Liverpool FC Forum

by **Scottbot** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 2:36 pm

What a difference a year makes. By his own admission Stevie's performances last season was well below the standards he had set for himself (he was for me, the best player in the country the previous season.) He was hot one minute then cold the next, seemed to give up in some games and was often seen berating his team-mates or making un-captainlike comments in the press.

But this season, with all the uncertainty about his future put to rest, he has been fantastic (i can't recall a bad game from the lad.) It almost seems to have gone unoticed as if everyone just expects it. Stevie is back to being that all-action, inspirational Team-Player (he's happy playing on the wing for the good of the team) and (more importantly) Team Leader that we all love.

I get the impression he has settled into his relationship with Rafa (one which is very different from the arm round the shoulder approach of GH) and you can see from his performances and his comments that he believes this Liverpool team can go places in the years to come.

by **AussieKopite** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 2:39 pm

Whenever he plays, Liverpool lift. Truly the sign of a great player.

by **fivecups** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 2:59 pm

Completely agree with the Scott. It's great to see. The team have been less reliant on him over the past 6 or 7 matches as well, we seem much more balanced.

by **mighty mo** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 4:12 pm

great thread and i agree with every word,he is back to his best and showing his leadership qualities by playing out of positon to benifit the clubs progression.

by **liamac** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 4:27 pm

Its really heartwarming to see, Last year when we didnt play well we would loose or draw. This year we are grinding out the results we need , ok the early games we didnt play well , but now that you have a captain of such skill who publicly states his commitment and desire to one day manage the team , it helps give an air of solidity and confidence to the team.

We are fortunate that we now have a great central midfield ( mostly due to a great manager) and a very good defence , in fact an excellent defence , hell its now 9 clean sheets out of 12 games for us and its the best in the EPL ............SG as captain and JC marshalling the defence with Pepe right behind

by **Houllier=LFC** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 7:09 pm

Nice to see him running all over the field again

by **crazyhorse** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 7:38 pm

He is the beating heart of the team, of the rest only Carra would run through a wall for the team.

by **115-1073096938** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 11:06 pm

Back to his impressive best after a very average season last year.

More to come i reckon. He hasn't hit a good run of form so far, Which might be a blessing in disguise as when he does, he might be able to take us to yet another level.

by **metalhead** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 1:19 pm

can't see why he doesn't deserve to be crowned European footballer of the year award tonight! he has been outstanding in the CL and this year. Ronaldinhio is having a big competition.

i hope gerrard wins it

by **Scottbot** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 2:03 pm

metalhead wrote:can't see why he doesn't deserve to be crowned European footballer of the year award tonight! he has been outstanding in the CL and this year. Ronaldinhio is having a big competition.

i hope gerrard wins it

As much as i would love to see him win it there are others who deserve it more than our Stevie. Ronaldinho is the obvious candidate particularly as he is seen to be the inspiration behind Barca's 1st La Liga crown in 6 years. And Lampard had a fantastic season at home and in Europe.

Gerrard was not our best player over the past year (i think most agree it has been Carra) so i would be surprised to see him scoop the biggest prize in Europe. If he keeps playing the way he is at the moment he deffo has a chance to win it next year though.

by **wrighty (not mark!)** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 2:39 pm

It was great to here him mention challenging for the title as well. On a collective point of view, istanbul has appeared to give the team belief rather that over-burden them.

A stark contrast to him dismissing us winning the cl last season. Well in Gerrard!

by **wrighty (not mark!)** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 2:43 pm

was just thinking, the title of this topic made me laff cos it reminded me of that episode in phoenix nights when that fella died and brian potter and that had a drink in memory of him.
'The captain!' cue the daz boot machine goin' off!hahahaha!

by **Ace Ventura** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 3:06 pm

stu_the_red wrote:Back to his impressive best after a very average season last year.

More to come i reckon. He hasn't hit a good run of form so far, Which might be a blessing in disguise as when he does, he might be able to take us to yet another level.

A very good point.

He has been consistantly solid this season without looking like he's at his very best.

When he really hits that form, someone are going to get a good beating.

by **stmichael** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 3:29 pm

I agree that last season he was massively inconsistent, playing poorly in the big games, such as against chelsea and the mancs. Also, his comments in summer saying 'Liverpool fans are happy because their best player is staying' does not suggest to me that he is NOT a bighead, or wasn't at any rate.

Anyway as far as I'm concerned he's not running the show nowadays. If anyone is running the show, Alonso is.

If we needed a goal last season from midfield, we got it from Garcia. He did more to win us the European Cup. Gerrard was AWOL in the first half of the final, it was Hamann's inclusion if anything that won us that game. A few high-profile goals (Olympiakos, blueshite and Milan) does not mean we relied on him last season.

At least now Gerrard is looking more like a captain, leading the way more, not whinging at players and walking around like he's the best player on the pitch, tackling back when he loses the ball and the such. After the latest transfer fiasco in the summer, I was advocating the armband being passed to Carragher but now I'm more than happy with Gerrard keeping it.

by **66-1120597113** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 5:14 pm

Steven Gerrard is at his best when he is happy and content!
I think the fact he's more consistant lately reflects that there is a good vibe at the club and he feels things are going the right way.
Last year his form was up and down i think because he was unsettled and unsure of his future.
Clearly now he's focused and committed to the LFC cause and feels he will finish his career where he started!
Raffa also mentioned in the paper today that he wants to stay with us for 5,6 or 9 years!Someone should tell him about 7 and 8 :laugh:

But he stated again at the end of his interveiw that he wants Gerrard to take over the managers role when he goes....time will tell!

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