It used to get my back up because people would only say 'he does well for his size' and it's like, forget the size, I do well because I do well.

Of course I know I am not the average footballer. But I'd be lying if I said I set out to be different, I didn't set out to go against the grain.

People said I'm too big to play football.

There ain't nobody going to run me out of nowhere.

Beast Mode On is a state of mind. Beast Mode is about applying yourself and defying the limitations people put on you.

My favourite chant is 'you're just a fat Eddie Murphy.' When I heard that I could not stop laughing. I would prefer a 'muscular Eddie Murphy.'

I'm going to say it out loud: I'm available for England selection if they serve chicken for pre-match.

I've had three or four Scottish Premier League clubs contact me about going there and doing something. A couple of those clubs couldn't be further away from London so I'd have to seriously think about it, but it's nice to be sought after and nice to be wanted.

Liverpool are not used to playing a 16-and-a-half stone striker.

As a footballer I know what I'm good at and I've now embraced it.

There was a long period when I was younger where people always talked about my size and I was going 'but look, I can play, though, I can play' but you look at it, to have a career, 12-13 years, you've got to be more than just a brute.

My career and my stats, they all speak for itself so to say that I've got anything to prove to people, to say 'well, look, I can play, I'm not just a big guy,' that really is not my driving force in life.

John Barnes was my idol growing up and he's the reason I've supported Liverpool. I play nothing like him, though!

That's one reason fans take to me. They like the battle side of it. They look at me and think this guy shouldn't be on the pitch, he's just bulldozing his way through.

Sometimes it's nice to be a bit different.

My arms are probably the same size as John Terry's legs.

I was always a big guy. You see my family - my brothers are the same size.

When you've only got two days between games the recovery process is key.

Like individuals in all walks of life, footballers want stability and we have families to look after.

In my younger days, sometimes family and personal life came second to my ambition.

Everyone likes to be praised for their work and footballers are no different but the key thing is staying level-headed.

I'm a big believer in not getting too high when you are winning and not getting too low when things aren't going well.

Playing on Sky Sports doesn't really make a difference to me.

You see it all the time, in all divisions, that teams raise themselves and apply themselves that little bit more when they play a 'bigger team.'

As I've said before, I'm a big fan of social media because it allows players and fans to interactive but it can have its pitfalls.

As players we have to be careful what we put out there and make sure everything we do is appropriate. And it is not always easy.

To have the support of your team-mates is massive.

I think if you score lots of goals but nobody likes you as a person then it stands for nothing.

When I look back at my career it is nice to know that I've been appreciated on and off the pitch because not everyone is.

Obviously you know match-fixing is out there but you don't really associate it with the English game.

You play football to go out there and win - that's the bottom line.

I'm human just like everyone.

People think that football is all glamour and money but trust me all footballers go through the same boring and annoying things as everybody else.

As you go through your career you learn what works for you and what doesn't and you pick things up with experience.

I went to bikram yoga once, it was fun, but boy was it tough.

As a player on the bench, you become like a fan really. You're sitting there shouting 'why did he do that?' or 'no don't pass it there' and I can see why fans get so frustrated. But then I remember what it is like being out there on the pitch and how players can't see everything that fans can see.

I'm not one of those players who always gets to games or watches every game on TV. If a game is on and I'm free, I'll watch it but I won't make my schedule around a football match.

Football players value job security and stability as much anybody else.

I want to be playing competitive first-team football every week and not reserve team football.

For me posting videos on YouTube and interacting with people on Twitter is a great release from the stresses of football.

I'm a footballer first and foremost and I want to be remembered for what I do on the pitch.

Let me clear something up: I don't like KFC. Or McDonald's.

I would never lie about another professional.

Sometimes I think it would be nice to be in a warm office every day. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining because I know how lucky I am to be playing football for a living. The positives by far outweigh the negatives.

The time you are happy to sit on the bench, is the time you should retire in my opinion.

I've been in football a long time now and I've seen plenty of managers and players come and go. It is part and parcel of the game.

To be recognised as the best in the whole world at something is an achievement.

People may laugh or whatever, but my strength is something that I have to work on. It's not something that just happens overnight, it takes dedication and hard work and it has a purpose as it helps me every week on the pitch.

I'm not a gambler and I never have been.

Boredom does get you into trouble and we footballers have a lot of time on our hands, and sometimes we fill up that time with stuff that isn't always positive.