Steven Gerrard

[Nicey]

I agree ... I also dont nor have I ever think he is a good captain .. he leads by being a brilliant footballer ... thats not what required at the moment ... when Sunderland scored yesterday he by far had the worse body language .. hands by the side... shoulders shrugged ... I was reminded of Roy Keane at his best .. ****ing tearing a stripe off of his players ... they are not Gerrards players out there ... never have been ... we are missing a real leader out there these days ...

This Liverpool Team have a very very very ****ing soft under belly other teams know it ... time to ****ing man you.. you bunch of cunts

otherwise ; ) some improvements .. ironically Allen was pushing forward more and Stevie hanging back ... when it probally needed to be the other way around ... we need to sign another DM perhaps get Momo back

[Eric Swindler]

I agree with all that 100%

[the rev leeroy brown]

i see gerrard struggling to accept his role in the new setup. i know rodgers sees' no reason for gerrard to change his game etc... but after yesterday (and taking into account his start to the season) gerrard really is at his best playing the number 10 role off a front striker (a la torres days and lesser extent suarez in the times we've seen him play there) and doing the darting runs in behind the defensive line.

our new system has him stuck too rigidly to a set role and a slower possession game. i believe in the system and think it will work but i worry gerrard at this stage in his career might struggle to adapt. there is no denying his influence as captain is superb, he really has led by example for years as a dominant force on the pitch, but maybe he has to accept he is no longer untouchable.

[Tee]

Gerrard was not that bad FFS. He was awful against Arsenal and I think some people have got a bit carried away with that performance.

Still an inspiration just a touch off form as he is coming to terms with this new system. He is a proper footballer and will adjust and show that he is far from finished.

Wouldn't have been that bad a performance if he scored rather than hit the post would it?

Lets hold judgements on all the players for few more games yet because as far as I can see we are getting there.

[Chris]

Gerrard was not that bad FFS. He was awful against Arsenal and I think some people have got a bit carried away with that performance.

Still an inspiration just a touch off form as he is coming to terms with this new system. He is a proper footballer and will adjust and show that he is far from finished.

Wouldn't have been that bad a performance if he scored rather than hit the post would it?

Lets hold judgements on all the players for few more games yet because as far as I can see we are getting there.

Yep, find all the criticism of him a bit weird given we dominated that game for about 70 mins of the 90.

[Tee]

Yep, find all the criticism of him a bit weird given we dominated that game for about 70 mins of the 90.

[Nicey]

Does not get away from the fact that he does not organize the team during the game nor does he push them on when we are down in the dumps ... he was not the worse player out there but he is obviously taken some time to get used to this system ...

Would love to see him play in Borini's position

[Mostar]

He was better than he has been
Was never our best player

He should have scored.. Missing the target from that position is never unlucky.

Had much better game than against Arsenal but it is clear that he cannot play high up the pitch any longer as his speed and burst of pace are gone.


I know we didn't have a big budget this summer but we need to buy AM sooner rather than later.

[Fosterbloke]

Had much better game than against Arsenal but it is clear that he cannot play high up the pitch any longer as his speed and burst of pace are gone.


I know we didn't have a big budget this summer but we need to buy AM sooner rather than later.

Goetze please!

[Mostar]

Goetze please!

[Yozza]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/premier-league/how-do-you-solve-a-problem-like-gerrard-3232382.html

How do you solve a problem like Gerrard?

MOST great athletes have an enormous ego which allows them to do things others wouldn't even contemplate. In Steven Gerrard's case, it's what made him think that he would be able to score a 35-yard volley in the last minute of the 2006 FA Cup final, even though he could barely walk because of cramp. His technique and talent allowed him to execute it -- his ego made him believe that he could.

A goal at Anfield once caused him to run towards the Kop mouthing the words "I am the man. I am the f****** man," as thousands of supporters looked back at him in agreement. The problem is that, in his eyes at least, Gerrard has been the 'f****** man' for so long that he's unable to change.

In the days before Liverpool's opening game of the season, Gerrard spoke the usual platitudes about a new manager -- for the third consecutive season -- and also about his willingness to do what was asked of him. Yet the ego was never far from the surface.

"People want me to say I can't play the same way any more," said Gerrard, "that I have to go deeper to control the game and play a slower game -- but believe me, it's not happening. Not yet. I believe passionately I can play a dynamic energy-type game."

If that sounded over-confident, what followed bordered on delusional.

"People keep mentioning Paul Scholes, but he's four years older than me," added Gerrard, who is actually just over five years younger than the Manchester United maestro. "I'll play the Scholes role when I feel it's time, but it's not time yet. I can play that role no problem, I played it when I was 21, so I can do it when I'm 32, 33 or 34."

It takes some ego to believe you can mimic a role perfected by the best English midfielder in decades, and do it "no problem", but so far this season most evidence points to the contrary.

Over the years, Gerrard's 'dynamic energy-type game' has usually involved firing passes over 50 yards rather than 15, smashing shots from long-range and often popping up with goals, which, understandably, can paper over plenty of misplaced passes.

On Saturday, had his late shot crept just inside the post against Sunderland, many would have been hailing the resurrection of Liverpool's Stevie G superhero character, the one who specialises in tugging at the heart while simultaneously fogging the mind.

The trick seems to work remarkably well when applied to analysts on British television as, for years, Andy Gray insisted that Steven -- Gray would rarely call him Gerrard -- should be allowed to influence matters from the centre of a four-man midfield, despite his propensity for giving the ball away.

On Saturday's 'Match of the Day', Alan Shearer took the same tone when comparing Gerrard to his midfield partner Joe Allen.

"We know about Allen's stats about how many times he gets the ball and finds his own team-mates, which is great and pleasing on the eye," said Shearer, with an unmistakeable tone of criticism in his voice.

Shearer then showed four clips of Allen passing the ball sideways, or "taking the easy option", even though all of the other options could potentially have put the receiving player in trouble.

To contrast the point, Shearer picked out two passes from Gerrard which set Liverpool on the attack, but neglected to show the several other occasions when Gerrard ran out of patience and tried a booming pass, which either went to a Sunderland player or out of play. If Scholes was so wasteful, he would retire again.

It's no coincidence that Gerrard's best season came when he was surrounded by Fernando Torres, Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso, when Liverpool finished second in 2009. Those three players would improve any team but, equally significantly, it absolved Gerrard of a midfielder's responsibility because if he lost possession, as he often does, Mascherano could get it back and allow Alonso to dictate the tempo. Gerrard could then pop up to take the acclaim.

On Saturday, United had almost 200 fewer passes than Liverpool but with Scholes at the heart of everything, rarely looked anything but in control as his partnership with Michael Carrick contrasted sharply with that of the sterile domination enjoyed by Allen and Gerrard.

In terms of getting headlines and having impact rather than control on games, Gerrard is closer to David Beckham than Scholes and how Brendan Rodgers solves the Gerrard problem will dictate his future at the club.

When Manchester United last travelled to Anfield in January, Kenny Dalglish substituted a peripheral Gerrard with 18 minutes remaining and the score level at 1-1, something that no other Liverpool manager in Gerrard's time could have got away with against their bitterest rivals.

Should Rodgers do the same next weekend when the two teams meet again, it's unlikely the Anfield crowd would be so accepting with the possibility of starting with two points from their opening five games looming large. If Gerrard genuinely feels that he can morph into Scholes whenever he feels like it, this Sunday might be a good time to put his actions where his ego is.

[Eric Swindler]

Probably written by a scum fan, but it's largely accurate.

[Shaggy]

It is accurate but the tone is a bit ****ing snidey.

Also the bit at the end re Kenny taking Gerrard off isn't wholly accurate - Gerrard wasn't fully fit, and IMO a far greater statement was when Rafa took him off, at the peak of his powers, at Goodison Park.

[The Birdman]

Probably written by a scum fan, but it's largely accurate.

It's 100% accurate.
Makes no difference who wrote it.

I though Gerrard was fine vs Sunderland, showed more patience and generally contributed in what was an improved performance.
If however he can't/won't evolve into a cog in Rodgers' wheel then he either needs to be sub or played in a wide front role i.e not in the midfield which is vital to how Rodgers's team operate.

All successful sides have a style of play or a set system, if any player doesn't or won't fit into it they don't play. That includes Gerrard

[Tee]

It's 100% accurate.
Makes no difference who wrote it.

I though Gerrard was fine vs Sunderland, showed more patience and generally contributed in what was an improved performance.
If however he can't/won't evolve into a cog in Rodgers' wheel then he either needs to be sub or played in a wide front role i.e not in the midfield which is vital to how Rodgers's team operate.

All successful sides have a style of play or a set system, if any player doesn't or won't fit into it they don't play. That includes Gerrard

Going by Saturdays performance he actually fitted in better than several others.