The ugly truth behind today’s Gerrard/Rafa rift claims
You’re probably aware that some of today’s papers carry claims of a rift between Steven Gerrard and Rafa Benitez. What you won’t be aware of is the exremely dubious source where the stories came from. Before I get into that though, this is the kind of crap that has been spouted in today’s English press:
Simon Mullock (a typical Sunday paper hack with no contacts at LFC whatsoever) wrote this in the Sunday Mirror: “STEVEN GERRARD’S future at Liverpool is hanging in the balance, with the Anfield captain growing increasingly unhappy with life under Rafa Benitez.”
Not true.
“Sunday Mirror Sport can reveal the strained relationship between Gerrard and Benitez is now close to breaking point.”
TLW can reveal the Sunday Mirror is talking absolute bollocks, as usual.
“Gerrard publicly insists that he is happy to play anywhere in Benitez’s tactical system. But privately, he feels his poor form this season is down to the Spaniard’s insistence that he plays wide on the right of midfield, while Xabi Alonso and Momo Sissoko play in his favourite central position”
An outrageous lie. Simon Mullock does not know Steven Gerrard and has no idea what he thinks ‘privately’. I don’t know Steven Gerrard either, but I know people who do and the above statement from Mullock is so far from the truth it belongs in… well it belongs in a Sunday Newspaper.
“Gerrard is prepared to put his preference to one side for England - but feels his talent is going to waste at Anfield.”
Hahaha, yeah right. Anyone who believes that should look up ‘gullible’ in the dictionary, they’ll find a picture of themselves next to it.
All the claims in the papers today about a rift are complete fiction, there’s no truth in it any of it at all. It goes with the territory these days though unfortunately. Most people will dismiss it as the sh*t-stirring that it is, but there will be some who will say ‘no smoke without fire’ and ‘well it’s Gerrard, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it is true’.
That’s what they want us to think, the whole thing is supposed to stir up trouble to cause problems between Stevie and Rafa, and Stevie and the fans. Mullock and his fellow hacks didn’t just pluck this from thin air though, they were given the story by somebody. Somebody who would love nothing better than to see Gerrard’s relationship with Rafa break down.
This ’story’ was actually fed to the press by former United player and all round tw@t Paddy Crerand, who apparently reckons he got it from Alex Ferguson. Some of the papers refused to run it because it was from such a dubious source, so it says a lot about the credibility of those who did use it that they would take Crerand as a reliable source. Let’s say Ian St John went to the press and told them he’s heard Rooney doesn’t get on with Ferguson. Would they have printed that too? Doubtful, as they’re all scared of Ferguson so they wouldn’t dare. Liverpool, Rafa and Gerrard are fair game though it seems.
Ferguson wants to sign Gerrard, that’s no secret, and in recent weeks the mancs have stepped up their little campaign to make it happen. The day we played the mancs, Captain Cockout was in the press saying how perfect Gerrard would be for United. Three days later ‘Jughead Rooney’ was in the papers saying the only thing missing from this Manchester United team is Steven Gerrard. Now this. It couldn’t be more obvious what’s going on, but don’t buy into the propaganda.
Steven had nothing to do with what was in the papers today, and if you hear anyone slagging him off because of it, set them straight. He may not have helped himself in the past with the Chelsea business and that, but he can’t be held responsible for every piece of newspaper bullsh*t that appears claiming he’s unhappy at Anfield. He’s completely blameless for what was in the press today, so don’t let them win by swallowing the crap they’re forcefeeding us.
Steven Gerrard is not unhappy about playing on the right, there is no rift between him and Rafa, and his future at Liverpool isn’t in the balance. No matter what Paddy Crerand would like to think.
As you were.
Maybe it’s Paddy Crerand who’s been feeding this to Andy Gray and others too.
What an idiot Mullock is to fall for this. It could be a new entry in the urban dictionary: Mullock. Gullible half-wit.
As David Moores said last summer, he’s our player until he dies as he is now signed for Life,
The only basis he will leave is if we want to sell him and rafa has made it clear there’s no chance of that
Mullock is a utd supporter, says it all really.
Paddy Crerand hey?
A man capable of producing more bull than the whole of Texas.
And as for Mullock - a man with the mental agility of the vegetable counter at Aldi.
[...] It’s certainly a tactic the club and the manager have used this winter, but there seemed to be problems with the way this particular story was reported at the weekend. Certain journalists have stronger links to Anfield than others - despite having his critics Chris Bascombe now of the News of the World is one of those, as is Oliver Kay of The Times, to name just two examples. If one of those mentions information received from someone close to someone at the club, it’s certainly worth reading carefully. Obviously less so if it’s a journalist with little connections to the club, if at all. It’s not been unknown for some reporters - particularly on Sundays - to use a story they got third-hand via a celebrity connected to another club entirely, unconcerned about how it might just be that their source had been lied to. There’s a laughable example spoken about here. [...]
[...] fact the quotes appeared in the Sunday Mirror in an article by Simon Mullock are perhaps a sign that they should be taken with a pinch of salt, but to carry direct quotes that haven’t actually been said is a little [...]