All these people belittling those showing genuine concern about the value that Gerrard has been adding to our team and rightly pointing out that over the last 3 seasons we've managed better results (i.e. points) without him in the team than with him in... why? I understand he has been a legend, and we all hope that he can turn it on again, and given his slightly better performances at he Euros, maybe he can. But surely blind stupid faith is more damaging to our side than anything? Maybe it is just right that we wouldnt have been through all of the recent heartache if we'd figured out how to get more out of a changing Stevie than struggling through with him anchoring our midfield sometimes.
These threads always frustrate me because there seems to be a general blindness around this issue.
It's crystal clear to me, play him deep in midfield and we either lose out or just do ok in the main, play him as part of an attacking unit and we all prosper. The problem is it's a debate that's been done to death and not many fancy going over it again. Wouldn't call it a blindness, just a near pointless exercise as the time is gone now: whatever is done now, the time for the player's best aligning with the team's best to get us major titles is gone. Even if we played him in the three up top, he gets 15 goals and 10 assists next season, there are too many flaws in the squad (even with some astute signings) to get us the league title.
With Gerrard, don't think it's a matter of turning it 'on' again mate. It's all still there; it's where and how to play him. I remember watching him in his early years, his debut goal against Sheffield Wednesday when he dummied his way past two players and finished; remember thinking "Here's a guy who can lock down the right flank for the next 15 years". Curse the day he got it into his head that he fancied 'taking a game by the scruff of the neck'.
