Tonight it has been confirmed that on Friday, January 2nd, 2015 Liverpool captain, hero, legend, Steven Gerrard will be departing at the end of the season. To know that Gerrard will be spending the last few years of his career anywhere else than Liverpool is absolutely devastating. I hope that in the future John Henry will do the right thing and give the man a 1 match contract just so he can retire as a red. Steven Gerrard has do a service to Liverpool Football Club and its’ city so sincere that only Dalglish rivals him in his efforts. It is extremely difficult to know that the best English player to grace us in the past 10 years is going to hang up his boots on such a low. It is unfortunate to know he will forever be remembered not only for his greatness, but also for his unfortunate slip against Chelsea that kept him from gaining the one true bit of silverware he desired.
Source: liverpoolfc.com
But to be totally and completely honest with you, this moment shouldn’t be happening. Gerrard is easily capable of remaining a Liverpool player but being demoted to a super sub/rotation role. He could still give another 2-3 seasons if kept on the bench playing 45-40mins each week while maintaining his guidance over the club, making a smooth transaction from a team with him being so crucial, to a team no longer in need of his services. Many players have done this in the past and it works swimmingly, for an example just look at Chelsea’s treatment of Lampard. They never relied on him too heavily and never put themselves in a position to where they felt that without Lampard, they would fail to get results. They did this with the likes of Drogba, Cole, and Terry and it’s exactly how the club should’ve been going about it for the past 2 years. Sir Alex built Manchester United on that type of foundation and made that very apparent with his treatment of Beckham and Ronaldo. I firmly believe Rodgers’ horrendous management this season has lead to such a drastic decision by Gerrard. Had Rodgers’ not been constantly starting Gerrard (among others) every week and relying on him so heavily, I don’t believe he would’ve taken the opportunity to finish his career elsewhere. A part of me is relieved to know that Gerrard will be gone, not because I want him to go or I think ill of him, but because Rodgers has driven him into the dirt and is keeping him there with his atrocious decision making. I am in complete and utter disdain with Rodgers and no longer want him at the club. His decisions are tearing us apart from week to week.
I am truly devastated to see Gerrard go. No player in the world will ever fill his boots at our great club, and we won’t see another one like him for years to come. Envied and beloved by legends, peers, and fans worldwide; the demise of Steven Gerrard is truly one of the greatest crimes in sports history.
Merseyside Fischer
Latest posts by Merseyside Fischer (see all)
- Liverpool’s Potential 41 Exits Over Next 2 Summer Windows - March 7, 2016
- Why Teixeira is a Financial Risk worth Taking and Why Liverpool Can Afford To - January 26, 2016
- January 1st: Time for Klopp to take out the garbage - December 22, 2015
Wow this is knee jerk.
1) Steven is leaving because he wants first team football, he doesn’t want to be a bit part player. In that respect the only criticism you can lump at BR is that he said that he wouldn’t be managing his games at that he’d be a first teamer if he retired from England.
2) Gerrard is playing bad football at the moment.
3) If not for the influence of BR he wouldn’t have moved into that deeper role last year, where he topped the premier league assists charts and nearly captained us to greatness.
4) The club offered him a new contract in November. He delayed making s decision, my guess is he now realizes that he can’t be an authoritative figure over 90 minutes at this level, and he realizes that’s what he wants so he’s going down a level.
He could have signed the contract and seen out his career at LFC, but he doesn’t want to. Stevie never wanted to be a super sub, he wanted to lead from the front. BR obliged on the back of stevie’s form in the first half of 14, as any good manager would.
My only criticism of Gerrard here is that he is choosing not go the way of a one club man, retiring before the inevitable ebb like carra did, but that he wants to go play in the great retirement league, the MLS. American fans will likely be offended at what I’m saying about their league, I’m sorry but that’s just how the big players see it.