Liverpool FC Forum

[Ciggy]

The tuft head is going to give him an injection on SSN this morning, his @rse is on the line, he will get sacked if England get beat he doesnt give a shit about Liverpool.

[The Manhattan Project]

If Gerrard's injury gets worse after playing for England, can we claim compensation from the FA?


Manhattan wants England to lose both Euro 2008 qualifiers.

It was also funny when McClaren said that if they did lose both games he would not resign.

Yes Steve, because YOU WILL BE SACKED!

[Anfield rapper]

The tuft head is going to give him an injection on SSN this morning, his @rse is on the line, he will get sacked if England get beat he doesnt give a shit about Liverpool.

Exactly, his is on the line so he is willing to take risks. Risks with players who's wages he doesn't pay. If England can't beat Isreal without SG they may aswell not bother going to the finals next year. McClaren probably see's it like this, Lampard is out so play Gerrard against Isreal, then if Gerrard gets further injury Lampard should be back for the Russia game. Then there's another month for them to get fit again ready for the Estonia game. No thought for their clubs at all.

[Ciggy]

Rafa needs to get on the blower and tell him Hey Steven, Its not your toe, its not Englands toe, its Liverpools toe son.

[Anfield rapper]

I think its about time Gerrard took a leaf out of Carra's book and made a decission about what is more important too him. I mean he obviously wants to play for England and i have no problem with that. I just want him to prioritize. He is a massive player for us and if he plays for England it could mean he will miss the Portsmouth game (the pain killing jabs take 4-5 days to recover from). We all know how much SG would love to land the Premiership but its decissions like this that can have a massive impact on our team. All just so he could help keep a cr*p manager in his job and delay his inevitable sacking.

[crazyhorse]

If Gerrard's injury gets worse after playing for England, can we claim compensation from the FA?


Manhattan wants England to lose both Euro 2008 qualifiers.

It was also funny when McClaren said that if they did lose both games he would not resign.

Yes Steve, because YOU WILL BE SACKED!

Yes we can, but it would be insignificant.

I want to see the National side do well, but wont be happy if Stevie plays when unfit.

The decision should rest with the player - he wants to play and as club captain will have the best interests of the club at the front of his thoughts.

If he is not fit i think we should trust Stevie to be man enough to say to maclaren that he is not fit enough, at least for the Israel game.

[Ace Ventura]

Like Owzat ( ithink it was) has said, our club should contact England and advise them that if Stevie plays with a pain killing injection and that delays his comeback for us...we want his FULL wages paid. Its not like they dont know he is already injured. To blatantly do it after knowing it affected his recovery when he played against Chelsea is irresponsible and they should be liable for his full wages.
Stevie should be a bit wiser about this as well tbh, i know he wants to play for his country but he needs to look at the bigger picture, if he misses the tricky away game against Portsmouth because of stupidly playing against Israel then he is an idiot.

[SouthCoastShankly]

I hate McClaren but it has been widely reported today that Gerrard is eager to play. So as much as I hate McClaren not all the blame lies with him if Gerrards injury gets worse after playing for England.

[red37]

Should Gerrard get the needle?
Euro 2008 England

by Phil McNulty - BBC Sport 05 September 2007

England's hopes of Euro 2008 qualification appear to be balanced precariously on the end of Steven Gerrard's toe.

To inject or not to inject? That is the question that is currently rivalling the previous pains various metatarsals have caused to England's managerial regime.

Gerrard is vital to England's cause. He is even more important to Liverpool - so who will win the latest battle between club and country?

Coach Steve McClaren seems willing to give Gerrard a pain-killing injection to ensure he plays against Israel, in defiance of Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez's wishes.

It is an indicator of the importance of the upcoming games against Israel and Russia that Gerrard's absence cannot be countenanced by McClaren.

It is also a sign of how far England's stock has fallen that players need to be injected to give McClaren a greater sense of security against a nation that is hardly one of football's giants.

England should be able to beat Israel with or without Steven Gerrard - but it seems they can't.

This, in itself, is worrying for England and McClaren.

The Gerrard situation is fraught with risk, both in terms of his own fitness and the delicate relationship between club and country.

And it is easy to see both sides of the argument.

McClaren's own future is on the line if he fails to get results in the next week.

And robbed of Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and David Beckham, it is easy to see why he does not want to lose Gerrard.

McClaren, rightly, has only England in his sights but will be aware of the potentially frosty reception any jab at Gerrard's toe will receive at Anfield.

At Anfield, Benitez has overseen Liverpool's best start for years and understandably does not want to see a major part of their title challenge sacrificed on the altar of England's Euro 2008 challenge.

Liverpool and their supporters - completely understandably in my view - don't give the proverbial about England and will be infuriated by any unnecessary risks McClaren may care to take.

No "Three Lions" for them. They only care about the Liver Bird and my sympathies, in this instance, lie with them.

McClaren may counter that Benitez was happy to see Gerrard receive an injection in his troublesome toe before the game against Chelsea recently.

But Liverpool's answer to that will be that, unlike the Football Association, he is their employee and is paid £100,000-plus weekly for the privilege.

And Benitez was very quick to point out that it took Gerrard four days to return to training after that game.

My own view is that if England feel they have to send a patched-up and injected Gerrard out to feel confident of beating Israel, then it is a sad reflection on the rest of the squad.

The final decision must surely, however, have to come from Gerrard himself.

If he is happy with his fitness, and happy there are no long-term risks, then he should play.

But in the back of his mind - make that front of his mind - at all times should be an image of Benitez's face if this back-fires.

It would not be pretty being Gerrard or McClaren if he plays when less than 100% fit and is subsequently sidelined for Liverpool.

Benitez is not a man to cross and is not a respecter of reputations, Gerrard's or anyone elses.

It would be an interesting, and potentially very one-sided, conversation should Gerrard report back to Liverpool's Melwood training base having aggravated his injury.

These are all factors that Gerrard must weigh up, because in the end it will be his decision.

***********************************************

We know the right thing to do...McLaren doesn't have any choice - Beckham saved England against Greece at OT. Gerrard is being put under the same expectations here....Question is, how much does the Liverpool captain want it. And we know the answer to that too, unfortunately.

Lap of the Gods this one.

[scouser 'til I die]

Heres an idea. Why not just forget about the toe and just dope him up when a game comes about. Seems that r Stevie has no objection for the injection. Im sure he would like to move onto something more strong. Before you know it he'll be running round Liverpool thinking he's this guy:

[The Ace1983]

Steve McClaren - Worst manager Ever.

[red37]

Isn't it coincidental that Hargreaves is now apparantly injured as well.  Not that he isn't following instructions from anyone - how cynical would that be.

[Anfield rapper]

From Sky

PFA chief Gordon Taylor believes Steven Gerrard should not play for England if he requires a painkilling injection. The Liverpool captain is currently a major doubt for England's Euro 2008 qualifier with Israel after breaking a toe against Toulouse. Gerrard is keen to play at Wembley while Steve McClaren is desperate for The Reds' dynamo to feature in the must-win encounter.

However, Taylor does not approve of injections and believes Gerrard's long-term fitness may be put at risk.

"When you have got someone so special, you shouldn't take risks," he told the Daily Telegraph.

"I want anything for England to do well but I cannot approve of injections. What may be good in the short term you may regret in the long term.

"I am not being alarmist but we are dealing with a lot of cases when lads in their playing days had painkilling injections, with cortisone used too liberally, and it has damaged quite a few bones.

"Managers work in the short term but I would like to see it (jabbing Gerrard) from the health and safety aspect of the PFA."



What a c*nt McClaren will look if Gerrard plays after having an injection.

[66-1112520797]

My own view is that if England feel they have to send a patched-up and injected Gerrard out to feel confident of beating Israel, then it is a sad reflection on the rest of the squad.

And thats my own view.

Gerrard should sit this out, f.uck Mclaren he's a $hit manager who isnt even fit to manage a player like Gerrard. Gerrard should pull back on this game and look at the possibilities of facing Russia IF FIT and think about his career, surely at the end of the day the decision lies down to the player himself.

Also I bet if Fergie were insistent on one of his players not playing, Mclaren would pull that player out of the squad straight away.

Useless, annoying kunt that Mclaren is.

PS. ontop of that we have to wait another week before the mighty Reds play, and its bugging me. 

[heimdall]

McClaren really is a useless sh1t. Surely England should comfortably beat Israel at home without Gerrard and Lampard, are England really that bad?? Myself I support Norway so apart from the recent win against Argentina I'm depressed about my national side as well but ffs England should be so much better than this, and feel confident of fielding players from the championship and still winning this game!!

Gerrard should not play