Liverpool FC Forum

by **stmichael** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 2:43 pm

Not aiming to be controversial here.

Reading through the "gerrard going to madrid for 37m" thread has got me thinking. I for one would love Stevie to stay, but the reality is that he is a winner, and anyone who thinks that he can achieve his goals at Liverpool over the next few years is living a dream. However nobody should really be surprised. When Benitez sat down with Gerrard at the start of the season there was no way that he would have convinced him that we were going to challenge for the title. What he did say was that he was going to bring 2-3 world class players in. Well in Alonso and Morientes he's certainly done that.

But back to the present. To me, recently, Gerrard has been a liability at least in terms of team spirit, i.e there is none when he is playing (ok he was carrying an injury on Saturday). That isn't a sign of a good captain. A player who places himself on a pedestal so high that I'm surprised he hasn't got altitude sickness is not a man we need "in charge", so to speak.

This chip he's got on his shoulder seems to have grown so large that it's enveloped his whole brain. Gerrard lives and breathes Gerrard...and that's not a good thing.

I think what's WORSE is the fact that everybody is pandering his every whim, pussyfooting around him, placing so much emphasis on him that he's starting to BELIEVE his own hype.

The way I see it, these threads such as "Oh God, that result was ****** - Gerrard's NEVER going to stay" is pretty much the epitome of what is going wrong with this club. These threads, these comments imply that Gerrard IS the team, that every last thing we do is for his benefit, that every bad result is going to bear down badly on HIS reason for staying.

It shouldn't BE like that. If he doesn't want to stay then he should go. We shouldn't allow him to grind us down to this - this utter terror at the idea that he might leave. We shouldn't play every game for him, hope for good results just to make him stay.

It's like buying a kid a present just to shut it up. It promotes a certain kind of behaviour and Im seeing that behaviour week in, week out with Gerrard.

He's NOT the club. He's NOT bigger than the club and if he thinks that he is then he should be allowed to leave. This club has lost great players in the past such as Keegan, Dalglish, Rush, Owen, but has rebuilt and moved on. Should Gerrard go in the summer (and I believe he probably will even if we finish 4th) then we'll use the money to reshape the side.

Unfortunately, despite signing a contract extension at the start of the season (which means nothing these days) the only way I can say that he will definitely stay is if we win the Champions League this season. Harsh I know, but that's football.

by **ronmeister** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 2:47 pm

Good post mate only.Says it all really

by **dawson99** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 2:51 pm

great post and i totally agree
id love him to stay but im not gonan jump off a building if he leaves
id liek to know how much is him and how much is the media tho, coz theyd love to write us off completely, the scum being up for that more than any other tabloid trash

by **stmichael** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 2:59 pm

dawson99 wrote:id like to know how much is him and how much is the media tho, coz theyd love to write us off completely,

it is a well known fact that a lot of the press (most of whom are london based) have had it in for liverpool for a number of years now. they revel in the fact that they can sense "the balance of power" shifting from the north west. :angry:

well we'll be back :alien:

by **SALTROCK67** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 3:21 pm

Although i would like him to stay he is not the only player at this club,if his comments and actions are effecting the players on and off the pitch do you think it would be wise to sell him now or is it to near the end of the transfer window to get the deal done and Raffa to bring in new players,its a long way to the end of the season and if he doesnt have the commitment it may well effect how we play.

by **Alonso_Rulz** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 3:28 pm

what i want to say is that.. gerrard always throw his hands up in the air and shout at his teammate for not passing a ball to him when he demanded, i think it realli hit hard into the other mates mind." if i dun pass the ball to him, i will get his swearing,"
that is why when players somehow hesitated with the ball, like riise.. then the ball gets tackled away..
i dun think a captain should swear at his own players, and players will never be happy with him..
i seriously dun think gerrard will swear his teammates if he is in real, where players like raul and zidane are the kings in the team.

by **stmichael** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 9:37 pm

Alonso_Rulz wrote:i seriously dun think gerrard will swear his teammates if he is in real, where players like raul and zidane are the kings in the team.

yeah and they wouldn't understand a word he's saying anyway

by **Ciggy** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 9:44 pm

stmichael wrote:
Alonso_Rulz wrote:i seriously dun think gerrard will swear his teammates if he is in real, where players like raul and zidane are the kings in the team.

yeah and they wouldn't understand a word he's saying anyway

Arrrrrrr ey what the f@ckinells goin on ere den hey

by **Redrider** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 9:56 pm

Some good points here. Never wan't to see it happen, but it could be for the best. Look at Everton post Rooney, never looked better in recent years.
Even so, still say it would be a hard pill to swallow !!

by **JBG** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 10:32 pm

I didn't think Gerrard signed a contract extension at the start of the season. Mike. I thought it was November 2003?

by **Scottbot** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 10:42 pm

I think the worst thing about the Gerrard situation is it is like we have been playing with a gun to our head for much of the season. Under any normal circumstances, if a new manager comes in with a serious rebuilding job and a lot of wreckage to clear (as is clearly the case at our club) then its fair to say 4th place, genuine signs of progress in how we play and some improvements to the team (in terms of personnel) would represent a decent return.
However, The fans are so deperate for the lad to stay that we have all been hoping, preying, even expecting some miraculous transformation from 4th place also-rans (of last year) to challengers this year in order to keep him.
Unfortunately as the season has wore on, and the injuries have taken their toll it looks less likely that it will happen.

I was one of those fans, desperate to keep the Captain here but i wonder at times whether we might be better off right now if we had lost him in the summer along with Owen. The constant media speculation (although it has died down a bit of late) is clearly affecting the team. I also doubt the other players take too kindly to seeing the Captain get virtually all the credit & plaudits for just about every big performance we have put on this season. Hearing we are a one man team must irritate the players as much as it does the fans.

I am pretty resigned to him going this summer an i'm not sure i wanna spend another season hoping we can do enough to keep the lad again next time round (and after that, the next time round).

by **lfclfclfc** » Tue Jan 25, 2005 1:14 am

It may not be too long before Gerrard's true loyalty shows. He has been with the set up for a number of years, contented to play for the club he supported. All started to change when glitzy stardom is offered, touting him as the best, if not the best midfielder in the world, touting him as the 'future captain' of England (remember that?), with clubs wooing him with trophies and championships. Loyalty shifted.

He has been caught in a dilemma last summer - to stay or not to stay, this situation will remain as long as his wants are not fulfilled. It is not gonna be different this summer. Even if he is with the club the next season, he'll be sulking his way through it. He will still be the captain, condescending and 'obliging' t his players and the club. And the club will always be in fear of losing their star man. It reminds me of a friend who lost control over his child who threatens suicide or to run away everytime his wishes are not met... its a nightmare!

I am tired of this situation, as much as I'd love him to stay, for footballing purposes, if his loyalty is no longer there for the club, if his loyalty weighs towards personal gratification, then he should not stay. He can use what's left of his 'loyalty' (I think he does have to a certain extent) to the club to gift us a tidy sum of money for rebuilding.

by **Mikz** » Tue Jan 25, 2005 1:34 am

I cant believe what im reading here. It seems the jurys out -and hes guilty as charged! Not for me -Hes the best midfielder in the premiership and our best since graeme souness,and money couldnt buy him in my eyes. St mike,you say its like buying a kid a present to shut him up

You mean him saying he wants success and better players coming here and to win things? Isnt that what the fans want also? Surely it will be listened to better coming from our captain than anyone else. I dont think he is acting bigger than the club,surely after all he has gave us ,hes entitled to want major trophys ,hes a winner after all.
Anyway if he does want to leave,and nobody knows for sure -itll be a clear sign of were LfC is today.We cant blame Gerrard for that. I for one will be destroyed,but if he is to be this final piece of the fergie jigsaw- then hand me a rope. :down:

by **ivor_the_injun** » Tue Jan 25, 2005 1:36 am

I think people are reading far too much into everything to do with Gerrard at the moment, so I think it's only right that I do exactly the same.

He's had a knock or two in recent weeks, is a little short on fitness and form, and is - quite rightly - annoyed that he's not playing like he expects to. This frustration is coming out in little wrangles with his teammates, and there's nothing wrong with that. I wouldn't have expected people to go "never mind old bean" to Traore after the own goal, because things like that make the team's job so much harder.

It's completely a morale thing. When we smack 4 goals past a team and play keep-ball, the whole team's bouncing and it's brilliant to see 11 lads out there with their tails up. On the flipside, when we get bounced out of the cup by Burnley and fail to do anything right against a struggling Prem team like Southampton, it's only natural that shoulders drop and missed passes get harangued. The guys are only human, remember.

by **A.B.** » Tue Jan 25, 2005 2:20 am

urely it will be listened to better coming from our captain than anyone else. I dont think he is acting bigger than the club,surely after all he has gave us ,hes entitled to want major trophys ,hes a winner after all.
Anyway if he does want to leave,and nobody knows for sure -itll be a clear sign of were LfC is today.We cant blame Gerrard for that. I for one will be destroyed,but if he is to be this final piece of the fergie jigsaw- then hand me a rope

His comments before and after the Olympiakos game is why I'm so p1ssed off.

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