates his 32nd birthday today, would go on to play for Dundee, Alanyaspor, Fenerbahce, Gaziantep, Fatih Karagumruk, Wigan Athletic before joining Malaga City Academy as player-manager earlier this month.
READ MORE: Liverpool have simple fix for Mohamed Salah absence that won’t cost a penny
READ MORE: Liverpool influence in United States grows stronger as FSG consider return
MOST READ
1
Man went ‘out of his mind’ after devastating phone call from his brother
2
Met Office gives verdict amid reports ‘snow bomb’ could hit UK in days
3
Liverpool plans change for ÂŁ600,000 signing but Jurgen Klopp has already hinted at outcome
But speaking to the Guardian back in April 2017, Caulker bravely revealed how his Liverpool career was cut short after he was forced to enter rehab. The former Tottenham Hotspur man detailed how he was admitted into rehab after a string of drunk and disorderly offences and also told of how he has battled with depression for much of his career.
He said: âIâve sat here for years hating myself and never understood why I couldnât just be like everyone else. This year was almost the end. I felt for large periods there was no light at the end of the tunnel.”
Before he added: “Sometimes Iâd be sat there with the police and my lawyer, watching the CCTV footage of what Iâd done, and I didnât recognise myself.
“I couldnât believe the person I was. Itâs so hard to accept I could be like that. In Liverpool, I was waking up in the middle of the night, throwing up. People were blackmailing me, club owners, and bouncers: âPay money or weâll sell this story on you.â
“And I had no idea what Iâd even done on those blackouts. I eventually told the club I could not function and needed to go back into rehab.”
In a separate interview with FourFourTwo in the same year, Caulker revealed: âI was really low. The cycle of gambling, drinking, and self-loathing was supposed to numb the pain, but it only made things worse.
âAt the time, I thought I was at rock bottom. I was wrong. After a couple of months, I knocked on Jurgen Klopp’s door and said, “I don’t feel like I’m good enough â what do I need to do to improve?
âHe gave me some suggestions for the gym, but I was mostly playing for the under-23s, and that rejection was difficult to handle.
âIn a dark place, I didn’t feel like I could train and fulfil my duties, so I decided it was time for rehab. That was extremely hard, because I’d been given such a massive opportunity at Liverpool.”
DONâT MISS
Kieran Trippier breaks silence on reasons behind Newcastle change with Liverpool demand
Sean Dyche’s passionate handball rule change plea as Everton boss comments on Martin Odegaard vs Liverpool
Marks & Spencer’s dress that ‘skims the body’ down to ÂŁ20 in Boxing Day sale
Join our Liverpool FC Whatsapp community
For all the latest Liverpool FC news direct to your phone, you can join our Whatsapp community here where you will receive the most up-to-date transfer lines, breaking LFC news and goal-by-goal updates on matchdays.
The link above – and here – will take you direct to the Whatsapp group, it’s that easy.
If for some reason you decide you no longer want to be in our community, you can leave by clicking on the name at the top of your screen and clicking ‘Exit Group’.
You can also join our Whatsapp Channel here for more LFC headlines.
To turn notifications on for the channel, press the alarm bell icon in the top right hand of your screen.
Speaking on the Under The Cosh podcast earlier this year, Caulker admitted that he wasnât sure if he was ‘even sober’ when making his debut for the club against Arsenal.
âMonday I signed, Tuesday I trained and then Wednesday was the game,â he revealed. âI was sh***** myself and thought, ‘Iâm gonna start here’ because they had seven centre-halves out injured.
âAnd I was thinking, âOh my god, Iâm going to start. Am I even sober? How the f*** am I going to do this?â I was panicking. That train journey up, I was panicking because I hadnât been taking care of myself, I was a mess. I was worried.
âI donât know who played centre-half, I canât remember, but [Klopp] put someone else in [Toure and Sakho]. He said to me, âCome get warmâ, but we were losing 3-2. He said, ‘No, youâre coming on. Iâm going to put you up front’.
âI was like, âWhatâ. I didnât get time to ask him and we ended up getting the equaliser and after the game he just came over high-fiving me [and saying] that, ‘They all think youâre crazy until it works’.
âItâs true. I was just sat there in the changing room for ages thinking what has just happened. My dad was there to see it as well, a beautiful moment and thatâs special. No one can take that from you.â
Caulker also claimed on the podcast that he was not fairly treated during his loan spell at Anfield. He believes Klopp formed a false impression of him after declaring himself unavailable to participate against West Ham United in an FA Cup tie.
He said: âThings did change for two months. Iâve gone there; itâs the chance of a lifetime. I was white-knuckling it.
“I didnât know how to deal with my addiction (drink/gambling); I was somehow dealing with it because I wanted the opportunity. But the opportunity never came. I had a couple of run-outs up front, played one game as centre-halve, did alright, against West Ham.
âWe then had the cup replay against West Ham and Iâd done my back in; horrible spasms; I couldnât get rid of it. The morning of the game, Iâve had to tell him I canât play. I was due to start, but I said I actually canât play.
“I was devastated, and from that moment on, he wrote me off. I think he wrote me off as one of those guys who didnât want to play or who was scared to play. It couldnât have been further from the truth.
âThat was it; my moment was gone. As soon as that went, and I felt it go because then he started putting me in the U23s to play every week, I was like, ‘Nah, thatâs not on.â You see it all the time; the manager just goes, âYouâre not for me; out you go; get down with the kids.'”
READ NEXT:
Man went ‘out of his mind’ after devastating phone call from his brother
Met Office gives verdict amid reports ‘snow bomb’ could hit UK in days
Marks & Spencer’s dress that ‘skims the body’ down to ÂŁ20 in Boxing Day sale
New Look’s ‘soft’ and ‘flattering’ dress that’s ‘perfect for winter’ slashed to ÂŁ10
Liverpool plans change for ÂŁ600,000 signing but Jurgen Klopp has already hinted at outcome
Follow Liverpool Echo
Facebook
Twitter
Comment
MORE ON
Liverpool FCArsenal FCJurgen Klopp
Up Next
Man went ‘out of his mind’ after devastating phone call from his brother
SPORT
ALL
TOP STORIES
I’m not sure I was even sober on my Liverpool debut but still feel harshly treated by Jurgen Klopp
LIVERPOOL FC
‘You lose your future’: How losing your memory changes your life
FORMBY
Sean Dyche shares what Premier League bosses really think of handball law with two examples
EVERTON FC
Dad killed in front of his children while trying to save stranger
IN THE NEWS
Boxer ‘wins most important fight’ after being stabbed in chest
MERSEYSIDE POLICE
Most popular UK baby names in 1924, 1974 and predictions for 2024
HISTORY
Elle Edwards’ death will not ‘destroy all that is good’ in community
WALLASEY
Police raid homes after Liverpool city centre stabbing
LIVERPOOL CITY CENTRE
Scrambler bikes seized as men arrested for ‘careless driving’
MERSEYSIDE POLICE
Liverpool have two obvious January transfer targets after ÂŁ180m outlay
LIVERPOOL FC
Sean Dyche’s passionate handball rule change plea as Everton boss comments on Martin Odegaard vs Liverpool
EVERTON FC
‘Toxic macho culture’ driving women out of armed police in UK
LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITY
NEWS
WHAT’S ON
SPORT
IN YOUR AREA
LIVERPOOL FC
EVERTON FC
CELEBS
BUSINESS
FOLLOW US
InYourArea
Discount Codes
Beauty Box Subscription
Marketplace
Our RSS feeds
Contact Us
About Us
Work for us
Advertise with us
Public Notices
Mirror Bingo
Buy a photo
How to Complain
Corrections & Clarifications
Terms & Conditions
Privacy Notice
Cookie Notice
Newsletters Signup
Syndication & Licensing
Do not sell or share my data
© 2023 a Reach plc subsidiary
Yahoo Sport
Advertisement
The Guardian
British Asian man sues Liverpool FC over racial discrimination
Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent
Thu, 28 December 2023 at 2:19 pm GMT+1·4-min read
In this article:
<span>Photograph: Adam Fradgley/AMA/WBA FC/Getty Images</span>
Photograph: Adam Fradgley/AMA/WBA FC/Getty Images
A British Asian man is suing Liverpool Football Club, claiming it racially discriminated against him by rejecting his application for a job in favour of someone less experienced.
Asad Farooq, 25, has a degree in stadium and event management, and has worked for Tottenham Hotspur and at the Qatar World Cup, but was not invited for an interview when he applied to Liverpool in November last year for a job in administration.
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertisement
The advertised role said the candidate would ideally âhave experience of working in an elite sporting environmentâ, leading Farooq to believe he had a good chance of landing it.
However, he was subsequently told, in a message seen by the Guardian, that âthe level of experience you demonstrated in your application was not as strong as the candidates that were taken forward for interviewâ.
After spotting that the person appointed to the role â according to their LinkedIn profile â had no football experience and just one full-time job since graduation, Farooq instructed Yunus Lunat, a lawyer who was the first Muslim to sit on the Football Association (FA) council and was ethnic minority representative on Liverpoolâs official supportersâ committee.
Liverpool supporter Farooq, who lives in Birmingham, said: âAs a south Asian, Iâve worked really hard to get my foot into the door and nobody seems to be giving me any opportunities.
âIâm more than capable of doing the [Liverpool] job. Iâm not going to drop this, because theyâre claiming that they are all about diversity, theyâre claiming that they want south Asians to come into the football industry, but then they do these bad recruitment practices and donât give us these opportunities.
âTheyâre talking about how they want to break down barriers but this is not breaking down barriers.â
Farooq said he has asked the club for its diversity statistics but it has refused to provide them.
Related: Football clubs failing to hit ethnic and gender diversity targets, reveals FA
The only publicly available figures are in the FAâs 2022-23 Football Leadership Diversity Code report, which sets a target of 15% of new hires in senior leadership and in team operations roles to be black, Asian or mixed-heritage. Liverpoolâs results for new hires were 0% and 9% respectively, compared with 9.1% and 11.2% across all 54 signed up clubs. In interview shortlists at Liverpool, 82% had at least one male black, Asian or mixed-heritage candidate and 68% had at least one female black, Asian or mixed-heritage candidate.
Liverpoolâs website says it is âstriving to lead the way when it comes to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI)â and the club holds the Premier Leagueâs highest honour for EDI.
The club declined to comment on Farooqâs case while proceedings are live or to provide diversity data to the Guardian. It is anticipated that it will try to get the case thrown out at an employment tribunal hearing in March.
Lunat said when he approached Liverpool on Farooqâs behalf the club gave a different reason for rejecting his application, claiming it was because of his salary demands.
Farooq said it later emerged that the person picked for the role that he unsuccessfully applied for was only temporary and had been replaced by someone else, although they were given another job within the club.
Paul Scholes hails ÂŁ41m Liverpool star as ‘the one’ after Mohamed SalahPhoto by Alex Livesey – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
FOOTBALL
FEATURED
FOOTBALL
LIVERPOOL
PREMIER LEAGUE
PAUL SCHOLES HAILS ÂŁ41M LIVERPOOL STAR AS âTHE ONEâ AFTER MOHAMED SALAH
Amir Mir
Amir Mir
Thu 28 December 2023 10:30, UK
Updated Thu 28 December 2023 11:55, UK
Diogo Jota marked his return to Liverpool colours by scoring from the bench during his sideâs 2-0 win over Burnley on Boxing Day.
In recent years, the 27-year-old has been hit with a spate of injuries that just havenât allowed him to showcase his true worth to Liverpool fans.
But Paul Scholes thinks Diogo Jota is a âvery importantâ player for Jurgen Klopp and someone who can provide the goalscoring goods alongside, Mohamed Salah, as he told Premier League Productions (26/12/23 at 7:35 pm).
Whilst the Manchester United legend questions the goalscoring qualities of Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez.
Diogo Jotaâs record in Liverpool colours is there for all to see, itâs just the treatment room that has stood in his way of really exploding.
Since moving to Anfield from Wolves in a ÂŁ41 million deal in 2020, he has scored 50 goals in 131 games in all competitions.
Thatâs pretty good going for a player who hasnât started regularly, as well as playing second fiddle to the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
But Paul Scholes certainly appreciates the player and he spoke about him in glowing terms.
Diogo Jotaâs importance to Liverpool
âHe is (important),â said Scholes. âHe chips in with a lot of goals and a lot of very important goals. Itâs good coming on for the last 5-10 minutes for a cameo appearance.
âItâs a good goal (against Burnley). Itâs not one he meant, but just hit it hard and low as you can, then hope it goes in.
âBut he is a very important player for Liverpool. Not all of their front three chip in a lot. But he seems to be the one from Salah who does.â
Burnley FC v Liverpool FC – Premier League
Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Diogo Jota â the best after Mohamed Salah?
There is no doubt that Salah is Liverpoolâs undisputed number one and that will remain the case until he leaves.
But you need that quality behind your main man, in case he is injured, needs a breather or in the upcoming case, is off to Africa Cup of Nations duty in January.
This is where Jotaâs return from injury has come at the right time because whilst Salah is doing his stuff for Egypt.
You could argue that the Portuguese star will become Liverpoolâs most reliable goalscorer.
MORE: Tottenham fear they can’t sign ‘exceptional’ Liverpool player now
Related Topics
DIOGO JOTA
LIVERPOOL
MOHAMED SALAH
PREMIER LEAGUE
MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
RELATED POSTS
MORE IN LIVERPOOL
More in Liverpool
Follow us on:
About UsMeet The TeamNewsletterContact UsEditorial PolicyCorrectionsFact CheckingAdvertising PolicyTerms & ConditionsPrivacy PolicyComplaintsPrivacy Settings
© 2023 GRV MEDIA LTD. All Rights Reserved
-
Manchester City3 months ago
Congratulations Phil Foden side chick just gave birth to a baby boy,open to hear Phil Foden speech from conference
-
Manchester City2 months ago
Good New: Erling Haaland UK side chick just delivered a baby boy today, Haaland named the child after Pep Guardiola đ
-
Manchester City2 months ago
Report: Manchester City attacking midfielder De Bruyne âdesperateâ to join English football giants
-
Manchester City3 months ago
Congratulations: Erling Haaland become a father as side chick delivered baby boy earlier today by BBC..
-
Manchester City2 months ago
Footage of Ederson’s Angry Reaction to Pep Guardiola made Phil Foden to send him a warning massage,Pep was shocked when he saw what Phil wrote.
-
Manchester City2 months ago
Congratulations to Phil Foden as he bought a new private jet.
-
Liverpool11 months ago
Fabrizio Romano confirmed Liverpool has signed world best playerÂ
-
Manchester City3 weeks ago
âEveryone at Man City wants me out, even the fans want me out