Raheem Sterling should consider the consequences of Pierre van Hooijdonk's decision not to play for Nottingham Forest

Home Top

Mo, you're a disgrace! Rival Vernon claims foul-mouthed Farah told him to 'f*** off' after winning on his return to the track in Lausanne
Gerrard blasts 'ill' Sterling... who is still wanted by Man City (and they are hopeful Rodgers row has lowered his asking price below £50m)
African team MTN-Qhubeka furious following racist abuse of rider Berhane
Chelsea offer Van Ginkel to Stoke on loan as they look to bring goalkeeper Begovic to Stamford Bridge
Van Persie to sign £240,000-a-week Fenerbahce deal after quitting United
Make that 17 in a row! Serena sails into Wimbledon final as she extends winning streak over Sharapova
De Gea's move to Real under threat amid wrangle over Casillas' Porto deal
Moeen stars with bat and ball on day two as England take five key Australia wickets to ease the pain Cook felt from low blow
MARTIN SAMUEL: Ali takes strength from his faith to make a fast start
NASSER HUSSAIN: Wood has just the right mix of attitude and ability... England were disciplined on tough pitch
BUMBLE: After all the talk Wood's the quickest bowler... he's certainly quicker than my water taxi!
LAWRENCE BOOTH: Rogers enjoys Ashes cricket and it's clear to see why... his 95 was compact
Barmy Army, beer, bizarre mascots... oh, and some cricket: The only guide to the Ashes you really need
England in 'pole position' in first Test, says Ali after spinner's fine impact
Murray forced Federer into a series of errors when he first beat him... but now he has the tools to attack in bid for Wimbledon final
Over to you, Andy: Jamie Murray reaches Wimbledon final with doubles partner Peers
Murray at full tilt for clash of the titans... but he'll need fans behind him against Federer
Federer lacks stamina to win Wimbledon despite impressive form, claims three-time champion McEnroe
Who will win? Tennis greats give their Murray vs Federer predictions
Muguruza reaches final at age of 21 as she holds nerve against Radwanska
Muguruza could BAN her parents from final showdown due to superstition
Lusitans 0-1 West Ham (agg 0-4): Lee opens his account as 10-man Hammers progress to next round of Europa League qualifying
Darlington 2-4 Sunderland: Giaccherini fires timely brace to spare Black Cats' blushes
Man United approached by Sevilla over signing £8m-rated Hernandez

Pierre van Hooijdonk refused to play for Nottingham Forest in 1998
Seventeen years later, he now regrets his decision to go on strike
Raheem Sterling has refused to go on Liverpool's pre-season tour
He also phoned in sick on Wednesday and said he could not train

Published: 08:51 EST, 8 July 2015 | Updated: 02:11 EST, 9 July 2015

265

View
comments

Two months ago Pierre van Hooijdonk sat in a bar in a Turin hotel and reflected on the time when he effectively withdrew his labour from Nottingham Forest in 1998. Unhappy at the club's transfer business and their refusal to sell him, the Dutch international went home to Holland and stayed there.

Time, of course, alters perspective. Now, 17 years on, Van Hooijdonk maintains that he was let down by Forest during that summer that followed a promotion back to the Premier League that had been built largely on his goals. Crucially, however, he regrets his decision to go on strike.

'It's one of the main things that people remember about me,' Van Hooijdink told me in Turin.

Pierre van Hooijdonk went on strike at Nottingham Forest in 1998, a decision he now regrets

Raheem Sterling trained with Liverpool on Monday but phoned in sick two days later

Explained: Why Sterling is Europe's most valuable young player

'I achieved some memorable things in football but in England they always talk about that and that's a shame.

'Sometimes, things happen in your life that you look back on and realise they could have been handled differently.'

One wonders what advice Van Hooijdonk – now 45 years old and a respected TV pundit in Holland – would offer Raheem Sterling today.

The young Liverpool player has not taken his dispute with his club to Van Hooijdonk lengths yet but the situation does appear to be heading in that direction. In suggesting he does not wish to travel on the club's pre-season tour and then calling in sick, Sterling has made his increasing disinterest in life at Anfield very clear indeed.

Sterling has made it clear he wants to pack his bags and leave Liverpool this summer

Sterling targeted by fans at the end of the season

The immediate consequences for Sterling are certainly different to those that faced Van Hooijdonk at Forest in the late 1990s. Sterling will in all likelihood get his desired move to Manchester City later this summer. As such, he will move on, both literally and hypothetically. Van Hooijdonk, on the other hand, eventually had to come back to Nottingham and face his team-mates, manager and supporters.

What Van Hooijdonk spoke about in Italy recently, however, remains relevant. He was talking about enduring damage to his own reputation within a sport he loves. An intelligent man who is still playing at amateur level in Holland, he is not insular enough to believe his decision in the summer of '98 has not followed him through life.

It is this that Sterling may wish to chew on at home on Merseyside today, as indeed may his agent Aidy Ward.

Van Hooijdonk was well represented during his career but made his decision to walk out of the City Ground on his own and indeed against the advice of some people close to him. Sterling, on the other hand, seems to make many of his own decisions almost by committee.

Down the track, though, it will be Sterling alone who will be left with questions to answer if he fails to immediately impress at City or if he struggles for England. He does, remember, already have a rap sheet that includes a reference to feeling tired while on international duty.

In football, performances on the field are ultimately what matter. They can cover a multitude of sins. If and when they start to waver, however, perceptions relating to personality come in to play.

Van Hooijdonk knows all about that. His actions almost two decades ago do not define his career but people do remember them and from now on they will remember Sterling's too.

There are many ways and means of engineering a transfer from one club to another. This, sadly, is not one of the best ones.

Raheem Sterling heckled as Liverpool reveal 2015/16 kit