[turkeydinner]

Controversial !

Criticism of Manchester City and England winger Raheem Sterling is motivated by racism, says former Arsenal striker Ian Wright.

Sterling, 23, has faced frequent media disapproval, most recently for a tattoo of a rifle on his leg but also for purchasing clothes from Primark and buying his mother a house.

He was also criticised over his World Cup performances for England in Russia.

"How many people do you see get the criticism Sterling gets?" Wright said.

"The football criticism is something every player has to deal with, but what he gets I don't see any other footballer getting," former England forward Wright added on BBC Radio 5 live's Monday Night Club.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45177178

I really beg to differ! And whilst I may grumble that Cyrille and Laurie weren't in the WC82 squad times have changed considerably

Thought Sterling looked good in Russia but desperately needs that goal as that's what he`ll be judged on, also he needs to be judged for performances on the field not of it, all footballers are still ambassadors for the game on a lot more money than all of us, with great power comes responsibility that applies or should do to all young talented footballers

Emile Heskey was crap, never scored enough goals, all that great hold up play or dribbling then goes down like Bambi on ice, nothing to do with his skin colour

Titus Bramble was awful at Newcastle, he wasn't at Wigan or Ipswich but wasn't to do with his skin color it was his concentration

Moussa Sissoko gets grumbled at all the time as has so much talent and all the tools yet dosent try and looks disinterested, not his color

The two centre backs at Sunderland aren't liked because of the lack of effort and mercenary way they have used the club, never seen one question of their African heritage

If a black guy deletes that power point mistake by accident at work or assembles something wrong it`s nothing to do with skin color, do more black people cause traffic accidents? Of course not

For me what Ian Wright has suggested is only creating more racial based problems in our game, I know its a difficult subject, got my Goat this one

[St Charles Owl]

Sterling has a reputation of a show boater, a quick pacey player who also dives and as a money grabber after his move from Liverpool, none of that is anything to do with his skin color!!! Of course I am sure some of the abuse is racially motivated, and that needs to be stamped out but I think to label all of the criticism he receives as racial is naive and headline grabbing to say the least!!

He is also a young player who uses social media a lot and some of it looks like bragging with regards to what he spends his money on. I am sure many players end up buying their mum a house, the vast majority don't put it on Instagram though, that automatically puts him in the spotlight as a celebrity rather than a footballer!! He needs to stay off social media unless its about football. Its also worth saying that the minute he scores a couple of winning goals for England is the day a lot of the criticism will go away, no different to the abuse Beckham got after his sending off against the Argies and how he reversed that with the last minute free kick against Greece.