Topic: Gerrard - quoted as 'Gerrard open to move from Liverpool'

[GerrardRock2]

Love the club first, love Stevie second, but after all he has given us I can't fault the man for moving on if no contract is tendered. I also can't fault the club for not tendering a contract on his terms if they are unreasonable at this point in his career. The man is, and always will be, a Liverpool Legend.

I don't really blame the owners either. Certainly their transfer policy this summer can be questioned, most on here will probably agree with the following: It is good to have a transfer policy in place, in the long term it protects the club from overpaying, and certainly has an eye toward the future. However, rigid policy is never the most efficient management strategy. You must fill the void left by a player like Suarez with an equally "big player." Although, like for like was never going to be possible, the money garnered from that transfer could, and in my eyes, should have been used to go get a Reus, a Kroos (can't remember if he was already signed to Madrid by the time we sold Suarez, apologies), force the move of a Mueller or a Benzema etc... (you get my point).

Another legitimate question that can be asked of our owner's transfer policy in particular is, at what point have we sufficiently reached the future? If in fact the policy is to buy for the future, surely at some point we will have the requisite talent to challenge for silverware. Brendan has said that he didn't expect to be running on all fronts for a good 3-5 years and the timeline was accelerated due to the teams amazing run in last season. This in my eyes is no excuse, although we seem to track players for a number of years a manager must always have his immediate buy wish list. Furthermore, the owners need to be ready to execute turning that list into a reality when the time is right. Unfortunately it appears that our manager and owners failed to do this last summer.

All this is not to say the signings we made were all shit. Lazar has been the biggest failure, but he is 20, in a new league, and needs appropriate time to settle. It appears all that is missing from young Lazar's game is the end product, this will come with time. Balo was a calculated, yet last minute gamble, I think he'll come off, hopefully sooner than later. Lambert, eh, bit of a package buy to get Lallana in my opinion, but he has plenty to offer over the next season or two. His body won't be as torn up as Gerrard's, but ultimate he is still in his 30's. Lallana looks like a good bit of business. Lovren, well to be fair, what can you really say about two center backs other than WTF? Manquillo, and Moreno look like players.

It just seems, obviously in retrospect which is easy, we could, and should have done much better in the attacking portion of our buying with the money from the Suarez Sale. Ultimately, if Stevie feels he needs to move, because a winners medal with anyone is worth more than all the money, fair play to him. Stevie's decision would be much easier if our owners and manager had played their cards correctly this summer, and bought to continue, rather than reset from last season. 

Sorry, I guess I got a little off track on the Gerrard thing, but it seemed to flow naturally. Mods feel free to move if you see fit.

[Samie]

You're right, I expect a blistering rest of the season from him as he regresses to the mean.

P.S. he wasn't as good as everyone thinks last year either, Suarez made his job a lot easier (as much as it's against the rules to even mention Suarez's enormous impact last year).

Say's who? You? 

[Qston]

player in "I would like a decent contract" shocker. He will be offered one. This is probably calculated and I have little doubt he wants to stay here but needs the club to put a deal to him that suits all parties.

[Eeyore]

Perhaps he should leave maybe some dickheads on here will finally realise  and appreciate him a bit more.

No mate we will fall apart the way we did last season when Carra retired or we will have a terrible run of results the way England have since Gerrard retired from international football. What are Manquillo, Skrtel, Lovren, Moreno, Allen, Henderson, Sterling, Coutinho, Sturridge et al going to do without Gerrard to carry them.

[Samie]

No mate we will fall apart the way we did last season when Carra retired or we will have a terrible run of results the way England have since Gerrard retired from international football. What are Manquillo, Skrtel, Lovren, Moreno, Allen, Henderson, Sterling, Coutinho, Sturridge et al going to do without Gerrard to carry them.

Thank you for proving my point.

[BostonScouse]

Say's who? You? 

Why can't you and the gerrard brigade do anything other than hurl insults or make one liners?

Try making an argument, it may help you.

[Eeyore]

Thank you for proving my point.

Great players move on or retire great Clubs continue on.

Our biggest problem for me is fans putting players on pedestals and failing to see the bigger picture. Look at the absolutely huge players that left Liverpool in the 70's and 80's or the players who have left United over the last twenty years and see the way that the players that matter are the players who remain.

Maybe we wouldn't have poor seasons after players leave if the captain followed that mantra.

[Lone Star Red]

I could see him being Pirlo's backup. Barca and Real? No chance

We'll just agree to disagree then, since it's one opinion versus another.

[Fromola]

It doesn't work like that though if your agent is Struan Marshall. This is Carra 09-10 all over again. Start  giving interviews to Bascombe about the possibility of leaving if you don't get the contract you want. Make it clear that you want to stay but it's the nasty club or the manager who don't want to keep you enough.

Timing is everything can anyone remember what happened last time we were due to play Madrid at the Bernabeu. Perfect time to drop a little hand grenade just before a massive week for the Club. A bad result in mid week and giving Gerrard a new deal can be a little tonic for the fans in much the same way giving Gerrard a new deal a few years ago papered over the cracks of not signing anyone during the transfer window.

Looking forward to the SFX mob in the media demanding that Gerrard is given a new deal.

The worst aspect for me though is the " I knew this would happen when Luis left bollocks" which is both hugely disrespectful to the players we have brought in and incredibly defeatist. I bet Southampton are glad their senior players weren't so defeatist in the summer because they would be in the bottom three now.

Marshall knows how to play LFC like the back of his hand. The Carra contract in 2010 an absolute masterclass of the dark arts and there was a lot of prep work that went into that in terms of these sorts of quotes.

Stevie will want to stay here and we'll want to keep him so we don't need to play it out in the media. The issues will be over terms. Will FSG offer Stevie 2 years or 1 year? Will they keep his current wage? Will Rodgers guarantee his place in the side? He won't want to be a squad player. When Carragher was negotiating his contract he came out and said in public he had no interest in being a squad player.

We've had a really poor start to the season and Gerrard's contract is not an immediate priority but it's a story now. Today has made it a story until it's signed.

[GerrardRock2]

You're right, I expect a blistering rest of the season from him as he regresses to the mean.

P.S. he wasn't as good as everyone thinks last year either, Suarez made his job a lot easier (as much as it's against the rules to even mention Suarez's enormous impact last year).

Why can't you and the gerrard brigade do anything other than hurl insults or make one liners?

Try making an argument, it may help you.

I'll give it a short go. This is my eyes is reflective of how I felt in 05-07. Stevie was playing in a more attacking role Under Rafa, he was screaming out for a world class striker in front of him. There were times in games where you could see him getting visibly frustrated as passes in the attacking third fizzled out, or runners were steps behind a beautiful ball played into space. Why? Because there wasn't a player with vision similar to a player of his quality in front of him at the time. Ultimately, Stevie's game suffered because he didn't have talent up to his level around him. Then Fernando Torres came in, and Stevie and Nando almost never failed to connect even on the most audacious of pass attempts. I would argue that this is a key to the success of a team in football.

What we had last year was a player who always saw the run to be made, and a player in Stevie who could make that ball happen. So, yes, Suarez had a huge impact on Stevie's ability to perform. However, Stevie also had a huge impact on Suarez's level to perform as well. Before you go making the argument that Suarez is still doing that, my answer is, no shit look at the team he is in. I think Raheem will eventually fill this role for Stevie, and I think had Dan been available for the few times we have seen Stevie press forward this season many more goals would be scored.

So was Stevie bad last year, nope. Has he been poor this year, nope. Our biggest problems this year, no attacking, and an abysmal center back pairing. I think overall, and as a whole, our midfield play has been pretty strong.

[JackWard33]

I mean this is a pretty transparent power play from him - its part of a contract negotiation and that's totally fair enough. It's his job to try and get as much money as possible like any other person with a job, especially as there won't be many more contracts.

The problem for the club is that he's one of our top earners but not one of our best players anymore.
Last season he did phenomenally well - his underlying numbers were really decent, not quite elite but still really really good.
This season so far his defensive numbers have fallen off a cliff (see statsbomb for more info)
At the time any new deal kicks in he'll be 35 and there's every chance he'll have declined further - no one can beat back father time

I'd be shocked if this wasn't an argument over number of years - to be honest the club would be mad to give him anymore than a year but sometimes clubs end up paying for past performance

[Eeyore]

Marshall knows how to play LFC like the back of his hand. The Carra contract in 2010 an absolute masterclass of the dark arts and there was a lot of prep work that went into that in terms of these sorts of quotes.

Stevie will want to stay here and we'll want to keep him so we don't need to play it out in the media. The issues will be over terms. Will FSG offer Stevie 2 years or 1 year? Will they keep his current wage? Will Rodgers guarantee his place in the side? He won't want to be a squad player. When Carragher was negotiating his contract he came out and said in public he had no interest in being a squad player.

We've had a really poor start to the season and Gerrard's contract is not an immediate priority but it's a story now. Today has made it a story until it's signed.

Strangely enough whilst the Carra situation was playing out Gerrard was running around with a face that would turn milk sour and Marshall's other clients most notably Danny Murphy were filling the press with quotes about how the two senior players had lost faith in the manager who would only give Carra a one year deal.

Strangely enough Gerrard was refusing to commit his future to Liverpool at that time but strangely changed his mind the day Cecil signed Joey Cole.

[Aggernator]

This year we said goodbye to Agger and Reina, two MEN and leaders in their prime, who would improve our starting 11 wastly.
It would a bit criminal then to give Gerrard an extension.

[GerrardRock2]

I mean this is a pretty transparent power play from him - its part of a contract negotiation and that's totally fair enough. It's his job to try and get as much money as possible like any other person with a job, especially as there won't be many more contracts.

The problem for the club is that he's one of our top earners but not one of our best players anymore.
Last season he did phenomenally well - his underlying numbers were really decent, not quite elite but still really really good.
This season so far his defensive numbers have fallen off a cliff (see statsbomb for more info)
At the time any new deal kicks in he'll be 35 and there's every chance he'll have declined further - no one can beat back father time

I'd be shocked if this wasn't an argument over number of years - to be honest the club would be mad to give him anymore than a year but sometimes clubs end up paying for past performance

I wouldn't be offended by two years on wages reduced by 5-8% or that are heavy on the front or back end with limited guarantees, and performace based incentives.

[Eeyore]

I wouldn't be offended by two years on wages reduced by 5-8% or that are heavy on the front or back end with limited guarantees, and performace based incentives.

I bet Gerrard would.

[B0151?]

Our biggest problem for me is fans putting players on pedestals and failing to see the bigger picture.

How is it our biggest problem? We don't make the decisions.

[Broad Spectrum]

So far no one has presented any evidence that captaincy is an influential factor in squad success, let alone influential enough to overcome poor form.

All this shows is the players say nice things about and ostensibly like their captain. I think you'd be hardpressed to find a situation where teammates say anything but glowing things about their captain.

And even if they did, there's still no appreciable difference that I can see amongst clubs who have "good captains" and those that don't. Unless you think Ronaldo is the best captain ever.

It's just grasping at straws.

A great example, as much as I despise saying it, was Roy Keane and that United squad. He explained how he had to train and play to his maximum every single day whilst he was at United because he was the captain, and he had this complex in his head that in order for everyone to respect him as captain he had to be the best.

In the Viera-Keane documentary (you may or may not have seen it, if you haven't I suggest you do) he mentions how he had to pump himself up for the Arsenal fixtures more than any other game because he knew how good Viera was, and he refused to be out-classed effectively because of the fear of losing the respect of his team mates. This excelled him to play at his maximum which in turn influenced the rest of the team to match the standards set by their captain.

[JackWard33]

I bet Gerrard would.

You don't think he's entitled  to try and get the best contract he can?

[GerrardRock2]

I bet Gerrard would.

Fair is fair, ultimately even Stevie knows this. Straun Marshall is no idiot.

[TSC]

Bit of frustration in there at Suarez going and the subsequent business done in trying to replace him.  3rd time now he's come so close to the league and then in the following season we've fallen away as opposed to strengthening.  Obviously this season is still young but I'm sure it gets to him. 

Going to arguably become one of (if not the) the best players ever not to win the league.

[Eeyore]

How is it our biggest problem? We don't make the decisions.

Indirectly we do.

How long did Ged last after the spat with Fowler. How long did Rafa last after his refusal to give Carra a two year deal. How long did Hodgson last after the crowd turned.

[Fromola]

I wouldn't be offended by two years on wages reduced by 5-8% or that are heavy on the front or back end with limited guarantees, and performace based incentives.

The issue is also what's Gerrard's role going to be? Next season he's 35 and turns 36 just at the end of next season. Is he still going to start and finish every single league match and CL if we manage to qualify? If not then can he remain our best paid player if he may not be first chice? If he's not going to start near enough every game, will he want to stay on? That's just if it's one year. Year two he'd be 36 and 37 by the end of the contract. At this point Paul Scholes, for example, had become a bit part player who would come on off the bench and not play a lot of 90 minute games.

A scenario where Steven Gerrard doesn't play every minute of a league season is not something Rodgers has countenanced at all yet. This is the sort of thing that needs to be factored into negotiations with Stevie for a contract. Both parties need to know where they stand. And for god sake keep it out the media.

[Broad Spectrum]

Our biggest problem for me is fans putting players on pedestals and failing to see the bigger picture.

Gerrard is still a very good footballer. His ability to pass and strike the ball is still superb, he still reads the game to a world class standard.

Yes, his athleticism has sadly deserted him for good, but since Carragher has retired he's really taken on the mantle of being the leader of that squad.

We don't want to do a Chelsea and let one of our best players ever leave prematurely.

[Skidder.]

Why can't you and the gerrard brigade do anything other than hurl insults or make one liners?

Try making an argument, it may help you.

Nah.

[Phil M]

A scenario where Steven Gerrard doesn't play every minute of a league season is not something Rodgers has countenanced at all yet.

According to you. How do you know the manager hasn't countenanced it, do you really feel he's that naive and doesn't have an eye on the future of the club and progression?

[astowell1]

He will no doubt sign and there's no drama, but I don't think he really needed to put it in the media stirring pot.  We don't need any more coverage in that respect.

[Fromola]

According to you.

According to the fact that he's played every league minute he's been available for since August 2012. Until he leaves him on the bench for a game or subs him off once in a while then that's just the way it is. When will that change? Will he suddenly go from playing every minute this season to reduce minutes next season? That'll be difficult for Gerrard to accept. We've made a rod for our own back.

[Ibelieve]

Utd over-reliance on Scholes and Giggs is the best example how club and player should move on when the time comes.

We are 'dangerously' going down that path when Gerrard has pretty much played 90% of our matches so far and it's clear he plays a pivotal role.
You got to be a little concerned if he stays, whether he will continue to be an integral part of the team and if he leaves, none of our midfielders seem ready to step up.
Surely, we got to plan for the future, sign someone of his stature next summer, regardless he's staying or not.

[Eeyore]

Bit of frustration in there at Suarez going and the subsequent business done in trying to replace him.  3rd time now he's come so close to the league and then in the following season we've fallen away as opposed to strengthening.  Obviously this season is still young but I'm sure it gets to him. 

Going to arguably become one of (if not the) the best players ever not to win the league.

That's not really true though we came close in 2001-2002 and then started the next season like a house on fire and were well clear after a dozen games.



That was the season when Gerrard's form deserted him whilst his parents were separating and Gerrard and Houllier's relationship broke down after Ged criticised his performance away to Basel when he dragged Gerrard off at half time.

[B0151?]

Indirectly we do.

How long did Ged last after the spat with Fowler. How long did Rafa last after his refusal to give Carra a two year deal. How long did Hodgson last after the crowd turned.

But its Rodgers that sees Gerrard as a key part of his side. Rodgers probably wants him here more than anyone. Not the fans, the manager. Do you really dispute that?

[Halcyon Lissome]

Very fortunate for Stevie that he has managed to create a role within the team that the manager has never foreseen or used before isn't it ?

Sure if you are going to play a deep lying slow immobile playmaker then Stevie is your man or you could forget that and play the way the vast majority of successful teams play.

Don't forget, he plays too many long balls 

I agree this aspect of the interview is a bit odd. Hopefully, it's just a matter of the tone not properly coming through the text. Tempering fan expectations through sharing their disappointment doesn't seem quite right. After assembling a squad and manager capable of finishing second in the league on limited resources, I'm not sure the legendary captain should leave open the suggestion that he is disappointed with how the owners do their business because he probably won't win a league title. He can say all that after he retires or leaves the club. Carra hasn't been short of opinions since he left, and I don't expect Gerrard will be either.

The interview is most probably not about the players or the manager, but is to put pressure on the owners. Only someone of Gerrard's standing can come out talking like this, if Rodgers came out saying things like this he'd be in trouble. In a way, Gerrard's putting himself a tiny bit in the firing line, but he has enough in the bank that everyone knows where his priorities lie.

Al's sidestory is fictional.

[Phil M]

According to the fact that he's played every league minute he's been available for since August 2012. Until he leaves him on the bench for a game or subs him off once in a while then that's just the way it is. When will that change? Will he suddenly go from playing every minute this season to reduce minutes next season? That'll be difficult for Gerrard to accept. We've made a rod for our own back.

That still doesn't mean the manager hasn't or isn't planning for the future without him.

He hasn't started a league cup game. He's also no longer an England player.

[Fromola]

That still doesn't mean the manager hasn't or isn't planning for the future without him.

He hasn't started a league cup game. He's also no longer an England player.

When has he ever started early round league cup games? He did last season because we didn't have Europe.

Usually if we get to the semis he plays. Before that he might be on the bench.

Utd over-reliance on Scholes and Giggs is the best example how club and player should move on when the time comes.

We are 'dangerously' going down that path when Gerrard has pretty much played 90% of our matches so far and it's clear he plays a pivotal role.
You got to be a little concerned if he stays, whether he will continue to be an integral part of the team and if he leaves, none of our midfielders seem ready to step up.
Surely, we got to plan for the future, sign someone of his stature next summer, regardless he's staying or not.

Ferguson neglected midfield for years and they kept on having to rely on Scholes and Giggs (Albeit as bit part players). We've never replaced Alonso and Mascherano properly and not even signed a player of Mascherano's type (barring the hapless Poulsen) since he left. We're so weak defensively as a result and have shockingly failed to address this every window. So the idea is Gerrard has to play because he's still the best we've got. Well if you neglect that area of the pitch for so long then again you're making a rod for your own back. United did the same thing.  They still won the league in 2013 but their midfield was shown up terribly without Ferguson and all his influence last season.

[Eeyore]

But its Rodgers that sees Gerrard as a key part of his side. Rodgers probably wants him here more than anyone. Not the fans, the manager. Do you really dispute that?

Not so long ago Rodgers was bringing Carra on for midfield cameos and then dropped Skrtel who he clearly rates so Carra could have a swansong after the usual suspect published an article with Carra saying the number of League games he started would determine whether he carried on playing or not.

I think where Club legends are concerned what managers say should be taken with a siberian salt mine sized pinch of sodium chloride.

[Halcyon Lissome]

I don't really see where that should matter. For comparison, here's Pirlo:

We don't have to have a DLP either

We choose to have it because we have one of the best in the world at it. We didn't have to play 2 forwards last season either.

In any case, that graph is misleading due to the weighting it gives numbers in the graph and moreso because we're barely in the season. Apart from a few games, Gerrard's stats are more or less the same. But 2-3 games out 9 will affect overall stats more than if they were out of 19.

[Advil]

What would be the general feeling here if he is to win a title with City/Chelsea next season? Will you guys be happy for him ?

Amazing that people ask this question. It is as though we support Steven Gerrard FC instead of Liverpool FC. It was simply disgusting that people were wishing that we win the title for him last season as good a player he was. We should be winning the title for everyone in Liverpool FC (Players/Coaching Staff & Fans) all deserve it and not only Gerrard.

[GerrardRock2]

Ferguson neglected midfield for years and they kept on having to rely on Scholes and Giggs (Albeit as bit part players). We've never replaced Alonso and Mascherano properly and not even signed a player of Mascherano's type (barring the hapless Poulsen) since he left. We're so weak defensively as a result and have shockingly failed to address this every window. So the idea is Gerrard has to play because he's still the best we've got. Well if you neglect that area of the pitch for so long then again you're making a rod for your own back. United did the same thing.  They still won the league in 2013 but their midfield was shown up terribly without Ferguson and all his influence last season.

Henderson is looking like a real passer (not on Alonso's level, but very good), certainly we could use and enforcer, but I think Rodgers' goal is to mold Can into a Gerrard circa 05-11.

[redmark]

Not so long ago Rodgers was bringing Carra on for midfield cameos and then dropped Skrtel who he clearly rates so Carra could have a swansong after the usual suspect published an article with Carra saying the number of League games he started would determine whether he carried on playing or not.

I think where Club legends are concerned what managers say should be taken with a siberian salt mine sized pinch of sodium chloride.

Yeah, but you also thought:

Unprepared come off it Purslow, Carragher and Gerrard had launched a 5 month media campaign to remove Benitez through their biographers and media colleagues, Benitez was then given the bullet when Carra and Gerrard where safely ensconced on a plane to South Africa, when Benitez was on holiday and when Kenny was out of town at a masters tournament.

The removal of Benitez was planned down to the last detail, there was nearly a spanner in the works, their media buddies were primed with the Club's offer off a settlement package for Benitez, they had their poison prepared for the following days papers and then a gunman ran amok in Cumbria.

Even with the country glued to their TV screen's Purslow still went ahead and released a statement on the website. Here is Purslow's confidente Maddock take on it at 20:50.

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Liverpool-sack-manager-Rafa-Benitez-article446441.html

I think where club legends are concerned, what you say should be taken with a hefty dose of mind-altering drugs.

[Eeyore]

Don't forget, he plays too many long balls 

The interview is most probably not about the players or the manager, but is to put pressure on the owners. Only someone of Gerrard's standing can come out talking like this, if Rodgers came out saying things like this he'd be in trouble. In a way, Gerrard's putting himself a tiny bit in the firing line, but he has enough in the bank that everyone knows where his priorities lie.

Al's sidestory is fictional.

The article puts pressure on the new signings who Gerrard clearly doesn't rate. Must be nice trying to bed into a new club when the captain feels like that. Reminiscent of Roy Keane looking for scapegoats at United as his powers faded.

[Eeyore]

Yeah, but you also thought:

Unprepared come off it Purslow, Carragher and Gerrard had launched a 5 month media campaign to remove Benitez through their biographers and media colleagues, Benitez was then given the bullet when Carra and Gerrard where safely ensconced on a plane to South Africa, when Benitez was on holiday and when Kenny was out of town at a masters tournament.

The removal of Benitez was planned down to the last detail, there was nearly a spanner in the works, their media buddies were primed with the Club's offer off a settlement package for Benitez, they had their poison prepared for the following days papers and then a gunman ran amok in Cumbria.

Even with the country glued to their TV screen's Purslow still went ahead and released a statement on the website. Here is Purslow's confidente Maddock take on it at 20:50.

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Liverpool-sack-manager-Rafa-Benitez-article446441.html

I think where club legends are concerned, what you say should be taken with a hefty dose of mind-altering drugs.

Which bit isn't true ?