1.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 07:37:09
Thanks ed nice one. Sterling really should have put the tat on his ass if it means so much to him. Not his leg. Let’s see how many players we sign today 😁.

{Ed001's Note - his right foot is his natural foot, so he probably has a strong attachment to that leg. I really do not see the issue apart from the risk of having a tattoo done in the run up to a World Cup. Ok the risk is miniscule on its own, but even the tiny bit of weakening it does to the body, added to a different training regime while with England, increases the chance of picking up an injury or suffering an infection. I know I am talking about tiny chances, but it is not like it is a hardship to wait a month. Some people have to save up for years for the tattoo they want, it is hardly going to bother him to wait a few weeks. Players really should leave their tattoo obsession until after the tournament. They seem to think they shouldn't have to make sacrifices for the obscene amounts of money they earn, but that is simply not true. If you want to be the best you have to make sacrifices to the rest of your life.

However, this witch hunt against the lad is getting beyond a joke now. It was his decision to make and his body to choose whether to get them or not and what to get tattooed.}


2.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 07:55:24
Agree with freedom of expression etc however, it is easy to see how some people could accuse him of glorifying gun violence.
Employees frequently have to cover their tattoos whilst at work, I think the FA could reasonably ask him to cover it when he’s playing and so could Man City.
He said it’s a reminder to himself never to touch guns. Blimey, if you need to tattoo yourself to remember not to touch guns then your memory is in a really poor state.

{Ed001's Note - come on Ron that is nonsense. The whole of sport is based around talk in violent terms. We talk about shooting at goal, about having a killer instinct etc etc, I hardly see how a tattoo of a gun, on its own, is glorifying gun violence in any way. That is just political correctness gone mad.}


3.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 07:57:48
Morning Ed, thanks mate!

{Ed001's Note - cheers Mo. Have a good day mate.}


4.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 08:02:27
Thank you mate, you too!

{Ed001's Note - I will try.}


5.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 08:21:34
Regarding Tattoo's, I had a tattoo put on my shoulder after my brother died several years ago and, strange as it seems, it did help with the healing process. His initials in a design of my own. Small and for the most part covered up. At the time shortly after his death, when I looked at it, it lightened the load. Now, over 10 years since then, it reminds me of him. Strange that something as simple as a Tat can do that, but we are all different and I suppose if it helps Sterling, then each to their own.

{Ed001's Note - exactly, it is his choice. It would not be mine but it is his and it amazes me that anyone would back that vile rag's quest to persecute the lad.}


6.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 08:42:22
This is a load of rubbish and once again the press trying to sabotage the England camp. Should Arsenal change their badge?
I have a japanese sleeve with a dragon. does that mean I advocate a dragon to go round shooting people with flames?

{Ed001's Note - or perhaps that you have Welsh-leaning sympathies, come the revolution when they fight for independence you will be the first locked up!}


7.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 08:46:57
I honestly thought this was a joke when I saw it yesterday. what is gained by this from anyone's point of view? Surely the public don't particularly care so it's not like rags are making a boat load off the story?
Sterling arguably England's best chance of being a difference maker at the WC so a bit against your own country going into the tournament .

This honestly all round is just silly bar a tattoo of him holding a gun while shooting a line of tied up kids there's no story. even at that I'd question his state of mind but would still be his prerogative.


8.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 08:47:04
Lol I find it quite stupid how far it's got, people are been so out of order about this, why it's an issue is beyond me? it's his body let him do what the hell he wants to it. All because it's a firearm tattoo, come on, who cares really. The lad has his own reasons for that. I can't stand Sterling but he doesn't deserve all the abuse over a choice he's made. If it gives him comfort, then I say good on him. It's got nothing to do with anybody what he has done to his own body.

I think Ed has hit the nail on the head, 'That is just political correctness gone mad. ' Agreed.


9.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 08:47:24
Hi Ed,

I don’t back any vile rag, I heard about it on the radio and that it was a campaign group “mum’s against guns” who were protesting. That’s all I know of it.

You can look at it from various points of views, but players and managers have a responsibility.
When national associations can be fined for getting the players to wear a poppy and managers can be fined for wearing a ribbon, I can understand why questions are being asked.

Cover it up for games, I don’t see what the problem with that is. Players are supposed to have their socks rolled up in which case it’s practically covered anyway.

{Ed001's Note - why should he? There is nothing political about it. He has broken no laws. I don't see what your problem is with it, other than that you have heard some grief stricken over the top reaction to a non-event that was none of their business.}


10.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 09:03:54
Couldn't care less if he put it right in his forehead. People can get tattoos of their own choice in the place he wants to put it. Does the uk even have a gun violence problem? I mean it's hardly the USA or Mexico.


11.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 09:22:20
Absolutely disgusting how the press has run with tho non story, anyone who can see an argument to why they’re which hinting the poor lad needs to give their head a shake. No wonder we live in a failing country when we can’t express ourselves and freedom of speech doesn’t mean what it should!


12.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 09:23:59
I got a tattoo of a 12 inch rule on my penis.

Taxi.

{Ed001's Note - the scale being 1/1000?}


13.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 09:36:01
It's probably worth bearing in mind that the main criticism is from a woman who claims to represent a group called 'Mothers Agains Guns' which, by all rational measures, doesn't actually exist. It's not online in any way - no web page, no twitter, no facebook. It's not a charity. It's not a registered community organisation. The only known mentions of it ever existing are some comments that the woman in charge made in 2008, and the comments given to the rag this week. There are however 47 official groups in the UK who receive public or voluntary funds to stop combat gang and gun violence. Not one of them has chosen to comment on this.

Effectively, one still grieving mother has given a newspaper that attacked Sterling for eating breakfast a quote. Piers Morgan seemed to agree. The rest of the world doesn't care, so don't let the rag lead you to believe that there is something in this. There really isnt.

And Ron, you're right - the FA or Fifa could make players hide tattoos. However, they can't make one player hide their tattoo - either all players hide all tattoos, or no-one has to hide them. And as neither organisation has ever had a problem with tattoos in the past, does it really seem like a proportional reaction to force every player to cover all their tattoos? Especially considering the scale of the offense? Just because a workplace rule can be put into force doesn't mean that every workplace should bow to the pressure of every individual with demands on every issue.


14.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 09:42:10
The point really wasn’t the gun more about where he’s put and that it was going to be seen by EVERYONE. Exactly the last thing England need is negativity. If Sterling or his advisors had a brain cell then as you rightly say ed wait until after the World Cup and get it done Or stick it on your ass where it won’t be seen.


15.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 09:46:56
Employers have the right to ask them to be covered during work. I don’t know why there’s a problem with that. If it’s a personal reminder then it doesn’t need to be on display during a game.
Yes I am sympathetic to grief stricken mums who’s kids have been shot dead, and no-one can tell me if it is anything to do with me or not as no-one knows anyone’s personal story.
So that’s my opinion, cover it up whilst you’re on tv. Nothing to do with newspapers or England’s World Cup. Don’t care if anyone agrees. 🤝.

{Ed001's Note - I am sympathetic to her, but that doesn't mean she has the right to dictate what everyone else does. Just like I hate tattoos but I don't go round making everyone cover them up round me because I think they are offensive to look at. It is my problem to deal with, just like this is her problem to deal with, and neither her nor myself should try to make our personal problems everyone else's problem.}


16.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 10:02:22
She certainly doesn’t have the right to dictate, but she has the right to express her distaste.
The football authorities have the right to ask him to cover it as do his club.

Would the reaction be any different if a player had a racist/ sexist/ homophobic or anti-transgender slogan in the form of a tattoo on their legs?

Anyway it won’t change my opinion but happy to read all the disagrees 🤝.

{Ed001's Note - but he hasn't got anything like that, it is a picture of a gun. There is nothing encouraging others in any way. This is not the same as racist/sexist or any other of your unconnected examples.}


17.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 10:04:51
Do we have a gun problem in the UK?

Ask Rhys Jones’s family 🤝.


18.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 10:19:53
It's hard to imagine some of the old skool managers, like Clough or Shakily for instance, allowing their players to look like they just got released from Alcatraz.
What a state.
But the word Britain is derived from the ancient ancient Celtic word 'Pretani' which means painted or tattooed ones - the Celts that fought Julius Ceasar painted themselves blue (a bit like Everton and they lost in the end too) .
I only know that cos I knew a skinhead in the 80s who had loads of tats and he used to say ancient Briton means tattooed man. I was always dubious about that but it turns out he was right.
I think the Celts could wash theirs off after the battle though, and that's probably the best lesson of all.


19.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 10:21:54
I have tattoos and I think it is time the laws are re-written regarding employees being allowed to ask you to cover them up.

I've been fortunate. I've worked for 4 different companies and in every single job, I've just let mine be visible. None of them said anything. None of our customers said anything. None of our suppliers said anything. None of our auditors said anything.

In my generation, I think I know about 4 people who don't have a tattoo. It's just ink. Unless it depicts nudity, drugs, or vulgar language I don't see the issue. I don't recall any one wanting Agger to wear gloves to hide his YNWA tattoo. The term "witch hunt" comes to mind.

If any employer told me to cover up my tattoos that were visible in the company uniform or the dress code stipulated in my contract, I'd flat out refuse. I'm fairly confident I'd win an unfair dismissal tribunal if I got sacked over a tribal pattern and a mental health charity logo. I think most businesses nowadays are living in the 21st century though, thank god.


20.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 10:24:13
Getting a tattoo of a gun only shows you're an advocate of one thing. Tattoos of guns.

To say otherwise is simply spurious correlation and nothing more.


21.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 10:34:30
The tattoo in question is healed so I'm guessing it was done just after city's last game, allowing as much healing time as possible without training.

Leg tattoos can be a issue if the skin is over worked which causes a pain simular to shin splints when you put weight on it, but this is the extreme end for large tattoos taking 6+ hours.

He wanted it, he waited till a gap in training so no problem.


22.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 10:37:27
I don’t think it’s fair to blame sterling for promoting gun violence etc. Behaviour such as that has usually been down to the way individuals have been brought up.
But it doesn’t matter where you go, any town or city in the world it has its good parts and it’s bad parts. Same goes for the people.

{Ed001's Note - yes but people always want to blame something, if it is not Sterling it is music or anything to avoid the actual issues.}


23.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 10:43:25
Ron, maybe we do have a gun problem in the UK, maybe not. But it won't be affected by a tattoo. Sterling can't shoot any one with a bit of ink on his calf.

If you are so sure there is a major gun problem, then surely the first things to target are kids TV shows such as Power Rangers or Star Wars and enforcing the age limit on games like Call of Duty which every one plays nowadays from about 10 years and upwards. And the absolute worst is Grand Theft Auto which encourages theft, criminal damage, murder, drugs, sex and racism. Yet I remember playing that at my mates house when we were 12!

A tattoo is the least of our worries. Nobody would've even noticed it if the Scum hadn't plastered it all over their bloodstained pages.


24.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 10:44:09
That mum demanded that he have it lasered off or covered with another tattoo. That is the part I don't like about it.


25.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 10:56:14
If he had an actual gun tucked in his sock, there’d be a problem. If he was caught smiling and shooting guns there’d be a problem. If he had font above it saying ‘I love murdering’ it would be a problem. A gun can be used as a murder weapon, yes. It doesn’t mean that having a picture of it means that is what it means to you. A crucifix is a murder weapon, probably the most famous of them all, it’s also probably the most common tattoo.
I never realised his dad was slain by guns, i I feel for him over that. I also feel for him over the abuse he gets from that paper. Headlines I can think of involving Sterling:
‘Don’t be greedy! ’
‘Sterling shoots himself in the foot’
‘Idiot Sterling’
‘Sterling sinks to new low’
‘England failure’
I understand what people are upset by, I do. But he’s explained it, let’s give him a break. He himself has suffered through it and now people are effectively saying he’s pro guns and tarnishing his fathers memory.


26.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 11:10:33
I agree ed, the fact that people look to a premier league footballer to voice their frustrations, but not the people who make laws etc is embarrassing. The fact it’s all over the papers is hilarious, it shouldn’t even be news.


27.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 11:11:25
Ron, someone who has legally owned guns in the uk, no we don’t have a gun problem. You’ll always have idiots running around with illegal guns just like you’ve got idiots running around stabbing people. I’m not sure on the figures but I’d say knife crime is higher than gun crime, does this mean we shouldn’t be allowed sharp knifes in our kitchens in case we kill someone?
Guns, knifes don’t kill people. People do. It’s a tattoo and people need to stop being so sensitive as I’m embarrassed of the society we’re living in.


28.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 11:29:08
MK - may interest you to know that you wouldn't win an unfair dismissal or constructive dismissal claim as long as their policy was demonstrably applied to all employees equally - seen more than one and they never work. Only exceptions are when the rules are changed while you are at the job - if they were in place when you started, they can enforce them.

That being said, the only place I've ever seen enforce rules like that are places where there are genuine operational requirements - usually because they do business with other countries where tattoos are a lot more culturally stigmatised and there is likely to be real damage to the business if they see tattoos on staff. Japan is a good example of this. Otherwise, people just don't care anymore.


29.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 12:43:49
I really wish The Vile Rag could actually be punished for this incessant campaign against Sterling. Loads of people including footballers have loads of tattoos, who gives a crap? Sterling's father was murdered in Jamaica, he got a tattoo to commemorate him. I really completely fail to see how there is any issue.
Now Sané's tattoo of himself, well that's proper douchebaggery, or what about that kid with the Boris Johnson tattoo? Like, seriously!?


30.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 13:02:16
This is another case of sections of the media trying to undermine a young lad, and therefore the national team in the build up to a world cup. I feel sorry for Sterling as he is always singled out for various things, dare I say it could be a witch hunt against the lad (feels like it at times) .
There are morons like Piers (I'll do anything for the publicity) Morgan who are saying he shouldn't be allowed to play again until it's removed as it's offensive and glorifies gun violence. It isn't and it doesn't and the main reason why is that it is not a political or idiological stance or statement (you'd think by some of the reactions he had a Nazi symbol tattooed on him) . The media has become focused on the image and not on the meaning of the image. It is a tribute to his dad who was killed in a shooting when Sterling was 2. The other thing the media is failing to acknowledge is that the piece isn't even finished yet, there will be more added to it so let's just wait and see what the finished tribute is.


31.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 13:58:11
All the knife crime in London.
Do I stop my son from watching WWE because Brock Lesnar has a tattoo of a knife and wrestling is advocating fighting?
It’s the education away from the programme that matters.


32.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 14:06:48
Regards Sterlings tattoo. I completely agree with Ron on this one.


33.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 14:23:00
I think it’s just a tattoo of Peter Crouch doing the Robo-dance (maybe the hairstyle looks a bit like Donald Trump), and people are just getting all worked up for nothing!


34.) 30 May 2018
30 May 2018 14:40:51
I’ve not said there is a correlation or that he should not be allowed to have whatever he likes on himself.
I’ve just said he should have it covered whilst playing professional football 👍.