A question for those slating Gerrard...

[Guest Benito7]

Firstly let me say I will be absolutely gutted if Stevie leaves.

 

Anyway, heres the question: Who out of our great players from the past would stay at Liverpool if it was unlikely that they would win any of the big prizes for the foreseeable future?

 

The reason I ask this is because I feel loyalty in football is a myth and always has been with rare exceptions (Tom Finney). How else did we sign Dalglish, Souness, Barnes et al. If they had been loyal then we wouldn't have been able to sign them. Unfortunately the law of the football jungle that helped us sign thes great players looks like it is going to be turned on us unless we sign players that show that we are going to give our manager a realistic chance of getting to the very top.

[Tom R]

Firstly let me say I will be absolutely gutted if Stevie leaves.

 

Anyway, heres the question: Who out of our great players from the past would stay at Liverpool if it was unlikely that they would win any of the big prizes for the foreseeable future?

 

The reason I ask this is because I feel loyalty in football is a myth and always has been with rare exceptions (Tom Finney). How else did we sign Dalglish, Souness, Barnes et al. If they had been loyal then we wouldn't have been able to sign them. Unfortunately the law of the football jungle that helped us sign thes great players looks like it is going to be turned on us unless we sign players that show that we are going to give our manager a realistic chance of getting to the very top.

 

What you say is spot on Benito. All the top players want to win trophies.

So why the fuck is Gerrard considering a move to Chelsea?????

 

I'll give you clue: Ker-ching!!!!!!

[Guest Benito7]

What you say is spot on Benito. All the top players want to win trophies.

So why the fuck is Gerrard considering a move to Chelsea?????

 

I'll give you clue: Ker-ching!!!!!!

 

Tom do you honestly think that arguably the best young manager in Europe plus unlimited funds don't have agood chance of winning trophies?

 

I would love to believe thats the case mate but it seems like a decent recipe for success to me.

 

Lets hope that Moores/Morgan whoever sign the players that show that we mean business too.

[Tom R]

Tom do you honestly think that arguably the best young manager in Europe plus unlimited funds don't have agood chance of winning trophies?

 

I would love to believe thats the case mate but it seems like a decent recipe for success to me.

 

Lets hope that Moores/Morgan whoever sign the players that show that we mean business too.

 

 

I know what you're saying, but we have THE best young manager in Europe and we're not short on funds either by any stretch of the imagination.

Chelsea might well have unlimited funds but all that has bought them so far is a collection of mercenaries and greedy fookers just up for a fat pay day. Just look at their squad at the moment!

We have just as much chance (if not more so!) of winning trophies as Chelsea have.

Stevie's motives for Chelsea is for the money. It's as simple as that.

[Guest Benito7]

If you're right and we do have substantial funds and Benitez can attract the calibre of player he has been linked with (Aimar and Ayala) then I 'd agree with you ( and so incidentally would Stevie IMO).

 

However at present time Chelsea finished 20 points above us, have matched us in terms of acquiring a top manager and look like signing two of the best players from the Champions League winning team. While we appear to be struggling to find an investor which would suggest we are short of funds. I think Gerrard is just worried that Benitez's arrival wont be followed by the calibre of players we need to truly challenge. I hope the board can show him we mean business.

[Baresi]

Michael Owen is in exactly the same position as Stevie, in that ANY club in the world would jump at the chance to sign him. Michael has gone on record stating that he would not join another English club. If you think that chelsea are a genuinely better bet than Arsenal for our championship or any of the big european sides have of winning their domestic title, then you are seriously kidding yourself. If you would have asked SG before abramovich came on board would he join chelsea, the answer would have simply been NO. Why? Got to agree with Tom R & it just boils down to pure & simple greed & if thats the case it won't hurt half as much to see him walk away. Liverpool have got their own mercenaries presently at the club & theres only 1 word for people like that & it's they are a cancer.

 

Never thought I'd think this but Stevie if you aren't proud to be club captain of the team you've supported as a boy, kindly do one.

[Guest Benito7]

David there are probably only three clubs who could afford him in the world (Chelsea, Real and the Man Utd) one of the them he would never join, the other has earmarked Xabi Alonso as their central midfield signing which leaves Chelsea as the only club who can afford him who he would consider joining.

 

 

Chris IMO opinion Chelseas chances of success will be rendered unimportant if the right players are signed by us then he wont have to look elsewhere. He has never struck me as a mercenary and he still doesn't I just think he wants to feel he has a good chance of winning the title. If we sign top quality reinforcements then I feel he will stay.

[Baresi]

The fact is if he is for sale it's because he must want to go, I don't believe the club would want to get rid do you?

[Guest Benito7]

The fact is if he is for sale it's because he must want to go, I don't believe the club would want to get rid do you?

 

Agreed, but what I'm saying is hopefully we will sign players that ensures he doesn't want to leave. You always run the risk of your top players considering their options when you aren't successful remember the problems Arsenal had with Viera, but they convinced him that their ambitions matched his and hopefully we can do this with Gerrard. we have made a good start with the managerial appointment... hopefully we will sign top quality players to build on this and Steve will want to stay.

[Beni]

Greed? Fuck off!

 

Do you honestly think Stevie cares most about whether he is paid £65,000 a week or 125? He will lose most of that in tax anyway! He would be a multi millionare if he stayed with us for the remainder of his career regardless. The fact that he would have a few more million going to chelsea at the end of his career is irrelevant. He wants trophies.

 

It's true that he would have a greater chance of this at Arsenal, but where the fuck do Arsenal find the 30+ million to buy him?

 

In the past this situation would not have arose but chelsea have given players like SG a fresh option.

 

 

May I take this moment to thank Houllier and his legion of super-fans for making this dream come true. Houllier we were not worthy. This is your true legacy

[Kurt]

 

 

It's true that he would have a greater chance of this at Arsenal, but where the fuck do Arsenal find the 30+ million to buy him?

 

 

 

 

We could always swap him with Henry! ;)

[Paul]

If Gerrard goes (and I'm still hopeful he won't), I do not think for one second it will be for the money. The fact is that they have unlimited cash and a manager who came from nowhere to win the two major European trophies in his first two seasons at a very small club with no cash, from a shit league.

 

I don't think the "mercenaries" dismissal of Chelsea will be applicable any more. They are clearly trying to sign all the best players from the British Isles (Bridge, Duff, Cole, Parker, Lampard) for their spirit and determination (as well as talent) and then adding the best foreigners to top up the team. If they sign Steven Gerrard they will have the ultimate winner at the heart of a superb side coached by a prodigious manager. In short, I could see them winning everything.

 

I really do not want him to go, but if he does then so be it. At least we'll get stupid money for him to re-invest in top players. I don't want anyone in our team who doesn't want to be there. One thing is for sure, however. If he goes, I don't ever again want to hear about him being a boyhood Red. No Liverpool fan I have ever known would leave us in his shoes. He's the multi-millionaire captain of the greatest club this country has ever produced as it enters, potentially, the most exciting period of change in its history. Leave in those circumstances? Not a true Red.

 

I'm not going to let this tarnish the excitement and optimism of Rafa's arrival. We're going to win the league next season. Come on you Reds!!!

[Moo]

"May I take this moment to thank Houllier and his legion of super-fans for making this dream come true. Houllier we were not worthy. This is your true legacy." - Beni.

 

 

And here's me thinking that SG blossomed under the tutorship of Mr Houllier, and was also quite fond of the man. I could have sworn also that his latest contract was signed whilst GH was the boss.

 

Silly me, I must be twisting the facts.

[Bellflower]

I don't think the money spent by Chelsea accounts for the gap between us and them at the end, if it still couldn't get them above Arsenal by the same measure. It's the playing style and attitude that cost us dear. If GH had got them all to play to their true potential it would have been a very different story, but his fear of defeat overwhelmed whatever talent surfaced every game, together with his obstinate team selection to justify transfer errors.

I never want to hear a Liverpool manager say " We don't like to humiliate teams " again .

With RB's arrival ,SG has the chance to be part of a new LFC dynasty.

I think he will Walk On, not walk away.

[Beni]

"May I take this moment to thank Houllier and his legion of super-fans for making this dream come true. Houllier we were not worthy. This is your true legacy." - Beni.

 

 

And here's me thinking that SG blossomed under the tutorship of Mr Houllier, and was also quite fond of the man. I could have sworn also that his latest contract was signed whilst GH was the boss.

 

Silly me, I must be twisting the facts.

 

You silly moo. So what you are saying is we should be grateful to hula hoop for helping us get such a high value for SG.

[Tom R]

I don't think the "mercenaries" dismissal of Chelsea will be applicable any more. They are clearly trying to sign all the best players from the British Isles (Bridge, Duff, Cole, Parker, Lampard) for their spirit and determination (as well as talent) and then adding the best foreigners to top up the team. If they sign Steven Gerrard they will have the ultimate winner at the heart of a superb side coached by a prodigious manager. In short, I could see them winning everything.

 

They may well be signing a few top british lads but not one of them, and I mean not a single one of them has gone there "to play for Chelsea". Nobody has ever gone to Chelsea because they are Chelsea. They only go there because it's IN Chelsea and they get paid shedloads of money to spend in one of the bouciest Cities on earth. good times for a young man that!

That's always been the case there and it always will be. Even more so now they have even more money to throw about.

 

They're a nothing club who have never won anything of real merit (1 title back in the fities, and even that in the poor post-war years when the game was rebuilding - WOO HOO!!!!) and that's mainly because they never have a group players who love the club and play for the club.

All the money in the world will only make that worse.

 

You could say "But look at Real Madrid, they attract the best player with big money too".

Correct. But they are Real madrid!! They have a history, they have heritage, they have honour and they have pride. All of that is passed on to a player who signs for Real Madrid.

Chelsea however have absolutely none of those things. They're nothing more than a franchise. Always have been, always will be.

[Tom R]

"May I take this moment to thank Houllier and his legion of super-fans for making this dream come true. Houllier we were not worthy. This is your true legacy." - Beni.

 

 

And here's me thinking that SG blossomed under the tutorship of Mr Houllier, and was also quite fond of the man. I could have sworn also that his latest contract was signed whilst GH was the boss.

 

Silly me, I must be twisting the facts.

 

Still clinging on to that Houllier dream eh, Moo?

 

Oh dear.... There's always one isn't there?

[BENIRL]

Firstly let me say I will be absolutely gutted if Stevie leaves.

 

Anyway, heres the question: Who out of our great players from the past would stay at Liverpool if it was unlikely that they would win any of the big prizes for the foreseeable future?

 

The reason I ask this is because I feel loyalty in football is a myth and always has been with rare exceptions (Tom Finney). How else did we sign Dalglish, Souness, Barnes et al. If they had been loyal then we wouldn't have been able to sign them. Unfortunately the law of the football jungle that helped us sign thes great players looks like it is going to be turned on us unless we sign players that show that we are going to give our manager a realistic chance of getting to the very top.

 

I think if he goes now he is giving the fingers to all reds, it will be truely fuct up if he does not give Benitez a chance. We have one of the best young managers in europe and Stevie might not be willing to give him a chance, thats fuct up. MoneyMoneyMoney

[Cath]

They may well be signing a few top british lads but not one of them, and I mean not a single one of them has gone there "to play for Chelsea". Nobody has ever gone to Chelsea because they are Chelsea. They only go there because it's IN Chelsea and they get paid shedloads of money to spend in one of the bouciest Cities on earth. good times for a young man that!

 

Am I right in thinking that stevie's got himself a Scouse Judy and a wee bairn? If so isnt it about 5 years too late for him to be poncing around the Kings Road?

 

Chelsea and ourselves have both gambled on young, brilliant managers. No one can predict which team will do better next season. The only subtle difference I see is that Mourinho has probably been told his brief is to win Champs League. I suspect our short term aim is to win our "bread & butter". Chelsea have never been a league team. Maybe Stevie's looking for a big move to Europe.

 

Me, I think he's gone. A hard blow but life goes on. Maybe he's another Keegan and Benny'll buy us a new Dalglish to replace him?

[Tom R]

Chelsea have never been a league team.

 

They've never been a European team either!

Fucking no-marks. ;-)

[Guest Benito7]

"May I take this moment to thank Houllier and his legion of super-fans for making this dream come true. Houllier we were not worthy. This is your true legacy." - Beni.

 

 

And here's me thinking that SG blossomed under the tutorship of Mr Houllier, and was also quite fond of the man. I could have sworn also that his latest contract was signed whilst GH was the boss.

 

Silly me, I must be twisting the facts.

 

Moo maybe the fact that Stevie semed to "blossom" on his own against that Houllier created team that finished closer to the bottom than the top (in his 5th year!!) is the reason he is now so disillusioned. If only Houllier had spread his tutorship around the rest of the team then maybe Stevie wouldn't want to go. Moo the people like you who credit Hou with the development of Gerrard make me laugh - Stevie is a natural talent and if anything Hou hindered him with his one dimensional game plan which meant for most of his career he had no options out wide so he became understandably obsessed with trying Hollywood balls. In the way that houllier is responsible for Gerrards Blossoming is Moyes also responsible for Rooneys blossoming? If you think either of these managers sprinkled magic on these players your wrong! Anyone at either academy knew from about the age of 14 that both these players were almost certain to become world class (none of them would have mentioned the pre requisite that this would only happen with the coaching prowess of Houllier or Moyes).

[Hermes]

 

Anyway, heres the question: Who out of our great players from the past would stay at Liverpool if it was unlikely that they would win any of the big prizes for the foreseeable future?

 

 

 

Eight years spent in the Second Division - Billy Liddell, arguably our greatest ever player according to those who saw him play.

[Guest Benito7]

Eight years spent in the Second Division - Billy Liddell, arguably our greatest ever player according to those who saw him play.

 

Big respect for Billy Liddell but as I said loyalty like that is a very rare thing, is he the only one or are there more?

[Cath]

Big respect for Billy Liddell but as I said loyalty like that is a very rare thing, is he the only one or are there more?

 

I'm not sure you'd've found the likes of Thommo, Terry Mac, Barney Rubble, Ronnie Whelan Jimmy Case queuing for a transfer if we'd've finished fourth with a UEFA place. But there wasnt as much silly (Russian) money around then.

[Hermes]

The original post in this thread referred to a lack of big trophy's in the foreseeable future. New manager, possibly £60m to invest in new players. Doesn't look too grim to me.