Steven Gerrard

[Buzzo]

Actually it would be funny if he did return to play and in a dead rubber (having won the first leg of the EL quarter finals 4-0) Klopp started him and he was withdrawn after 15 mins gasping for breath and red as a beetroot. Kloop can give him one of his biggest hugs as he crosses the line. My god I hate Gerrard these days!Probably should get something for it.

Seriously? That's a ridiculous thing to say.

He is one of our greats.

[ame="http://youtu.be/UH6xY01jp5A"]Steven Gerrard ● Best Goals Ever ● 1998-2014 - YouTube[/ame]

[Shaggy]

Liverpool return for Steven Gerrard begs the question: how was he allowed to leave in first place?

COMMENT: Former Anfield captain could in line for sensation return

Ian Herbert @ianherbs 9 hours ago0 comments

The most obvious answers are often there all along. It just requires the gift of fresh eyes to see them. That’s why Jürgen Klopp looked at Alberto Moreno, a left-back, and thought it would be a very good idea for Liverpool to start employing him as... a left-back. And it is the reason he wondered why on God’s earth Steven Gerrard, an individual so fundamental to Liverpool Football Club that he would text transfer targets on the manager’s behalf and break bread with prospective owners, had been allowed to leave Anfield and close the door behind him.

If the very detailed picture of his exit which Gerrard has released in fragments is to be believed, then it has been nothing less than a dereliction of duty on the club’s part. The man was woven into the fabric of the place, just like Jamie Carragher – another who should never have gone. Yet when his agent, Struan Marshall, turned up for a critical contract meeting, the chief executive, Ian Ayre, was late. The assignation lasted a mere 15 minutes because Liverpool had other engagements to see to.

The contrast with Manchester United’s commitment to Ryan Giggs is striking. I remember how, after David Moyes’ departure, some clumsy phrasing on my part created the faint impression that United might be prepared to lose Giggs if Louis van Gaal had not wanted him. The executive chairman, Ed Woodward, let me know his displeasure.

You always felt there was an element of self-preservation where Brendan Rodgers was concerned. Many outsiders have felt the keen, critical eye of the Merseyside establishment in the Anfield corridors and sought to protect themselves against it. Rodgers appointed many acolytes with a very distinctive brand of devotion to him. Gerrard respected his coaching deeply but was not religiously devoted. Klopp does not fear a Gerrard power base. He has the self-confidence to know that he is the man.

It is certainly a less complicated discussion that he will have with Gerrard than the ones Rodgers found himself circling around at a time when the captain’s expectations of game time exceeded what Rodgers was prepared to offer last season. The conversation between the two when Rodgers told Gerrard last March that he would not be starting against Manchester United was excruciating. The occasional start, which has not been ruled out, would now be extraordinary. Back then it felt desultory. The allure of LA was also in the background, then. Gerrard knows the Californian reality, now. Long-distance travel. A variable quality of sport. Loneliness.

Klopp is not the only one who has appreciated that a presence such as Gerrard or Carragher offers something more ethereal than a day-to-day contribution. The deep commitment of Tom Werner, the chairman, to Gerrard staying seemed to compound the mystery of how they let him go in the first place. Klopp wants Gerrard to bring professionalism to Melwood, though the 35-year-old’s contribution amid such emerging talents as Cameron Brannagan and Connor Randall is likely to reach well beyond that. To have watched Gerrard at close quarters at the club’s Kirkby academy, a year ago, was to know the effect he has on the club’s next generation.

One of the 10 giant boards depicting Liverpool legends at Anfield encapsulates what Liverpool lost when he left. “Once in a generation a player comes along for whom nothing seems impossible,” it states. “Luckily that man wears the No 8 shirt at Anfield.” There could be no wiser move than Klopp’s attempt to draw him back.

[Alex]

Agree with that 100%

He should never have been put in the position to feel like he had a decision to make.

Just give him a contract and let him transition to coaching if thats what he wants. He could be invaluable in telling younger and less experienced players about the pressures.

He wont play much, but even as a sub on the bench that can come back on for a final 10 minutes in a high stakes game he is worth it.

[Vermilion]

Bring him home.

[meffin]

Yep- bring him back to learn from Klopp and become a coach

[Bender]

Bring him home.

Bring him home? What is he a Hostage Call them Mofo's The A-Team

[Bender]

Still think he can be useful to the team and more so under Klopp

[Phoenix07]

I'm not keen on him in a playing role. There's a lot of sentimentality around him, which makes us forget that he is declining. He should be playing much further forward, but I do think his presence around the place would be great, and a clear recognition by Klopp on the lack of leaders.

[Rich]

If he's happy to play occasionally in an attacking role, wide out on the right for example then he could still do a good job. Otherwise let him take up a role in Klopp's backroom staff and learn the ropes of coaching.

[Bender]

I'm not keen on him in a playing role. There's a lot of sentimentality around him, which makes us forget that he is declining. He should be playing much further forward, but I do think his presence around the place would be great, and a clear recognition by Klopp on the lack of leaders.

I think given are injuries list and lack of experience in younger players,being able to call on Gerrard even for 15/20 mins would benefit the team....but this remains to be seen if Klopp would even be keen on this.

[calvoboy]

Press Association have been briefed that it's for training only:

http://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/article/165/10055256/-?

Makes sense to me - come and train, show the other lads what standards they need to maintain on the training ground, then when you've finished your swan song season in the MLS next year come and join us as a coach in 2017.

[The_weatherman]

Oh, he's only coming to train, well that could be beneficial for the other players, good deal allround.

[kev776]

I would literally explode if he was back to play, I'll be incandescent if he is back at all with the seniors. The man has no place or right to just barge back in. he can't play for toffee any more and what he knows about your actual tactics could be written on the back of a stamp with space left for another stamp.

Great word, well done Sir.

[cream]

Bring him home.

[Slinky Skills]

Would love it if he came home, just having him around the place would be enough of a boost.