Liverpool FC Forum

[Ciggy]

I did not want to put this up before the game,  Buts hes gone now, accept it get over it its done and dusted and we know it.

Why Gerrard did not sign for Chelsea
By Vivek Chaudhary, Evening Standard
25 February 2005

It was just one of the regular heart-to-hearts Steven Gerrard has enjoyed with his father Paul since he joined Liverpool's academy at the age of eight. When Gerrard walked into the family home in the tough, working class district of Huyton in north Liverpool last summer he could have been forgiven for thinking he was in line for more praise from his father after completing arguably his best season at club and international level.

However, Gerrard senior had other ideas and the straight-talking Scouser held little back. There was, he claimed, a danger that Gerrard was about to become the most hated ex-Liverpool player in the club's history and his family would become outcasts in their beloved home city.

Forty-eight hours later Steven Gerrard stood in the Anfield trophy room and announced he had no intention of joining Chelsea and that his future lay at Liverpool. The club had managed to hold onto their most favourite son, for one more season at least.

For many Liverpudlians, Gerrard has come to symbolise the soul of Liverpool Football Club, not only because of his performances, but because he is a locally born player with close links with the working class community and family he was born and raised in.

His decision to stay at Anfield, turning down an estimated extra £15million from Chelsea in increased wages, enhanced his standing with Liverpudlians, regardless of whether their loyalty is Liverpool red or Everton blue.

Contrast that with the residual sense of betrayal surrounding Wayne Rooney, who quit Everton last summer for Manchester United. His return to Merseyside last Saturday against his old club in the FA Cup was a homecoming full of spite.

It could have been Gerrard. " Gerrard's potential departure to Chelsea really hit the fans hard last summer," said a source close to the club. "He symbolises the club, he's considered part and parcel of the city and it would have been the first time Liverpool had lost their best player to a rival British club. It was a real dagger in the belly of Liverpool fans."

As Gerrard prepares to face Chelsea in the Carling Cup Final on Sunday, one sure-fire certainty, whatever the result, is that it will be accompanied by intense speculation over whether he will be able to resist the lure of Roman Abramovich's riches this time around.

Liverpool firmly deny it, but Chelsea insiders insist an outline deal has already been agreed to sign Gerrard. Last year's U-turn looks like being no more than a stay of execution for Liverpool.

Despite claims that death threats against him and his family made him change his mind last summer, it was actually the Anfield captain's father Paul who persuaded him to stay for one more season.

Gerrard had made up his mind to join Chelsea while on England duty in Portugal during Euro 2004 and even texted Jose Mourinho and chief executive Peter Kenyon to announce his decision.

Sources close to the player say he was "less than a week" away from completing the move. "No contracts were drawn up or anything like that but mentally we were all prepared for it," said one.

But Gerrard's dad, a key figure in the player's career, had other ideas. Upon his son's return to Liverpool he delivered what has been described as "the mother of all earbashings".

The Liverpool board also realised last summer that the best way to get Gerrard to stay was to win over his family. Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry is believed to have held at least two private meetings with Paul Gerrard at the exclusive Royal Birkdale Golf Club to convince him that Steven's future lay at Anfield.

Meetings also took place among Gerrard's family to discuss his future and it was jointly decided that if he was to leave then it would not only affect him but also the way the family is viewed by fellow Liverpudlians.

The Gerrard name carries weight and respect within the city but the family feared this would have suffered.

John Williams, of Leicester University's Football Research Centre who is also a Liverpool season ticket holder and closely monitors events at Anfield, said: "The board mobilised his (Gerrard's) family to work on him. It was emphasised that this was more than about football and money, this was about family and loyalty and that Liverpool is where Steven belongs. The family, particularly Gerrard's father, implored him to stay."

Former Liverpool player Howard Gayle, who is still closely connected to the club and, like Gerrard, was born within the city, said: "There was a feeling that when Gerrard was in Portugal during Euro 2004 his head was turned by some people telling him that he needed to move on.

"Gerrard's dad soon put him right and had some serious words with him. He just told his son, look in the mirror, you are a hero around here, can you really turn your back on the club now?"

Gerrard was raised on the tough Bluebells estate in Huyton, where his grandfather still lives. He still visits the estate regularly and the family is well known within the local area.

A scruffy patch of grass, hemmed in by shabby terraced homes and flats is where Gerrard first learned to kick a ball. For youngsters that still play there, the Liverpool captain is a god, not only because he emerged from within their ranks but for the fact he turned down Chelsea's millions.

Both Gerrard and his girlfriend Alex Curran, who was also born locally and like him, comes from a big, close-knit family, remain regular visitors to Huyton, despite living several miles away in the archetypal footballer's mansion in Southport. The Gerrard family are incredibly private and shun the limelight along with the new trendy bars opening in Liverpool's dockside area, preferring instead the comfort of a local pub close to the Bluebells estate where it is not uncommon for Steven and Alex to also join them for a drink.

Gayle said: "For any boy born in Liverpool to play for either the reds or blues is the ultimate dream, you are one of the chosen few. But there's also more pressure on players like Gerrard.

"You are more accountable for your performances because you have lived among the fans and were raised with them. Given the number of foreigners within the Premier League there's even more importance and expectations on players like Gerrard."

Given these strong, emotional ties it was not surprising that both Gerrard's-family and the Anfield board exploited them in their efforts to persuade him to stay.

Reports that death threats were the key factor are considered laughable by Bluebell residents who insist that "they look after their own". They were not taken seriously and were dismissed by police.

John Kendall, a Bluebell resident who knows the Gerrard family, said: "The Gerrards are well known and popular members of the Huyton community. If anybody threatened them then I would have liked to have met them. There are a lot of big, important families in Huyton and they would not have allowed any harm to come to the Gerrards.

"Steven's a really nice lad, very down to earth, he's one of us. I can't see anybody threatening him or his family."

The reaction to Rooney's return last week, the graffiti on his old terraced house in Croxteth and the protection he needs every time he sneaks back for a night out with mates shows Gerrard what might have been.

This time, however, the mood is different. There is a sense of inevitability about his move and locals are prepared for Gerrard to leave for west London.

Gerrard's deal with his father Paul was that he would give the new regime of Rafael Benitez one more season and that if he was still unsatisfied at Liverpool's progress, he could leave. They feel he has given it one last shot.

"The reasons for giving Liverpool one more year are simply not there this time," said a friend of the player.

Williams added: "Steven is already in the departure lounge and if he was to go this summer it wouldn't be a big surprise to Liverpool fans. Many fans feel he's done his bit and that he should be free to go; it will hurt, but they are ready for it."

[anfieldadorer]

some facts:
1. after the previous match against Chelsea, he was in a "positive body language"  with chelsea officials (did xabi's injury mean nothing to him?)
2. he backed owen to stay ("wait for me, be there in a short while!")
3. he suggested we are not up for CL cup
4. his recent performances have been awful
5. This evening's tragedy

[stel]

I would do the same if I was his father,just the same if I was SG and have seen my future away from liverpool.
SG this year managed to show us that THERE IS NO PLAYER BIGGER THAN LFC, he managed to make it easy for fans to accept his departure. Now you can hear about "its time for SG to go", "let him go"," who will be his replacement", words that noone could and dared to say last summer.
YES, ITS TIME TO GO. Υes, hes a great player and Ill be upset when I see him leaving us, but I cant stand see him be absent and just a shadow of himself inside the pitch.Its very strange. We love him but we have already started thinking LFCs future without him ,without being so desperate as we did last summer

[mistyred]

Can't say anything except life goes on i know i said some killer things today but i am so proud of LFC and i would die for the shirt Liverpool as a city is proud and true just the thought of bieng betrayed and used by one of your own is a little hard to swallow but again LFC will walk with pride.

[Paul C]

Of course it will be a loss but I think we have known for a while that Stevie is going in the summer, seems pretty shady that he scored an own goal for the team he's likely to be playing for next season, it's not just todays OG but he's been sh1t3 in every games against Chelsea this season, also can't believe he missed that sitter

[stel]

I dont want to believe that he his performance has to do with his forthcoming transfer, really sad.

[ronmeister]

I really am torn on this one every fan can see the progress Liverpool have made  in rafa's first season and i hohnestly think we will be competing next season for the title so if stevie really wants to win things with a club he surely needs to stay with us.I mean there is no gaurantee's on winning anything as long as you are competeing your in with a chance.I cant see chelski being as dominant next year i expect ourselve's the mancscum and arsenal to push em to the wire.I think if he go's it will be abroad especially after the comments about wanting to play with Micky owen again.
Also is the 30mil+ gonna be more valuble to us than SG.It really is a hard one to call.

[maximus]

I think we are all fed up of Stevie G rumours and yes I have posted this before, but this IMO is a brilliantly written piece mirroring the life of THE GREAT Franco Baresi, who in terms of legendary status is streets ahead of Stevie G.

This piece captures perfectly the whole story of Money/Greed v The passion of playing for your hometown club.

The question is: Quick fix (Chelsea and Romans millions) or longterm build for success and immortalisation by the Liverpool faithful?

What is more important to you Stevie??

RAWK: Posted by JessRed76 on February 1, 2005, 11:46:48 AM 

As a lifetime AC Milan fan, with a Liverpool supporting girlfriend, I would like to give you my view on Steven Gerrard and his future at Liverpool.

Steven Gerrard: 24 years old, Liverpool captain, from Merseyside, a homegrown talent. Now, I believe most of you reading have played football when kids (some of you are probably still playing now, like me, in those cold Sunday mornings, in some local amateur league, sorting out the nets, the money for the ref, bringing home muddy boots for the missus' delight...).

We all started in the same fashion and so did Mr Gerrard: in the streets and in the school playgrounds, with jumpers for goalposts, spending hours arguing wether the ball was or wasn't gone over a bar that wasn't there to begin with. Preferring a game of football with your mates to anything else that there was in life. And if we weren't playing football... we would be watching it.

Whether you were a striker or a defender, whether you were good or bad, whether you were you or you were Steven Gerrard the dream was one for all of us:

TO WEAR THE LIVERPOOL SHIRT AND THE CAPTAIN'S ARMBAND AT ANFIELD IN FRONT OF THE KOP

You can change that to AC Milan and the San Siro if for me. I am sure every single one of you had that dream of putting on the Red shirt and the armband. Some of you probably still do! Well, so did Steven Gerrard.

This is why as a neutral I can not understand nor tolerate the fact that the guy is even thinking of a career outside Liverpool! Can you?

Being captain of your own team at the age of 24, playing Champions League football ... is that not enough?

If Gerrard was to stay he almost certainly will be Liverpool captain for another 10 years. He will almost certainly win trophies in the next 10 years. He will be Liverpool greatest player during his nearly 20 years with the club's first team. He will be a legend. He will probably be remembered as the best Liverpool player ever. He will be what Franco Baresi has been to Milan.

Does anyone know what Baresi did in the early eighties? Here's what has happened: At 14 Baresi joins Milan after Inter (where is older brother was playing) rejected him, how foolish of them! He makes his debut very young and in 1979 wins the title with Milan. A couple of years later Milan gets relegated from Serie A to Serie B. The club is in a mess having being involved in match fixing and the club's owner ran away. The club was in total crisis, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel was impossible.

A few weeks later city's rival Inter make an offer for Baresi and Baresi's partner in the middle of the defence Collovati. Straight away Collovati joins Inter. A then very young Baresi (21-22) is made captain of a falling giant. He's regarded by most as the best young talent of his generation and the 1982 World Cup is around the corner. Staying with Milan playing in Serie B would probably jeopardise his chances of going to the World Cup. Joining Inter would mean playing alongside his brother and enjoying the race for title every season at a club flushed with money. Collovati had no doubt in his mind that the right choice was to join Inter. But what did Baresi do? The similarity with the Steven Gerrard's situation was so big I had to write this article.

Liverpool are nowhere near as bad as AC Milan was in the early eighties.

What should Steven Gerrard do? What did Franco Baresi do?

I am sure most of you know what Baresi did but I'll tell you anyway: HE STAYED AT MILAN! He played for them in Serie B. He was so good he was picked for the World Cup squad anyway. Milan won the Serie B league and came straight up only to go down again one season later. More offers came in for Baresi. Did he regret his original choice? Did he join Inter, Juve? Did he? Of course he didn't. He played for Milan in Serie B again. That's what I call a man!

In the following years with Milan he won promotion and then went on to win the European Cup three times (now better known as Champions League), he won the Intercontinental Cup twice, the European Super Cup 3 times, the Italian League 5 times (to add to the win in 1979), and played a total of 5 European Cup Finals. He became for every Milan fan 'Il Capitano' (The Captain, capital T and capital C).

When he retired from football in 1997 the club not only organised a match for him in the San Siro where 85,000 paying supporters saw him and the Milan players play the likes of Maradona, Romario, Careca, Koeman, Mattheus but also the jersey with the number 6, the number he worn for so many years, was retired as well. No more Milan players will ever wear the number 6 (this week has been announced that the same will happen with Paolo Maldini's number 3 when he retires).

Thinking forward should Gerrard commit himself to Liverpool for life? I can not see why he shouldn't be able to experience the same glory and all time legendary status. It all goes back to that one dream we had when we were playing in the streets. The day that dream ends football will end with it. I wish Steven Gerrard will realize this.

By the way: how many of you knew who Collovati was? To Milan fans he's a traitor, that's all, who left the club in their hour of need. I have to wash my mouth every time I say his name. Baresi in contrast is an immortal.

© JR76 2005

[JohnnyAldridge fan]

Excellent post maximus,I hope he stays but only if fully wants to and is 100%committed to the club p.s.well done on your Milan beating the mancs last week

[ronmeister]

Thanks Maximus puts things in to perspective a bit more.I just hope SG dosnt think more of Matt le Tissier at southampton had his choice of any club stayed at southampton and won nothing .Although i cant see Liverpool not winning the league and the champions league in the next 10 years

[maximus]

Excellent post maximus,I hope he stays but only if fully wants to and is 100%committed to the club p.s.well done on your Milan beating the mancs last week

Whilst I AM pleased the Mancs got spanked by Milan, for the record I do not support MIlan, the writer of the article supports Milan, I support LFC