If you read his autobiography the reason he was going to Chelsea was they were offering 120k and we were offering 90
Gerrard: I would have stayed as a coach
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If you read his autobiography the reason he was going to Chelsea was they were offering 120k and we were offering 90
I've heard him say in interviews that he felt that Liverpool didn't want him as they hadn't offered him a new contract after Istanbul and that was why he was going to Chelsea. He's also said that he nearly joined Chelsea because he wanted to play under Mourinho and other times he's stated that it was because he wanted to win more trophies.If he wants to try and change the reason years later that's up to him but it seems he has a different reason every time he's asked the question.
Might he have wanted to leave for a variety of reasons?
I don't think he ever did really want to leave. Had he wanted to, he would have done - Mourinho on his own would have been a sizeable draw for him, let alone a fat wage increase.
The unfortunate fact is that, tremendous player though he has been, Stevie wasn't at the front of the queue for either brains or maturity. I suspect he believed all those "reasons" at the time he gave each of them (though not necessarily all at once) but, whichever reason(s) he happened to trot out in his most recent interview, was always torn between them and his wish to remain in the city and play for LFC. Somewhere in the middle of it all was a confused and somewhat immature young man who basically just wanted to stay at home and play football.
Been a few years since I read the book but yeah it was more like he didnt feel wanted and that the club didnt offer him a new deal after Istanbul but kept fanning around.
Dont think there was any mention about certain wage differences...
The stuff he's said about Rafa really reeks of childishness. The guy really resents it if someone doesn't put an arm around his shoulder. Rafa called him Gerrard is team meetings rather than Stevie. Oh, the horror. No wonder he prefers Hodgson and Rodgers.
I don't think Rafa Benitez liked me as a person. I'm not sure why, but that's the feeling I got from him. It probably started even before he spoke to me, when he met my mum.
Rafa was appointed as Liverpool's manager in June 2004 — and I was playing for England in the Euros in Portugal that summer.
Even though he was being replaced by Rafa, Gerard Houllier still loved Liverpool and he remained very close to me. He and my mum flew out to Portugal to watch me play for England against Croatia — and they bumped into Rafa.
I don't think Rafa Benitez liked me as a person. I'm not sure why, but that's the feeling I got from him. It probably started even before he spoke to me, when he met my mum.
Rafa was appointed as Liverpool's manager in June 2004 — and I was playing for England in the Euros in Portugal that summer.
Even though he was being replaced by Rafa, Gerard Houllier still loved Liverpool and he remained very close to me. He and my mum flew out to Portugal to watch me play for England against Croatia — and they bumped into Rafa.
Gerard introduced Rafa to my mum. Rafa shook her hand, said hello and then immediately asked her a very blunt question: 'Does Steven like money?'
Apart from a standard 'Hello... good to meet you' introduction, those were the first words Rafa said to my mum. I thought: 'What kind of question is that?'
I can pick up the phone and speak to all of my previous Liverpool managers. Except for Rafa.
It's a shame because we probably shared the biggest night of both our careers — the 2005 Champions League victory in Istanbul — and yet there is no bond between us.
I used to think he favoured our Spanish-speakers. He was an especially big fan of South American players, which is fine. It caused no problem between us.
At press conferences he might call other players by their first name but I was always 'Gerrard'. It was the same in the dressing room. He would read out the team and use nicknames. But, for me, it would just be 'Gerrard'.
It wouldn't have made me play any better if he'd suddenly started calling me 'Stevie'. I just wanted to win the next game and I knew Rafa could, usually, help us achieve another victory. He was the best tactical coach I worked with at Liverpool and England so I didn't care what he called me.
If we were to bump into each other tomorrow there would be no unpleasantness but maybe a day will come when we can actually have a deeper and friendlier conversation and reflect on everything we experienced at Liverpool.
Our working relationship was ultra-professional and his frostiness drove me to become a better player. I had a hunger to earn a compliment from him — but also a hunger to let him know he really needed me as a player. We were like fire and ice. Passion surged inside me, while Rafa was the strategic thinker.
One time he did suffer a meltdown involving Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson. I went home from training that Friday lunchtime and switched on the TV. Rafa sat down with his usual half-smile. It looked likely to be a normal press conference, but then he reached into his pocket for a piece of paper.
He spread it out on the table and began to read out one 'fact' after another. Rafa kept saying 'fact... fact... fact...' and I could not believe what I was hearing. I was grabbing the couch, digging my fingers into the arms, feeling embarrassed for him.
Rafa started by saying that maybe Manchester United 'are nervous because we are at the top of the table'. I thought: 'Uh oh, what's happening here?'
It seemed so unlike Rafa to talk in such an emotional way. You could see the anger in him. 'I want to talk about facts,' Rafa said. 'I want to be clear, I do not want to play mind games too early, although they seem to want to start. But I have seen some facts.'
Rafa went off on a ramble about how Manchester United and 'Mr Ferguson' had not been properly punished for various misdemeanours. He listed dates and incidents and concluded that 'Mr Ferguson is the only manager in the league that cannot be punished for these things'.
He then railed against the fixture list and the timing of matches being skewed in United's favour. Rafa was sounding muddled and bitter and paranoid. He was humiliating himself. It was a disaster. I couldn't understand Rafa's thinking in wanting to take on Ferguson, a master of mind games, when we were sitting so calmly on top of the table early into a new year.
When I met up with England all the Manchester United players told me Fergie was just laughing at Rafa, saying: 'I've got him. I've got him.'
Rafa made a lot of decisions with himself in mind. He wanted power and control. I didn't like it. Fighting with the board, other managers and the press wasn't the Liverpool way.
Rafa had fallen out with the owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett. We were all starting to doubt them but Rafa talked to the press about problems with his new contract.
Rafa broke the focus of the team. We got asked about it all the time in the media: 'What's all that about? Why has he done that?' We never found out because Rafa didn't say a word to us. I think he felt awkward because he knew it backfired.
That weekend Manchester United hammered Chelsea 3–0. We drew 0–0 at Stoke. My managers over the years have been diverse personalities, with their own style of working.
On a basic human level I prefer a likeable manager, such as Gerard Houllier or Brendan Rodgers, but in terms of football I really don't mind working with a colder man. An emotionless and distant relationship with the likes of Rafa Benítez and Fabio Capello can sometimes produce more success.
It would not be my style if I were to ever become a manager — I'd try to fuse the best of Rafa's tactical thinking with Brendan's skill as a man-manager.
{And as for the ludicrous claim that Ginsoak told his players, 'I've got him' - was he stroking a white cat on his lap at the time?]
Great player, shit captain, shit human being
This site really is refreshing in that it always has the ability to see the wood for the trees and see past the bullshit -
Gerrard sounds like a child in that. He fails to mention that all the things Rafa said about Fergie were true and the only reason it was seen to backfire was because we drew at stoke. If we had won that day the supposed rant would have been forgotten. Ludicrous also is him mentioning the favouring of spanish speakers , the same players who transformed us into a much better team and were instructed by benitez to always speak english whilst with the rest of the team.
I hate these autobiographies. They always seem to me to be used to have a go at all the past players ,managers and press that the writer feels hard done by.
I very rarely read an autobiography and up liking or respecting the person more and I fully expect that to be the case with Gerrard. Some if his criticisms are so petulant that it would be hard to take any legitimate complaints seriously. He's a bright guy, IMO, but he never really grew up.
I cannot believe people still buy and read footballers autobiographies. I can understand if the player was from the 70s and 80s when they were more down to earth and led far more normal and interesting lives. Modern footballers who are pampered millionaires and never had one intellectual thought in their lives - why would you even want to sit down and read their thoughts and opinions.
He called him Steven to his mum. He can't win.
Gossip. That's the main reason.
Brendan Rodgers asked Gerrard to try and woo Toni Kroos to Anfield Willian was another, but he opted for a move to Chelsea instead Gerrard had the same formula when persuading players to join By STEVEN GERRARD FOR THE DAILY MAIL PUBLISHED: 22:00, 13 September 2015 | UPDATED: 22:11, 13 September 2015 10
I had an unofficial role at the club, trying to persuade some great players to join Liverpool. It was the same ritual every summer. The club would let me know which long-shot target they had in mind and then ask me to contact him. They thought that a request to consider moving to Liverpool would have more impact coming from me. In 2013, the latest player in our sights was Willian, the Brazilian midfielder. I followed the usual routine when approaching a star player we wanted to sign. Instead of calling him directly I always sent a text. It seemed more respectful and allowed the player to read my message at a time when it suited him best. A cold call felt wrong. I slipped into the groove with Willian. I said hello and hoped he didn’t mind me contacting him directly. I stressed how much I admired him as a player and then, having mentioned that I knew Liverpool were speaking to his agent, I used the standard line: ‘If you need to chat or ask any questions I’m available at any time.’
The reply came in and the same old conversation started. Willian thanked me and he said the usual, along the lines of, ‘I’d love to play with you, Steven, blah-blah-blah, but there are other clubs who play in the Champions League I need to talk to as well.’ I knew Spurs and Chelsea were also very keen on Willian. So I answered him and said, of course, I understood. But I then went in with my sales pitch. ‘I think Liverpool would be a great move for you. The fans are amazing, the history is there and we’re building a good team. You could do something great here - and we’d love to have you.’ I meant it, too, because the club only asked for my help if it was with a player I rated. But I always tried to persuade with honesty and respect and never mentioned anything about the player’s financial situation or the contract he could expect from Liverpool. The next text from Willian was so obvious I could have written it for him even before I read it. He again said that it would be great to play in the same team as me but ‘I’m not sure Liverpool can give me the Champions League.’ He went to Chelsea.
It was a game of texting ping-pong that had only small differences each time. Occasionally a player would say his wife or girlfriend preferred the idea of living in London, Madrid or Paris. The clear message was that there were fancier shops and swankier restaurants in bigger cities than Liverpool. I knew then that the deal was dead. Our target in 2014 was ridiculously optimistic. Brendan asked me to take a crack at trying to talk Toni Kroos into signing for Liverpool. He smiled when I said we’d be p*****g into the wind with this one. We both admired Kroos immensely. I knew Real Madrid were gearing up to make Bayern Munich an offer and so I felt a bit awkward when I texted Kroos. The German was on his way to winning the World Cup with his country and Real were the champions of Europe. But God loves a trier, and so I gave it a whirl. Some of the best footballers in the world can also be the most respectful. Kroos didn’t make me feel like I was a total idiot. But, of course, he would soon sign for Real Madrid. We had a nice little exchange of texts and I said well done and good luck.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...-Toni-Kroos-sign-Liverpool.html#ixzz3lese8qD2 Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
I had an unofficial role at the club, trying to persuade some great players to join Liverpool. It was the same ritual every summer. The club would let me know which long-shot target they had in mind and then ask me to contact him. They thought that a request to consider moving to Liverpool would have more impact coming from me. In 2013, the latest player in our sights was Willian, the Brazilian midfielder. I followed the usual routine when approaching a star player we wanted to sign. Instead of calling him directly I always sent a text. It seemed more respectful and allowed the player to read my message at a time when it suited him best. A cold call felt wrong. I slipped into the groove with Willian. I said hello and hoped he didn’t mind me contacting him directly. I stressed how much I admired him as a player and then, having mentioned that I knew Liverpool were speaking to his agent, I used the standard line: ‘If you need to chat or ask any questions I’m available at any time.’
The reply came in and the same old conversation started. Willian thanked me and he said the usual, along the lines of, ‘I’d love to play with you, Steven, blah-blah-blah, but there are other clubs who play in the Champions League I need to talk to as well.’ I knew Spurs and Chelsea were also very keen on Willian. So I answered him and said, of course, I understood. But I then went in with my sales pitch. ‘I think Liverpool would be a great move for you. The fans are amazing, the history is there and we’re building a good team. You could do something great here - and we’d love to have you.’ I meant it, too, because the club only asked for my help if it was with a player I rated. But I always tried to persuade with honesty and respect and never mentioned anything about the player’s financial situation or the contract he could expect from Liverpool. The next text from Willian was so obvious I could have written it for him even before I read it. He again said that it would be great to play in the same team as me but ‘I’m not sure Liverpool can give me the Champions League.’ He went to Chelsea.
It was a game of texting ping-pong that had only small differences each time. Occasionally a player would say his wife or girlfriend preferred the idea of living in London, Madrid or Paris. The clear message was that there were fancier shops and swankier restaurants in bigger cities than Liverpool. I knew then that the deal was dead. Our target in 2014 was ridiculously optimistic. Brendan asked me to take a crack at trying to talk Toni Kroos into signing for Liverpool. He smiled when I said we’d be p*****g into the wind with this one. We both admired Kroos immensely. I knew Real Madrid were gearing up to make Bayern Munich an offer and so I felt a bit awkward when I texted Kroos. The German was on his way to winning the World Cup with his country and Real were the champions of Europe. But God loves a trier, and so I gave it a whirl. Some of the best footballers in the world can also be the most respectful. Kroos didn’t make me feel like I was a total idiot. But, of course, he would soon sign for Real Madrid. We had a nice little exchange of texts and I said well done and good luck.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...-Toni-Kroos-sign-Liverpool.html#ixzz3lese8qD2 Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
As if this week wasnt bad enough after saturdays result.
Christ on a bike with some of these quotes.
Getting Gerrard to text Kroos. Confirming that Rodgers had no other option but a gamble on Balotelli.
Ace.
I love Gerrard but most of this could have been left unsaid. Just makes the club look even more ridiculous.
No point in writing this book when you're gazillionaire and swimming in money.
Christ on a bike with some of these quotes.
Getting Gerrard to text Kroos. Confirming that Rodgers had no other option but a gamble on Balotelli.
Ace.
I love Gerrard but most of this could have been left unsaid. Just makes the club look even more ridiculous.
No point in writing this book when you're gazillionaire and swimming in money.
It's embarrassing and cringe-worthy isn't it? As you say, the timing of it couldn't be any worse. What a time to be a Liverpool fan. Fuck this shit.
"Sir Alex Ferguson"
Fucking hell!
Fucking hell!
In my last season, Brendan Rodgers came to me at Melwood one day in mid-August. We had a chat on the training pitch. He said, ‘You know we’ve missed out on a couple of signings. I’m basically left with no option but to have a bit of a gamble.’
Brendan paused before he spoke again: ‘The gamble is Mario Balotelli.’ My instant reaction was, ‘Uh-oh.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...uis-Suarez-Mario-Balotelli.html#ixzz3lhBwFwyf
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Brendan paused before he spoke again: ‘The gamble is Mario Balotelli.’ My instant reaction was, ‘Uh-oh.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...uis-Suarez-Mario-Balotelli.html#ixzz3lhBwFwyf
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Fucking hell he's a bigger egomaniac than even I realised -
Strange that he blames Benitez completely for Selling Alonso but doesn't blame Dalglish for selling Torres, Hodgson for selling Mascherano or Rodgers for selling Suarez. More sniping if you ask me.
Alonso himself has said that the relationship with Benitez had deteriorated after he tried to sign Gareth Barry in 2008 (For me Alonso had had only an average season in 2007/8) and then got worse after Alonso had refused to travel for away leg against Inter Milan due to to Mrs being in labor. Understandable from both perspectives really as you can see why Alonso would want be bedside and also why Benitez would want Alonso for the Game. Alonso was fantastic in 2008/9 but it seems his mind was made up pretty early in that season that he wanted to go. Maybe Rafa was insensitive about the pregnancy thing but Alonso shouldn't have been threatened as much as he seems to have been by the possible arrival of Barry.
All in differing circumstances but the one thing all them transfers had in common was that the player wanted to go.
Alonso himself has said that the relationship with Benitez had deteriorated after he tried to sign Gareth Barry in 2008 (For me Alonso had had only an average season in 2007/8) and then got worse after Alonso had refused to travel for away leg against Inter Milan due to to Mrs being in labor. Understandable from both perspectives really as you can see why Alonso would want be bedside and also why Benitez would want Alonso for the Game. Alonso was fantastic in 2008/9 but it seems his mind was made up pretty early in that season that he wanted to go. Maybe Rafa was insensitive about the pregnancy thing but Alonso shouldn't have been threatened as much as he seems to have been by the possible arrival of Barry.
All in differing circumstances but the one thing all them transfers had in common was that the player wanted to go.
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