Somewhere deep in the dungeon that is the Emirates Stadium, Arsene Wenger is having a crisis meeting with his players (and his conscious) as to who the next leader of men will be to take over the role of captain.
Cesc Fabregas would be a fantastic captain, but in a few years time. Burdening him with such a huge weight could severely affect his growth from wonderkid to worldclass in the long run.
Kolo Toure isn't even in the team at the moment and once Sol Campbell left, so did Toure's presence as a complete defender, as his foil was gone.
Who else is there to lead by example? William Gallas should not have been appointed in the first place, given his rant about the players this week. Gallas is as egotistical as a player comes, and in my humble opinion one of the most overrated defenders that I've had the pleasure of watching.
A terrible role model for the game with his incessant outbursts, bouts of unprofessionalism on and off the pitch and also a defender taking hold of the No. 10 shirt left vacant by Dennis Bergkamp? As Andy Millman would say "Is he having a laugh?"
This brings me to my original point, something which I have thought long and hard about ever since the whole Chelsea debacle. Steven Gerrard, the current Liverpool captain, isn't really that good a captain when you think about it.
Ready to give up the No. 8 shirt of his "beloved" team supported since a lad for the riches of the Chelsea renegades in search of a Premier League or two. Believe that, and you'll believe that the Chuckle Brothers are in fact father and son, rather than sharing bunk beds.
Jamie Carragher and Javier Mascherano are two players who should be ahead of Gerrard in the pecking order for captain. In Carragher we have someone who will die for the team without even blinking an eye, ditto Mascherano.
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about 1 month ago
His flirtation with Chelski was years ago and he changed his mind. No-one forced him to stay, he did it because he wanted to. Everyone is entitled to make the odd mistake in life. Why is everyone so down on Gerrard, there are plenty of other players in his position who did move simply for 'guaranteed' trophies or money. He decided after careful consideration that he wanted to try and win trophies with Liverpool.
P.S. the word is conscience not conscious.
from about 1 month ago
I meant his Conscious, not conscience. As in the way, Wenger is aware.
Yes its all in the past, but for it to so nearly materialize still leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
Could you ever imagine Carragher saying he wants to join another club? No way.
I'm sure the threats he received didn't sway his thoughts at all.
I'm not down on Gerrard, as you put it, but as a captain he is not as influential as Carra or Mascherano would be. Why not utilize their aspects of the game to the full potential?
about 1 month ago
Gerrard may not be as vocal as Carra, but he leads the team through his play. So much of Liverpool's attack flows through him and thanks to the likes of Mascherano and before him Sissoko his defensive responsibilities have been reduced. I like this article because it motivated me to jot a response; but lets me honest the way Gerrard has consistently raised his game when it mattered most, will rightfully guarantee him the captains armband for a longtime to come. To say otherwise is just a little foolish, nice article. ;-)
from about 1 month ago
Thanks James, and maybe you are right. Gerrard's game has certainly been improved and some of that has to go down to the management under Houllier and Benitez. Both managers knew what a player he would become and definitely seen fit to pursue with him as captain.
I was at the Sheffield Wednesday game where he scored his first goal, and knew that day once day he would captain the club. I once loved Gerrard but the whole will he/won't he affair with the Boys in Blue really discouraged me as a fan.
I genuinely think Gerrard will be captain until he retires, lets just hope he can captain us to a few more trophies along the way!
about 1 month ago
mr.liam..u r being such an ungrateful a**....a football team gets inspired not by shouting..its rather by raising d level of game...by acts of pure class..giving d the team members renewed hope..and thats wats stevieG has done each nd every time wen it was demanded of him.....can u count how many times this man has saved the day for liverpool wen d clock was tickin down..thats the stuff captains r made of..thats the stuff great players r made of....and u wer talkin abt d chelsea incident...well that happened wen liverpool was d premier one-man team in europe..steven was workin his socks off and the other jokers wer dreamin..if it was not for him wud liverpool hav won anythin at all in dpast 5-6 years???...its natural that he was fed up that d team was so poor wen he was workin so hard..but even after record breaing offers from chelsea twice..he decided to remain at d club he loved since he was a child..thats wat loyalty is.....even today if he is available all d biggest clubs ind world wud be queing up to sign him....but u say that he is not a good captain..and wer did mascherano suddenly come up..hes been at liverpool for just 1and half years..who told u he will die for liverpool...no liverpool fan has the right to question gerrard's commitment to the club..coz as Thierry henry said recently" For me(make that us) he(gerrard) is Liverpool"...
from about 1 month ago
I've been trying to think of a way to respond to this comment, so here goes.
1. I am not an ungrateful a** but someone who goes the game and lives in Liverpool and sees Gerrard's behaviour on and off the pitch far more than some people think.
2. Pick out from my article where I have stated Gerrard isn't a good player. You'll struggle.
3. Mr Liverpool is the boyhood Evertonian, Jamie Carragher. Our winkle foreheaded friend, 'Stevie G lar' turned down Chelsea twice, Jay's comments are brilliant, I'd like to direct you there.
about 1 month ago
This is the problem with voicing an opinion about Gerrard, you end up with 2 split camps; the people that can see a player for what he is, and the blind loyalists that believe Gerrard walks on water.
As fans, we're known for our knowledge and appreciation of the game, and our ability to be honest. Those people old enough to remember the likes of Keegan, Dalglish, Barnes, and the like are more likely to debate Gerrard's ability, both good and bad, than blindly proclaim him to be Mr Liverpool.
His decision to stay at Liverpool after flirting with Chelsea wasn't a one-off. It happened 2 seasons on the trot. Once is a mistake. Twice isn't, and don't kid yourselves that he stayed, twice, because he is 'loyal'. He stayed because he's from Liverpool, his family are from Liverpool, and if he had gone his and their personal lives would be put under immense strain and pressure. Loyalty had nothing to do with it.
You want to see loyalty to Liverpool Football Club? Get down to Melwood for a training session. Afterwards, after you've spent a while getting Carra's autograph and having a chinwag with him (because Carra is there every day signing things for the fans) try and get a couple of words and a signature from Gerrard. You'll succeed if the Sky TV cameras are there. If they're not, you won't get so much as an ignorant grunt from him. Unless you call him 'Stevie'. Then he'll tell you straight that his name is 'Steven', not 'Stevie', before jumping in his car and leaving the fans empty handed.
Mr Liverpool my arse.
Incidentally, it's no coincidence that we finally beat Manchester United AND Chelsea, playing far superior attacking and clinical football, when Gerrard wasn't in the team. We could be creative, move the ball about, allow the middlefield to work the ball, to open the opposition up, not constricting play and being predictable by giving it to Gerrard and hoping he can come up with something magical (which he does, funnily enough, just under 20% of the time, not 100% of the time like the brainwashed Stevie followers think he does). We won because we could play as a team. Not as Gerrard and some other players.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks Jay, its refreshing to see someone coming out and being a Shepherd instead of a Sheep. You are right, people who dare to wax anything but lyrical about Gerrard seem to get lambasted. We support the team just as much as anyone else so why are we the ones who should be shunned for our forthright opinions?
The comment below saying Gerrard is the best player Liverpool has ever had made me chuckle a bit, as we have been overly blessed in that department. He isn't even the greatest midfielder we ever had, let alone player.
about 1 month ago
Oh fuck off
Steven Gerrard is the most talented player Liverpool FC has ever had. He is the heart of LFC, along with Carra, and a player like him should never make the Alan Shearer mistake, staying loyal to a club that wins nothing but shit (I mean Newcastle here)
Steven Gerrard is the best midfielder in the world, and one of the best players of last decade. Like him or not, scouser or not, red or blue, you must admit that Liverpool Football Club would be nothing without him, at least for the last years.
The moment he lifted that European trophy he knew that he could do something with LFC, that Liveprool FC wasn't just a club of history. He led us to the best FA Cup win I've ever witnessed. He led Liverpool. He saved us in so many occasions. He's a complete player. He's a local lad. I don't know how Liverpudlians can say such things about him.
Maybe not as loyal as Carra, but loyal, loyal, and forever loyal.
Football isn't just about loyalty. Nearly all our greatest players left us one day, and he didn't.
Don't compare him to Carra. Carra may be today the best defender in England, but he hasn't got the same caliber as Gerrard.
10 years, and you've been making us triumphant. You brought our honour back. Thank you Stevie G for everything you've done for us. You're a true legend, and definitely the no1 player that shook the Kop.
A Kopite, a true one.
YNWA
from about 1 month ago
Gerrard is the most talented player Liverpool ever had?
You've just blown any credibility you had with that one statement.
from about 1 month ago
I initially intended for this article to gather opinions about what people thought of Gerrard, and its nice to see a divide, but to say things such as Gerrard is the most talented player we have ever had is absolutely mental.
about 1 month ago
well, todays performance should have answered the question, we really missed his drive from midfield, shocking performance
from about 1 month ago
We did miss him, and a few people have missed my point here. Gerrard is a great player, but Jay summed up perfectly the way these debates usually break down.
Alonso should have been on from the start, strange decision that.
about 1 month ago
I have to agree with above statements about gerrards off field activites, I certainly dont think he is the best player we have ever had either, Although I am glad he still plays for us as he really can turn a game when we need him.
It is dificut for alot of supporters who dont go to games to see what he is doing off camera and he has been guilty of mistakes just as much as moments of magic, It has been said that in some games he really doesnt turn up when he doesnt get his own way, at a game you can see him sulk at times when things dont go right.
I dont always like his attitude when he gives interviews and I have always had a niggling feeling he is quite egotistical at times, but I ignore it as I cant really guage a person simply from watching him on tv.
I beleive that carra probably would be a better captain than gerrard and have thought this for a few years now.
I definatly think gerrard can be hypocritical in some of his views and I hate the fact he dives at times, I certainly dont feel proud when he wins penalties/free kicks by such behaviour.
Ive never been one for blind loyalty and will never stick up for a player if he cheats, no matter what team he plays for.
I would have been sad to see him go when he thought about it, but I am also glad that he stayed with the club, for what ever reason it was.
The only thing i dont agree with in the article, which was very well written, was masch being captain.
I think possibly you should have gone a little deeper with this article to prove your very valid point a little better.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks Jamie, yes, I possibly should have elaborated further, during the week i'll try to give further justification to expand on the subject.
Thank you for your kind comments.
One thing though, why do you feel Masch isn't a good captain? Newly apponted for Argentina and what Maradona describes as 'First name on the team sheet'!
from about 1 month ago
To be honest I dont think he has earned it yet.
Yes he is one of the first on the team sheet, but him being captain of his national team and captain of his club team are two completly different things I think, he has always been argentinian, he has only been a red for a couple of seasons.
It is great that the team has another captain amongst them, something that rafa looks for i believe but I just feel it is far to soon for him to have the respect from the team to truly be a geat captain for the team. It is just far too soon in his Liverpool career.
Obviously I could be completly wrong about the situation :-)
from about 1 month ago
Yes Jamie, Mascherano might not be a prime candidate now but give him a few years and he will prove his worth, like Sami Hyypia did when he was joint captain with Fowler in the 2001 season.
One thing I really find annoying about Gerrard is he doesn't speak to the likes of Masch when he gets a bit animated and talks to the referee, he just lets him do it, jeopardizing the team.
Remember Old Trafford? Gerrard watched as Masch hounded the referee, and it was Alonso, Finnan and Aurelio trying to calm him down.
from about 1 month ago
Thats the point I was getting at, give it three or four years of service and we will probably have a great captain from masch, its just at this point in time I dont hink he has what it takes, too young and not experienced enough for my liking.
I agree with the gerrard thing, there are times he really does need to step in and drag players away, Im sure if carra told someoe to go away they probably would.
I thought the torres reaction at the end of the game yesterday was pretty poor over a nothing challenge, his youth really does shine thru sometimes, but its dificult for carra to run the full length of the pitch to pull torres away.
from about 1 month ago
Torres petulance can spill out a little when he is frustrated, there's no denying that.
I think that yesterdays game was just one of those games, Fulham parked the bus, we had no way of shifting it.
The people who booed at the end need to take a long hard look at themselves and ask 'Why am I a beaut?'.
about 1 month ago
This is just uncalled for. Gerrard as a player has the right to move wherever he wants. I just wonder where the author of this article and Jay are coming from. What have Carragher and Mascherano done so extraordinarily different from Gerrard? If it's all about being vocal then I wonder how quiet guys like Maldini, Raul, Totti and a lot more became captains. Yes you can mention Dalglish and co but everybody is different and you can't judge a person on another person's characteristics; that's why Liverpool of the Dalglish days is different from today's Liverpool. Even if Gerrard were disloyal, it will be his right as a professional to go wherever he chooses. Which of the current crop of players is loyal? Mascherano will jump on the opportunity if a better deal than what he currently has comes from Man Utd or even Everton. Carragher has not moved, and will not move because, no other club wants him; and he knows that more than anyone else. Even if Gerrard stayed because of his family, he did stay and that's it.
If Jay wants to talk about knowledge and honesty and all that, he should be the first to realise that this very subject is just divisive, sleazy and vile. Liverpool doesn't need such discussion unless those advancing this puerile argument are really fans of rival clubs. If you are a Liverpool fan, I bet you'll have to take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror when you jubilate when Gerrad scores and ask yourself whether you're really that knowledgeable and honest as you want people to believe. If you know a topic on Gerrard splits opinion, why even broach it if you are not out to stir unnecessary passions.
from about 1 month ago
I don't think its uncalled for, I pay my money like everyone else to watch Liverpool, so why can I not comment on such an important issue?
Maldini, Raul and Totti are all like Gerrard in the sense they are the first name you think of when you think of their respective teams, playing for their clubs as long as they have and being the captain for so many years. Totti is not as quiet as you would think, the original Wild child of Serie A!
Don't be so sure on Mascherano jumping ship, especially not to rivals such as United or Everton, as we have the player on a real contract now and its us that owns him. Carragher has done so much more for this club behind the scenes, whereas Gerrard may be the more lucrative in a poster boy sense, Carragher is the one most people respect, ask anyone. Carra may not be the most glamorous defender, but you get 110% effort in every game from him, and that alone would guarantee him a place in any side in the world.
Why can't a topic like this indulge in peoples opinions rather than all saying the same thing? Were you happy when Paul Ince was captain, being the captain of Manchester United? I will never forgive that, never.
I appreciate the time you took to reply to this article, and hope we can all stay on track with the article and not divert into a slanging match like some of the other topics i have read.
Cheers Ziggy.
from about 1 month ago
"If you are a Liverpool fan, I bet you'll have to take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror when you jubilate when Gerrad scores and ask yourself whether you're really that knowledgeable and honest as you want people to believe."
That statement is perfectly correct, if you're addressing it to someone who chops and changes their mind about a subject depending on which way the wind is blowing that day. I'm not one of them. Liam and I had a chat about this yesterday, and I'll repeat what we were saying:
"People conveniently forget the 11 50-yard Hollywood passes he attempts that miss, go out of play or get intercepted, and only gush on the 12th that actually did find it's mark. The team gets strangled when Stevie Me's on the field, feeling pressured to get the ball to him, rather than play the easier lower risk pass to a team mate and work the ball across and up the park. He stops us playing like Rafa's Valencia (that humiliated us twice) and turns us into a long ball team."
People scream and jump and shout 'But Olympiakos, Olympiakos!!! Instanbul!!!' Steven Gerrard didn't do the job at Olympiakos, Mellor and Pongolle did, but that's forgotten, 'cause Stevie (sorry, 'Steven') scored. Gerrard single-handedly won us the European Cup. No. Benitez did, with a big hand from Hamman and the job he did.
Athletico at Anfield. I personally didn't cheer and celebrate in the 93rd minute, I just looked sideways at my old fella, who looked at me in exactly the same way. That isn't the way the most succesful club in British club history should get results.
from about 1 month ago
I have to echo Jays statement here, I didn't celebrate myself, I was relieved, but I felt the whole result was cheapened by the whole penalty.
We didn't deserve to win or lose that match but the way we rescued a point made me feel hollow inside.
about 1 month ago
At this moment, I really don't think Liverpool needs a debate on its captain. As you can tell from the responses, it's a very sensitive issue which can spill over into the stadium and the training ground where people may go overboard and end up creating division in a team that absolutely needs unity to win the premiership for the first time since 1990. People may respect Carragher more than Gerrard for personal reasons like the former willing to sign autographs and stopping for a chat etc. but I really don't believe that anyone can actually accuse Gerrard of lack of commitment to the Liverpool cause. At least, over the last 4 years, Gerrard has almost single handedly dragged Liverpool out of trouble and won the club numerous games.
I don't believe effort alone could guarantee Carragher a place in any team. There are thousands of decent, honest and hardworking players out there who give 120% in every game. Unfortunately, effort alone doesn't necessarily make a player good enough. What makes a player good enough is the effectiveness of his efforts. That is however, not to say that Carragher is a useless player; his efforts have not been futile. My argument is that it is just not right pitching two very influential players of the same team against each other.
As for the argument that Mascherano won't leave because we now own him, I think that is rather weak and holds no water at all. He was also owned by River Plate yet he transferred to Corinthians in Brazil. Didn't we all think Owen will stay at Liverpool for life?
You being a true Scouser should know that when it comes to our club, passions and emotions do not easily allow such topics to "indulge in peoples opinion". Liverpool fans are happy to forego divisive tendencies for the sake of the club they love and do not bother questioning a player who obviously performs his best for the club.
Again, you may not be very happy with Ince having been made captain but remember that football is a professional sport and the manager makes such choices for professional reasons. Ince's past connection with Man Utd shouldn't cause us to lose sleep. For all I care for, he did what he had to do for Liverpool and even scored against Man Utd. I don't think the fact that Sir Matt Busby actually played for Liverpool and not Manchester United meant that all his achievements with the club are treated as nothing by Man Utd fans.
As we aim for the top price this season, we need to keep a united front and go all out. Picking on our captain is very dangerous and detrimental. Hope to read your next article.
from about 1 month ago
"As we aim for the top price this season, we need to keep a united front and go all out."
The same united front that saw the entire crowd booing Lucas' every touch yesterday, while chanting for Xabi to come on? The same unity that cheered when Alonso was being brought on, only to boo again when they realised it wasn't Lucas he was replacing? The same crowd that ooh'd and aah'd then applauded when Lucas shot from range and nearly scored for us, as he did against Everton?
That unity, you mean?
from about 1 month ago
I for one never thought Owen would stay at Liverpool for life, he was always about engineering something 'better' for the sake of his England career.
Gerrard moans that Benitez doesn't speak to him on a daily basis. Benitez is the manager and he gets the performances from the players because he is the one who has made them the players they are today.
Nearly every single player under Benitez has improved, with the exception of Harry 'Ow me hammy' Kewell. Who'd have thought Jermaine Pennant would get Man of the Match in a Champions League Final? Crouch becoming the player he is now, all Benitez. Carraghers transformation from decent full back to World Class centre back. Reina, golden gloves, etc etc, the list goes on.
Gerrard should thank his lucky stars that Benitez is manager.
Passion is a big factor in supporting Liverpool, but i'd urge you to go to the Kop on a match day, against a not so fashionable side. Fulham being the latest.
The atmosphere is like a morgue unless its a European game, where is the passion and the loyalty there?
Ince was a bad thing for this club as he had a total disregard for the hierarchy and constantly challenged his superiors. Thats not a captain, thats a complete and utter renegade.
from about 1 month ago
"The atmosphere is like a morgue unless its a European game, where is the passion and the loyalty there?"
Unfortunately that's not just a Liverpool problem. Look at Old Trafford, the Emirates or Stamford Bridge. Old Trafford especially, it's getting bad when their own (then) captain comes out and slates his own fans.
It seems to be the latest generation of supporters, in our case the ones that haven't experienced Liverpool dominating the domestic and European game, and as such don't know what's like to be the best team in Europe, or the best fans in Europe, they just haven't grown up on the history of the club. United have the same problem, the generation that grew up with Busby, Munich, the European Cup. They don't know what it's like to stand in the Kop or the Stretford End.
Then I have to check myself and think back to when I was first a fan, and the fans of that era, who grew up with the Hunts and St Johns and Toshacks were more than likely saying exactly the same thing about me and my generation. They'd lived through the years of the 2nd division, of failure, had experienced Shankly taking them forward, before we even got into European competition, and will have said THEY were the true fans, and we were just the new kids jumping on the bandwagon.
from about 1 month ago
Yes, Jay. I suppose that is true of other teams and not just us, and it will suffer even more, inevitably when the ground move finally happens.
I like your comment about being the new kids on the scene, jumping on the bandwagon so to speak. It reminds me of the tales my Grandad used to tell me when he went to every game, home and away.
about 1 month ago
Good luck to you Jay. I think it'll be better you don't bother going to the games then. Last time I checked 1-0 and 1000000000 - 0 all win a club the same 3 points. If 11 passes go astray and one goes through to result in a goal, it means 3 points. Yes, Benitez as the manager master-minded our wins; no doubt about that. But if Liverpool gets "strangled" because they are pressured to pass to him, whose fault is it? It is the manager who tells the players the way to play and if the manager whose Valencia humiliated us tells his current team to play the way they play why blame Gerrard for it? It is very obvious that you have a very ill feeling towards Gerrard for personal reasons. It is just cheap for anyone to find faults with others based on personal experiences and then go on a forum to splash invectives. Gerrard is still at Liverpool, like it or not, and he's still the captain. So for your two cents worth, hold your peace because whether you and your "old fella" look sideways, weep, cheer or whatever, Liverpool will still be Liverpool and such attitudes are just insignificant. What a waste of money going to the stadium only to see Gerrard score for you to look sideways. In Italy we call that "sciocchezza".
from about 1 month ago
You're missing the point, or, rather, you don't want to see it, and resort to claiming my opinion is because of personal feelings.
To clear this up: personally, Gerrard is a dick. I have no time for him whatsoever. It's easy to sit a thousand miles away and give your view without ever having experienced a preson up close and personal, but to then claim that another person's viewpoint is invalid, when they have more knowledge on the subject than you, is laughable. A perfect example, as I pointed out in an earlier post: get yourself to Melwood the next time you're over here, and stand with the crowd to get an autograph off Gerrard as they leave training. You'll be lucky if he even acknowledges your existence. Try and get an autograph when the Sky Sports cameras are there, and you'll see a happy smiling Gerrard sign anything that comes his way. Until the camera crew is gone. If he signed every piece of paper put in front of him I'd have no problem. Believe it or not, if he signed NONE ever, I'd have no problem with him. To do what he does, when he's on TV, to put across the image of local lad done good, stand-up member of the community is bullshit, and says more about Gerrard as a person than I ever could. There are more examples of Gerrard, but we could be here forever.
Now that is out of the way, I'll repeat: I don't like him as a person. That's where it stops. My personal feelings do not come into it when the players take to the pitch (and whether you believe me or not is unimportant, I can only tell you from my perspective). Souness was an arse. He's still a legend.
Benitez took an average team and turned them into title winners, which is impressive enough, but when the 2 teams he beat for that title, 2 years out of 3, are Real Madrid and Barcelona, it makes what he did there a bit more special. The Bentiez team is the Valencia blueprint: fast stylish counter-attacking football. Soak up the opposition attacks, and break, from the backs, playing the ball, moving it slickly through and up the field. Something we've been doing this season. It is NO coincidence we tore Manchester United apart without Gerrard, nor is it a coincidence we did the same to Chelsea without Gerrard. It's no coincidence we beat Everton after Gerrard went off. People say yesterday was a bad game, yet, on another day, we could have put 4 or 5 past Fulham, and that's with the 'awful' Lucas playing, and without Gerrard.
Is it Rafa's fault? Possibly, but you try being in his shoes. Benitez has been under pressure and uncertainty since Statler and Waldorf took over. Kilnnsman, no stadium, no money, and much more. Would you drop Gerrard or, heaven forbid, sell him under those circumstances? No manager in their right mind would sell the 'darling of the Kop' and make their position untenable.
I have no problem with Gerrard as a player unless it's detrimental to the team, and that's what I feel he is. Dalglish was a better player than Gerrard can ever hope to be. So was Keegan, and Hughes. They were never bigger than the team, because they were a part of a team. T.E.A.M. A team that destroyed everything in their path. We will never be the same force again while 1 player commands so much attention.
from about 1 month ago
Thats an excellent point made about being a real force. Like we said yesterday if Rafa was left to his own devices he would have a team like the one at Valencia that tore us apart under Houllier.
about 1 month ago
Well, it was fans like you who'll do same to Gerrard, who did so to Lucas. Such people are not what the club needs. It is said that Liverpool's biggest advantage at Anfield is the 12th man effect but if those supposed to be the 12th man decide to look sideways when a particular player scores or, decide to boo a particular player and ask for the introduction of another, how can that be an asset? Such people are negative and need not venture anywhere near the club. They are better off watching games at the pub. I just don't see the sense in the argument you are advancing about Lucas, Jay. I've said that we need unity; then dimwits like those looking sideways and booing at Lucas do what they do and you come up and ask me if that's the unity I want. The unity I want if for those "maledetti" to be found out and they are a waste of space at the stadium.
from about 1 month ago
Do you mind me asking what your background is, Ziggy? How old you are, what nationality you are (since you say in Italy, yet your English is impeccable, I'm wondering if you're Italian or British living over there), how long you've supported LFC, etc?
about 1 month ago
I've been a supporter of Liverpool for 24 years so I saw the likes of "the King", Souness, Lee etc. My family is in Rome, where I lived until 3 years ago. I've since been living in Adelaide, South Australia but will be going back to Rome sometime in the near future; probably in May to see Liverpool in the final at the stadio Olimpico...again.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks for the info, I had a feeling you weren't new to LFC, so again thanks for confirming that for me.
Like you, I've been a supporter for more than 2 decades. I've put a lot of money into this football club, in various ways, have invested vast emotional ties and time into this club. I've experienced the highs and lows, lived with the euphoria of title after title, the despair of Heysel & Hillsborough, the doldrums of the Premier League I've earned the right to think whatever I like about anyone associated with Liverpool Football Club, and I've earned the right to express those opinions.
You have no place questioning my loyalty to this club or my sincerity as a 'fan' because my opinion of Steven Gerrard differs from yours. My loyalty is to Liverpool. Not to Gerrard, or Carragher, or Benitez, Houllier, Moores, Paisley, Shankly or any individual, but to the team, to LFC.
In my opinion, Gerrard is detrimental to the team, but then, what do I know? I'm better off staying at home, since 'fans' like me are a disgrace.
Have a nice day.
from about 1 month ago
What's clear is this; Gerrard upset a lot of people over the Chelsea transfer saga and it certainly rankles deep with me. I have never given him abuse as he is a player for this team, and as Jay said a few posts up, I want what is best for Liverpool Football Club, the long term stability and the now.
about 1 month ago
well..wer were ur "great plyers" wen we wer 3-0 down at istanbul..wen were losing the plot at d fa cup final..he is regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in d world and u ppl say he is not liverpool's best mid fielders..u r well and truly "UNGRATEFUL"..jus think on moment abt wat dis club wud have achievd without him in past 10 years honestly..if u don like him jus say that..or go to liverpoolfc.tv nd see wat the kop greats hav to say abt him,,read the JAMIE REDKNAPP " one specially....
from about 1 month ago
Do you know the reason why we came back the way we did at Istanbul? Didi Hamann.
The man entered the fray and kept Kaka in his pocket. Is it coincidence that Hamann came on in the Fa Cup Final as well, and we won?
I've said I think Gerrard is a great player, but a terrible captain. He is definitely not the best player Liverpool have had, he has stood out as up until a few seasons ago we had no players that were anywhere near the standard a club like Liverpool should have.
Mascherano, Torres, Reina, Alonso, Keane, Babel, Kuyt, all have come in not to mention Agger, Skrtel, and a whole host of others that actually make the side a hundred times better than it was when Gerrard was the pinnacle.
Jamie Redknapp's views on Gerrard do not interest me in the slightest to be honest, as his blatantly biased views toward Frank Lampard make me laugh.
Every player who played in Istanbul after the second half won that match, not Gerrard. The fans where the ones who kicked the game onward, they never gave up, they sang at 3-0 down when we were getting mauled. Gerrard has been a part of our success but to put the finger on him as the sole point of it all, don't make me laugh.
from about 1 month ago
First of all ...
"jus think on moment abt wat dis club wud have achievd without him in past 10 years honestly"
What acheivments are those, exactly? A European Cup, that was down to the manager changing play, formation and tactics at half time (dunno whether you know this, but there we 2 other goalscorers that night), and NO league titles.
Secondly, ungrateful, you say? Guess what, TextTalk Boy, I'm one of the thousands of people all over the world that pays Gerrard £120,000 a week. I'll say anything I like about him. I'm ungrateful? You need a reality check.
about 1 month ago
Mr.liam and mr.jay please read this now..i'll giv u my reply later..and plz dont say torres is lying
Liverpool ace Fernando Torres has revealed his admiration of Reds captain Steven Gerrard.
The Spanish international striker has developed a great understanding with Gerrard and the duo plundered over 50 goals between them last season for Rafa Benitez’s side following Torres’ move to Anfield in 2007 summer from Atletico Madrid.
Moreover, the 24-year-old also hailed the talismanic English midfielder for his discipline, commitment and the way he conducts himself off the field while also likened his brilliant passing ability to that of Spanish national team-mate Xavi.
"I wanted to play for a club like Liverpool, where I could learn from players like Steven Gerrard, who I have always respected as a player and a leader," said Torres in France Football.
"A captain in England must lead by example. Steve Gerrard is someone everyone wants to be like - always the first at training, it is he who grafts the hardest in each exercise, who sacrifices himself during each match.
"You follow him blindly. Moreover, he is a star who decided to stay at Liverpool despite all the offers.
"It is a pleasure to receive the throughballs you get from Steven. He puts the ball where he wants, like Xavi (Hernandez) for the national team."
from about 1 month ago
When you give your reply can you possibly do it in English? This isn't a mobile 'phone, there's no 160 character limit, you're allowed to type words out in full. Otherwise I won't bother reading it, or replying. Thanks.
about 1 month ago
ok sir, sorry about that... its just out of habit that i type these shortforms..i will certainlydo it in full and proper english from now on....thanks
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