Stevie G. to leave Liverpool - Official

[ILD]

I'm not trying to slate Gerrard here but why turn round announce it now adding that he wants to remove the speculation about his future and then give an interview a few days later saying he'd have signed a contract if he'd been offered one. That's just started all the speculation again.
.

I agree that it creates more unnecessary stories and I wish he didn't say it but has it been taken a bit out of context?
He said he would have signed one in the summer if offered one. Because at the time he saw himself in a starring role for this season and probably even next season. As the season progressed he realized that he won't be always an automatic starter and feels it's now right to move on when his current deal expires in the summer.

Or maybe I'm reading it wrong and it is a dig at the club and a case of too little too late. Have we a full copy of the new interview? I didn't get a chance to see it.

 

[localny]

So here's the question for me that determines it all.

Does he still have it what it takes to be an AM week in , week out with the normal rotation, any player would get?

I know Rodgers maybe thinks no, but maybe Rodgers thinks that for the DM position.

Does he still have it, week in, week out, as he was, behind Torres, or in a similar formulation, as a second striker or AM. I haven't watched him closely enough this season to answer that question.

 

[tombrown]

Torres doesn't play for us anymore

 

[localny]

Torres doesn't play for us anymore

mate, I'm trying to have a discussion here. If you're being funny, good - if you're being a pedant, do it elsewhere.

 

[FoxForceFive]

So here's the question for me that determines it all.

Does he still have it what it takes to be an AM week in , week out with the normal rotation, any player would get?

I know Rodgers maybe thinks no, but maybe Rodgers thinks that for the DM position.

Does he still have it, week in, week out, as he was, behind Torres, or in a similar formulation, as a second striker or AM. I haven't watched him closely enough this season to answer that question.

Not for 90 minutes every match by any means.

Maybe for the last half hour nearly every game, but nothing more in my opinion.

 

[Gary25]

I'm not trying to slate Gerrard here but why turn round announce it now adding that he wants to remove the speculation about his future and then give an interview a few days later saying he'd have signed a contract if he'd been offered one. That's just started all the speculation again.

He's been a magnificent player for us and if carefully managed in his game time then I think he could have carried on having a big impact for us. But Gerrard has clearly indicated that he feels that he can and wants to play most games. I don't, based on his performances this season, think he can do that.

So we are in a stalemate. A contract needs to be mutually agreeable to all parties. Putting aside the legend he is, should we pay him a large contract out of sentiment? No in my opinion.

Any decision made has to be in the best interests of all involved and it looks pretty clear the club and Gerrard didn't agree on things going forward.

I'm not going to go down the Stevie Me route cos I think it's too easy, but if he can't see his role in the broader terms of the success of the club then the club had to make the brave decision. It's not one I'd have wanted to make but I think we have been bold and at least we know where we stand.

Gerrard is a once in an era player. We have been lucky to have him play for us and I've enjoyed many fantastic moments from his play, but at the end of the day, I support the club and I've lived with the motto of no player is ever bigger than the club. I think certain sections of the media and some fans are forgetting this. The media, well they just want to stir up controversy. The fans? Well they probably fear how we will end up.

We did ok after Kenny, Souey and many other true legends left. Yes, we felt their loss, but Liverpool Football Club continued on. So it will the same with the departure of Gerrard.

Some valid points you've made their to be fair.
I personally think we should have moved heaven and earth to keep him by offering him a new contract once he confirmed his retirement from International Football citing the need to.prolong his Liverpool career.
The old he needed to be guaranteed regular football line is being thrown about and it's a convenient excuse/reason imo. Whilst Gerrard has undoubtedly a big ego(any wonder) i doubt he's deluded and egotistical to the point he expects to play every minute of every game at his age. I'd hazard a guess he just wanted the Owners/Manager to reassure him he was still a massive part of the future of a Club and not just on the pitch. He should have been the exception to any rule FSG have about wages or whatever for players in the last few years of their careers.

Everyone will have their own view on it which is the norm but i find it impossible to defend the Club on this. We've sold our soul.

 

[Mystic]

Reus Hahahahahaha

He'll join.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

Everyone will have their own view on it which is the norm but i find it impossible to defend the Club on this. We've sold our soul.

HEAVEN HELP US.

 

[localny]

Not for 90 minutes every match by any means.

Maybe for the last half hour nearly every game, but nothing more in my opinion.

What about the first 70/75?

Last half Hour, has he detiorated that much?

He really could be an amazing impact player, which is what he always has been.

He should try it for a year before deciding against it.

 

[gkmacca]

Some valid points you've made their to be fair.
I personally think we should have moved heaven and earth to keep him by offering him a new contract once he confirmed his retirement from International Career citing the need to.prolong his Liverpool career..

I agree. It seems to be the same with most big organisations - Oxbridge is a good example - the more committed people are to them, the more they are taken for granted, whilst the semi-detached chancers get fussed over and begged to stay. Look at Torres - even the shagged out Torres - and others at LFC. Gerrard, time and again in his career, has been taken for granted - most criminally by Parry and Moores, but also by Ayre and FSG. It sends out a lousy message.

 

[Gary25]

HEAVEN HELP US.

Ok that's maybe a bit OTT but I'm so fucking angry and disappointed about all this.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

Ok that's maybe a bit OTT but I'm so fucking angry and disappointed about all this.

Let it be mate ... Both sides would have had to change things in their approach to make it happen. Could it have been differently? Sure but Liverpool will go on, and Stevie will hopefully have a wonderful 18 months in LA before returning to the club to some role.

 

[localny]

I agree. It seems to be the same with most big organisations - Oxbridge is a good example - the more committed people are to them, the more they are taken for granted, whilst the semi-detached chancers get fussed over and begged to stay. Look at Torres - even the shagged out Torres - and others at LFC. Gerrard, time and again in his career, has been taken for granted - most criminally by Parry and Moores, but also by Ayre and FSG. It sends out a lousy message.

Yes to maximize the benefit to yourself, you sometimes have to be the one they fuss over. Maybe now, they will do some fussing? Is there some behyind the scenes fussing going on you think?

 

[gkmacca]

Gawd knows. I just think back to 2005, for example, with Parry, eyes half shut as usual, mumbling 'We'll sort out something with Steven' several MONTHS before Istanbul, then, practically comatose, he said the same, then Chelski shocked the club and still Parry staggered around acting as if he has 101 more urgent things to attend to (once he'd had a really good sleep, a long vacation in Barbados and maybe some shell picking in New Brighton). It's embarrassing how bloody shambolic we often are.

 

[localny]

Gawd knows. I just think back to 2005, for example, with Parry, eyes half shut as usual, mumbling 'We'll sort out something with Steven' several MONTHS before Istanbul, then, practically comatose, he said the same, then Chelski shocked the club and still Parry staggered around acting as if he has 101 more urgent things to attend to (once he'd had a really good sleep, a long vacation in Barbados and maybe some shell picking in New Brighton). It's embarrassing how bloody shambolic we often are.

I think it was you who once said Parry's a "Let me get back to you" guy, and then a few weeks later, you call him and realize he spent no time on the issue. I think Moores may have rubbed off on him.

 

[Wiberg]

Not for 90 minutes every match by any means.

Maybe for the last half hour nearly every game, but nothing more in my opinion.

Yes, imagine if he had been used like that last year. He would have ripped them up the last 30. Most teams were spend after 60 mins against us. Introducing a fresh Gerrard at that juncture would have made all the difference. And in position instead of that dreadful DM role.

 

[localny]

So is there anyone who thinks he can do the job for the first 65/70 as an atacking midfielder? Someone who knows better than I?

 

[gkmacca]

The odd thing is that he seems to get better as the game goes on (maybe the stats will prove me wrong, but that's been my impression). You'd expect him to start well and then fade, but he often seems to have a stinker and then pick up after about an hour. Is it a tactical issue? If he started more like his old self then I'd be happy to see him play that length of time in an advanced position.

 

[Gary25]

I'm sure we've all read our fair share of articles on Gerrard these last 4 or 5 days but this one is brilliant.
It's by Gareth Roberts on 'The Anfield Wrap'.
http://www.theanfieldwrap.com/2015/01/steven-gerrard-liverpool/





STEVEN GERRARD: YOU KNOW YOU’LL OFTEN STOP AND THINK ABOUT HIM

I SHOULD be going to bed. I’m due in work at 7am, and the alarm clock will ring at 5. Instead, I’m pouring a bevvy and writing this because my head’s chocka. It’s chocka because one of the greatest players every to pull on the red shirt is leaving. It’s chocka because of how arsed I am about that fact. It’s chocka because I’m a cynical 38-year-old nark that tells himself he isn’t arsed about footie any more. I’m arsed about this. I’m gutted.


Let’s not fuck around here – millions of words about the current captain will now spew from keyboards the world wide. These won’t be among the best. They’re not aiming to be. They’re just here to say this: Steven Gerrard *is* Liverpool. He’s the man who has pulled this club up on his own time and again and taken it – and us – to places we would never have seen if it hadn’t have been for him; his determination, his will to win, his quality. That needs to be recognised and appreciated above anything else.


Forget research, stats, timelines and milestones; all the stuff you’ll read about in the hours that follow. Don’t worry if you’ve forgotten a certain goal, or a certain moment — you’ll see them all soon. Just think instead of the first thoughts that form in your mind as a Liverpool fan when you think about the skipper: Steven Gerrard scoring *that* goal against Olympiakos. Steven Gerrard slaloming through the Sheffield Wednesday defence. Steven Gerrard clearing efforts from Everton off the line and celebrating with a clenched fist. Steven Gerrard running the length of Goodison with his hand to his ear after slamming in a shot no-one was saving. Steven Gerrard scoring one of the greatest goals you’ll ever see. In an FA Cup Final. In injury time. Steven Gerrard scoring, and inspiring, in Istanbul. Gerrard at right back, in the middle, on the right of midfield and behind the striker. Gerrard kissing the camera at Old Trafford. Gerrard scoring every conceivable goal. Gerrard snapping into tackles and jumping on Everton players. Gerrard putting Jack Wilshire on his arse. I could go on. And that’s the point. I could go on. Your list will be different — take your pick, the lad’s racked up hundreds of great moments in a red shirt, we’d be here all day. And I’ve got work.


Let others snipe about shite that doesn’t matter. Let others sing bullshit songs about England, slipping and transfer requests. Nothing can spoil the Steven Gerrard legacy. Not to my mind. This is a lad who grew up a stone’s throw away from me on the Bluebell estate in Huyton. Who went to school with one of my best mate’s brothers. An ordinary lad from an ordinary home who went on to be one of the best in the world.


Even now, even at the tail-end of his career, he is capable of things that very few in the world are capable of. Remember that skimming half-volley ball he played the other week? What about that through ball at Fulham at the end of the last season? What about those passes that he effortlessly curls 40 yards or the close to un-defendable balls he puts into the box from a free kick? What about the free kick against Basel? Again, I could go on. And that’s the point. I could go on.


Is Steven Gerrard the best player to have wore the red? He’s up there whoever you ask. The only one I’d put close to him that I have watched on a regular basis live at the match is John Barnes. I didn’t go the game until I was teenager. I missed Kenny and Souness. Gerrard I have watched from day one and I’ll watch until it ends. In Huyton his talents were no secret. The fella who used to cut my hair at Twig Lane barbers used to rave about his ability before he was anywhere near the first team. In the same barbers a hand-drawn picture of him in a Liverpool kit lived on a shelf long before he was in the national conscience. This is a lad who has been at Liverpool since he was eight. Eight years old. No one – no one – can have a pop if he decides 26 years – TWENTY SIX YEARS – later that he fancies a change. America? He’ll piss it. I’m not looking forward to the moment he kicks a ball wearing another club shirt though – and I’ve been one advocating that he should play less for Liverpool to get the best out of his final days.


Here we reach an important distinction to make. Steven Gerrard has been great for Liverpool Football Club — that is an unquestionable stone-cold, nailed on fact. But no man can beat time. Not even Steven Gerrard. It’s hard to take. This is your hero. A man who has bailed Liverpool out of the shit so many times. A man who has lifted the club beyond the mediocrity that surrounds him on the pitch over and over again. But it can’t last forever. Nothing does. And suggesting using Steven in a cameo, or resting him, or using him in a different position at different times — none of that stains what has come before. Legend is an overused word. Luis Suarez wasn’t a legend, he was a supremely talented footballer who used Liverpool as a rung to reach the goal that Luis Suarez wanted to reach. Steven Gerrard is a legend. He has won honours with Liverpool and been absolutely key in doing so. He willed it. He told it ‘no’ and he made it ‘yes’.


His capability to do that now has lessened but Steven Gerrard is still hugely influential. People snipe about Brendan Rodgers ‘favouring’ him, ‘accommodating’ him and the rest. But put yourself in his shoes for a moment. You’re an outsider. A man with no Liverpool connection. In front of you is a man who dragged Liverpool to a European Cup final and come back to Liverpool holding the gold. A man who people are inspired by, a man who players at Liverpool say, no matter what *we* think of his leadership skills, IS a leader. Jordan Henderson, Daniel Sturridge, Suarez, Raheem Sterling….every new signing; take your pick, they always reference his influence: they value his opinion, they’re in awe of him, they want to play with him. The lad is a world-class footballer. A world-class footballer from Huyton.


Rodgers has referenced his influence, too. And let’s be honest, he’s needed it. I’m not privy to what goes on behind the scenes, but my guess is this: you persuade Steven Gerrard, you get Steven Gerrard on board, then you’re a big part of the way there in getting everyone else on board, too. Unofficially, I wouldn’t mind sticking money on Steven Gerrard being Rodgers’ unofficial No.2 since the manager took charge. But all that’s for another day. This is a sad moment – a moment when what shouldn’t be a surprise came as a surprise. Steven Gerrard is leaving Liverpool and Liverpool face an almighty task to replace his influence on and off the pitch. Can you buy it? Can you coach it? Time will tell. But insisting on buying young players, and players with potential? It’s a big ask to replace someone like Gerrard with that policy in place. Perhaps that’s why Rodgers has played him so often; perhaps that’s why he has pushed for a better contract to be laid on the table. Because, deep down, he knows we won’t see the likes again anytime soon.


Steven Gerrard is leaving Liverpool and I for one will miss him when he goes.

I’m going to bed.

 

[gkmacca]

Night night.

 

[Gary25]

Well it was written last Thursday night.

 

[leftpeg]

Gerrard's comments are disappointing but he does have some previous form...usual caveats notwithstanding of course.