STEVEN GERRARD, HAS HE SLIPPED UP? A great and a legend for Liverpool? Probably, like me, youve heard the news that Steven Gerrard is leaving his beloved Liverpool FC and heading off in to the sunset, apparently, to play in the MLS as he wants to experience a different football culture and try a different lifestyle for himself and his family. The journalistic and public reaction to the news of his impending departure to pastures new has mainly been met with a positive view and fulsome praise for his efforts and time wearing the famous red of the club. Hes been described by the hacks and pundits alike as a legend, the greatest player to have played for Liverpool and a monumental leader and an inspiration to all who have played with him. High praise indeed and when you consider that he has pulled the team out of quite a few fires during his fifteen year playing career, its probably justified and correct that such praise is heaped upon him. However, is he the greatest Liverpool player ever, well, that may be questionable as, in my personal opinion, its very hard to judge one era against another for a lot of reasons and players should only be considered against their peers, not passed gods who have long since retired. Im of an age that can remember a Liverpool side that consisted of Roger Hunt, Peter Thompson, Ian St. John, Ian Callaghan, Tommy Lawrence, Tommy Smith and Ron Yeats, to name just a few and that was a great side. They were followed by the likes of Phil Neale, Emlyn Hughes, Steve Heighway, Phil Thompson, John Toshack, Ray Clemence and Kevin Keegan. Then you throw in Ray Kennedy, Ian Rush, Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness, Terry McDermott, Bruce Grobbelaar, Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, Jamie Carragher, John Barnes and there are plenty of others, although may be not so recently and you can see that they have had many who have been better than most and deserve to go down in the clubs history as great players and legends. Therefore, I would say he has been Liverpool FCs greatest player of his generation and the reason for that is that in previous generations such greats as Dalglish had other greats around him and Liverpool were a great team. In Gerrards time at Liverpool whilst they have won cups, they have never really been a great team and apart from Jamie Carragher, he has had to carry the team as the best player they have and without him they would have never won the European Champions League or the FA Cup Final against West Ham United. So I dont have a problem with him being called a legend or a great providing that a caveat is used to add of his generation and then I agree the high praise is due and warranted. However, not everything has been rosy in the Gerrard garden during his playing career, there have been a few things off the pitch which have followed him around, perhaps thats the price one has to pay these days for fame and fortune. Of course, his cousin lost his life at Hillsborough, the on/off Chelsea transfer saga back in 2004/05 and his choice of friends when on nights out have, at times, either helped or tarnished his reputation and therefore, that can be used by those who want to do so, question his right to be called a Liverpool FC great or legend. He has also at times not been too judicious when considering what he says in public, the way he rejected Liverpools contract offer back in 2004/05, which led to fans burning Gerrard shirts in public and calling him a judas, was perhaps not a high point in his life and they way he seemingly changed his mind overnight baffled many at the time and still does if the truth be known. He gave up his international career because he wanted to concentrate on playing for his club, although that decision was drawn out for as long as possible it seemed to many after the 2014 World Cup, when it was plainly evident to all it was going to happen. Now, hes commented that had Liverpool offered him a contract in the summer and not at Christmas, hed have signed it, which seems to have left the club and Brendan Rogers rather out in the open to be shot at by the Kop faithful. The club and Rogers, in particular, have been supportive and fulsome in their praise of Gerrard and whilst what hes saying about the contract offer may be true, did it really need to have been said at all, as it has now created more questions which the club and Rogers will have to face and answer in the coming weeks. Gerrard only said a couple of days ago he wished Rogers had been his manager 10 years ago, which doesnt say too much for those who did manage him during that time and that his latest comment does not reflect on Rogers at all. The problem for Rogers though is that whilst the positive comment is a nice one, itll get ignored and the negative one about the contract in the summer, will be only thing any journalist or supporter will want to speak about. To me, therefore, Gerrard, as he did back in 2004/05, has put himself in a good position to ingratiate himself with the fans even more and left the club and management in a tricky situation which they will find hard to extricate themselves from and doesnt seem to me to be the actions of someone who should be considered a great or legend by the club who paid him so well during his career. Taken overall with another comment that he appears to have made, that he rejected the Christmas offer as well because he would have been a bit part player, what would have changed between the summer and now with the contract and the amount of games he would play, seems baffling to most and leaves the reader with questions of their own. Whatever the rhyme or reason behind the decisions he and the club have made, hes leaving Liverpool, in my opinion, in a fit of pique as his ego has been hurt and he wants to grab the riches which are on offer in the USA where, yes his family will have a great lifestyle but he will be a big fish in a small pool, hell earn mega bucks and he can still play at a level where he can perform well, without as much effort. Beckham was the first to go, for his own reasons, business and money being higher priorities than football, I would guess and this has meant that such luminaries as Henry, Keane, Defoe Lampard and Gerrard can go there with an air of respectability, without most of their fans thinking its just for the money and an easier life. Good luck to them all I say, just be honest about your reasons and yes, Gerrard has been a great and is a Liverpool legend, of his own generation and hopefully, we can all move on, let him play his games until the end of 2014/15 season and then he can head west with all our blessings and thanks for the entertainment hes given us.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 10:50:21 +0000
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