madred wrote:For those who havent seen this i thought it would make interesting reading? Taken from issue 42 of The Liverpool Way by Peter Schulz. STEVEN GERRARD - WHAT NOW?
I have a feeling that not many will agree with me when i say that i was throughly dissapointed with the actions of Steven Gerrard over the summer.While apparently helping to push GH out the door, a man he had publically backed so unmistakably, he was actually considering leaving himself. Now, while no one blames the lad for having amibitions, we should not make the mistake of thinking that the thought of leaving LFC simply "entered his mind" as he said at the press conference. It did much more than that and Steven was as good as a Chelsea player when he returned from his holiday in Portugal. No amount of vociferous claims to the contrary and suggestions that it was all the work of the Chelsea media circus will change that. Gerrard wanted to leave us to go to Chelsea. Not Real, Juventus or any other great team abroad. He wanted to join Chelsea. Upon his return to merseyside it must have finally hit home what he was really doing. How much heartbreak would he have caused in Liverpool, Thailand, Scandinavia and everywhere else and perhaps more importantly, how much he would remove himself from his roots. This was a decision that would not only change his career. Nay, it was one which would be defining of the rest of his life and that of his family, now and in the future. Im not condoning any kind of threats or anything like that(if true) but he must have known that things like that happen in society today. However much we distance ourselves from it, Gerrard would have been persona non grata in Liverpool for the rest of his life. Some suggest it was his Mother while others say his Father who made him realise it would have been the biggest mistake he would ever make. Whoever or whatever it was i now fear the decision to stay could well have been made for all the wrong reasons. Gerrard claimed at the press conference that he was 100% commited to the club but how could he possibly be, if it had taken him 3-4 weeks of courting and negotiating with Chelsea through Terry and Lampard(who would had the deal gone through, surely have earned a new contract with the blues for his work on that deal alone) before he could finally make the decision to stay. I think deep down, Gerrard made the decision out of fear. Fear of people's possible reactions towards him and his family. Looking at it pessimistically, you could argue that he is now staying because his parents still hold power over him despite him being in his twenties. One can only fear that the decision will be reconsidered should we have a poor season under Benitez. It is a possibility with the probable introduction of a different formation and style of play to that under GH. People are now hailing Gerrard as some kind of Messiah, labelling his decision to turn down Chelsea at the last min conclusive proof that integrity still exsists with football today. The romantics are pleased. While part of me is well pleased that Gerrard is staying at LFC, another part if me is not convinced that we will see him at the peak of his abilities because a move to Chelsea or wherever will always be at the back of his mind. How would 2-3 early consecutive defeats in the league or a early Champions league exit affect his ability to focus on LFC 100%. For me that question remains unanswered. The question about him remaining a captain is also a interesting one i think. His weeks of indecision (and thats giving him the benifit of the doubt) will have told the other players ay the club what he thinks of their abilities as opposed to those of the Chelsea players. If i was a LFC player (I can always dream eh) I think i would find it strange to find myself captained by a man who quite clearly didnt think me worthy of a red shirt. While having been a fantastic servant to the club since he was 8, surely this doubt about his commitment (by his own admission) should mean the captaincy being given to the one man currently worthy of it. Step forward Jamie Carragher. It wont be, of course, as that would be Parry and Benitez's public admission that they do not believe him when he says he is 100% commited to LFC. And that wont happen in a million years.
Hard hitting and thought provoking.
excellent article that.
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