Read Online Steven Gerrard: My Liverpool Story by Steven Gerrard - Free Book Online
Authors: Steven Gerrard
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moment.
I only ever fear losing to Everton and United because I am a fan and I know how much it hurts, so to win 2–0 was a relief as much as anything. My goal had a bit of luck to it, taking a deflection off David Beckham and looping into the top corner. But I’ll settle for that. My celebration was instinctive. Just the perfect day.
It Means So Much
----
Days like this are everything I dreamed of as a kid: winning silverware, scoring a goal and celebrating with my mates. Michael added another late on to seal the win and we had a good celebration afterwards. At that time under Gerard Houllier, Liverpool had the Indian sign over United. We used to play a diamond formation in midfield, with a holding player for security and then we would end up out-numbering them in the middle. On a big pitch like at Cardiff or at Old Trafford, having more bodies in the middle helped.
FAREWELL HOULLIER
There have been plenty of occasions in my career when I have been asked for my opinion on a manager’s situation. What’s going on? Can we turn it round? Has he lost the dressing room? I have been asked those questions by fans and I have been asked those questions by people at Liverpool.
But I can honestly say, on my kids’ lives, that I have always backed every manager I have worked under. Yes, there have been occasions when I have been frustrated with how things are going and when I have been quizzed about things I could have said: ‘This is rubbish. We hate the manager. We want out. The club’s going nowhere.’ Instead, I have said we can turn it round and I believe I can help whoever is in charge.
I am all for fighting for a manager rather than sticking the knife in and pushing him closer to the sack. So the whispers and the rumours that become fact, especially in a city like Liverpool, that the senior players were behind Gerard Houllier leaving in the summer of 2004 – forget it.
I heard that I was consulted and I had a say in his departure. Not at all. I have gone out of my way on countless occasions to back managers not just through my performances, but in what I say. When results don’t go well at a big club like Liverpool everyone sees what is around the corner. As players we have targets, but also the fans and the club have aims and aspirations as well. When you fail to reach them, change becomes inevitable.
There has been a pattern at Liverpool, going back to when I was going to the games as a fan, whereby managers have left.
Ultimately, it is the manager whose job comes under threat because Liverpool’s history demands that the team competes at the very top. It is difficult and sad to see anyone in any walk of life lose their job, but when it is someone you have built up a very strong relationship with over the years, someone who has gone out of their way to be supportive of you, it hurts even more.
The harsh reality of football is magnified as well when you are young. Nowadays I am more thick-skinned. I have come to realise that football is a business and that managers come and go in every league in the world. However, when Gerard left there was a huge sense of sadness.
Liverpool finished fourth in the 2003–04 season, which ironically would be considered as a success today, but back then it wasn’t viewed as enough. The Premier League has grown stronger and stronger and that season was the first in which the landscape changed.
Roman Abramovich had just bought Chelsea, which was to prove fantastic for them, but a major set-back for everyone else. No one knew that much about Abramovich to begin with, but as the days and weeks went by you started to realise that big changes were taking place within English football.
Money has always talked, but now the sort of sums that were being spent were mind-boggling. Signings were arriving at Stamford Bridge left, right and centre and I realised that while Abramovich was around it was going to take time and be a massive challenge for Liverpool to win the league
I only ever fear losing to Everton and United because I am a fan and I know how much it hurts, so to win 2–0 was a relief as much as anything. My goal had a bit of luck to it, taking a deflection off David Beckham and looping into the top corner. But I’ll settle for that. My celebration was instinctive. Just the perfect day.
It Means So Much
----
Days like this are everything I dreamed of as a kid: winning silverware, scoring a goal and celebrating with my mates. Michael added another late on to seal the win and we had a good celebration afterwards. At that time under Gerard Houllier, Liverpool had the Indian sign over United. We used to play a diamond formation in midfield, with a holding player for security and then we would end up out-numbering them in the middle. On a big pitch like at Cardiff or at Old Trafford, having more bodies in the middle helped.
FAREWELL HOULLIER
There have been plenty of occasions in my career when I have been asked for my opinion on a manager’s situation. What’s going on? Can we turn it round? Has he lost the dressing room? I have been asked those questions by fans and I have been asked those questions by people at Liverpool.
But I can honestly say, on my kids’ lives, that I have always backed every manager I have worked under. Yes, there have been occasions when I have been frustrated with how things are going and when I have been quizzed about things I could have said: ‘This is rubbish. We hate the manager. We want out. The club’s going nowhere.’ Instead, I have said we can turn it round and I believe I can help whoever is in charge.
I am all for fighting for a manager rather than sticking the knife in and pushing him closer to the sack. So the whispers and the rumours that become fact, especially in a city like Liverpool, that the senior players were behind Gerard Houllier leaving in the summer of 2004 – forget it.
I heard that I was consulted and I had a say in his departure. Not at all. I have gone out of my way on countless occasions to back managers not just through my performances, but in what I say. When results don’t go well at a big club like Liverpool everyone sees what is around the corner. As players we have targets, but also the fans and the club have aims and aspirations as well. When you fail to reach them, change becomes inevitable.
There has been a pattern at Liverpool, going back to when I was going to the games as a fan, whereby managers have left.
Ultimately, it is the manager whose job comes under threat because Liverpool’s history demands that the team competes at the very top. It is difficult and sad to see anyone in any walk of life lose their job, but when it is someone you have built up a very strong relationship with over the years, someone who has gone out of their way to be supportive of you, it hurts even more.
The harsh reality of football is magnified as well when you are young. Nowadays I am more thick-skinned. I have come to realise that football is a business and that managers come and go in every league in the world. However, when Gerard left there was a huge sense of sadness.
Liverpool finished fourth in the 2003–04 season, which ironically would be considered as a success today, but back then it wasn’t viewed as enough. The Premier League has grown stronger and stronger and that season was the first in which the landscape changed.
Roman Abramovich had just bought Chelsea, which was to prove fantastic for them, but a major set-back for everyone else. No one knew that much about Abramovich to begin with, but as the days and weeks went by you started to realise that big changes were taking place within English football.
Money has always talked, but now the sort of sums that were being spent were mind-boggling. Signings were arriving at Stamford Bridge left, right and centre and I realised that while Abramovich was around it was going to take time and be a massive challenge for Liverpool to win the league
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