Steven Gerrard - his new role. Good for him, us or neither?

I don't think Stevie has a lack of pace, it just seem that he doesn't have the engine to do it regularly in a game.
Playing Stevie as a DM is a waste IMO, he needs to be further forward where he can be the Gerrard of old, albeit to a lesser degree, but he still has one hell of a right boot to test the keeper with if given the opportunity.

Can't agree with the latter part, he has rarely troubled keepers from long range recently, his set pieces are right out the top drawer, but if within shooting range, I'd always go with Luis for free kicks.

Can't agree with the latter part, he has rarely troubled keepers from long range recently, his set pieces are right out the top drawer, but if within shooting range, I'd always go with Luis for free kicks.

Suarez should always have first choice when it comes to frees, id even fancy him to score from goal kicks.

Can't agree with the latter part, he has rarely troubled keepers from long range recently, his set pieces are right out the top drawer, but if within shooting range, I'd always go with Luis for free kicks.

That's because he is usually busy standing in between the centre halves 

That's because he is usually busy standing in between the centre halves 

For the last 18 months?

For the last 18 months?

Ummh good question, hope your not suggesting Gerrard has been average for the last 18 months 

Ummh good question, hope your not suggesting Gerrard has been average for the last 18 months 

Only his long range shoooting.

2 questions.

Is Stevie better than Lucas as a DM?

Do we have anyone better than Stevie as a CM/ACM?

If the answers no then what the f**k is he doing being played as DM.

Play him where his strengths benefit the team, rather than playing him in a position that exposes our already fragile defense.

That's what I don't understand Debs. Where does BR get that Stevie can be a DM? Never in a million years. He IS an attacking midfielder who can  make those telling passes up front rather than baby sitting Skrtel and co.

I really don't understand why would BR want WASTE Stevie's talent by playing him as DM. We need to buy DM in the 8 days otherwise goodbye 4th place,

Lampard - 35. Giggs - 40. Both still bring a lot to the attacking prowess of their respective teams. Gerrard is two and five years younger respectively than each of them. He was injured and came back and had a lethargic display, something not unexpected after coming back from injury. Are we really so certain that he can no longer contribute to the attack? Are we really so certain that his legs have gone? It doesn't seem to effect the other two, albeit that they don't start every game but as I said, Gerrard is younger.

Let's look at the alternatives. Henderson is a great athelete but is inconsistent with his passing and has no eye for goal (one game does not maketh a great player). Coutinho has a great range of passing and is a good dribbler but has no eye for goal. Sterling has fantastic pace and that's about it. Gerrard might not be as fast as he was five years ago but he's still the only midfielder we currently have that can offer a goal threat from midfield, is a consummate penalty taker and dead ball specialist, and he has the best range of passing out of them all. Look at the difference between the first and second halves of the Villa game and remember who it was that set up Luis' goal. For me, until we sign someone better, Gerrard is our best AM by a country mile and without playing him as one, we're not only not getting the best out of him but we're not getting the best out of the team.

Lampard - 35. Giggs - 40. Both still bring a lot to the attacking prowess of their respective teams. Gerrard is two and five years younger respectively than each of them. He was injured and came back and had a lethargic display, something not unexpected after coming back from injury. Are we really so certain that he can no longer contribute to the attack? Are we really so certain that his legs have gone? It doesn't seem to effect the other two, albeit that they don't start every game but as I said, Gerrard is younger.

Let's look at the alternatives. Henderson is a great athelete but is inconsistent with his passing and has no eye for goal (one game does not maketh a great player). Coutinho has a great range of passing and is a good dribbler but has no eye for goal. Sterling has fantastic pace and that's about it. Gerrard might not be as fast as he was five years ago but he's still the only midfielder we currently have that can offer a goal threat from midfield, is a consummate penalty taker and dead ball specialist, and he has the best range of passing out of them all. Look at the difference between the first and second halves of the Villa game and remember who it was that set up Luis' goal. For me, until we sign someone better, Gerrard is our best AM by a country mile and without playing him as one, we're not only not getting the best out of him but we're not getting the best out of the team.

Don't remember that bit in bold at all.  May be just me.  I do remember who got the assist for Sturridge though. 

Don't remember that bit in bold at all.  May be just me.  I do remember who got the assist for Sturridge though. 

I believed he want to say 'set up Luis's penalty' mate

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Just want to say something:
so far on this site
-I think only one or very very few time I read someone say 'Stevie is already finished', or something like that
-I only read some comments of very few poster who very believe Stevie is really capable to do a defensive job, and not suitable for attacking role anymore
-I read many comments of majority of posters who believe Stevie is best and still excellent to do attacking job for the team

I'm one who always say Stevie is not good for defensive job, but if he's asked to do, I'm bet my head he can definitely do, but he cannot do it best, if we know what the best DM can do !
Anyway, against A.Villa last game, especially first half it's definitely BR mistake, not Gerrard. With the right tactic/formation Stevie as DM he still can do a lot better than that.

I think it's amazing we can have 6 pages on a topic that has an answer that is so painfully obvious.....

Look at Weimans goal and it tells you all you need to know.

Gerrard tracked back, kept his eye on his man, all the way to the box then switched off and let weiman get past him instead of attacking the cross coming in.
He could quite easily have got there first if he hadn't switched off.
A player who is sound defensively wouldn't have switched off.
It's that simple.

I think it's amazing we can have 6 pages on a topic that has an answer that is so painfully obvious.....

What's that then?

Can one deny that with stevie in an attacking role, we play better, I think when stevie is played as a DM we  lack something attacking,

 so NO IMHO I prefer stevie in an attacking midfelder, I don't think the captain is that old that he cant cope for 90 mins,
 Are we trying stevie defensively  so we don't buy a pure DM, like Masch-Alonso- etc etc

YNWA

What's that then?

Stevie at DM doesn't work for anyone.

Stevie at DM doesn't work for anyone.

I think you need to see far more than just 2 games to come to any real conclusion FL especially when one of those games, Villa, he was played there in a formation that didn't work and left us far too open in midfield and any of our players including Lucas would have struggled in that first half.

I think you need to see far more than just 2 games to come to any real conclusion FL especially when one of those games, Villa, he was played there in a formation that didn't work and left us far too open in midfield and any of our players including Lucas would have struggled in that first half.

Maybe but I suspect at this stage in the game it would be hard for Stevie to "re-wire" his mind to fit a new role. He needs to be doing what he's best at, not trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

Maybe but I suspect at this stage in the game it would be hard for Stevie to "re-wire" his mind to fit a new role. He needs to be doing what he's best at, not trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

It's a fair point but I don't think Brendan wants him to play as a classic DM and is looking to tap into Gerrard's attacking ability froma  deeper role. To do this though the manager may have to have a rethink about how he plays his back 4 and the other midfield players around Gerrard.

It's a fair point but I don't think Brendan wants him to play as a classic DM and is looking to tap into Gerrard's attacking ability froma  deeper role. To do this though the manager may have to have a rethink about how he plays his back 4 and the other midfield players around Gerrard.

Which then begs the question...why not just find a purpose built DM so that we don't have to do all of the other tinkering?

Which then begs the question...why not just find a purpose built DM so that we don't have to do all of the other tinkering?

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That's your answer right there mate.

Gerrard is becoming like Keane at the end of his Utd days. He hasn't the legs now to get around the midfield so he always needs 'runners' around him to do his dirty work.

Next season he should be phased out, used as a substitute much more often. Raul left Real Madrid at the end when he wasn't able to meet his old levels and I'd prefer that to happen to Gerrard than to watch him put into the team based on his name and old achievements.

Gerrard can't be used in lucas role. The villa experiment shown that. This means he'll never be centre back. He's gonna have to be CM or AM. He is loosing the legs for 90 mins. He's on high wages.  Don't be surprised if he's out the door soon. I hope he will stay but I think that he can only be used as a substitute when we need something from the bench. He's gone from first 11 to good squad player.  He's a highly paid squad player.

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That's your answer right there mate.

which is stupid as tinkering cost us points against villa,  and if we miss out on champions league football because of tinkering then that would just stupid as it is a bigger financial loss then improving the team. I do think BR should find better times to tinker with the team,  like FA cup or when we already winning by 3 goals