Topic: Steve McManaman - Legend or big time charlie????????

[davidg]

one of the best players I have ever seen in a red shirt.

total twat now though.

[Wingman]

Thought shaggy was great for us,was gutted when he left,and while I was angry at the time I dont hold it against him these days.

Agree with all of that but do find him particularly annoying as a pundit

[xerxes1]

A fine player, one of the best in the Liverpool team he played for, and a very shrewd man.

His cosmopolitan outlook and awareness of the opportunities of modern football as a whole mean that he will never feel constrained by a "one club" mentality which will always count against him as a red legend.

[steveeastend]

Don't see why this is "evidence" why he didn't do well in Spain - to me it's straw-clutching. It's using a single story to explain a much broader and complicated issue and suits anybody who wishes to slag off Owen.

It shows that Owen is still a narrow-minded, stupid child with the body of a professional footballer.  And that´s the reason for his statements, moves and behaviour.

[oojason]

'Steve McManaman attack on fans totally out of order'

SO low has Steve McManaman’s stock fallen among Liverpool fans since walking out on the club on a Bosman free transfer almost nine years ago that there are those among them who find him only marginally more palatable than Gary Neville.

Feb 9 2008 by Tony Barrett, Liverpool Echo - www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/steve-mcmanaman-attack-fans-totally-3492288


'In the immediate aftermath of the Sunderland game, McManaman lived down to their expectations once again when he launched an ill-informed attack on those fans who stayed behind on the Kop to protest against the club's American owners.

Totally dismissing their cause, McManaman used his status as Setanta's resident “expert” to tell viewers: “We shouldn’t be talking about this protest, they’ve (Hicks and Gillett) come in and put money into the club. Why don’t the fans just let them get on with things?

“All the fans should just go home; they are making it worse.”

Get on with what, Steve? Get on with the shambles that saw Hicks admit that Jurgen Klinsmann was approached behind Rafa Benitez’s back?

Get on with their ongoing personal feud which saw Gillett refuse to put his name to a press release confirming refinancing was complete?

Get on with pushing £30m of interest a year onto the club?

As for the assertion that “they put money into the club,” even the world’s most creative spin doctors would struggle to make people believe that.

The facts are there Steve. Try checking them before you lambaste those who once paid your considerable salary.'

&

McManaman was on Setanta sports aboot a week before our final in 2007 vs Milan when he was asked if he wanted to say anything like 'do you wish Liverpool good luck next week?'. He ended up going on aboot Everton and everyone knows hes a fan of everton growing up so he didnt want to see us winning anything. He basically saw his arse.....He then said something aboot Robbie being his mate and would like to see him do well,but has no wish for lfc to win anything. He didnt work on tv a lot after that for a long time so om guessing his agent told him 'Dont make it so fucking obvious dickhead'

The manner in which he said this wasnt Jokey either.

^ Certainly a prick / in the 'big-time Charlie' side of things for me at the time - and was never a legend or anything like as a player. An utter gobshite about us throughout his 'Setanta chief pundit' gig... the amount of pro-Liverpool articles from him shortly after that... certainly had the hallmarks of his agent doing some much needed PR / repair / scrub work for him.

... which was obviously well before he started lazily spouting shite on BT Sport... "Yep.", "Very much so." and "Nothing in that decapitation there for me, Fletch. Get on with it".






Some info and videos on Steve McManaman as a Liverpool player...






LFCHistory.net Player profile page: www.lfchistory.net/Players/Player/Profile/371

LiverpoolFC.com Player profile page: www.liverpoolfc.com/history/past-players/steve-mcmanaman

Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McManaman









'Steve McManaman Liverpool FC Goals':-

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/7BGNvUMKWsE" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/7BGNvUMKWsE</a>



'Steve McManaman - 100 players That Shook The Kop':-

www.facebook.com/100067014341562/videos/519209308247876



'Steve McManaman Goals Fest Liverpool FC':-

www.dailymotion.com/video/x5yoc2n



'Liverpool - Steve McManaman (goals)':-

www.dailymotion.com/video/x35d92o



'Steve McManaman - 7 of his best goals in a Liverpool shirt':-

www.facebook.com/IFLLiverpool/videos/1066057676803977



'1992 FA Cup Final: Liverpool 2-0 Sunderland':-

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/IIKtBgpigzM" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/IIKtBgpigzM</a>



'Liverpool 2-1 Bolton Wanderers, League Cup Final 1995':-

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/AHsMYY7ZjA4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/AHsMYY7ZjA4</a>



'Great goals from Steve McManaman':-

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/BYYPagk1p1g" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/BYYPagk1p1g</a>



'Steve McManaman - "The Winner Takes It All"':-

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/AL6To4n5tgc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/AL6To4n5tgc</a>



Liverpool 4-3 Newcastle - 1996:-

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/Us9tcKJUG7U" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/Us9tcKJUG7U</a>




Liverpool 4-3 Newcastle - 1997:-

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/8rAMcdce_uE" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/8rAMcdce_uE</a>



'Celtic 2-2 Liverpool':-

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/QHoBCKCmdxg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/QHoBCKCmdxg</a>



'Liverpool 2-2 Arsenal':-

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/zHUBs-Uwevs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/zHUBs-Uwevs</a>



'Coventry v Liverpool, 98/99 | Retro Goal':-

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/EX1MlBesPuA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/EX1MlBesPuA</a>



'McManaman goal vs Sheffield Wednesday':-

https://twitter.com/FootballRemind/status/1543300321270812674



McManaman goal vs Villa:-

https://twitter.com/MyGreatest11/status/1367052334283558913



'McManaman double, Liverpool v Leeds 1996':-

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/4TAbwfsFF4k" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/4TAbwfsFF4k</a>



'Steve McManaman - Liverpool Fc - Football Focus Feature - December 1996':-

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/2Q2_NbgIhDM" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/2Q2_NbgIhDM</a>



'Steve McManaman Feature/Interview 1996':-

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/20RfZIcFx0E" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/20RfZIcFx0E</a>



'LFC Quiz Rivals: Fowler v McManaman | 'You've upset me with that stat'':-

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/ooHdrixxS_g" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/ooHdrixxS_g</a>


















'Liverpool's Spice Boys: A Brief History Of':-

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/s0xklr8sqXo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/s0xklr8sqXo</a>



'Liverpool players joking around before the 1996 FA Cup Final':-

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/HcVOCKsuT6o" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/HcVOCKsuT6o</a>



'Steve McManaman Commentary “Yeah” Compilation':-

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/SZ2RxNEVhHw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/SZ2RxNEVhHw</a>



'Steve McManaman All 23 Goals & Assists For Real Madrid':-

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/lLJqXwS9ALI" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/lLJqXwS9ALI</a>



McManaman goal for Real Madrid in the 2000 Champions League Final:-

https://twitter.com/classicshirts/status/1094898895455481857



'The Summer Football Came Home | England Euro 96 Documentary | ITV Sport':-

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/muLV_Bep-es" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/muLV_Bep-es</a>







Some articles on Steve McManaman...


Steve McManaman - The Running Man: www.lfchistory.net/Articles/Article/4612

McManaman info at MyLiverpoolFC.org: https://myliverpoolfc.org/mcmanaman.htm

Reds crush Roker dream (1992): www.lfchistory.net/Articles/Article/630

McManaman conjures up Cup win (1995): www.lfchistory.net/Articles/Article/1431

LFCs failure to appreciate his value led to exit (claims it was financial): https://punditarena.com/football/jeff-simon/steve-mcmanaman-liverpool-appreciation-real-madrid-move

Why I had to leave Anfield (claims it was not financial): www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/mcmanaman-leave-anfield-watching-rob-12285678

McManaman agrees £14m deal with Real Madrid: www.lfchistory.net/Articles/Article/176

Appreciating the genius who left after giving everything for LFC: www.thisisanfield.com/2020/05/appreciating-steve-mcmanaman-the-genius-who-left-after-giving-everything-for-liverpool

The Brilliance of Steve McManaman: https://anfieldindex.com/49990/the-brilliance-of-steve-mcmanaman.html

Steve McManaman: the man no English export can touch (2017): www.lfchistory.net/Articles/Article/4163

McManaman at Real Madrid: https://thesefootballtimes.co/2020/04/02/steve-mcmanaman-at-real-madrid-the-most-successful-english-player-to-head-overseas

McManaman profile at Real Madrid: www.realmadrid.com/en/about-real-madrid/history/football-legends/steven--mcmanaman

McManaman profile at EnglandStats: www.englandstats.com/player.php?pid=1060


Steve McManaman interview with Sid Lowe in 2003 (+ views on pundits): www.theguardian.com/football/2003/aug/29/newsstory.sport

^ Q:"What next? Will you become a pundit?"

A: "God, I hope not. I would just hate to see myself up there like a lot of them are now, sniping and criticising. I think it's absolutely awful. And the fact that they do it for a few quid just irritates me."


Steve McManaman player profile info at Transfermarkt: www.transfermarkt.co.uk/steve-mcmanaman/profil/spieler/3980












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• A mini-index of RAWK's 'Liverpool Audio / Video thread' content info for years gone by, recent times, Season Reviews, Cup Final victories - Domestic, European, and World...


www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=345769.msg17787576#msg17787576 & www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=112969.0

[Keith Lard]

Bit overrated if you ask me.

[William Regal]

94 to 98 he was absolutely exceptional, one of the greatest runners with a football this clubs ever seen imo.  The thing that let him down a bit was that he wasn't a great striker of the ball and scuffed too many shots. Playing behind the front 2 suited him perfectly, he reached a point where the opposition were specifically man marking him most games with the belief that if you stopped mcmanaman you stopped Liverpool.

[Funky_Gibbons]

Yeah he was a sublime footballer, no point trying to rewrite history regarding him just because he's a bit of a twat now.

He absolutely revelled in that free role under Roy Evans and teams really struggled to control him because of that freedom. I remember Ferguson trying to copy that with Giggs in that free role but he never had the game intellegence of Macca. You could always tell whether we were going to good result based on how much room he had, it was funny watching people trying to man mark him.

Scored some extraordinary goals but if he could strike a ball cleanly more reguarly he'd probably have had twice as many goals.   

[Crosby Nick]

That Celtic goal…last couple of minutes of what was a huge game for us given our lack of European pedigree in the 90s and to pull something like that out of the bag when we needed it most. Brilliant.

I as great for us in the 92 cup final and 95 League Cup final. Shame about 96 but they were all poor that day.

As said above, that free role suited him perfectly and he was the one who made us tick. Felt like he was the one player in the team of that era who couldn’t be replaced.

[El Lobo]

Yeah he was class.

Travesty that we once had a team containing Fowler, McManaman, Collymore, Redknapp and Barnes (the former four at their peak) and didn't win a thing. Goes to show just how shit our defence/GK was. Absolutely classic example of:

[thaddeus]

Yeah he was a sublime footballer, no point trying to rewrite history regarding him just because he's a bit of a twat now.

He absolutely revelled in that free role under Roy Evans and teams really struggled to control him because of that freedom. I remember Ferguson trying to copy that with Giggs in that free role but he never had the game intellegence of Macca. You could always tell whether we were going to good result based on how much room he had, it was funny watching people trying to man mark him.

Scored some extraordinary goals but if he could strike a ball cleanly more reguarly he'd probably have had twice as many goals.   

I'd almost forgotten those games!  There were some really extreme examples where opposition players would quite literally spend 90 minutes just following him around with no desire to have any other input into the game.  The league cup semi-final against Middlesbrough was bonkers and a game we should really have exploited more.

Like Michael Owen his career path and his post-playing career have tainted what he achieved but he was my favourite player for a number of seasons.

[Crosby Nick]

I'd almost forgotten those games!  There were some really extreme examples where opposition players would quite literally spend 90 minutes just following him around with no desire to have any other input into the game.  The league cup semi-final against Middlesbrough was bonkers and a game we should really have exploited more.

Like Michael Owen his career path and his post-playing career have tainted what he achieved but he was my favourite player for a number of seasons.

Sheffield Wednesday beat us at Anfield one December by putting some yard dog (Peter Atherton?) on him all game.

Think Leicester under O’Neill were annoying too. They had some kind of man to man expert, Pontus Kaamark or something like that who’d probably not make a pass all game, his whole job was to try and stop McManaman.

[flyingcod]

That was LFC (@ Anfield) all over in the mid to late 90s, teams like Wimbledon, Leicester came for a point and usually left with all three as we could never break them down, stick a man on Macca and it negated all our attacking ideas.

Utd, Arsenal,Spurs etc played attacking football so we could deal with that and normally won.

To think at times we rested our hopes on players like Mark Kennedy.  Christ. 


fc

[tubby]

He'd likely be a left-sided forward in the modern game and he scored plenty of goals for us coming in from the left.  Ran all day long as well, had a hell of an engine on him.

I dunno if he'd be a starter in the Klopp teams, but he'd definitely be an amazing rotation option and could play as either wide forward or potentially even as the more advanced of the three midfielders.

[NarutoReds]

I just knew it, that his boyhood heroes in football are two of Everton players. Bob Latchford and Duncan McKenzie.

Pardon me, I don't know that he is Blue. Great player though. Love him.

In the words of Kevin Keegan himself, "There are few finer sights in world football than the sight of Steve McManaman running down the length of the pitch..." (1996).

[NarutoReds]

Yeah he was class.

Travesty that we once had a team containing Fowler, McManaman, Collymore, Redknapp and Barnes (the former four at their peak) and didn't win a thing. Goes to show just how shit our defence/GK was.

Defeat to Mancs in three title races (from 1995-97), weren't it? Sorry if I'm wrong.

[Walshy nMe®]

Great player, bit of a prick now though.

[El Lobo]

Defeat to Mancs in three title races (from 1995-97), weren't it? Sorry if I'm wrong.

Dunno if you can really call them title races but yeah...quite often fell away at the end (95/96 we got 12 points from our last 8 games, 96/97 8 points from our last 8 games) Both of those seasons those last 8 games were the difference between us and United (they took 21 from their last 8 in 95/96 and finished 11 points ahead, and they took 15 from their last 8 in 96/97 and finished 7 ahead of us). 96/97 I reckon David James single handedly cost us that one, he had some absolute shockers around that time.

[kaesarsosei]

Fantastic player, but in no way shape or form a legend. The word legend has been completely watered down in recent years too.

[liverbloke]

Fantastic player, but in no way shape or form a legend. The word legend has been completely watered down in recent years too.

i know - some players play one season for us and the next thing fans are talking about them being legends

macca though is a nice guy - i've met him and he's much taller than you'd think - but if a lfc legend is 10 out of 10 then macca is only at a 6 for me

[kaesarsosei]

i know - some players play one season for us and the next thing fans are talking about them being legends

macca though is a nice guy - i've met him and he's much taller than you'd think - but if a lfc legend is 10 out of 10 then macca is only at a 6 for me

As a player, he was right up there - a 9/10. But with the way he left the club and considering he was part of the spice-boy culture, means he is way down any legend leaderboard.

[Barrow Shaun]

I thought he was great as a player, and haven't seen enough of him talking off the pitch to make a judgement about anything else.

[Crosby Nick]

He was arguably our most important player of the 90s. One of a select few to have played a part in our only 2 cup wins of the decade. I’d have Fowler above him but that’s about it (if you associate Barnes and Rish more with their 80s heyday).

That probably does leave you lower down the overall legend pecking order but I think his importance to us back then shouldn’t be understated.

[liverbloke]

He was arguably our most important player of the 90s. One of a select few to have played a part in our only 2 cup wins of the decade. I’d have Fowler above him but that’s about it (if you associate Barnes and Rish more with their 80s heyday).

That probably does leave you lower down the overall legend pecking order but I think his importance to us back then shouldn’t be understated.

sunak played for us back then?

[Barrow Shaun]

sunak played for us back then?

Right wing?

[redgriffin73]

Right wing?

[thaddeus]

Dunno if you can really call them title races but yeah...quite often fell away at the end (95/96 we got 12 points from our last 8 games, 96/97 8 points from our last 8 games) Both of those seasons those last 8 games were the difference between us and United (they took 21 from their last 8 in 95/96 and finished 11 points ahead, and they took 15 from their last 8 in 96/97 and finished 7 ahead of us). 96/97 I reckon David James single handedly cost us that one, he had some absolute shockers around that time.

I hated the b'stard then and I hate his son but if we'd have had Peter Schmeichel we'd have won titles during that period.  As much as our defence was varying degrees of crap I reckon the two goalkeepers alone were worth a 15 point swing each season.

[Mister Flip Flop]

Eh he's not a legend or even close. Can't talk as to his life as a pundit as i've been watching the football with the sound off or on a Spanish stream for years now.

[El Lobo]

Bear in mind the thread title is from 2007. At that point he was probably in the top five players of the last two decades, so people of a certain age probably would have seen him as something of a legend considering how barren those years were.

[Fitzy.]

He was arguably our most important player of the 90s. One of a select few to have played a part in our only 2 cup wins of the decade. I’d have Fowler above him but that’s about it (if you associate Barnes and Rish more with their 80s heyday).

That probably does leave you lower down the overall legend pecking order but I think his importance to us back then shouldn’t be understated.

Whisper it but he was possibly more important than Fowler - but there's certainly an argument for the opposite.

McManaman was brilliant. I went to Anfield quite a bit in the mid-90s and it was very mixed in terms of the football you watched. What was great though was the genuine surge in a rumbling noise when he got the ball. It was like everyone began to quietly growl in anticipation of what he might do. He was vital to most good things in that era.

Whisper it even more quietly...but I don't mind him as a pundit. I don't love him but I don't think he's malicious or poisonous. Disagreeing with him about football isn't the character analysis you might think it is.

PS: do love an occasional wild thread bump.

[Fitzy.]

Its obviously not evidence of why he didnt do well in RM as such, but I think it just about sums the c*nt up. There;s only 1 thing that matters to Owen and thats Michael Owen. Compare how Nando for example has settled into life in Liverpool. He left his beloved Atleti to win more (obviously not in the way Owen did but....) and when he came here he fell in love with the club and immersed himself in all it stands for (e.g. watching all videos of past teams etc). If Owen had any real sense of loyalty to anything other than himself he would have done the same in RM. I dont even think he has that loyalty to England. That love affair is (like everything else) all about HIM and glory for HIM.

Agree with those who say about Macca he did leave in a "better" way to Owen but I think he too lost any chance to be a legend with that.....

Looking at this thread is interesting. Here's a fan explaining why Nando is better than Owen because of loyalty etc. Kind of sweet in hindsight. I guess the moral of the story is that we're regularly lulled into a sense that our players love our club...until they don't.

[oojason]

Looking at this thread is interesting. Here's a fan explaining why Nando is better than Owen because of loyalty etc. Kind of sweet in hindsight. I guess the moral of the story is that we're regularly lulled into a sense that our players love our club...until they don't.

When the poster says "Agree with those who say about Macca he did leave in a "better" way to Owen but I think he too lost any chance to be a legend with that"... he's not wrong. The ongoing lies and excuses from at the time Owen as to why he didn't sign the contract extension with us also grated with many fans.

Though that's probably more suited to discussion in an Owen thread.

[Son of Spion]

I think he was a joy to watch on the pitch, but he's not a Liverpool legend for me. Joey Jones is more of a Liverpool legend in my eyes.

It's not just about ability on the pitch for me. It's respect for the club and how a player behaves. For me, the likes of McManaman and Owen fall short, despite their on-pitch contributions. It's all subjective though.

[Garlicbread]

He didn't miss a lot of games either until his last year at the club. So he was always available.

[lgvkarlos]

I think he was a joy to watch on the pitch, but he's not a Liverpool legend for me. Joey Jones is more of a Liverpool legend in my eyes.

It's not just about ability on the pitch for me. It's respect for the club and how a player behaves. For me, the likes of McManaman and Owen fall short, despite their on-pitch contributions. It's all subjective though.

Agree, what a player though.
 An absolute joy to watch, if he'd have been Brazilian would have been a world superstar.

Absolute opposite as a commentator, completely sucks the life out of a game.

[BOBSCOUSE]

Brilliant player, don't get too affected by his punditry and commentating but he is a bit of a twat.

Always remember the two goals he scored within a week or two, where he beat both teams as he ran the length of the pitch - Celtic was one of them, escapes my mind who the other team was.  The guy was just superb on the ball.

[Crosby Nick]

Brilliant player, don't get too affected by his punditry and commentating but he is a bit of a twat.

Always remember the two goals he scored within a week or two, where he beat both teams as he ran the length of the pitch - Celtic was one of them, escapes my mind who the other team was.  The guy was just superb on the ball.

Villa at home on a Monday night. Won 3-0.

First goal in here: https://youtu.be/7BGNvUMKWsE

I’d forgotten about that Newcastle away goal, screamer.

He’s one of those rare players that could run as quickly with the ball at his feet as without.

[Pistolero]

Legend.......kin ell 

[Fitzy.]

Villa at home on a Monday night. Won 3-0.

First goal in here: https://youtu.be/7BGNvUMKWsE

I’d forgotten about that Newcastle away goal, screamer.

He’s one of those rare players that could run as quickly with the ball at his feet as without.

He scored so many good goals. Great clip. He was superb.

Getting bogged down in some ‘legend’ debate distracts from the fact he was great. He played in a very underwhelming era for the club. Bit like Fowler - his peak years weren’t trophy-laden. Trent is an interesting comparison in that he’s come into the side at a perfect time. His brilliance adorned with silverware while being developed by a world class coach. McManaman didn’t have these conditions.

[Saus76]

Bit overrated if you ask me.

Far from it. Underrated by many in my opinion. In that mid 90's team he was electric. Both him and Fowler were unplayable.