We should NOT extend Gerrard...

Let me start by saying I love the man. He is my hero, my idol, everything I wish I could have been. Let me also say that he is arguably my favorite footballer of all time. In my opinion he is the greatest player to play for our beloved the club. What he's done for our club cannot be fully expressed in words so I won't even try to do so and you all already know everything there is to know.

Now to the point of this thread. He's 34 years old. Will be 35 when his contract runs out.
His current contract ends in the summer. He's clearly not the player he once was and I think last season's failure to win the PL has mentally scarred him to the point of no coming back. Even last season there were signs where he couldn't cope physically but he looks like a senior citizen on the pitch this season and that's putting it lightly.

Brendan will not drop Gerrard. That is a fact, irregardless of what you want to believe. Now he doesn't even have the excuse of a thin squad like he did last season but he still plays Stevie 90 minutes six times every 2 weeks even though in his pressers he keeps talking about meritocracy and/or rotation bullshit. He doesn't have the balls to drop him and Gerrard's ego and character are just too big to accept a bench role that is all obvious.

Look we all know he will leave us in the near future. Whether that's in 1 year or 2 years or 3 years. But he is at the tail end of his career and he'll be leaving and we will have to learn to play without him eventually. Whatever he currently brings to the team (leadership, long hollywood passing, set pieces etc) we will have to learn to play without and adjust accordingly.

Until last season we still had dire need of Stevie. There was a role for him in the team. Now, however, there doesn't look to be any role for him in the team. He has become a liability and Rodgers keeps adjusting different formations to fit this liability into it. This is an unbelievably unsustainable footballing philosophy. You cannot carry passengers in todays game and when it gets found out by other teams wonder what went wrong. We played 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2 diamond at the beginning of this season but teams countered that and started man marking Stevie and those formations got found out because Stevie couldn't physically lose his marker. Then we moved him forward up field and we found out he just doesn't have the legs to play that position effectively over a whole match. So then we went back to square one and got another formation and another and another etc. Do you realize that right now we are playing a terribly unbalanced and unsustainable 3-4-2-1 with almost every other player out of position to accommodate Stevie in the team.

I want to initiate this conclusion to you with caution as some of you may not like it but deep down you probably know it is true. As long as Stevie stays at the club (he will be a starter no matter the detriment to the team) and we will NOT move forward.

My solution is shake his hand, give him a kings departure and let him go this summer. IT IS TIME WE MOVE ON. We cannot possibly accept writing season after season off just because we are too nice to kick an old washed out player out. If Gerrard is still starting for us next season you better believe that half the *bleep* problems we have right now both offensively and defensively will be there next season.

This solution is purely because my love for the club is greater than anything else. The day Steive retires or leaves Liverpool will be one of the saddest moments in our clubs history and I will be as broken as anyone weeping like a baby. It is, however, in our best interest to move on already.


PS. I want to clarify that this thread is not blaming all of our problems on Gerrard and me thinking that we'll magically be great once he gets benched. No, he's obviously not to blame for all that and we have some deeper problems but Stevie is one of those priority problems that we must take care of soon.

So because Rodgers can't manage Gerrard (or the rest of the squad rather) we should get rid of a club legend that still has a role to play and leave the scrub of a manager in charge? Genius. Not too mention Stevie's influence OFF the pitch as well.

Honestly don't see what role he has on the pitch, the guy can't play 90 minuites, and were accommodating for him more than anything.

Playing him for the last 20-30 mins of the match in an attacking position is a waste, bar his set pieces and leadership i don't see much he adds, sometimes his a massive waste on the pitch.

Time to look for another position at the club, you can say all you want about this legend blah blah crap, but his not bigger than the club .

Sorry this thread is the ultimate low. . .

I would offer him an extension, but only a one-year one.

Look, last season pretty much everything went right for us. That included Gerrard's position, I thought he did a very good job as the defensive midfielder / deep-lying midfielder, what ever you want to call it. His distribution is optimal for that role, his calming influence and ability to see and initiate plays from that position. The fact that he could drop deep in between the CBs and we'd take our time passing it there in peace. The fact he had pretty much every other player apart from the two CBs ahead of him, keeping opponents busy marking them, giving Stevie options and time to apply his marvelous distribution. And I thought he did a decent job defensively, too. That was the role he was best suited to last season and that's the role he's best suited to now.

Not that CAM bs, not this two-man CM bs. He should play the deepest-lying midfield role with two CMs in front of him or then he shouldn't play at all, period. The fact Gerrard is looking between average and terrible right now is because Rodgers is putting him in roles he cannot be expected to fulfill. So, if Rodgers is going to keep doing that, then I hope we don't extend Gerrard's contract. But I think our best formation still should turn out to be one with a three-man midfield with one playing deeper and two higher up. And there is still that role for Gerrard to fill, imo. Not in every game and not if Lucas / Can / whoever seems to do a better job in that position, but I believe Gerrard could still play at last season's level in that deep-lying position and that would be good enough to me to offer him an extension.

We conceded 50 plus goals last season, we over looked his inability to play as a DM and protect the defense because we were scoring more than we conceded.

mr-r34 wrote:We conceded 50 plus goals last season, we over looked his inability to play as a DM and protect the defense because we were scoring more than we conceded.

That's way too simplistic analysis. For instance, we conceded a lot of set-piece goals last season and those are in no way the DM's fault.

I think Gerrard's best role now is being an impact substitute. He shouldn't be playing beyond 20-30 mins. However, I believe he still got the legs and definitely the fire, talent and experience to make an impact if he is used that sparingly.

mr-r34 wrote:Honestly don't see what role he has on the pitch, the guy can't play 90 minuites, and were accommodating for him more than anything.

Playing him for the last 20-30 mins of the match in an attacking position is a waste, bar his set pieces and leadership i don't see much he adds, sometimes his a massive waste on the pitch.

Time to look for another position at the club, you can say all you want about this legend blah blah crap, but his not bigger than the club .

Are you serious?

He's played 5 games in about 20 days at 35 years old. That comes down to poor management.

Give him one game a week and he'll do well. He's our second top goal scorer iirc, and that's not because of luck. His body may be declining but he still has a role to play for us.

His set pieces and leadership is HUGE to us, not sure how you just shrug them off.

He's not bigger than the club, no, definitely not, but he can still do very well if managed correctly.

Art Morte wrote:

mr-r34 wrote:We conceded 50 plus goals last season, we over looked his inability to play as a DM and protect the defense because we were scoring more than we conceded.

That's way too simplistic analysis. For instance, we conceded a lot of set-piece goals last season and those are in no way the DM's fault.

He's terrible in that role and always has been. Not sure what you people see in him playing there.

I blame it all on Rodgers don't get me wrong, his tried to accommodate the shit out of Gerrard because his got no balls in giving him a lesser role. Gerrard should be at best a bench player for us these days playing max 30 minutes against big sides more of a role against the scrubs , i don't see any position where he can start were we don't have better options, set pieces isn't enough to warrant him a start, and yes leadership is a huge factor, but the rest of his game isn't enough to warrant him based on his leadership alone.

@red albert

So, you maintain that he's got a role to play for us, but it's not defensive midfielder. Yet there's no way he can or should play CAM, both because of his declining physique and our better options there. And even at CM he's being a passenger. We can agree to disagree on how we rate him as DM, but I honestly don't think he can sufficiently play any other role for us.

He still has a role to play for us.

He had a "slow" start with us last season too...

Give him a role that's accustomed to his age and he'll be right. We obviously do have better options in midfield, but he is still arguably our biggest goal threat from midfield. And his leadership is HUGE to us. Now I'm not saying to start him every game, but again, we just need to use him right. And I highly doubt we're just changing formations and tactics just to accommodate Gerrard. We're doing that because 3 years later, we're "rebuilding" for the future.

Last time I checked this is Rodgers' 3rd season (therefore not 3 years later) and we'll likely finish top 4 or top 5 again. Not sure how that's playing for the future, finishing 2nd in the league and on the way to top 4-5 again, considering he took over a midtable club on the brink of administration.

The truth is Gerrard doesn't have spot in the starting XI. I would love to keep him at the club until he retires if he can accept a position as an impact sub and a player in cup games. As long as he isn't being leaned on heavily when he is on the pitch as well. Our team and build up just slows down too much with him on the field, he doesn't know how to measure space well off the ball, and he's too undisciplined. I also think that the other players on the field defer to him too much when he's there.

No, I dont agree, we should extend his contract by one year!!

HEIL MEIN REDS wrote:No, I dont agree, we should extend his contract by one year!!

...and should be used sparingly too .

El Cujo wrote:Last time I checked this is Rodgers' 3rd season (therefore not 3 years later) and we'll likely finish top 4 or top 5 again. Not sure how that's playing for the future, finishing 2nd in the league and on the way to top 4-5 again, considering he took over a midtable club on the brink of administration.

You might want to re read your history book son.

Thread

Red Alert wrote:

El Cujo wrote:Last time I checked this is Rodgers' 3rd season (therefore not 3 years later) and we'll likely finish top 4 or top 5 again. Not sure how that's playing for the future, finishing 2nd in the league and on the way to top 4-5 again, considering he took over a midtable club on the brink of administration.

You might want to re read your history book son.

Liverpool were not midtable? I guess 8th is high enough for you. Were they not on the brink of administration in 2010? New owners had literally just come in when he started.

Your shtick is getting old though, I forgot I wasn't going to respond to you anymore.

Gerrard offers Leadership and set pieces.

Honestly, games like today are there for him to take by the balls and prove his still got it here, complete passenger besides when given an easy chance at a goal. He doesn't even show emotions anymore, FML t's such a shit situation to be in and whatever happens its lose -lose.

mr-r34 wrote:Gerrard offers Leadership and set pieces.

Honestly, games like today are there for him to take by the balls and prove his still got it here, complete passenger besides when given an easy chance at a goal. He doesn't even show emotions anymore, FML t's such a shit situation to be in and whatever happens its lose -lose.

He had a better game than Lucas.

Where was Lucas's famous defensive cover for the CBs when Leicester scored both of their goals from that flank, from central position, from the edge of the box? Just the area where you'd expect your primary DM to be breaking up plays. Especially the first goal when Sakho was first out wide. Lucas was jogging casually a few yards back without a care in the world.

Both of them should not play, Gerrard and Lucas. But to take a dig at Gerrard after today's game is completely wrong, at least he offers better passing and did score both of the penalties. Lucas had the worse game of the two. But ultimately it's Rodgers who failed once again by playing them both.

First goal, did you watch the first goal, Gerrard was the biggest passenger, it looked like he didn't give a fuarkk.

I downloaded highlights and made a GIF for you, watch Gerrard, watch the guy.

Walking the whole *bleep* time, how the *bleep* was Lucas at fault in the goal and Gerrard gets away scotch free.



As for the second, Lucas should of not let Mahrez through, but gerrard was no help, Mahrez passed it right to Schlupp and it breezed past stevie, Sterling and Can also had a chance to shut it down, but the play was just too good.

Neither were good, but it's from Lucas's flank and he does absolutely nothing. Both him and Gerrard in the same line in no man's land, not closing down on Leicester midfielders, not dropping back to track their forwards. But it's from Lucas's side, so he's more at fault there. The same for the second goal. Not that I'm defending Gerrard, but it's not fair to take a swipe at Gerrard and not mention Lucas after this performance. Because all things considered, it's Lucas who had the worse game of the two.

I think our only hope is Emre-Henderson midfield. Gerrard, as I mentioned numerous times, can be used for 20-45 mins only. Lucas can have occasional good games but that's about it and Allen is *bleep*.

Rumors going over Twitter that there might be announcement from either Gerrard or LFC that he would not extend and leave this summer!!!!