Todays’ Indie on Gerrard: Shit Stirring or Shit Silverlining?

[Plewggs]

Sound like bull to me.
What do you think?


http://sport.independent.co.uk/footb...cle3087233.ece



Rafael Benitez sought to make his peace with Steven Gerrard yesterday after the Liverpool club captain declined to speak to him in the aftermath of a Merseyside derby in which he was substituted.

Benitez hinted at Gerrard's disgruntlement when he described on Saturday evening how he had "tried to talk to him" but that "it would be cleverer to analyse the reasons [for the 71st-minute substitution] later." That decision seems to have been Gerrard's and the Spaniard did not have the chance to approach him before the team gathered for training yesterday.

Benitez appears to have reiterated to Gerrard his point that the team is bigger than the England international. But there was a hint in what Benitez said after their conversation that Gerrard remained unconvinced. "After some time he'll understand that it was an idea and I was thinking about the best for the team," Benitez said.

Gerrard, who was substituted 20 minutes after his surging 70-yard run won Liverpool their equalising penalty and resulted in the first of two Everton red cards, also made his feelings quite clear yesterday when he said that he was "hurt and disappointed" at being "hooked" from the match – as he calls it – and at Goodison of all places.

"I'm a local lad so the derby is really important to me and I would have liked nothing better than to play the full game and to be on the pitch when we got the winner," Gerrard said. "I'll be speaking to the manager about it just to find out why I was substituted, but I won't be banging on his door or anything like that. We'll just have a chat and whatever is said will remain between us."

Any sense of bewilderment felt by Gerrard will not be an entirely new experience where his relationship with Benitez is concerned. The midfielder, who telegraphed his astonishment as he handed the armband to Jamie Carragher, relates in his autobiography his perception that the Spaniard does not praise his achievements much. "Doesn't the gaffer like me? Has he got something against me?" are the thoughts this gives rise to, he says. Gerrard seems to struggle with a management style in which, he says, Benitez considers his players "cogs in a machine". Benitez's insistence that he removed Gerrard because he was "playing with his heart, not his head" may do little to change that perception.

The controversies whipped up by Saturday's game played out well beyond Merseyside yesterday when the referee Mark Clattenburg – who incurred the wrath of Everton's manager, David Moyes, and his players for appearing to change yellow to red for Everton's Tony Hibbert after an intervention from Gerrard, and selecting yellow for Dirk Kuyt after a two-footed challenge on Phil Neville which even the Dutchman has admitted "looks bad" – was told he will not be refereeing a match this weekend.

The decision, by the Professional Game Match Board, was made amid indignation at Everton that Kuyt remained on the pitch to convert the winning penalty while Everton did not receive one after Jamie Carragher appeared to haul Joleon Lescott to the ground late on.

Liverpool fly to Turkey this morning for tomorrow's must-win Champions League match against Besiktas. Benitez should have the striker Fernando Torres and midfielder Xabi Alonso available.

[RedinSweden]

Normal press squeezing juice out of a very little orange type of piece.

[Dirk]

As soon as I read what Gerrard had said, I thought, "It's totally innocuous but keep your mouth shut, the press will use it to stir the shit." It's taken this angle in most of the papers.

[wiiksie]

Originally Posted by Dirk As soon as I read what Gerrard had said, I thought, "It's totally innocuous but keep your mouth shut, the press will use it to stir the shit." It's taken this angle in most of the papers.

Yep. But isn't that always the problem when you put footballers in front of the baying media? What the club/player want out of the interview is the exact polar opposite of what the media wants our of it.

[Plewggs]

Originally Posted by weeksie Yep. But isn't that always the problem when you put footballers in front of the baying media? What the club/player want out of the interview is the exact polar opposite of what the media wants our of it.

With newspaper circulations in decline every editor uses controversy to stimulate sales for a very good reason…….it works. People would rather read about an argument than anything else.

All reporters are taught this basic principle in Journo School.

It’s why newspaper circulations are in decline.

[Tim]

ignore the fucking press. They still think we are a one player team.

[dirty_sanchez]

That said, Gerrard is very poor at dealing with the media. He needs to learn when to keep his mouth shut.

[kop]

Originally Posted by Dirk As soon as I read what Gerrard had said, I thought, "It's totally innocuous but keep your mouth shut, the press will use it to stir the shit." It's taken this angle in most of the papers.

What do you think would've happened if he answered "I don't want to talk about it", or "no comment" to all the hundreds of questions he's probably had since the derby? My tip is it would've caused a lot more shit than it has now.

[aws]

Originally Posted by kop What do you think would've happened if he answered "I don't want to talk about it", or "no comment" to all the hundreds of questions he's probably had since the derby? My tip is it would've caused a lot more shit than it has now.

But he could just have said "I wasn't happy but it's the manager's call and I haven't got any problem with it" whether he meant it or not. Saying "I'll be speaking to the manager" just begs the follow-up of asking what was said.

[silverlining]

Originally Posted by Plewggs With newspaper circulations in decline every editor uses controversy to stimulate sales for a very good reason…….it works. People would rather read about an argument than anything else. All reporters are taught this basic principle in Journo School. It’s why newspaper circulations are in decline.

They'd be much better off leading with something like:

"BREAKING NEWS: EVERYTHING'S GREAT!"

And sports headlines like:

"ANFIELD LATEST: GERRARD ARRIVES FOR TRAINING ALL HAPPY, LIKE.
More pictures of grinning Liverpool Captain inside!"

Circulations would go through the fucking ROOF.

[Plewggs]

Originally Posted by silverlining They'd be much better off leading with something like: "BREAKING NEWS: EVERYTHING'S GREAT!" And sports headlines like: "ANFIELD LATEST: GERRARD ARRIVES FOR TRAINING ALL HAPPY, LIKE. More pictures of grinning Liverpool Captain inside!" Circulations would go through the fucking ROOF.

Nice one.

[Fink]

After gerrard was sent off in that other derby, I think rafa sees him as a bit of a liability in these games.

Which to be fair, I had a tenner on him getting a red card in this game.

[kop]

Originally Posted by aws But he could just have said "I wasn't happy but it's the manager's call and I haven't got any problem with it" whether he meant it or not. Saying "I'll be speaking to the manager" just begs the follow-up of asking what was said.

Yes I agree with that. There's one thing we often forget though, and that is what was the question he was asked when he answered like that. His answer were "I'll be speaking to the manager about it just to find out why I was substituted, but I won't be banging on his door or anything like that". If the question was something like "Are you going to speak to the manager about this?" then his answer is pretty non-confrontational and clearing if you ask me.

You really can't win when you're a public person like Gerrard. No matter what he says he will get some stick, if that's what the media and some fans have decided he deserves.

[real red]

If Gerrard wasn't asking why he was brought off I'd be more worried.

Only if he asks and then has a strop at the answer is there a problem.

And I think that had we had Agger on the bench (returning from injury) on Saturday that Carra might have been brought off too. That's not having a go at Carra, but he was getting wound up by the bitters a little too easily. You'd do well not to get wound up by them, but I think Agger would have come on had he been on the bench.

[real red]

Originally Posted by kop Yes I agree with that. There's one thing we often forget though, and that is what was the question he was asked when he answered like that. His answer were "I'll be speaking to the manager about it just to find out why I was substituted, but I won't be banging on his door or anything like that". If the question was something like "Are you going to speak to the manager about this?" then his answer is pretty non-confrontational and clearing if you ask me. You really can't win when you're a public person like Gerrard. No matter what he says he will get some stick, if that's what the media and some fans have decided he deserves.

That's a good point. If you actually see interviews you hear the questions. Owen got slated a lot for going on about being fit for England or not, but that's because he was always asked about being fit for England or not. Anyway, let's not go there.