Carra sounds off about Stevie G! Steven Gerrard was allowed to drift away by Liverpool... he needed to feel wanted. How can they possibly allow captain to leave? Steven Gerrard has announced he will leave Liverpool when his contract expires at the end of the season There wont be another world-class player who devotes their whole career to the Reds ever again I never thought Gerrard leave Liverpool and believed he would finish his career as a one club man How has this been allowed to happen? The long goodbye has started for Steven Gerrard but I’m struggling to work out how it has come to this. I never thought he would leave Liverpool. I always envisaged that, like me, he would finish his career as a one club man. He has devoted his life to Liverpool since he first walked into the Academy as an eight-year-old, making huge sacrifices on the way. Less than six months ago, Steven stopped playing for England so he could give his all to Liverpool for the next ‘two or three’ years. Then came the uncertainty over contract talks and on these pages six weeks ago, I said Liverpool couldn’t let him drift away. Now here we are. The drift has started. Do not underestimate the importance of feeling wanted, even for a top player. The fact that this situation has dragged on will not have helped; even at the peak of his powers, Steven needed reassurance about his ability and importance. One story comes to mind. In the summer of 2011, when Kenny Dalglish had signed Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam, and Lucas Leiva was playing well, Steven asked Kenny, ‘Where am I going to play then?’ He said it as a joke but there was a hint of seriousness to it, too. From one point of view, I can see why Steven is going to take a fresh challenge, most likely in America. He’s been the biggest star in Liverpool for 15 years and I’m not just talking about at the football club. Liverpool is a city but it’s more like a village. Everyone seems to know one another and being the main man, like Steven, comes with incredible scrutiny. If he ever went to a bar or restaurant, he would bring it to a standstill. For that reason, he stopped going into town long ago. He always seems to be the talk of the town, whether that is for something he has done on the pitch or something else. The passion for the club on a daily basis can be suffocating for a local lad. It is relentless. The 34-year-old has found himself coming on as a substitute more often in Rodgers new-look Liverpool this campaign Gerrard was overlooked by his manager when Liverpool travelled to Real Madrid in the Champions League back in November 1 - Gerrard is the only English player to have scored in the final of the Champions League, the Europa League or UEFA Cup, the FA Cup and the League Cup. When Michael Owen played for Liverpool, he lived out by Chester. He’d regularly come into training and ask how we put up with the daily bombardment of questions about the club. We found a way of coping because we knew what the city was like. That passion made sharing success with our people all the more special. Steven would have won many more trophies had he moved to Chelsea or somewhere else but none would have tasted the same as the cups we won together. There is a flip side to that. When results are not going to plan, as happened far too often during Steven’s 17 years, you carry a sense of guilt and responsibility. Wherever he goes, he will never have that burden or emotional attachment. Maybe this gives you an idea of how hard it is for a local lad to leave Liverpool. Take Michael and Steve McManaman, both wonderful players who came through the ranks. They left to test themselves in Spain when they were in their prime and, as a result, are no longer loved. Xabi Alonso and Luis Suarez, by contrast, will forever be adored, even though they left at similar points in their careers. Fans understand that foreign players will come in, do their thing, then leave but they have never been able to accept one of their own moving. If Steven had gone to Chelsea 10 years ago, he would probably have encountered the same problems as Owen and McManaman. Now that he is effectively a squad player, who has run himself into the ground, the reaction to his imminent departure is completely different. I’m not sure the Manchester lads who came through under Ferguson at United, or local boys playing for London clubs, would be able to associate with that. United’s Class of 92, for example, were never considered the standout stars and they were always playing for winning teams. Steven, however, has always been the one expected to rescue Liverpool, to provide inspiration in times of need. He is 34 now but the demands on him have never changed. For that reason, I think the move will be fantastic for him and his family. I have spoken to him on many occasions about the transition from being one of the first names on the team sheet to having your appearances managed. It is difficult and that, in all honesty, was the main reason I retired. He is now missing one game in three and, in all likelihood, next season that would have risen to one in two. Steven is not someone who would be comfortable just sitting on the bench and, in that sense, he has made the right decision. Still, I cannot help feeling Liverpool’s hierarchy should have done more to ensure he remained at Anfield. Surely they could have come up with an arrangement that would have benefited all parties in the short and long term? People have been talking about Steven as being a future Liverpool manager, but it is without substance. I would never advocate a high-profile player being given such a role on the basis of reputation, whether it is him, Thierry Henry at Arsenal or anyone else. Steven has always been the one expected to rescue the team But over the next 12 months Steven could have been given a role on the staff to combine with his playing duties. It would have been like work experience, with him shadowing Brendan Rodgers, looking at how the academy is run — all the different aspects of the club. At the end of the year, it might have been that Steven wasn’t at the right level to be a coach or he could have decided that coaching wasn’t for him. But I look at what is happening with Ryan Giggs at Manchester United now and I am dismayed that Liverpool are letting that experience leave. Yes, it has been said he can come back, but nothing is certain. Those same discussions were held before I left but time moves on, things change. For now, Liverpool fans need to savour the next five months, as it will not become apparent what he has given until he has gone. Was he the best midfielder in Premier League history? You don’t need to hear another glowing tribute from me, so let’s hand you over to his fellow professionals. He was selected for the PFA team of the year on eight occasions — a record. Giggs, Patrick Vieira and Henry were chosen by their peers six times; Roy Keane and Frank Lampard were included five times, Paul Scholes twice. And where does he stand with Liverpool? Kenny Dalglish, as an individual, is No 1 for what he did as a player, manager and ambassador but I regard Steven as the best player, not just for his ability but for the sacrifices he made. You have to remember also that Steven stayed loyal to Liverpool for five years while they were out of the Champions League, even when he was being courted by potential winners of that tournament such as Real Madrid. No other player with his talent would have done that. Will there ever be another world-class player who devotes his entire career to Liverpool? No.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 21:12:54 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015