Liverpool FC Forum

At the ripe old age of 33, Gerrard is still our best midfielder.

That says quite a lot without actually saying it. 

I could never understand any who doubt Gerrard. They'll surely have their reasons, but this is a man who, in the era of fortune, fame and instant success, has stuck to his boyhood dream of leading Liverpool to the top. Am I too negative to say Gerrard is of a dieing breed? Gerrard's a true product of Liverpool, forged in its industry and fiery passion. The things that shape footballers in generations after are different. Different values, morals, beliefs. Ambulance chasers, the X Factor, political correctness, equality even where none is due... I could go on listing this stuff but it'd be considered too un-PC, not by the mods, but by that little monster that resides in us all now. But these are the things that shape modern players. The culture of the nation as a whole will shape our young footballers. I'm afraid that the British bulldog is no longer politically correct and the powers that be feel we need something cuter and more appealing. Why do you think our national team is so cr*p? No Terry Buthchers, Peter Reid's, Bryan Robsons, Tony Adams...just good ol' Stevie G. The last of the best

So long as he can play football, I'd give every chance to fulfill his dream. Gerrard IS Liverpool. And England. For a lil while more at least.

Some nice words from Andrea Pirlo

http://www.footballfancast.com/premiers ... eeper-role?

Kash_Mountain » Wed Feb 26, 2014 8:34 am wrote:Some nice words from Andrea Pirlo

http://www.footballfancast.com/premiers ... eeper-role?

Either Juventus were playing Sunday, or he penned that before the Swansea game .

RedAnt » Tue Feb 18, 2014 8:15 pm wrote:I could never understand any who doubt Gerrard. They'll surely have their reasons

Forgive my interruption ,but on one hand you say you could never understand any who cast doubt ,then you totally corrupt that statement by adding ' they will  surely have their reasons' I think you're underplaying the strength of the word 'NEVER'.........Its kind of an absolute 

RED BEERGOGGLES » Thu Feb 27, 2014 8:41 pm wrote:

RedAnt » Tue Feb 18, 2014 8:15 pm wrote:I could never understand any who doubt Gerrard. They'll surely have their reasons

Forgive my interruption ,but on one hand you say you could never understand any who cast doubt ,then you totally corrupt that statement by adding ' they will  surely have their reasons' I think you're underplaying the strength of the word 'NEVER'.........Its kind of an absolute 

You're welcome to interrupt, but if you really want to be pedantic, there's loads of holes in my grammar. Fire away! What's it have to do with Gerrard though? I think the general meaning of what I intended to say is understood by most.

And for the record "it's kind of absolute" is a statement, and dosent require three question marks???

Sorry for the last part. In using my phone and don't have smiley things.

RedAnt » Thu Feb 27, 2014 9:16 pm wrote:
You're welcome to interrupt, but if you really want to be pedantic, there's loads of holes in my grammar. Fire away! What's it have to do with Gerrard though? I think the general meaning of what I intended to say is understood by most.

Listen mate, I've stated my case concerning Gerrard ,and I've listed the pro's and cons of his inclusion in our midfield ,so when I gave mention to
your contradiction, it had little to do with your grammar and more to do with your failure to drop down on one side of the fence.....I apologise if
it came across as anything different.

I thought Gerrard was brilliant against Fulham ,and his pass for Sturridge was a thing of orchestrated beauty ,but against Swansea my initial fears
as to our susceptibility to a pacy midfield were realised as De Guzman and Shelvey were given the freedom of Anfield.

I'm completely amazed at the lack of numbers on this forum who refuse to acknowledge this..... It just seems the same well versed ,and much
broadcasted  belief that Gerrard can replicate the role Pirlo plays with similar consummate ease is now  universally accepted.

I just think Pirlo is so much more comfortable with the ball at his feet than Gerrard ,and can find space for the pass even when he's constantly
pressured ,so its no surprise that Pirlo hits more passes than any one else in his team because everything goes through him.

I'm sorry ,but Pirlo retains possession and rarely wastes the ball, or even marginally over hits a  pass, this in itself takes the pressure of his defence.
Andrea Pirlo is possibly one of the most graceful midfielder's still in the game he makes his art look effortless..... Such comparisons with Gerrard
should simply never be made, as the two are completely different animals.

RED BEERGOGGLES » Thu Feb 27, 2014 10:40 pm wrote:

RedAnt » Thu Feb 27, 2014 9:16 pm wrote:
You're welcome to interrupt, but if you really want to be pedantic, there's loads of holes in my grammar. Fire away! What's it have to do with Gerrard though? I think the general meaning of what I intended to say is understood by most.

Listen mate, I've stated my case concerning Gerrard ,and I've listed the pro's and cons of his inclusion in our midfield ,so when I gave mention to
your contradiction, it had little to do with your grammar and more to do with your failure to drop down on one side of the fence.....I apologise if
it came across as anything different.

I thought Gerrard was brilliant against Fulham ,and his pass for Sturridge was a thing of orchestrated beauty ,but against Swansea my initial fears
as to our susceptibility to a pacy midfield were realised as De Guzman and Shelvey were given the freedom of Anfield.

I'm completely amazed at the lack of numbers on this forum who refuse to acknowledge this..... It just seems the same well versed ,and much
broadcasted  belief that Gerrard can replicate the role Pirlo plays with similar consummate ease is now  universally accepted.

I just think Pirlo is so much more comfortable with the ball at his feet than Gerrard ,and can find space for the pass even when he's constantly
pressured ,so its no surprise that Pirlo hits more passes than any one else in his team because everything goes through him.

I'm sorry ,but Pirlo retains possession and rarely wastes the ball, or even marginally over hits a  pass, this in itself takes the pressure of his defence.
Andrea Pirlo is possibly one of the most graceful midfielder's still in the game he makes his art look effortless..... Such comparisons with Gerrard
should simply never be made, as the two are completely different animals.

I agree with you on many points. Lucas and Gerrard are different and we need to play both. It's not a contradiction. In recent weeks, without Lucas, we've struggled to control games. I still think we can improve on Lucas, but right now I don't believe Gerrard is comfortable enough to play both ball winner AND playmaker. When he wins the ball, he dosent have the space he needs to turn attack in defence. I'd play a ball winner alongside him. This might give Gerrard more space to initiate counter attacks, and chip in defensively too. I know this would make it all very deep and tight though and so might be counter-productive.

Lucas has his qualities, and I like him as that option, or as a similar option as may be required. But he's not a creative player and won't get many assists or goals. I've heard he's good in an attacking role and that he used to favour the position. So maybe he could do that. But wether by choice, tactics, or ability, he isn't an attack minded player like Gerrard.

As for Pirlo, nice of him to say what he said about Stevie, but it seems a bit random.

Kenny Kan » Sun Feb 16, 2014 10:10 pm wrote:At the ripe old age of 33, Gerrard is still our best midfielder.

That says quite a lot without actually saying it. 

It says to me Gerrard is irreplaceable for a club with our transfer policies to date. Hopefully qualifying for CL next season will convince the yanks that their man Rodgers cannot go further without proper investment. We are talking 35-40 million per world class player.

A player like Gerrard will take a mountain of cash to even come close to replacing. I'm not even sure if we had 50 million to spend there is one player who I would be confident would come here & excell, look at Ozil for 45 million, already being benched as some issues have cropped up about his performances. That could be us!

We always say the  club is bigger than any player... That's ***** when it comes to this guy, the last 10 years Gerrard has been Liverpool. I know we have had good runs when he was injured couple years back but in the grander picture he has always been holding the teams hand to get through difficult patches and drag the team forward.

It's gonna be tough to replace him. He's set the bar too high. There are players out there though - Xhaka, Draxler, Dzagoev, Kroos, etc.

Or perhaps we already have someone who can come in and pull the strings in the middle - Suso.

killerp » Fri Feb 28, 2014 8:36 am wrote:

Kenny Kan » Sun Feb 16, 2014 10:10 pm wrote:At the ripe old age of 33, Gerrard is still our best midfielder.

That says quite a lot without actually saying it. 

It says to me Gerrard is irreplaceable for a club with our transfer policies to date. Hopefully qualifying for CL next season will convince the yanks that their man Rodgers cannot go further without proper investment. We are talking 35-40 million per world class player.

A player like Gerrard will take a mountain of cash to even come close to replacing. I'm not even sure if we had 50 million to spend there is one player who I would be confident would come here & excell, look at Ozil for 45 million, already being benched as some issues have cropped up about his performances. That could be us!

We always say the  club is bigger than any player... That's ***** when it comes to this guy, the last 10 years Gerrard has been Liverpool. I know we have had good runs when he was injured couple years back but in the grander picture he has always been holding the teams hand to get through difficult patches and drag the team forward.

No player has ever been bigger than the club mate ,perhaps our reluctance to accept Gerrard will in the end just be another glorious addition to our
lineage is exactly the type of mindset we need to move on from. I don't think anyone is denying that he has been a vital cog ,but there was also many
crucial components that have more than assisted in our success.

I just think whilst we're playing 'edge of your 'seat football'  ,we're not playing the way Rodgers envisaged ,I mean the Spurs game must have made
the manager so proud because it was precisely the type of football he has preached since his early tenure and first tentative steps.

Whilst acknowledging Gerrard as possibly one of the finest players to wear the red of Liverpool ,I still firmly believe the game we're currently playing
suits Gerrard more than it does Liverpool FC.

Of course Gerrard isn't bigger than the club, but for a long, long time he has been better than the rest of the players at the club. He stuck with us when he could have gone to better teams. It would feel mercenary to me to turn him away. I know you're not suggesting we do that, and I know you appreciate him, but do you honestly believe he's holding us back now?

RedAnt » Fri Feb 28, 2014 3:26 pm wrote:Of course Gerrard isn't bigger than the club, but for a long, long time he has been better than the rest of the players at the club. He stuck with us when he could have gone to better teams. It would feel mercenary to me to turn him away. I know you're not suggesting we do that, and I know you appreciate him, but do you honestly believe he's holding us back now?

My more recent postulations pertaining to Gerrard were born from being constantly frustrated by his lack of effort in a large part of this season.
I mean we were into February before we seen him attempt a tackle let alone reach anywhere near approaching his best form.

I along with many other have filled this very thread in lauding his performances ,and praising his passion ,so its only right we question his displays
when he was proffering the fans performance after performance  devoid of heart.

To answer your other question ,I believe Gerrard is currently holding back the type of football Rodgers wants to eventually see us play ,but no ,in his
current form he's not holding back the team per say.....As I stated earlier the football we currently play suits Gerrard more than it does Liverpool FC.

And yet BR's philosophy seems centered around Suarez and getting the ball to his feet. I see Gerrard more as the best option to do that from deep as opposed to being based around him. That said, we're now learning to do that from various sources, hence goals scored this season.