It's bizarre, he was playing Lallana in that midfield three in the warm up games, then inexplicably decided to change it for the tournament. Idiot.
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Klopp on LFC vs MUFC (March 9th 2016) - "This is why I love football. This is why we watched it when we were young. I can still not have enough of it."
Always, keep your face to the sun, and shadows will fall behind you.Comment
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vid of stevie age 12
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzM-et4JZ8g"]YOUNG STEVEN GERRARD,12 YEARS OLD, PLAYING AT WHISTON JUNIORS PART 2. - YouTube[/ame]Oh I say his vision there was lovelyComment
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65 goals in a season and 24 in 6 games.
Trey Nyoni: countdown to stardom-2 years1year0.5 yearsComment
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England captain Steven Gerrard announces international retirement
Liverpool skipper, 34, vows to concentrate on club career after winning 114 caps for England following failed World Cup campaign in Brazil
England captain Steven Gerrard has announced his retirement from international football in a statement released via the Football Association this afternoon.
Gerrard made the decision after spending the past month contemplating his next step following England’s disappointing World Cup performance in Brazil.
It will have been one of the toughest decisions of Gerrard’s career, giving up the England captaincy he treasured so much and waited so long to call his own, an honour he accepted with pride, diligence and responsibility when he was offered the job full-time under Roy Hodgson.
Wearing the armband ensured the 34-year-old wrestled with his feelings as he contemplated his international future, fully aware Hodgson and his assistant Gary Neville wanted him as their chief lieutenant for the forthcoming Euro 2016 qualifiers.
There was much for Gerrard to ponder after England’s poor showing this summer, however.
Gerrard’s club responsibilities will be stretched in the season ahead with Liverpool back in the Champions League and Brendan Rodgers assembling a squad to challenge for the Premier League title. He has made it clear Liverpool's European return and the demands on his body is a factor in his decision
For the Liverpool captain, reality had to bite at some point and it is evident he could no longer be expected to overexert himself. He knows this decision will enable him to continue to play at the highest level for his club far longer.
It is huge blow for Hodgson who must now find a replacement for the man who has played 114 times for his country. One of the reasons the FA was so eager for Gerrard to continue to wear the three lions is there is no natural successor.
Emerging youngsters such as Ross Barkley are more attacking players, whereas Gerrard has spent the latter years of his career for club and country playing deep. There is a chronic shortage of players of his ilk.
His team-mate Jordan Henderson and Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere will be expected to step up in the absence Gerrard and Frank Lampard, but they still have plenty to prove at international level.
Gerrard’s announcement brings an end to 14 year England career. There will be those who believe he represents an era of unfulfilled promise for his country, one of several genuinely world class players who have consistently demonstrated their quality in the Champions League and Premier League but could not inspire England to the same heights.
That assessment will seem harsh, but Gerrard is as self-critical as anyone. While he will take pride in his personal accolades – not least an appearance record that places him alongside our country’s most accomplished representatives – he will always lament the lack of success at major tournaments.
When Gerrard made his England debut it seemed the country was on the verge of an exciting new era.
He was called up as a teenager by Kevin Keegan, initially to train with the squad, but was then given his debut on his 20th birthday against Ukraine in 2000. His impressive showing forced him into that year’s European championships squad.
Early England call-ups were disrupted by injury. At Euro 2000 he starred in England’s victory over Germany, only to have to sit out the subsequent defeat to Romania.
Nevertheless, when Keegan departed to be replace by Sven Goran Eriksson, Gerrard became a pivotal figure in what would be described as ‘the golden generation’ of English footballers. He was outstanding in the famous 5-1 win in Munich, when he scored from 20 yards but drove the team from the centre of the park.
A more introverted character than his peers at the time – most notably former captain David Beckham – Gerrard was misunderstood for a long period at England level.
Eriksson felt more at home buying into the Beckham glitz, while Fabio Capello completely misread the Liverpool captain’s character, believing him to be too ‘shy’ to wear the England armband full-time. Gerrard has always been a more studiously determined type who will speak when he feels it is right rather than to fill the air with vacuous tub-thumping. Capello, and especially some his assistants, never seemed to get that.
Gerrard became the victim of one of the most farcical episodes in the recent history of the England team when, in the aftermath of Capello’s exit in 2012, caretaker manager Stuart Pearce summoned him to tell him he’d been overlooked to captain his country for Scott Parker.
This blunder was corrected by Hodgson when he took over as England manager before Euro 2012, but it remains one of the low points of Gerrard’s international career. In retrospect it is an incident that can only be recalled with incredulity.
Other setbacks included missing out on the 2002 World Cup through injury at a time when Eriksson’s squad showed the first hints it would never fulfil its promise.
Two penalty shoot-out defeats to Portugal in Euro 2004 and Euro 2006 ended genuine hopes of international success for an excellent group of players.
Gerrard did lead England at the World Cup in 2010 after John Terry was forced to give up the role, but there were tensions in the camp and the Liverpool captain later admitted it was not a satisfying experience. Only under Hodgson has the title ‘England captain’ been permanent even though personal satisfaction could not marry with professional fulfilment. His error against Uruguay was a cruel end to his international career, but there will only be warmth and glowing testimonies from all those who managed him and played alongside him.
He leaves the role in a time of transition for England. Hodgson’s youthful picks offered some hope in Brazil, but the results were demoralising for all concerned. Gerrard has been denied the prospect of walking away from the England shirt on a high. The lack of silverware means he will never see himself as one of England’s greatest, but there have been few – if any – more talented footballers to represent this country in the last 40 years than Steven Gerrard.Comment
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They have never appreciated him enough. Legend
The times they are a changin'.Comment
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Great decision.Thanks very much for being ‘This Mornings’ Farmer’Comment
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They will miss him now he's gone!
Good decision.Comment
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Get in. Delighted with this
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Gutted it ended as it did for him and England, but the right decision."Its not about the long ball or the short ball, its about the right ball." Bob PaisleyComment
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Excellent news, the breaks will be brilliant for him.Comment
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Great news. England are ****.Brandt - Keita - Van Dijk - SessegnonComment
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