Steven Gerrard (Liverpool - LA Galaxy - Youth Academy - Rangers - Aston Villa)

He is moaning now about it now?

He said he did not want to be sub, now he is saying he could have been sub and a coach.

Last quotes were about wanting to be a 1st choice player in a different league and he would come back after, and the club have always said he is welcome back as a coach, but he also said he did not want to just be given a coaching job, he wante to earn it.

Crossed wires perhaps, or change of heert cos US league is crap. Life style seems to suit him and family though from instragram posts.

Like in said in the Brendan thread Steven can't have it both ways.

One minute he wants to play week in week out. The next he's happy with a squad place?

Be good to know the real truth in this one.

No question I would have kept him as a squad option and with a view to getting into coaching but if he was still wanting to play regularly Brendan done the right thing and let him move on.

He is moaning now about it now?

He said he did not want to be sub, now he is saying he could have been sub and a coach.

Last quotes were about wanting to be a 1st choice player in a different league and he would come back after, and the club have always said he is welcome back as a coach, but he also said he did not want to just be given a coaching job, he wante to earn it.

Crossed wires perhaps, or change of heert cos US league is crap. Life style seems to suit him and family though from instragram posts.

Well wouldn't you if at the heart of it all you were still a dyed in the wool red and scouser, who just wants the best for the club!!

He may say now that he would have taken a coaching role but was that brought up in any meeting with Brendan? And does he have the qualifications necessary to be a coach yet?

I'd have loved for him to stay at the club in some capacity but he made it clear he only wanted to play all the time.

Heed sounds up his arse tbh.

He will be back b4re we know it, maybe that loan he said would never happen might just happen.

Those are kind of weird quotes from Stevie as he seems to be enjoying the hell out of LA.

Don't want him back in loan.

Let's just say we don't know what went on behind the scenes

We don't know what was said in any discussions

Right now......tomorrow, next year.........I'm not really inclined (and certainly not qualified) to question Stevie's attitude towards Liverpool Football Club.

His view I'll take......I may choose not to see it that way......but, man, I wish he was round these parts somehow.

I don't think he was chased out the door. I do think he should never have left and that is a failing of the management. All of them.

Right now......tomorrow, next year.........I'm not really inclined (and certainly not qualified) to question Stevie's attitude towards Liverpool Football Club.

His view I'll take......I may choose not to see it that way......but, man, I wish he was round these parts somehow.

I don't think he was chased out the door. I do think he should never have left and that is a failing of the management. All of them.

Fully agree with your post, it doesn't seem like there was much effort put into persuading Stevie to stay.

Makes you wonder if Rodgers was glad that the spectre of Somebody larger than him at the club was finally gone!

Let's just say we don't know what went on behind the scenes

We don't know what was said in any discussions

Might as well lock this down then.

Makes you wonder if Rodgers was glad that the spectre of Somebody larger than him at the club was finally gone!

I don't think you have to be a genius to figure that one out.  No one is allowed to have a bigger cock than Brendan.  He knows he's a fraud, he's never won anything of meaning in his life, hell he didn't even win the league with Swansea, they had to get promoted from the playoff.  So when the top players see through his rubbish, they have to go, it's what happened to Pepe, Agger, Carra, Stevie etc. 

If you question him and his awful tactics, his lack of awareness of the club he is managing (fielding a weakened XI away to Real Madrid, for a game at the weekend that we lost anyway?!)---if you dare question him then you're out. 

It's why Sakho, our best defender and the best choice for captain, can't get a game ahead of the disasters that are Lovren and Skrtel.  Because he sees through Brendan's bullshit.  And that's not allowed.

The players have no respect for the man, for good reason.  The sooner we're rid of him the better, we can bring in a manager the players will respect, who really knows what it's like to win, who respects the club and its tradition and doesn't say "oh we're not going to beat Madrid anyway so let's just play the kids" etc etc.

here's hoping it's sooner rather than later.  Onwards and upwards.

Be good to know the real truth in this one.

The real truth? He would have signed a new contract had it have been put on the table at the right time [no waiting, no F***ing the man about].

He quit England (when he was Captain), to prolong his LFC career FFS; instead of rewarding him there and then he was F***ing snubbed. Money had F**k all to do with it [he took a 50% pay cut to go to galaxy] and this PR spin sh*te that he wanted more playing time? Utter crap. Think about it - where would he get more playing time with Liverpool: at Liverpool or in Los F***ing Angeles?

Right thing my hole.   

The real truth? He would have signed a new contract had it have been put on the table at the right time [no waiting, no F***ing the man about].

He quit England (when he was Captain), to prolong his LFC career FFS; instead of rewarding him there and then he was F***ing snubbed. Money had F**k all to do with it [he took a 50% pay cut to go to galaxy] and this PR spin sh*te that he wanted more playing time? Utter crap. Think about it - where would he get more playing time with Liverpool: at Liverpool or in Los F***ing Angeles?

Right thing my hole.   

So you think Stevie would have been happy to play a bit part role Mouse?

That's what oI mean about it would be great to know how Stevie really felt as if he was happy at being part of the squad and playing if and when required then it is criminal that we let him move on.

So you think Stevie would have been happy to play a bit part role Mouse?

Why not... look at what he's said and think about it - the subtext is there and IF it had only have been 'a bit part' it's still more than no F***ing part mate.
Listen: I fully understand that some folk need documented 'evidence' before they reach conclusions but in a world where loyal Liverpool legends won't speak out... needing that can, sometimes, be very convenient.

Are Kenny or Stevie (for e.g.) ever give us the "real truth"? I doubt it but then again... I don't need them to.

He was fu**ed over - he wasn't the first, he won't be the last.

In his new book he really slags Rafa off, saying the gaffer didn't like him and blaming him for the "facts" rant. Strange ...

In his new book he really slags Rafa off, saying the gaffer didn't like him and blaming him for the "facts" rant. Strange ...

Yes I've read the extracts this morning and think they're a little unfortunate TBH. Hopefully it won't sully his image and memory in the eyes of a large swathe of supporters, but I fear that may prove to be a forlorn hope. Jamie Carragher found to his cost with his "Houllier was the best manager I worked with" comment that for many fans, any perceived slight on the memory of Benitez is too much to bear. Stevie will probably find the same, he shouldn't have said it.

Hopefully it won't sully his image and memory in the eyes of a large swathe of supporters, but I fear that may prove to be a forlorn hope. Jamie Carragher found to his cost with his "Houllier was the best manager I worked with" comment that for many fans, any perceived slight on the memory of Benitez is too much to bear. Stevie will probably find the same, he shouldn't have said it.

I see where you're coming from Mick but I can't see that happening with Stevie - especially if people actually take the time to read the 'slight' in context and surely most fans are intelligent enough to do just that? 

The article:

Steven Gerrard on his time under Benitez

I don't think Rafa Benitez liked me as a person. I'm not sure why, but that's the feeling I got from him. It probably started even before he spoke to me, when he met my mum.
Rafa was appointed as Liverpool's manager in June 2004 — and I was playing for England in the Euros in Portugal that summer.
Even though he was being replaced by Rafa, Gerard Houllier still loved Liverpool and he remained very close to me. He and my mum flew out to Portugal to watch me play for England against Croatia — and they bumped into Rafa.

Gerard introduced Rafa to my mum. Rafa shook her hand, said hello and then immediately asked her a very blunt question: 'Does Steven like money?'
Apart from a standard 'Hello... good to meet you' introduction, those were the first words Rafa said to my mum. I thought: 'What kind of question is that?'
I can pick up the phone and speak to all of my previous Liverpool managers. Except for Rafa.
It's a shame because we probably shared the biggest night of both our careers — the 2005 Champions League victory in Istanbul — and yet there is no bond between us.
I used to think he favoured our Spanish-speakers. He was an especially big fan of South American players, which is fine. It caused no problem between us.
At press conferences he might call other players by their first name but I was always 'Gerrard'. It was the same in the dressing room. He would read out the team and use nicknames. But, for me, it would just be 'Gerrard'.

It wouldn't have made me play any better if he'd suddenly started calling me 'Stevie'. I just wanted to win the next game and I knew Rafa could, usually, help us achieve another victory. He was the best tactical coach I worked with at Liverpool and England so I didn't care what he called me.
If we were to bump into each other tomorrow there would be no unpleasantness but maybe a day will come when we can actually have a deeper and friendlier conversation and reflect on everything we experienced at Liverpool.
Our working relationship was ultra-professional and his frostiness drove me to become a better player. I had a hunger to earn a compliment from him — but also a hunger to let him know he really needed me as a player. We were like fire and ice. Passion surged inside me, while Rafa was the strategic thinker.

One time he did suffer a meltdown involving Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson. I went home from training that Friday lunchtime and switched on the TV. Rafa sat down with his usual half-smile. It looked likely to be a normal press conference, but then he reached into his pocket for a piece of paper.
He spread it out on the table and began to read out one 'fact' after another. Rafa kept saying 'fact... fact... fact...' and I could not believe what I was hearing. I was grabbing the couch, digging my fingers into the arms, feeling embarrassed for him.
Rafa started by saying that maybe Manchester United 'are nervous because we are at the top of the table'. I thought: 'Uh oh, what's happening here?'
It seemed so unlike Rafa to talk in such an emotional way. You could see the anger in him. 'I want to talk about facts,' Rafa said. 'I want to be clear, I do not want to play mind games too early, although they seem to want to start. But I have seen some facts.'
Rafa went off on a ramble about how Manchester United and 'Mr Ferguson' had not been properly punished for various misdemeanours. He listed dates and incidents and concluded that 'Mr Ferguson is the only manager in the league that cannot be punished for these things'.

He then railed against the fixture list and the timing of matches being skewed in United's favour. Rafa was sounding muddled and bitter and paranoid. He was humiliating himself. It was a disaster. I couldn't understand Rafa's thinking in wanting to take on Ferguson, a master of mind games, when we were sitting so calmly on top of the table early into a new year.
When I met up with England all the Manchester United players told me Fergie was just laughing at Rafa, saying: 'I've got him. I've got him.'
Rafa made a lot of decisions with himself in mind. He wanted power and control. I didn't like it. Fighting with the board, other managers and the press wasn't the Liverpool way.
Rafa had fallen out with the owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett. We were all starting to doubt them but Rafa talked to the press about problems with his new contract.
Rafa broke the focus of the team. We got asked about it all the time in the media: 'What's all that about? Why has he done that?' We never found out because Rafa didn't say a word to us. I think he felt awkward because he knew it backfired...

...On a basic human level I prefer a likeable manager, such as Gerard Houllier or Brendan Rodgers, but in terms of football I really don't mind working with a colder man. An emotionless and distant relationship with the likes of Rafa Benítez and Fabio Capello can sometimes produce more success.

More here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3232151/I-pick-phone-speak-previous-Liverpool-managers-Apart-one-Rafa-exception-Steven-Gerrard-time-Benitez.html

I see where you're coming from Mick but I can't see that happening with Stevie - especially if people actually take the time to read the 'slight' in context and surely most fans are intelligent enough to do just that? 

The article:

Steven Gerrard on his time under Benitez

I don't think Rafa Benitez liked me as a person. I'm not sure why, but that's the feeling I got from him. It probably started even before he spoke to me, when he met my mum.
Rafa was appointed as Liverpool's manager in June 2004 — and I was playing for England in the Euros in Portugal that summer.
Even though he was being replaced by Rafa, Gerard Houllier still loved Liverpool and he remained very close to me. He and my mum flew out to Portugal to watch me play for England against Croatia — and they bumped into Rafa.

Gerard introduced Rafa to my mum. Rafa shook her hand, said hello and then immediately asked her a very blunt question: 'Does Steven like money?'
Apart from a standard 'Hello... good to meet you' introduction, those were the first words Rafa said to my mum. I thought: 'What kind of question is that?'
I can pick up the phone and speak to all of my previous Liverpool managers. Except for Rafa.
It's a shame because we probably shared the biggest night of both our careers — the 2005 Champions League victory in Istanbul — and yet there is no bond between us.
I used to think he favoured our Spanish-speakers. He was an especially big fan of South American players, which is fine. It caused no problem between us.
At press conferences he might call other players by their first name but I was always 'Gerrard'. It was the same in the dressing room. He would read out the team and use nicknames. But, for me, it would just be 'Gerrard'.

It wouldn't have made me play any better if he'd suddenly started calling me 'Stevie'. I just wanted to win the next game and I knew Rafa could, usually, help us achieve another victory. He was the best tactical coach I worked with at Liverpool and England so I didn't care what he called me.
If we were to bump into each other tomorrow there would be no unpleasantness but maybe a day will come when we can actually have a deeper and friendlier conversation and reflect on everything we experienced at Liverpool.
Our working relationship was ultra-professional and his frostiness drove me to become a better player. I had a hunger to earn a compliment from him — but also a hunger to let him know he really needed me as a player. We were like fire and ice. Passion surged inside me, while Rafa was the strategic thinker.

One time he did suffer a meltdown involving Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson. I went home from training that Friday lunchtime and switched on the TV. Rafa sat down with his usual half-smile. It looked likely to be a normal press conference, but then he reached into his pocket for a piece of paper.
He spread it out on the table and began to read out one 'fact' after another. Rafa kept saying 'fact... fact... fact...' and I could not believe what I was hearing. I was grabbing the couch, digging my fingers into the arms, feeling embarrassed for him.
Rafa started by saying that maybe Manchester United 'are nervous because we are at the top of the table'. I thought: 'Uh oh, what's happening here?'
It seemed so unlike Rafa to talk in such an emotional way. You could see the anger in him. 'I want to talk about facts,' Rafa said. 'I want to be clear, I do not want to play mind games too early, although they seem to want to start. But I have seen some facts.'
Rafa went off on a ramble about how Manchester United and 'Mr Ferguson' had not been properly punished for various misdemeanours. He listed dates and incidents and concluded that 'Mr Ferguson is the only manager in the league that cannot be punished for these things'.

He then railed against the fixture list and the timing of matches being skewed in United's favour. Rafa was sounding muddled and bitter and paranoid. He was humiliating himself. It was a disaster. I couldn't understand Rafa's thinking in wanting to take on Ferguson, a master of mind games, when we were sitting so calmly on top of the table early into a new year.
When I met up with England all the Manchester United players told me Fergie was just laughing at Rafa, saying: 'I've got him. I've got him.'
Rafa made a lot of decisions with himself in mind. He wanted power and control. I didn't like it. Fighting with the board, other managers and the press wasn't the Liverpool way.
Rafa had fallen out with the owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett. We were all starting to doubt them but Rafa talked to the press about problems with his new contract.
Rafa broke the focus of the team. We got asked about it all the time in the media: 'What's all that about? Why has he done that?' We never found out because Rafa didn't say a word to us. I think he felt awkward because he knew it backfired...

...On a basic human level I prefer a likeable manager, such as Gerard Houllier or Brendan Rodgers, but in terms of football I really don't mind working with a colder man. An emotionless and distant relationship with the likes of Rafa Benítez and Fabio Capello can sometimes produce more success.

More here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3232151/I-pick-phone-speak-previous-Liverpool-managers-Apart-one-Rafa-exception-Steven-Gerrard-time-Benitez.html

Agree Mouse and I'm not sure there is much there that we didn't already know.

Although I'm sure I've heard Rafa call him 'Stevie' a few times.

All managers are different. Gerrard has great respect for rafa and vice versa.

I agree with stevie on his point of view ... rafa lost focus battling parry and the owners in the press. And the contract situation wasnt needed.

I remember being in the main stand against hull city that season  .. no torres and he left keane on the bench as parry signed him over barry. 2-0 he would not bring him on. Gerrard got it back to 2-2 ... the crowd wanted the extra striker as 2 subs came and went and no keane. With 5 minutes to go he brought on lucas for his final change to pretty loud groans leaving keane and ngog i think .. 2 strikers sat on their backsides. You could almost see rafa with both middle fingers raised pointing back at parry. We drew 2-2 and that was that.

The fact press conference was stupid. The next day he played 4 cbs including skrtel at rb against middlesborough... played for a draw .. we lost 2-0 .. top spot and never got it back. To go on the attack against ferguson .. and then to be so defensive the next day was odd.

Doesnt matter now ... rafa was a top manager for this club ... the calibre of which we could do with now. And stevie was a great player.

Ive got huge respect for both and if they returned to the club one day id be very pleased.

F***ing hell Stevie, you need tucking up in bed too?

F***ing hell Stevie, you need tucking up in bed too?

What I was thinking myself. Don't really get the issues Carra and Stevie have with Rafa. Was it because he didn't want them to entertain the notion that they were more righteous than others in the team? Maybe Stevie could just realise that Rafa was just treating his player like the adult he is?

I love Steven Gerrard the player anbut he talks some sh*t and has got form (see Joe Cole comments).

I've an inkling that he wouldn't make a good manager.

I'd rather see Rafa return before I seen Stevie return.