Cole will probably get few mid week games and league cup if that, shame really since he used to be a quality player
Henderson has not shown any real potential in a Liverpool FC shirt , he had IMO a pretty poor season by premier league standards so i dont see where all this so called potential you talk about is coming from ?.... I know your going to say oh wait Henderson was played out of position blah blah , Gerrard can play any position on the park , wide left ,wide right, in the middle , right back, centre half ,striker and probably f*CKING GOALKEEPER! Gerrards atitude last season was spot on he suffered from niggling injuries but was still better than most when he played , seems to me that unless Gerrard gives a Roy Of the Rovers display every match you want to knock him , Henderson can play for 100 years and will NEVER play at Gerrards level how you can sit there and continually knock one of the greatest midfielders of his time and at the same time trump up henderson is quite astonishing
Gerrard saved himself for the Euros in Kenny's final days (played one of the last six league games) just like he saved himself for the World Cup in Rafa's last season. He's had three poor seasons now for Liverpool, so why should next season be any different? The question is, where does Rodgers fit him in? I don't want him centre mid. The amount of mileage he had to put in running around doing all the grafting in the Euros will have taken a lot out of him as well.
Unfortunately some will never fully appreciated Gerrard until he's retired. Its doubtful we will see a player of his calibre playing in our midfield for a very, very long time. The longer we can keep him playing the better.
After looking at the English team with Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson. I would remove these two asap and try to use Carroll usefully. A signing or two. Carroll might never still be £35 million, but he can be better. Not to mention the fact that how can it be Raheem Sterling, young and energetic, is not ahead of Stewart Downing who is clearly lost his quality last season. As for Gerrard being England captain. I'll give Hart one good season at City, proves himself enough, it would be difficult (even though he should improve his work on crossing).
Agreed. You would think that he was completely over the hill and had become as much of a liability as Carragher with the amount of people who want to retire him. I could understand our set of fans wanting him phased out if we had a fantastic squad of midfielders and he had become surplus to requirements. But while we still have the likes of Spearing, Henderson, Adam, Shelvey and Downing etc - surely he should be a regular starter? (Obviously providing he's fully fit). I know that Gerrard will never be the same player as he was in his twenties but even on a bad day he's still better than the majority of said names on a good day. So until we bring in some better/more attacking mind midfielders he'll still be right in the mix for me. At least for another couple years barring injury anyway.
I dare say we won't do. He's one of our best ever players, but for the last three seasons he's been poor in a Liverpool shirt. Fact.
Is it Gerrard who had a couple of poor seasons or Liverpool having a couple of poor Managers (changing formations)? Yes, Gerrard had a short spell of Injuries, but so did Giggs, only to prove he has lots of life left in him after his hamstring injury 6 years ago. Too many people are far to eager to right players off over 30yr, not taking into account medical & diet improvements over the years as & will give some players more longativity in the game. Mark my words, we'll see Gerrard still playing in 2/3 years time, world class players like Gerrard have much more to give.
Regardless of what Gerrard has done in previous seasons he's still better than what we have Ritchie. So surely on that logic alone he should be in the starting eleven in some sort of capacity? There's a reason why Gerrard is the captain of England and was our best player in the Euro's by some distance. And why Henderson and Downing barely got a sniff. It's because one is good enough and the other two are not. Not to mention our other less than mediocre midfielders. Yet, Stevie should be thrown on the scrapheap? If your only argument is what he's done in previous seasons then did Alonso not have two poor seasons as well before having a cracking one? There's no reason why Gerrard can't do the same despite being the wrong side of thirty and past his best. I really hope that he does now just so people can get off his dick if nothing else.
Changing formations by playing Gerrard where he wants to play? Remember him having a boss season on the right for Rafa and then the next season he stopped trying until Rafa put him back in the middle. If Gerrard wasn't playing centre mid for the last few seasons, and was playing off the striker or out on the right, then he'd have been better no doubt. We'll have to wait and see where Rodgers wants to play him, and whether he insists on having to be in the middle again. It's a case of where he plays. And where have a few of Gerrard's best performances come from in recent seasons for us? Off the bench. He's an impact player these days.
only Agger, Skrtel & Suarez had a better season than Gerrard in a Liverpool shirt last season , I would include Enrique but his form fell away badly in the 2nd half of the season , thats three players out of a squad of 25 ....... Gerrard is still our talisman regardless of what some on here want you to believe , even on an average day he is better than most in our team
Enrique had a good half a season. Lucas had a very good half a season before his injury. Johnson had a good season. Bellamy had a good first half to the season. Maxi offered more than Gerrard last season and he rarely even got on the pitch. Gerrard played well in maybe three games last season. He did nothing for most of the season. One good game against a weakened Everton side in the derby, one good game against Newcastle off the bench, a decent game in the cup against City. I'm struggling to think of any others. He was awful in the two cup finals, and sat out the league for the last couple of months, and rarely played at all before Christmas.
Reina, Carragher, Spearing, Adam, Henderson, Downing, Kuyt, Enrique for the second part of the season and Carroll for the majority were all terrible. We have had two extremely poor seasons apart from the cup runs but you can't put that all on Gerrard's shoulders. He's carried us for over a decade but now because his level has dropped like the majority of the team he's ready to put out to pasture. If the best player that England currently has to offer isn't good enough for a place in this mediocre Liverpool team then it's sad day for football or at least i personally find it so disheartening.
Changing formation did change his role, if you don't believe changing formation from 4-2-3-1 to 4-4-2, has an affect ALL players performance, then you're only kidding yourself. Gerrard played on the right 2005/6, so you are now saying he poor from 2007-12? get real.... his perform dropped in 2010, when Hodsgon brought in 4-4-2, which KK also continued with the following season, the whole teams performance suffered. Gerrard was role changed to CM under 4-4-2, NOT an attracting midfield in a 4-2-3-1. As for Rodgers, you're now couching out bullshit to suit your agenda by referring Gerrard is going to tell Rodgers were HE is going to play? piss off. Ofcourse Gerrard going to play in midfield, yet, again that depends on the formation Rodgers chooses.... so please piss off with your agenda & get that chip off your shoulder over Gerrard turning 32yrs. When a young player is good enough, he will oust that player ahead of him, only then will that happen.... if he's not being given that chance, its the manager who's at fault, not the PLAYER who's keeping the kid out.
All I said was that Hodgson coming in and changing back to 4-4-2 with Gerrard back in the middle was what Steven Gerrard wanted! And, yes, he has been poor since, and was poor in Rafa's last season. His last good season was 08/09 when he was brilliant playing off Torres. If those two had stayed fit all season we'd have won the league. Ever since that season he's done next to nothing Gerrard made it clear to the last two managers he wanted to play central midfield, like he just has with Hodgson again with England. Whether the manager chooses to take any notice is up to them. Hodgson and Dalglish did, maybe Rodgers will play him somewhere else. He can still be a great player, but it's about finding the right role for him. He's comfortably our highest paid player and, again, has done very little in a Liverpool shirt for three full seasons. We need to see something from him next season to justify his wages.
The whole team had a bad season in Rafa's last year.... remember!!! Rafa went though 16 players across the back line in 2months (sept- Oct) due an unusual amount of injuries during that period, added to fact Aquillani wasn't ready until xmas plus what you point out above. All clubs having injuries i know, but cost us as it did other clubs. Yet, you wish to point out its GERRARDS fault? Accusing him of having a bad season? Its all his fault? Again with your AGENDA, he's a midfielder for god sake!!! where else do you play Gerrard? If you play Gerrard on the wing you then accuse the manager of playing out of position! If a manager choose to play a player in his CORRECT role you then accuses the manager of been his bitch. PISS OFF with your AGENDA. your talk shit Richie.
Yeah because I said it was Gerrard's fault . In 08/09 he was brilliant playing off Torres. In 09/10 he was poor for whatever reason you care to list. In 10/11 and 11/12 he was poor in central midfield, and you can blame the tactics and the role he was asked to play if you wish. I wouldn't disagree with you. In all three seasons he had injury problems which didn't help either. But he had injuries in 08/09 but when he played he was shit hot that season playing behind Torres. Christ you're touchy. I'm just offering an opinion. Gerrard likes to play central midfield in a 4-4-2. Rafa asked him to play on the right and he complained about being asked to play "the graveyard shift" despite having his best season there in terms of goals, and then the next season sulked until he got moved back. He also had a season playing behind Torres in a 4-2-3-1 where he was brilliant, but his preference is always central midfield.
Care to point out what the formation was that season? (4-2-3-1) that's all i have to say! you blame Gerrard for have a couple of bad seasons, i blame the last couple of managers for the formation changers. Football does that to us all... Haha See, again only make my point clear.... Hodgson changed the formation, is Hodgson Gerrards bitch? or was Hodgson a strong manager for changing the formation? Rightly or wrongly? We all know Gerrard was happy playing an attacking midfielder... who does like scoring goals. Next you'll saying its Gerrard fault for the formation changing? The comments you talk about in season 04/05 (Rafa first season) where he was asked to cover a role we had no cover for... a temp role, they were said before he even played in THAT role (Rafa's changing formation), Gerrard had plenty of good seasons after that season, so it not a valid point. I can't remember him "SULKING" is that your chip on the shoulder comment? I do like the way you contradict yourself, i one breath you state Gerrads great season on the right then state his great season behind Torres in the midfield? wake up, its depends on the formation in which role you get the best of Gerrard, that not to say 4-4-2 formation is poor formation, it just doesn't work unless you have two good wide wingers, which we don't/haven't had in the present team.
Didn't Gerrard want Roy Hodgson as manager, knowing the formation he'd be playing and wanted to be central midfield in it? So if I 'blame' Gerrard it's from the point of view of him wanting to play in a position that doesn't get the best out of him. Rafa Benitez got the best out of Gerrard, but Rafa played him in positions where he didn't really want to play. Gerrard has always wanted to play central midfield. He's always made that clear. He also wanted Roy Hodgson as manager. 05/06 - 4-5-1: Gerrard played on the right. He had his best season for scoring goals and was generally excellent. Every week on Sky Andy Gray and Jamie Redknapp would be going spare about him not playing in the middle. Then at the start of 06/07 he stopped playing well there and wasn't putting it in. Jamie Redknapp (a good mate of Gerrard's) would be saying Gerrard doesn't want to play on the right he wants to play in the middle. In the end he was moved back inside because he stopped playing well on the right and wasn't putting the effort in. 08/09 - 4-2-3-1: Gerrard was playing in the three in a free role behind Torres. Torres and Gerrard linked-up brilliantly and Gerrard was at his very best that season, and Alonso was a big part of it as well as he'd feed the ball to Gerrard early. When Alonso was sold, Gerrard was back deep again in central midfield but he could never do the job of Alonso. He had his head down a lot that season as well, and it's fair to say he'd lost faith in Rafa. Then as you say the last two seasons it was back to 4-4-2 and Gerrard in his favoured central midfield role. I don't really see what you're disagreeing with me about here.
