DECEMBER 11
Legends make Gerrard plea

TEAMtalk

Steven Gerrard has been urged to stay and lead Liverpool's bid to challenge for the Premiership title under Rafael Benitez.

Anfield legends Ian St John and Tommy Smith both insist local lad Gerrard can fulfil his quest to win silverware by staying on Merseyside.

The Liverpool captain has had an up-and-down week after hinting he might have to leave to meet his ambition, firing the Reds into the final 16 of the Champions League and then losing the derby with Everton on Saturday.

That inconsistency has plagued Liverpool over the past decade and undermined their efforts to challenge Arsenal, Manchester United and more recently Chelsea.

Nevertheless, St John and Smith questioned the timing of Gerrard's comments, months after he committed his future to the club.

"I am delighted that the captain of Liverpool wants to win trophies," said St John. "But you have to say, doesn't everyone want to win trophies? Doesn't the manager want to win trophies and the other players want to win trophies?

"I don't know what Steven is talking about here, he signed a new contract in the summer.

"A contract is now no use at all in football? He has got to give the new manager a chance: Benitez has only been in the door two minutes."

Smith added on Radio 5 Live: "Why on earth he should come out with this, especially before the derby match, I don't know.

"Surely the best thing to do - if you are a Liverpool lad, playing for Liverpool and captaining them, just like I did - is to stick with the club and hope that the manager goes down the right road and signs the right players."

Spaniard Benitez, who won the Primera Liga with Valencia last season, has begun his rebuilding process but St John warns Gerrard will have to show some patience for success.

"It is not going to be imminent," St John added. "Because the new manager came in and had to clear out a lot of non-quality players.

"They were just not good enough, you saw that yesterday from the ones from the old regime, so he needs some time.

"Steven is a local lad and it should be his main ambition to lift the league championship with Liverpool."

DECEMBER 8
Gerrard warns Reds

By Paul Higham - Sky Sports

Steven Gerrard has warned Liverpool that he could leave in the summer if they do not show signs of challenging for The Premiership.

Gerrard committed himself to The Reds at the start of the season despite an offer from big-spending Chelsea, but he wants Liverpool to be title contenders.

Rafa Benitez is trying to mould a new side at Anfield, but club captain Gerrard has warned that he will not have too much time to do so.

The England man wants to see signs of Liverpool becoming real title hopefuls or he will move on in the summer.

"If we're moving forward and I'm successful at this club then I won't need to go anywhere else, but if things aren't looking good I'll have to see what happens in the summer," said Gerrard.

"I'm 25 at the end of the season and I think I've got six or seven years left in me at the top level to win things, so hopefully the turnaround can happen quite sharpish.

"I'm in a difficult situation because I'm a fan myself, I want to win things at this football club, but I haven't got time on my side.

"I can't really wait three or four years for the club to be turned around and to be made into a title-winning side.

"I'm hoping that will happen from now until the end of the season and that, come the summer, we'll be in next year's title race. I'm not giving up now, but look at the table."

NOVEMBER 16
Gerrard declares himself fit for Saturday

By Al Campbell - LFC Online

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has declared himself fit and ready for the Reds' visit to Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Gerrard came through 45 minutes of a reserve game unscathed last night and the Reds' number 8 is hopeful of making the squad for the weekend's game.

"It's great to be back. I felt sharp out there and I enjoyed it. I feel fit and it's up to the manager now whether or not he plays me on some capacity on Saturday. It's been frustrating being out but I enjoyed the game," said Gerrard.

"I'm itching to get back into the first team. I have to take my time and be patient and I don't just expect to walk straight back into the team. I need games now and hopefully in four or five games I will be 100 per cent fit again.

"It was nice to come through the game and I had been looking forward to this game for some time. I didn't want to go straight into first team action without testing the foot out, and I've tested it out and it feels 100 per cent and I feel good.

"It was nice to get a feel for the game and I had a couple of chances to score as well. It would have been nice to get a goal but Mellor's the goal machine again!

"It's been a very frustrating two months for me as I hate watching football when I'm not playing. Hopefully that is behind me now and I hope I can find my form. There are a lot of good games to look forward to now and the good thing about getting injured early on in the season is you've got the rest of it to look forward to."

Gerrard's return is a boost for boss Rafael Benitez with difficult games away at Monaco and home to Arsenal following the trip to Middlesbrough.

OCTOBER 29
Gerrard handed fitness boost

By Peter ORourke - Planet Football/Sky Sports

Liverpool ace Steven Gerrard has been given the go-ahead to step up his bid for fitness.

The Reds captain has targeted a return to action against Middlesbrough on November 20 after been given the green light to resume light training.

Gerrard has been out of action for over a month since breaking his metatarsal against Manchester United.

The England international is now counting down the days until he is able to return to the first team.

"I had a meeting with the specialist today and everything was really positive. I've been given the go-ahead to start running again and all going well I could be back training with the lads in two weeks," said Gerrard.

"It was music to my ears and I'm delighted with the news. It has been difficult but the physios here at the club and the doc have been brilliant. I'm happy with the way things are going and I can definitely now see light at the end of the tunnel.

"If I really pushed it I could probably be back for the Palace game on November 13, but I think a more realistic target would be Middlesbrough away the week after.

"I don't want to rush things unnecessarily and I'll probably play in a practise game beforehand. If there are no complications along the way I should definitely be involved in the trip to Boro."

SEPTEMBER 22
Gerrard sets comeback target

Sporting Life

Defiant Steven Gerrard believes he will be back in action within the next two months despite fears he could be sidelined until Christmas.

The Liverpool captain and England midfield lynchpin fractured a metatarsal bone in his foot in the 2-1 defeat by Manchester United on Monday.

Similar injuries to other players have seen them ruled out for around four months, but Gerrard remains positive - even though he will definitely miss England's World Cup qualifying matches against Wales and Azerbaijan next month.

"As far as I'm concerned, this injury will keep me out for two months and no longer," he told the club's official website, www.liverpoolfc.tv.

"I spoke to the surgeon yesterday (Tuesday) and he told me it should be eight weeks. I know people are comparing my injury to others who've had a similar knock, like Wayne Rooney.

"But although there are similarities, there are also differences.

"I don't think mine's as bad. I'm hoping that proves to be the case. In fact, I'm hoping I could even get back earlier than people think, but I don't want to set targets too early.

"I've got to just lie low and rest for a while. I've got a special machine in my house I'll be using twice a day to help my recovery.

"It's a devastating blow for me to miss any games, but I'll still be going to the matches and supporting the lads. I'm still the (Liverpool) captain and have a big role to play, even if I can't be out there with the lads."

Former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier, still a self-confessed fan of the club despite his departure, was saddened by the news but believes Gerrard will emerge a stronger player in the long run.

"First of all it's a shame for him and it's a big blow for the club," said Houllier.

"Maybe not so much for the national team as I think he'll miss the home game against Wales along with Azerbaijan, but it's a major blow for Liverpool Football Club.

"He was playing, he was going extremely well. He had scored goals and made at least two goals. But Stevie has a rebound mentality and I'm sure he'll come back even stronger."

SEPTEMBER 14
Introducing the best midfielder on the planet...

By Mark Lawrenson - Daily Post

In life as in sport, sometimes it is easy to focus on the negatives. By concentrating on what is wrong with something, you can miss out on seeing just what is right.

That is the case with Liverpool at the moment, where everyone is looking for where Rafael Benitez can improve the team - who can he buy, who is not playing well and so on.

I worry that is blinding us to the amazing form of Steven Gerrard or that we may be taking his performances over the last season-and-a-half for granted.

He is turning himself into a special player and I would say he is the best player of his type in Europe and possibly the world.

Gerrard was always a good player, but it took being dropped by Gerard Houllier after Liverpool were defeated by Basel to begin the next stage of his career.

He had a bit of criticism and a few games out and I am a great believer that taking time in the stand allows a player to recognise just what his role and influence on the team should be.

Since then he has taken on board his role as the driving force of this Liverpool team with a passion to become the central figure at the club - shown by Houllier having the intelligence to make him the club captain - and he is rapidly on the way to doing the same thing at international level.

I think that Benitez has recognised now what a player he has on his hands and is looking to add that one or two per cent that can make him even better in games.

In my time at Liverpool, I played alongside some truly great players - people like Ian Rush, Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness and Alan Hansen. When you look around the dressing room and see someone like that alongside you, it can't help but give you confidence.

That's because you know that in most games, and especially the tight ones against the other good teams, someone like that is capable of producing that moment of magic and making a difference.

The biggest compliment I can give to Steven Gerrard is that he would have been at home in that team and alongside those legends. Can you imagine a central mid-field partnership of him and Souness? It would have been frightening.

He showed his worth against West Brom on Saturday when he created the first goal from very little and when he drives forward from mid-field, he is unstoppable at times.

I also believe he is capable of lifting the people around him because of the level of his own performance.

Liverpool have some good players in the team - Harry Kewell is talented, Luis Garcia has done well so far, and Djibril Cisse has shown flashes of what he is capable of.

I believe that with Gerrard as the example, one or two of them will progress and develop to get near to his level, and if that happens then you are talking about a special team.

Of course, somewhere in the background is the ever-present worry that Real Madrid may come along in January and poach Gerrard away. Given the way he is playing at the moment, their admiration is unlikely to wane.

With that in mind, it is up to Benitez and the other players to begin that improvement as quickly as possible so that when January comes around, Steven Gerrard will find the thought of what he sees happening at Liverpool more exciting that moving to Spain and becoming a galactico.

There are not many people who turn down Real Madrid, but if Gerrard can see that Liverpool are on the rise again, I think he could be one of them.

Mark Lawrenson was talking to NEIL MACDONALD

SEPTEMBER 12
Perez: Gerrard "would suit" Real Madrid

Sporting Life

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has identified Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard as a potential galactico.

The Spanish giants made a summer swoop for Gerrard's former Anfield team-mate Michael Owen.

They also signed Newcastle centre-back Jonathan Woodgate, who teamed up with England captain David Beckham at the Bernabeu.

Now Perez has his eye on Gerrard and told the Sunday Mirror: "Steven Gerrard is a player I really like, he is the type of player who would suit the famous shirt of Real Madrid."

Gerrard, who scored in Liverpool's 3-0 win over West Brom at Anfield on Saturday, was a summer target for Chelsea but decided to stay at Liverpool and give new boss Rafael Benitez the chance to lead the club back to the top.

At the same time, Real Madrid were failing in their bid to lure Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira to the Bernabeu.

AUGUST 29
Benitez was Gerrard's reason for staying

By Al Campbell - LFC Online

Steven Gerrard has confirmed it was the appointment of Rafael Benitez as manager that was the deciding factor in his decision to stay at Liverpool.

During the Summer it seemed certain that Steven Gerrard was set to leave Liverpool for Chelsea and the player has admitted he did come close to leaving the club he has supported his entire life.

In the end though, Gerrard decided to stay at Anfield and this week he confirmed that it was the appointment of Rafael Benitez that convinced him Liverpool could again challenge for honours.

"It was basically down to the last couple of seasons at Liverpool," said Gerrard this week. "They weren't good enough, for me personally or for the club. I was frustrated, being out of the title race by January or February. That's not what the club want to be involved in and not what I want to be involved in.

"Everyone linked me with Chelsea and assumed that was where I was going but to be honest there were three or four good clubs knocking on my agent's door. It wasn't a case of definitely going to Chelsea if I did leave, it was a case of sitting down and discussing the possibility of me moving to a different club.

"I've worked with [Benitez] now for about six weeks and I've been very impressed. Tactically, he's very good. I'm starting to realise why he has been so successful at Valencia, with not too much money to spend.

"Given a little bit of time he can have this Liverpool side maybe not playing like Valencia, because it's a completely different team, but I think we will be a team that's going to be hard to beat. I think he will definitely improve things. That was the main factor on me deciding to stay. He thinks this team are playing to 60 per cent [of their capacity] and he thinks he can take the team up a lot more. I agree with him."

AUGUST 16
Gerrard in rallying cry

BBC Sport Online

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has told his team-mates to keep their chins up over the exit of Michael Owen.

England striker Owen has joined Real Madrid in a deal that will net Liverpool £8m plus Antonio Nunez.

But after Saturday's 1-1 draw with Tottenham, midfielder Gerrard, 24, told The Sun: "Michael has gone and we have got to keep our chins up.

"It is disappointing to see him go but I have got to move on personally and so has the team."

However, England midfielder Gerrard admitted that the players were surprised at how quickly the deal went through.

"It happened quite quickly and the players were a bit shocked - just like everybody else," added Gerrard.

"We came back for pre-season and expected Michael to be our front man again.

"Within day, or a week at most, he was a Real Madrid player.

"We do not all sit around talking about each other's possible moves. People make their own decisions and keep things close to their chests.

"I can guarantee there was not much transfer talk with Michael last week.

"He has made his decision away from the rest of the lads and we wish him the best of luck in his new challenge."

Gerrard himself rejected a switch to Chelsea over the summer and has since pledged his future to Liverpool.

And he insisted: "I have no regrets about staying. I am still confident that the manager Rafael Benitez can make us better tactically and we can improve on last season."

AUGUST 13
Gerrard happy to stick with Liverpool

BreakingNews.ie

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will embark on the new Premiership season insisting he “made the right decision” to turn his back on Chelsea in the summer.

The 24-year-old has consistently been told by critics that he should have turned his back on Anfield and grabbed the mega-bucks deal, particularly now with Michael Owen on his way out and another English pal Danny Murphy having also been sold by new boss Rafael Benitez.

But Gerrard will lead Liverpool out against Spurs in the season’s Premiership opener with “a clear mind” but demanding “now is the time to deliver”.

Gerrard certainly showed his value to Liverpool with a stunning two-goal performance in Austria in midweek in a game against AK Graz which was overshadowed by the Owen turmoil.

It has been a summer of change for Liverpool as well as Gerrard, with Benitez arriving and making his mark with 12 departures from the wage bill.

Coupled with the Owen saga which was concluded today with confirmation that the England striker is to join Real Madrid as has recently been rumoured, Gerrard might wonder if he had made the right decision after all.

But speaking before Owen’s departure was certain, he said: “I am glad I made the decision I did – but only time will tell whether that is the right decision. I’m a lot more settled in my own mind now about my future.

“I was a bit confused in the summer because there was a lot going on and I seriously considered moving on. I want to win trophies and I hope I can do that here at Liverpool.”

Gerrard is impatient to make up for lost time.

He said: “The last two years haven’t been very good, so we need to put things right straightaway. This club is about winning trophies, and the quicker we do so the better for me.

“We do not want to set targets for the season. The manager keeps saying that we must only think about and concentrate on the next game. It’s a bit of a cliché but it is important not to let things a long way ahead colour what you are doing now.”

Gerrard has needed to discuss the future with Benitez nonetheless.

“I spoke to the manager about my game and also about the team, and he has told me he would like me to improve my game in certain areas,” he said.

“But that is to be expected from the manager. He has sat down with every player and spoken to them individually.

“For the manager to come in here and say my game is perfect and I had nothing to learn would be totally wrong. I am still only 24 and have a lot of things to learn and I can get better and have a better season than I did last term.

“Part of my game will be to attack more, but he has also told me he would like me to be more tactically aware and to burst forward at the right opportunity and not to do it all the time. He wants me to do the best for my team, and I can guarantee that will happen.”

Gerrard has yet to discover how that will fit into the new Liverpool.

“The style of play in the future is something you will have to ask the manager about,” he said.

“I have only been working with him for a few weeks, and it is not 100 per cent clear in my mind. But he wants to win and be successful quickly – that is obvious.

“He wants his players with the right mentality; he wants players with the right attitude and playing for the team. He does not want individuals, but a bunch of boys all fighting for the same thing. That does mean eating together and mixing together, and I am sure it will show on the pitch that we have a good team spirit and the right mentality to bring success.

“We have all got to improve on performances of last season, and our position in the table will improve if that happens. The boys will have to dig in and give that extra five or 10% – and that will happen.

“The fans have always got high expectations, but so to do the players. The fans want big things, and I hope we can now deliver.

“I don’t know yet how much the summer’s events have affected me as a person and a player. But I can assure everyone that I am 100% focused on doing my job for the team, and my aim is to have a better season than last.”

Gerrard acknowledges it will not be easy, however.

“All three clubs above us last season are again the threats,” he said.

“They were all fantastic sides. I don’t think they needed much strengthening, but they have all made signings to make them stronger.

“For us it is a fresh start. We have a whole new coaching staff and a couple of new faces to strengthen us.”

Thor Zakariassen ©