Copyright 2012 Steven Gerrard

The right of Steven Gerrard to be identified as the Author of the Work has been
asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be
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First published as an Ebook by Headline Publishing Group in 2012
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copyright material. The author and publisher will be glad to rectify any omissions at
the earliest opportunity.
Cataloguing in Publication Data is available from the British Library
eISBN : 978 0 7553 6397 1
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CONTENTS
COVER
TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT PAGE
PICTURE CREDITS
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
FOREWORD
INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1 19801998
Chapter 2 19981999
Chapter 3 19992000
Chapter 4 20002001
Chapter 5 20012002
Chapter 6 20022003
Chapter 7 20032004
Chapter 8 20042005
Chapter 9 20052006
Chapter 10 20062007
Chapter 11 20072008
Chapter 12 20082009
Chapter 13 20092010
Chapter 14 20102011
Chapter 15 20112012
EPILOGUE
CAREER STATISTICS
Picture Credits
Laurie Fletcher: see here, see here, see here Action Images: see here, see here (Nick
Potts); see here (MSI); see here, see here (Richard Heathcote); see here (John Sibley);
see here; see here (Darren Walsh); see here (Tony OBrien); see here (Alex Morton);
see here right (Darren Walsh Livepic); see here (John Sibley); see here (REUTERS/Kai
Pfaffenbach); see here (REUTERS/Jeff J. Mitchell); see here (Michael Regan/Livepic);
see here (REUTERS/Nigel Roddis); see here (Paul Currie Livepic); see here, see here
(Carl Recine Livepic); see here (Craig Brough Livepic); see here (REUTERS/Stefan
Wermuth); see here (Lee Mills Livepic); see here (Carl Recine Livepic); see here
(Livepic) Back Page Images: see here, see here (Javier Garcia); see here (Matt West)
Colorsport: see here (Andrew Cowie) Express Newspapers: see here Getty
Images: see here (Clive Brunskill); see here, see here (Stu Forster); see here (Michael
Steele); see here (Phil Cole); see here, see here (Michael Steele); see here, see here top
(Clive Brunskill); see here bottom; see here (Phil Cole); see here (Stu Forster); see
here (Ben Radford); see here (Stephen Munday); see here, see here right (Popperfoto);
see here (Shaun Botterill); see here (Alex Livesey); see here (Ben Radford); see here
(Adrian Dennis); see here (Gary M. Prior); see here (Clive Brunskill); see here (Mark
Thompson); see here (Laurence Griffiths); see here (Phil Cole); see here (Clive
Brunskill); see here (Mike Hewitt); see here (Gary M. Prior); see here (Paul Barker);
see here (Clive Brunskill); see here (Mark Thompson); see here (Nicolas Asfouri); see
here (Clive Brunskill); see here (Steve Parkin); see here, see here (Alex Livesey); see
here (Chris Coleman); see here (Paul Barker); see here (Michael Steele); see here
(Laurence Griffiths); see here, see here (Ben Radford); see here (Clive Brunskill); see
here (AFP); see here (Mike Hewitt); see here (Clive Brunskill); see here, see here (Alex
Livesey); see here (Scott Barbour); see here (Alex Livesey); see here (Shaun Botterill);
see here (Ross Kinnaird); see here (Shaun Botterill); see here (Bob Thomas); see here;
see here (Carl de Souza); see here (Ben Radford); see here (Stu Forster); see here (Carl
de Souza); see here (Stu Forster); see here, see here, (Laurence Griffiths); see here
(Chris Coleman); see here (Mark Thompson); see here, see here (Laurence Griffiths);
see here (Clive Brunskill); see here (Paul Ellis); see here (Mike Hewitt); see here (Clive
Mason); see here (Laurence Griffiths); see here top (Andrew Yates); see here bottom
(John Peters); see here, see here (Alex Livesey); see here (John Powell); see here (Paul
Ellis); see here (John Powell); see here (Laurence Griffiths); see here (John Powell);
see here, see here, see here (Andrew Powell); see here (Michael Regan); see here (Alex
Livesey); see here (John Powell); see here (Andrew Yates); see here (Paul Gilham);
see here, see here (John Powell); see here (Paul Ellis); see here (Jamie McDonald); see
here (Matt Lewis/The FA) Liverpool Echo: see here (Andrew Teebay) Offside: see
here, see here, see here, see here, see here (Mark Leech); see here, see here (Chris
Lobina); see here, see here (Mark Leech); see here (Roy Beardsworth); see here (Matt
Roberts); see here, see here (Roy Beardsworth); see here, see here, see here, see here,
see here (Simon Stacpoole); see here (David Wilkinson); see here (Roy Beardsworth)
Press Association Images: see here (Rui Vieira); see here (Mike Egerton/EMPICS
Sport); see here (Paul Marriott/EMPICS Sport); see here, see here (Mike
Egerton/EMPICS Sport); see here, see here (Nick Potts); see here (Phil Noble); see
here (Peter Byrne); see here (Dominic Lipinski)
Rex Features: see here (Ted Blackbrow/Daily Mail); see here (Graham
Chadwick/Daily Mail); see here (Andy Hooper/Daily Mail); see here; see here (Piers
Allardyce)
DEDICATION
I would like to dedicate this book to my family, especially my wife, Alex, and my
three beautiful daughters, Lilly-Ella, Lexie and Lourdes.
I hope that, by reading it, they better understand my story and can learn from my
experiences, both good and bad, in a game I love.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Struan Marshall and Kathryn Taylor at Wasserman and Andy
Sterling of Benson McGarvey for their advice and help throughout my career. Thanks
also to Jonathan Taylor and Richard Roper of Headline Publishing Group for their
expertise in putting the book together, Paul Joyce of the Daily Express for helping to
get my thoughts down and to Ged Rea for collating all the statistics.
FOREWORD
Football players are forever finding themselves pigeon-holed. You hear claims all
the time that so and so is the best at this, someone else is the best at that, or no one has
ever done this quite as well before. In the end, I am not sure any of it really matters. It
is down to personal preference most of the time, anyway.
But when I think about Steven Gerrard and Liverpool, one fact is indisputable: the
enormous contribution Steven has made to the history of the football club from the
moment he first stepped out on the turf wearing that red shirt.
People should just be grateful that they have had the opportunity to watch Steven
grow as a player, and as a person, before their very eyes, and take heart from the
reality that he has brought so much excitement and joy to everyone in the process.
I have admired Steven from afar as a fantastic midfielder who leads by example
on the pitch, but also off it with the way he conducts himself and speaks so honestly
and passionately about Liverpool, and I count myself lucky to have worked closely
alongside him, day in, day out, when I returned to Anfield as manager.
It was disappointing that I couldnt select him as often as I would have liked due to
injury in that period, but I know exactly what Steven went through for Liverpool
Football Club during my time back at the helm, especially the lengths he went to in
order to make himself available for selection.
I am not being disrespectful to any of the other players, but when Steven trained
with the squad the quality in the sessions simply went up another notch firstly
because he is such a good player, but also because his team-mates sensed that quality
amongst them and knew they had to raise their own games to try and match his. That
tells you something about his presence and also the respect he receives as a colleague
and a captain.
When I think about Steven Gerrard and Liverpool, I consider theirs to be the
perfect fit. On the one hand you have a marvellous player who is living out his
dreams with his boyhood favourites and, on the other, you have a magnificent club
that has helped him to fulfil most of his ambitions.
Theirs is a relationship that has suited both parties. A match made on Merseyside.
Kenny Dalglish, August 2012
INTRODUCTION
Every year, I am presented with countless opportunities to do books about my
career. I usually turn them down flat. However, the chance to tell My Liverpool
Story through my words and the photographs which frame my life was too good a
chance to overlook.
Sifting through all the pictures stirred great memories and I hope those who read
this book gain the same level of enjoyment I have had in writing it. Each day I realise
how lucky I am to live the dream.
Hopefully, there are a few more chapters still to be written in my time at Anfield, a
few more trophies to lift and a few more highs to sample.
Steven Gerrard, August 2012
THREE WORDS CHANGED MY LIFE: LIVERPOOL WANT YOU
I didnt realise it at the time, but when my dad told me of the interest from Anfield
one night at home in Huyton everything altered for me: my direction in life, the path
Id take growing up, the choices Id make from that day on.
I was just a baby eight years old but that was that. A full-blown love affair had
been ignited.
Dave Shannon, a coach at Liverpools Centre of Excellence, had approached Ben
McIntyre, the manager of my local Sunday League team, Whiston Juniors, and he then
relayed the news to my dad.
My dad wasnt really surprised. He had grown used to scouts pulling him to one
side after games. Is the midfielder your lad? they would ask. We like him. We
would like him to come and train with us.
Manchester United, Everton and Manchester City had all been in touch and
basically Liverpools interest snowballed from there. They didnt want one of their
deadly rivals pinching a talent from under their noses and so invited me to go for a
trial in the old Vernon Sangster Sports Centre that used to be in the shadow of
Anfield, but is now no longer there, or to Melwood in the school holidays.
Melwood? The place where Liverpools first team train? Me?
Just to be driven through the iron gates of the training ground was an amazing
feeling and on the way there with my dad I was imagining bumping into the likes of
John Barnes and Ronnie Whelan.
Of course, there was no chance of that. The first team had long since gone home and
it was night before the kids were allowed in. As it was, the first thing that really struck
me about being in this magical, hallowed place that had been graced by some of the
greatest players ever to play football was . . . the grass. It wasnt like the scrap of land
where I pretended to be a professional footballer every spare minute I had growing up
in Ironside Road. It was like a carpet, a bowling green. Perfect.
At that age, I didnt have a clue if I was good or not. Whiston Juniors was a well-
run club and used to produce a programme with match reports in them. I was scoring
hat-tricks, getting Man of the Match and we were beating teams heavily, every week.
I knew I was important for my Sunday League side, maybe the best in the league,
but when you turn up at Liverpool to play in a small trial game and see other young
lads doing the turns and flicks that youve been practising it was like: wow! There are
other good players out there too! A whole new world opened up in front of me and it
was one I was desperate to be a part of.
Back then, at the very start of my career, I was more scared and nervous than
anything else. I didnt know what to expect, what Liverpool wanted from me. But I
was soon put at ease.
The first three people I met were the coaches Steve Heighway, Hughie McAuley
and Dave, who had started the whole process off. From day one until the day I turned
professional, they were there for me. And they would still be there for me if I needed
anything.
They were a team and all used to sing off the same hymn sheet. They believed in
the same values of the club and looking back on it now they became like uncles to me.
I felt as though I was part of a family because they treated me that well.
Dont get me wrong, there were times when they could give out a telling off
Steve would normally be the one to do that but they always wanted the best for me.
Liverpools support didnt stop me from trying out different clubs. Going
elsewhere allowed me to see what those clubs were like compared to Liverpool, but I
never got the same feeling.
I went to Manchester United on a five-day trial during the school holidays and I
met Sir Alex Ferguson. I went to West Ham and scored a couple of goals in a trial
game against Cambridge, which we won 62.
I spent four days with West Ham when I was 11 and at the end of it they offered
me a three-year professional contract for when I was 17. Maybe I was better than I
thought after all. Everton were also keen on offering me a deal around the same time,
but they never had a chance. They were pestering my dad all the time to get me to go
in and have a look around and play in a game for them and eventually I did just that,
to ensure my dad got a break from them as much as anything. I started a game for
them, but at half-time I was taken off. To this day I dont know why. Maybe they had
seen enough, but there were a lot of kids there that day so they could have wanted to
give someone else a chance. But I took it as an insult. Everton had been asking me to
go there for months and months and months and then they dragged me off. I just
thought if I am going to impress you, I want a full match to do it in.
There were also a couple of games for Tranmere as a favour to one of my dads
mates. I was never going to go there, but I did follow them a bit. Ged Brannan was
from the same estate as me and he played for them and used to get us tickets every
now and then, so I did have a bit of a soft spot for them. Really though, I wanted to
play for Liverpool. My team. And Liverpool wanted me.
Steve Heighway was happy for me to go and try other places, test the water, but
hed always have a message for Dad before I went anywhere. Dont do anything
stupid because we want Steven, hed say. And we want him for a long time.
Melwood? The place where Liverpools first team train? Me?
DREAMING OF ANFIELD
I trained at Liverpool a couple of times a week when I was first starting out. It was
the club I supported, but I didnt appreciate what Liverpool meant back then. I didnt
understand how big the club was, how it had thousands of people in the city under its
spell, and millions more across the world, and I probably didnt understand how
lucky I was.
I was just bothered about football and at that stage it didnt matter who it was for.
Whether it was for Liverpool, my school, Cardinal Heenan School, or Whiston
Juniors didnt bother me at that time. I just wanted to play.
Every day I practised in the street. While I was waiting for my dad to take me to
Melwood, Id be juggling a ball by the car. If we were getting the bus, Id dribble the
ball to the stop. Every morning Id check my school bag to make sure I hadnt
forgotten anything that I would need that day. Making sure I had a ball for break,
lunchtime and after school, was my first priority and after that my books.
I did dream about Liverpool though. A lot. From being the eight-year-old who
didnt know how good he was, I remember the first time I started to think I might
have a chance of making it was when Michael Owen and me were asked to go with
Liverpool U18s for a tournament in Spain. We were 11 at the time. From the first
moment I saw Michael in those early games at the Vernon Sangster, I knew he was
brilliant. He scored for fun when we were kids. Ice cold in front of goal even at that
age.
There were between 10 and 14 players in our age group at Liverpool, but only
Michael and I were invited to San Sebastian. We didnt play, it was just for
experience, but privately I figured that for us to be the only ones invited meant the
coaches thought we had a good chance. I dont know whether they rated me as highly
as Michael, but just being on that trip to sunny Spain helped me focus.
With progress comes responsibility. I wasnt really one for school, I didnt like
doing homework for starters, but there was no way that my dad would allow me to
misbehave. It was about respect. There were times when I would get above my station
with the PE teachers and try and act the big shot because I was training at Liverpool,
but if they had ever told my dad he would have come down heavy on me.
Liverpool stressed, too, that the invites to Melwood would stop for anyone going
off the rails at school and causing trouble. I didnt fancy testing things to see if Steve
Heighway was making an empty threat or a promise.
At the age of 14, another mini-milestone arrived. Liverpool offered me two years
schoolboy forms, an apprenticeship and then a three-year professional contract when I
turned 17. They did rate me, and highly.
While most of my mates at school had trouble scraping together a few quid, I had
it written down in black and white on Liverpool-headed notepaper in a draw in my
house how much I would be earning until I was 20. When I turned professional, I
would be on 700-a-week rather than a month. The next year 800-a-week and then
900-a-week.
The sums were mind-boggling really. My life was being mapped out in front of
me, but it was never, ever about money for me. It was just about football.
I think everyone who is at a Centre of Excellence or on schoolboy forms believes
they will make it. At the end of the day, you are at Liverpool for a reason. But there
were times when I realised it wasnt going to be all plain sailing, which is a route that
my career has followed ever since. Every time I would step up in an age group, it
dawned on me just how hard it was going to be to eventually pull on the red shirt. I
was still tiny and everyone else was stronger, bigger and faster than me. In those
circumstances, I am sure there have been good players who have slipped through the
net and not been given the opportunity to fulfil their potential. There was no way that
was going to happen to me and, fortunately, I was able to make up for those
disadvantages in other areas. Team-mates and rivals used to tower over me, but
football-wise I was head and shoulders above them. I saw things differently on the
pitch, spotted the pass quicker than many of them and then delivered it better.
There was a game at Melwood when I was in the final year of secondary school
and Liverpool had asked me to play for the B-team. I ended up being substitute for the
A-team, however, and came on in the final 20 minutes of a match against Blackburn. I
did well, won tackles, sprayed some passes around, and as I walked off afterwards I
heard a voice next to me: Youll walk into Liverpools first team. It was Jamie
Redknapp. He had been watching the game and pulled me aside after the final whistle.
That was a huge moment for me. Jamie wasnt just a member of the first team, he was
my hero. He was the boy back then. The one I looked up to probably because I played
in the same position as him central midfield and he had everything I wanted.
Thanks, I said nervously. I didnt say much else. I was in awe.
Afterwards, I was walking on air. I rushed home to tell my mum and dad and
brother, Paul, but no one else. I kept things to myself in lots of ways and those who
didnt need to know didnt find out. Many people said I was good at that stage of my
career, but this was Jamie Redknapp. Englands Jamie Redknapp. He knew his
football and I thought to myself hes not going to waste his words on someone he
doesnt think merits them, he obviously believed it. It was the first time I had any real
contact with Jamie, but he was hugely important to me in those early years at
Liverpool. If I needed advice he was there for me and he still is.
Going full-time as a professional is one of the greatest feelings I have had in
football, besides the medals Ive won and the big nights Ive enjoyed, but the best
days of my career were when I was an apprentice without a shadow of doubt.
I had my own standards and wanted to play well every week just like now, but
there wasnt the pressure. At that stage there arent a dozen newspapers pouring over
your performances, half-a-dozen TV channels dissecting whether you have played
well or not, or loads of magazines predicting how you will do. You basically had
Steve Heighway, Hughie McAuley and Dave Shannon guiding you, and 30 of your
mates with you every day. For two years, we had a laugh and played on brilliant
football pitches. We were all together and we were changing from boys into men.
Passing our driving tests together, getting cars (I used to drive my mums Nissan
Bluebird before splashing out on an N-reg red Golf) and lending each other fivers and
tenners. I can remember putting a few extra miles on my expenses to try and squeeze
some extra pounds out of Steve Heighway.
Initially, there wasnt the same pressure for me because I had the promise of
turning professional, but that soon changed. Michael Owen changed everything for
me. As soon as he went full-time, he was away. Playing for the reserves, scoring the
goals that helped Liverpool win the FA Youth Cup in 1996 against a West Ham team
containing Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard, and then into the first team.
That was when I felt the pressure creeping in and jealousy, too, because I
wanted to get to where he was as quickly as he had done it. His status changed. I
wasnt just going to watch Redknapp, Fowler and McManaman at Anfield any more. I
was watching them and Michael and Jamie Carragher, too, who I had been sharing a
dressing room with only a few months earlier. A bit of frustration crept into me as a
footballer for the first time because I wanted it to happen as quickly for me as it had
for Michael. Physically, he was ready. I wasnt and had to be more patient.
But Michael was certainly a big influence in terms of driving me forward. Seeing
what he was doing, the highs he was enjoying, gave me the incentive to push on.
Every time I would step up in an age group, it dawned on me just how hard it was
going to be to eventually pull on the red shirt.
NOVEMBER 29, 1998
I can remember every minute and every hour as if it was yesterday. Arriving at the
ground, getting changed, warming up and then standing on the touchline, nervous as
hell, waiting to come on for my Liverpool debut at Anfield against Blackburn Rovers.
The fourth official held up Vegard Heggems number and I bounded on for the
final three minutes, including injury time, of a 20 win that had earlier been sealed by
goals from Paul Ince and Michael Owen.
This was it, everything I had dreamed about. There was a huge adrenaline buzz.
Being clapped on by thousands of people, creating a wall of noise, sends a tingle
through your body, but the biggest emotion I felt was relief. I was playing for
Liverpools first team. No one could take that away from me now. I had realised a
dream. My dad said as much to me on the way home afterwards and then paused
before adding: But that has to be the start. Youve done nothing. Dont rest on that.
It was good advice, but I knew myself I wanted to taste more. It was another life-
changing experience. This wasnt playing in front of 200 people for the reserves.
There was a crowd of almost 42,000 inside Anfield and, for a moment, as I prepared
to come on their focus was drawn to me. To be honest, most of the supporters
probably thought: Whos this skinny little lad? I had only played four games for the
reserves. Our FA Youth Cup team was knocked out of that competition in the early
rounds, so it wasnt like it had been with Michael who everyone sat up and took
notice of straight away.
People thought I might have been a decent player, but that was as far as it went.
Looking back that helped me in some respects. The youngsters at Liverpool dont
have that luxury now. The U18s and reserves matches are all live on the clubs TV
channel, LFC TV, and that can be counterproductive. Look at someone like Raheem
Sterling. He has got a big reputation for himself because everyone has seen him
terrorising defences on the club channel. There is an expectation that comes with that
which makes life difficult. Thankfully from what I see of Raheem, I think he is
someone who is taking it all in his stride and he has a good chance of forging a
successful career for himself in red. He is a level-headed kid and I see similarities with
how I was at 17. Raheem is quiet, but he comes alive in training and on the pitch.
For me, those very first sessions I had with the first team were so important not
only in my development, but in also ensuring I was accepted by players I had
previously idolised. Liverpools academy was just getting up and running in Kirkby,
but Gerard Houllier, the Liverpool manager, called up myself and Stephen Wright to
Melwood rather than letting us go there. Immediately my progress snowballed.
I knew I had to make an impression. If I trained well, I knew people would sit up
and take notice of me. I made it my mission, from the very first session in which I
was involved, to catch the eye.
But it was intimidating at the same time. Ince, Berger, Redknapp, Fowler,
McManaman, Babb and Staunton were not just Liverpool players but proven
internationals as well. I was scared to talk to them and terrified to give the ball away.
From the moment I started training with Liverpool, there was another change I had to
get used to.
I may have been 18, but those players dont see a young lad standing before them.
If I was good enough to be their team mate, then I was good enough to be judged as
an equal. It was sink or swim. Give the ball away and you get told about it. Paul Ince
wasnt going to cut me any slack. That was clear when I made my full debut against
Tottenham, the weekend after my cameo against Blackburn. I was playing out of
position at right-back and found myself up against David Ginola, one of the best
players in the Premier League, but that didnt matter to Incey. He was on my back for
the majority of the 57 minutes I was on the pitch. Where Robbie Fowler was really
supportive, Incey was shouting at me, telling me to sort myself out and keep track of
the French winger who was giving me the run around.
We lost 21. I was dragged off so I didnt need telling that my full debut had not
been a success. I hated Incey after that game. I had endured bad games growing up,
but nothing like this. I doubted myself and was concerned that my Liverpool career
would be over almost before it had begun.
Obviously, I was worrying too much, but at the time you just hope the next game
will be easier. You dont think, Ill learn from being ripped apart by David Ginola at
White Hart Lane. Nowadays I would prefer to receive the treatment Incey gave me
that day. Yes, I felt sorry for myself and sulked at the time, but he wasnt picking on
me for the sake of it. He was pushing me to become the best I could be.
I was fortunate that Liverpool played Celta Vigo in the UEFA Cup just three days
after my Tottenham ordeal. It was my third game for the club and I knew how
important it was. Thankfully, I was back in midfield, my position, and I did well. I felt
comfortable straight away: finding my passing range, making tackles and redressing
the balance from the previous game against Spurs.
We lost 10, but looking back on that match I believe it was a key one for me because
it gave Houllier the confidence to persist with me. If I had bombed in that game as
well, he might have decided it was better to take me out of the front line. Instead, he
stuck by me and I was given another chance to prove myself when we played Everton
in the April of that season. It was my first taste of a Merseyside derby and I wasnt
about to let the Bluenoses ruin my weekend. It was 71 minutes before I came on, once
again for Heggem, but I made my mark. I threw myself into tackles, almost ripping the
shirt off Danny Cadamateris back at one point before kicking an effort from him off
the line with the goal gaping, as Everton sought to make it 33 in a pulsating game.
Anfield exploded as we kept our slender advantage intact and I even celebrated
stopping the equaliser, shaking my fists before getting pats on the back from my team-
mates. It felt like I was the match-winner. There is no better way to win supporters
round than ensuring they had the bragging rights in a derby. Now the fans could put
their trust in me. I was one of them. I had only been on the pitch for 19 minutes, but I
crammed so much into that time that as I headed back to the dressing room after the
final whistle it felt like I was floating on air.
The next time I faced Everton, however, I was to trudge from the pitch with very
different emotions.
I was playing for Liverpools first team. No one could take that away from me now.
Starting to Contribute
In the few minutes I played on my debut, I had five or six touches. There were a
couple of short passes, I took a throw-in and I over-hit two crosses. You do worry
when you are just a kid and the cross youve put into the penalty box sails over the
intended target. If I over-hit a cross now, people will expect the next one to be good.
Back then, the fans didnt know anything about me and I was desperate to make a
good impression. Without being big-headed, the shape and technique I am using in
the picture shows how to whip the ball over with pace. You practise crossing like all
other aspects of your game. A lot of players find it hard to get that shape.
Gerard Houllier The Master
I love seeing pictures of Gerard, and I love meeting him at games. I still have a lot of
contact with him. There will be phone calls and texts from him before a big game and
he is still encouraging me and giving me advice.
I will always listen to what Gerard Houllier has to say and that illustrates the respect I
have for him. He is someone who I owe an awful lot of gratitude to because without
him I would not have had the career I have had.
Pushing Me to Be the Best
Paul Ince was one of my heroes when I was watching England as a kid and so when
he signed for Liverpool I was delighted. This was a chance for me to learn from one
of the best around. But when I got to a certain age, Incey became an enemy (in a
good way you understand) for me because I knew I had to try and push him for his
place in the team. Yes he was a hero, but he was also standing in my way of a regular
place in Liverpools starting line-up. He used to get on my back an awful lot when I
first started playing in the team and that can be hard to take when you are tentatively
feeling your way into the team. What was that? he would bark at me, or Stop giving
the ball away Ive taken out the swear words in between! Deep down I knew Incey
had my best interests at heart, however, and it was his way of pushing me. He was
doing it for the right reasons and that is why, to this day, I have an awful lot of time
for him as a player and a person.
First Taste of Europe
An aerial duel in my first European start against Celta Vigo at Anfield, although I cant
have got up very high if David Thompson is level with me! My first action in a
Liverpool shirt against Blackburn and Tottenham had come out of position and as a
result I felt out of my depth a bit. Here, I was in central midfield and in the thick of
the action.
I loved it. This was my position and I started the game well which gave me a huge
boost to my confidence. The UEFA Cup was important in my development because I
learnt about different styles and got to experience different types of football. In the
background is Michel Salgado, ex-Real Madrid, Spain and also Blackburn.
In Awe of God
Liverpool used to get me match tickets when I was young, but on the occasions I felt
too ashamed to ask for them I would pay to go to the game and stand on the Kop.
Robbie Fowler was my first idol. He was the man on fire, banging goals in left, right
and centre. He was one of the best finishers in the world.
It was surreal for me when I later became his team-mate. I was in awe to begin with,
but Robbie was one of the players who helped me the most. Hed offer little tips, but
mainly he made sure I was always involved in whatever was happening. He has
always been there for me and I am good friends with him now.
SEEING RED
When I was younger I could be a nasty piece of work on the pitch. Off it I was
quite shy. On it, I became someone else. Someone I didnt like. I am not proud of
that. In fact, I am embarrassed when I think back to how I used to be and how I used
to act when I stepped onto a football pitch. Too often in my younger days, around the
time I was 14, I crossed the line. Away from football, I was well-behaved:
mischievous at times like all teenaged schoolboys, but nothing more sinister. Put a
pair of boots on me and a kit and there was a time when I didnt know whether I
would score a goal, and be named Man of the Match, or get sent off. I was a liability.
I didnt go out to try and deliberately hurt opponents, but it was just a case of
wanting to be a success so much that my temperament boiled over at times.
The staff at Liverpool recognised early in my development that this side of my
game needed to be smoothed out. My aggressive approach became an issue because
there were occasions when I had fall-outs with Hughie McAuley, and later on Sammy
Lee, in training. They were just trying to help me, but sometimes you dont want, or
dont feel you have, to listen.
It wasnt just Steve Heighway, Dave Shannon and Hughie who recognised this.
Ronnie Moran and Roy Evans, the coaches with the first team, did their best to try
and calm me down and ensure I could channel my talents more efficiently.
They had seen some of the tackles Id made for the reserves in A and B games. It was
as if that particular match was the most important in the world to me and no one was
going to get in my way.
My dad was called in to a meeting with the coaches at Melwood one night and I
was left to wait at home for the verdict. When he arrived back, he was blunt. You
need to sort yourself out or youll get nowhere, he said. He was speaking for my own
sake, to try and prevent me from getting seriously injured, and for the safety of other
people.
No one at Liverpool wanted to take the hunger out of my game. They said I had a
fantastic chance of making it because of my will to win, but I was overly keen. It was
something I had to work on, though even in the first team there have been moments
when the red mist has descended.
From being one of the heroes when we played Everton at the back end of the
199899 season, I found myself cast in the role of villain when the rivalry was
renewed at the start of the new campaign. The first red card of my professional career
came in the final minutes of a 10 defeat at Anfield. Tensions were already running
high with Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld and Evertons Franny Jeffers
having both been sent off for an earlier flare-up when I caught Kevin Campbell with a
high challenge. In my defence, my foot was high to protect myself because Campbell
was coming at me at force. But when he was left in a heap, I knew I was in trouble.
Making a challenge like that is a bit like scoring a goal or making a good tackle. It is a
split-second decision, but in this instance I got it wrong. From where the flashpoint
took place to the tunnel at Anfield was probably no more than 25 yards, yet it seemed
like an eternity as I trudged off. I didnt need people telling me I had been wrong and,
by the same token, I didnt need anyone trying to lift my spirits by saying it didnt
matter. I was able to put the sending off into context myself. I would now serve a ban,
and being deprived of the opportunity to go onto the pitch killed me and told me what
I needed to do.
My first walk of shame was not my last and while the challenge on Campbell
didnt look good, it wasnt one of my worst.
The tackles I subsequently made on Aston Villas George Boateng and Evertons
Gary Naysmith make me cringe when I see them now.
It is all about finding the right balance. When I was growing up I was always told
to let the opposition know you are around early on. Win the battle and youll win the
match. A lot of games in my early years were won through intimidating players.
Nowadays you cant do that because you dont stay on the pitch. I have experienced
that enough times. Football has changed and you become less aggressive because of
the rule changes regarding tackling from behind and approaching challenges with your
feet off the floor. But I would say that a competitive instinct is missing in a lot of the
kids coming through these days and that, in my opinion, is one of the main reasons
why the production line at Liverpools Academy has slowed in recent times.
To stand out from the rest of the people in your age group, you have to have
something extra, something that they have not got. You have to be prepared to run the
extra yard when youre physically shattered, make the tackle when its easier not to
and continue to push yourself when really you know you could probably get away
with blending into the background.
It is not just about ability. It is about something inside. I look at Michael Owen and
he had that instinct when he was growing up. Jamie Carragher had it and I think I had
it as well. My problem was that, whatever it was, I had too much of it to begin with.
On the pitch, I became someone I didnt like.
Cant Believe Ive Just Done That
My face says it all. Kevin Campbell is left flat out after I caught him towards the end
of a typically fierce Merseyside derby at Anfield. It was a bad tackle and I deserved to
be shown the red card by referee Mike Riley. I was guilty of getting carried away and
trying to impress too much. To make things worse, we lost that game 10. I left
Anfield all sheepish, but to compound matters I was having a meal afterwards and
who did I bump into in the toilets of the restaurant? Kevin Campbell. I went up to him
and apologised in person because obviously I didnt really see him immediately after
the game. He could have made it difficult for me, but to be fair to him he was brilliant
and we shook hands.
I KNEW I HAD TO MAKE A STATEMENT
Needless to say my sending off against Everton was not what I had in mind, but
there was still enough time to ensure the 19992000 season was the one where I
cemented myself in the Liverpool team.
During the summer Id had four or five weeks to regroup and assess where I was.
Id had a wonderful taste of what life as a Liverpool player was like, but I was aware
that my first full season would constitute a different challenge.
When you break into the first team people will make allowances. Not your team-
mates so much, but the manager and coaching staff certainly, and the fans as well. But
I knew I had to improve and show I could cope with the demands of playing for
Liverpool every three to four days. Not only that, but starting matches as well. I was
fortunate in the sense that, right from the start, Gerard Houllier believed in me. He
liked me and I knew that if I did the right things, I could always count on his support.
My career was shaped over the next 18 months, largely because of Gerard, and that is
why I will always owe him such a debt of gratitude.
I learnt how to behave on and off the pitch. I discovered how important diet and
rest were and, generally, I came to respect the opportunity that stretched out before
me. Cut corners and I could fall by the wayside, but with dedication and
professionalism Gerard told me I could be whatever I wanted to be.
From that moment on, there was never any doubt as to which route I would take.
Gerard trusted me, but he still took a huge interest in the life I was living. In truth, he
probably spent too much of his time checking on me.
He treated me like a son and it was as if I spent half of the day with my surrogate
dad and the rest of the day at home with my real mum and dad. Every single day
without fail he would want to catch up with me and because of that daily routine the
good habits he wanted me to cherish were drilled into me.
Dont get me wrong, he knew I was young and young lads like their downtime. He
didnt want me to live like a monk. But he would stress the importance of eating well,
resting well and not partying every week.
This was someone who had worked with the top French players, players who had
just won the World Cup and would win the European Championship that season.
Gerard thought I had the ability to be recognised as a top player as well. I would have
been thick not to listen and take in the advice he offered.
But it wasnt a love-in. I was scared of Gerard in those early days and scared of
Phil Thompson, his assistant, as well. They were my bosses at the end of the day. My
career was in their hands. Yes, they had a lot of confidence in me, but they werent
afraid to give me a lecture either if they felt I wasnt doing it. It certainly wasnt all
pats on the back off them. I was desperate to please them and prove them right and I
soon chalked up another milestone.
I had always expected my first goal for Liverpool to come from distance. Ive had
an eye for a shot throughout my career and back when I dreamed about breaking my
duck in a red shirt, I envisaged a strike arrowing into the top corner. I was more of a
shooter than a finisher. When the moment finally arrived in a match against Sheffield
Wednesday in December 1999, it was like nothing I had imagined.
For a start, my first Liverpool goal came from a pass from Rigobert Song which was a
surprise in itself. Usually they went over my head! I was midway in my own half and
I remember receiving the ball in an area where my first instinct was to look for a pass.
Thats the way I have always played and especially at that age when I was still looking
to feel my way into the team. If there is an easy pass on, I will do it. I only really
dribble if I am in a sticky situation or if there is a man to beat and I can get a shot off.
I dont go looking to dribble.
But I ran at the Sheffield Wednesday defenders and kept on going as an
opportunity opened up in front of me. To be honest, I still expected a last tackle to be
made, depriving me of my moment and halting my slalom run, especially when you
are taking on the likes of Des Walker, who had been one of the countrys top
defenders. It didnt, I kept going, and I tucked the chance away.
When the ball hits the back of the net, a weird sensation comes over you. You get
lost in a moment, you dont realise what you are doing and, in a sense, you lose
control.
This was the type of stuff I would do as a kid when I was coming through the
ranks, back when I found everything a little bit easier. Now I was doing it at Anfield,
in front of the Sky Sports cameras, and to make things even better my mates Danny
Murphy and Davie Thompson scored in that game as well. It was a huge boost to
my confidence. When things like that happen, you realise you can do it at that level
and those are the moments that help you grow as a player.
When I was starting out, during my first five, ten, fifteen games, I still had doubts
that I might not be able to have a career at Liverpool and that I might get found out.
It was all so new, I didnt know what to expect. I suppose feeling like that is just
normal, but there would be difficult moments in games and I didnt know for sure
that my ability was going to let me cope at that level.
That is why scoring at Anfield was so important for me. All these little things my
debut, my first start and now my first goal helped me believe in myself a bit more
and fill the Liverpool shirt a bit better.
As a team we started to grow as well. We finished fourth, losing on the final day
of the season at Bradford to miss out on the Champions League and qualify for the
UEFA Cup instead.
Fourth? There was no way I was going to settle for second best let alone fourth,
but it represented progress under Gerard and there was a feeling within the squad at
the time that we were getting somewhere. Yet no one in the dressing room could have
predicted what was to follow.
For a start, my first Liverpool goal came from a pass from Rigobert Song which was
a surprise in itself.
Its In!
When the ball hit the back of the net for my first goal for Liverpool, I was just lost in
the moment. Id taken a pass, gone round Emerson Thome, evaded Des Walker and
finished nicely before diving full length in celebration in front of the fans in the
Anfield Road End. I can remember David Thompson, Danny Murphy and Michael
Owen piling on top of me. The way they reacted to that landmark moment showed
they were almost as pleased as me. Playing for Liverpool was a dream, now scoring
for them was something else. As I trotted back into position, my name was read out
over the Tannoy and a huge cheer erupted around Anfield. I will never forget that
moment.
Me and the Didi Man
Due to the number of foreign players at Liverpool there were, naturally, some cliques
in the dressing room. The French lads stuck together for example and, likewise, the
English players were a tight group. Danny Murphy, Michael Owen, David Thompson
and Jamie Carragher welcomed me, as did one other Didi Hamann. It might say hes
German on his passport, but he was a Scouser through and through. He knew all the
slang and where some foreigners down the years have struggled to understand Carra
and myself, he was right in there with all the banter. As a player, he is one of the best I
have played with. Unselfish and very clever, he had this unerring knack of being in
the right place at the right time. Here he is congratulating me after my first ever goal
for Liverpool against Sheffield Wednesday.
Shadowing a Master
Gazza was coming towards the end of his career when I came up against him, and he
was obviously not as good as he was in his prime. But just to say I had been on the
same pitch as an England hero was unbelievable. He actually caught me with a sly
elbow off the ball in the game, which was out of order, but because it was him I let it
go! I would have liked his shirt, but I was too shy to ask for it at that stage of my
career. There have been times when I came across him after this tussle. When he was
at Everton, he was on the pitch after one derby when we were doing a warm-down
and he came up and had a chat. He just said I was a good player and that I should
keep doing what I was doing. Then he added with a smile: And dont do what I do.
Get In There!
This is probably one of the worst haircuts I have ever seen, but thankfully my
shooting was better. I have a good record against Newcastle which overshadows the
fact that one of the worst moments of my domestic career came against them. I had
just got into the team when we played Newcastle at Anfield in December 1998 (the
season before this photo comes from) and I was taken off at half-time just 20 minutes
after I had come on as a substitute in the first place. Being brought on and off in the
same match is one of the biggest insults to any footballer. I felt terrible. I will always
have good memories of Gary Speed and was deeply shocked by his death. I never
worried about playing against him when he was in his own half because he kept
everything simple, but he had this special ability to run off your blind spot in and
around your own penalty area. You would think he was just there, under your control,
then the next second hed head one in the back of the net. A few managers have told
me off for that when I played against him. I was guilty of ball watching and then,
bang, Gary would punish you with a goal.
Now You See It . . .
There is a strong passion inside me to try and stop Manchester United being
successful. They are one of Liverpools biggest rivals after all. But that doesnt dilute
the respect that I have for their players.
I understand the pressure they are under every week to perform and to win trophies.
When you have been as successful as they are, you cannot help but acknowledge what
they have achieved.
For Ryan Giggs to have played for so long at the very top of his profession is both
amazing and a tribute to his hunger and his talent. He is someone I admire immensely.
Up, Up and Away
Heading is an element of my game I have had to work on. I was small when I was
younger and my heading only really started to improve when I had my growth spurt.
Whereas tackling and shooting came naturally to me, my aerial strength has definitely
developed during my career. I have a natural spring but its something that I had to
bring to my game in order to be an all-round midfielder in the Premier League. When
you consider that the most important goal I have scored for Liverpool (against AC
Milan in Istanbul) was a header, I must have done something right down the years.
Keeping Up With the Pace
Arsenal has always been a difficult game and in the early days, especially, Patrick
Vieira summed them up. In the FA Cup Final in 2001, he wiped the floor with me at
times, but overall I felt I held my own in my battles with him. I wouldnt prepare any
differently for a game against Arsenal to one against Bolton or Blackburn, for
example, but I knew I would have to play to the maximum come Saturday afternoon.
Everyone in a Liverpool shirt would have to, otherwise we would lose. One of the
most difficult opponents I have ever faced was the Arsenal Invincibles team of
200304. They were like a machine. Big, strong and better than most of the teams in
the Premier League in every department.
THE TREBLE SEASON
There were some mornings before training started, and the banter between the
lads hadnt started flying, that if a camera caught me Id just be gazing around the
dressing room at the talent we had: Michael Owen. Jamie Carragher. Robbie Fowler.
Jamie Redknapp. Gary McAllister. Danny Murphy. Sami Hyypia. I could go on and
on.
I didnt realise we would do quite as well as we did in 20002001, a season that
became defined by The Treble, but I had an inkling that we would compete at the
top. It was easy to see the quality that we had in every position, but Gerard Houllier
underpinned that by the mentality he was creating.
Professionalism was our watchword. Training was always played at a really high
tempo and was very intense. No one wanted to lose a game against their mates, let
alone Manchester United or Arsenal on a Saturday afternoon.
People talk a lot in football about having a winning mentality. It is something that
is difficult to define, more of a feeling than anything else. Basically, you have so much
confidence and trust in the players around you and the manager and coaching staff
that you start going into certain games knowing what the result is going to be even
before it has kicked off. And, even if the match doesnt start well, or go well at a
certain point, you have the confidence and belief that it can be turned round and the
momentum tipped back into your favour.
At Liverpool, Ive had that feeling a few times. For a spell under Rafa Benitez, I
would be training on a Thursday or a Friday and I knew what the score was going to
be on the Saturday. I wont name clubs because that is disrespectful, but I knew we
would win and I knew what would happen. It was like that under Gerard that season.
Sure, we lost matches, but the feeling of togetherness that we had meant our
campaign never unravelled. Gerard had a saying: Good teams dont lose twice on the
run. So we didnt and our season got better and better, exceeding our wildest
expectations.
Cardiffs Millennium Stadium will always carry happy memories for Liverpool.
For a time it seemed like it was our second home.
From the first time we went there in February 2001 to face Birmingham City in the
League Cup Final, we had more good times than bad.
It was tight that day and after Robbie Fowler scored early in the match, we
slackened off too much. We had been massive favourites going into the match and
maybe we thought the result was going to be a foregone conclusion. Darren Purse
equalised from the penalty spot in the last minute of normal time and then a shoot-out
ensued in which our goalkeeper, Sander Westerveld, emerged as one of Liverpools
heroes.
I must admit there was a certain amount of relief when we lifted the Cup because
losing to a side that was a league below us would have been embarrassing and the
stick we would have received unrelenting. But, after the game, when we were all back
in the hotel celebrating, it dawned on each and every one of us that this was what it is
all about.
And especially me. Some of the others had experienced this before, but this was
my first final and my first major medal. Of course, I had won medals and trophies
growing up and coming through the ranks, and each one is important in its own right,
but this felt different. This was like my first proper medal. A place in history.
There is a pressure and a weight of expectation that comes with playing for
Liverpool. You are constantly reminded about the history and tradition of the club,
what other players have previously won, and I loved the feeling that I was adding to
that. Thankfully, there was more, much more, to come. We were back at Cardiff soon
after.
I have strong memories of the FA Cup Final while I was growing up: staying in all
day as a kid to watch the build-up, and then the match itself, before racing out of the
house to the scrap of wasteland on Ironside Road and trying to recreate what I had
just witnessed on the TV. Now to be playing in one was a dream come true, although
for 83 minutes it was an occasion to endure rather than enjoy.
It was the one-off hardest game I had played in my life at that point. We were
physically out of our depth. Arsenal were fitter, stronger and better. Maybe we were
tired due to the punishing schedule we had been on, but maybe thats an excuse. Yes it
was a tough season, both physically and mentally, but if that final had been played
after wed had four weeks rest Arsenal would have still played us off the pitch. That
pitch was Arsenals pitch. They were all in their prime and that remains the best
Arsenal side ever for me.
I was up against Patrick Vieira that afternoon and it was certainly a learning
experience. In the future, I seemed to grow every time I played against him and get
better, but back when I was younger he just knew where to be, what to do and if he
had wanted to, it felt like he could have gone up a few gears as well.
That we won after being second best for so long was remarkable, although when
you have players like Michael Owen on your side the impossible becomes possible. It
wasnt a shock to me what he did that afternoon because I had seen Michael do it so
many times before at so many different levels. Two chances, two goals. Game over.
Freddie Ljungberg had wrapped one hand around the Cup for Arsenal with a goal in
the 72nd minute, but Michael came good twice in five minutes after that to underline
just how big a player he was.
I had worked with him full-time since leaving school and I knew how mentally
strong he was, how fierce he was, how much he detested losing, how much of a
battler he was. Arsenal knew that too and still couldnt stop him.
Ordinarily, we would have partied long into the night, but there was the small
matter of the UEFA Cup Final against Spanish side Alaves now looming. Two down,
one to go.
Liverpool went through the card that season, playing every single game all 63 of
them as mapped out when the fixtures had been published the previous June. It was
a slog, but what an experience.
The UEFA Cup Final was played at Borussia Dortmunds Westfalenstadion and
what sticks out in my mind the most was how much Gerard Houllier wanted it. He
was delighted to win the Carling Cup and the FA Cup and knew they were important
milestones for the club, but he was desperate to lift the UEFA Cup.
He was forever talking about European competitions and how hard it is to win a
European trophy. I knew we wouldnt let him down.
It took ages to get into the ground because our supporters had taken over. They
were literally rocking the bus as we weaved our way through the crowds, wishing us
good luck, and you could see in the faces of Michael Owen, Didi Hamann, Markus
Babel and players like that just how much they were up for it. Liverpools supporters
had been unbelievable in Cardiff, but this was something else.
We set off like a steam train and after Markus had given us an early lead, I crashed
home a second goal following a great pass from Michael of all people. It was meant to
be the other way round me feeding him but I didnt mind that little bit of role
reversal. When I get the licence to burst forward, I can be a goal threat in any game. I
played on the right in Dortmund, but with a fair amount of freedom to go where I
wanted because we had Didi and Gary McAllister holding in midfield.
However, there was a pattern emerging to our appearances in finals that still holds
true today. At Liverpool, we seem to enjoy making life difficult for ourselves.
The scoring was crazy that night. Twice we threw away two-goal leads and then
conceded an equaliser in the last minute to take the game into extra time. But even
though it must have been torture for Gerard and our fans, I knew we were going to
win.
Sure enough, Gary McAllisters free-kick was inadvertently headed into his own
net by Alaves Delfi Geli for what was the golden goal. We exploded in celebration.
An insane game to cap an insane season, but one I look back on with immense pride.
Liverpool Football Club is about winning trophies and that season we put our
names in the history books alongside the likes of Liddell, St John, Yeats, Dalglish,
Rush and Souness.
That season we put our names in the history books.
Right Place, Right Time
A header against our neighbours from across the Mersey, Tranmere Rovers, helped to
keep us on course for the cup Treble in 200001. The build-up to the game had been
huge. John Aldridge, the former Liverpool striker, was the Tranmere manager and a
few of their players had come out with the old welcome to hell slogans warning that
they would kick us off the pitch.
We played well that day though, winning 42, and if you study the starting line-up,
youll notice that Gerard Houllier picked eight British players in his first eleven. He
knew it would be a physical battle to begin with and what his selection tells you is that
even managers who sign a lot of foreign players know that in certain games they will
find it hard to cope without enough home-grown muscularity.
Diving Right In
Another diving celebration came after one of the best strikes I have ever hit. To score
against Manchester United at Anfield is always special. To score past a World Cup
winning goalkeeper such as Fabian Barthez is pretty special too. But when you put
those two things together and add in the fact that the shot from 30 yards was still
rising as it hit the top corner of the net, it makes it one of my best goals for Liverpool.
To claim a win and three points meant it was a good day all round.
First Goal in Europe
Gerard Houllier gave me licence to get forward into the penalty area from midfield
and I knew Didi Hamann would hold the fort behind me if I fancied getting into the
box. It is only when you start making those sort of runs that you add goals to your
game. I should have scored a few more headers in my career, but my first European
goal came from one in a 22 draw with Olympiakos in Athens in November 2000 in
the UEFA Cup.
Finding My Feet
The hurdles en route to our UEFA Cup success in 2001 grew steadily higher, but I
loved every minute of it. Here, I am in action against Porto during a 00 stalemate in
the first leg of the quarter-final. I found European games, especially those away from
home, demanding but stimulating. The atmosphere was different, the pitch was new to
me and I didnt know too much about my opponents. In those situations, you have to
step up to the mark and, over the years, we have done that at Liverpool in Europe.
McAllister the Master
I admired Gary McAllister from the moment he walked through the door at Anfield
and he remains a source of inspiration to me today. Gary is one of the reasons I
believe I can carry on at Liverpool if I manage myself correctly and if the club looks
after me. Gary wasnt over-trained during his time at the club. He was fresh when he
played and that enhanced his tremendous ability to influence games, and not just any
games: huge games that shaped Liverpools history. That is what I want to do. Im not
saying I want to play until Im 38 or 39, but Im 32 and between now and when Im
36, for example, I want to be able to have a big impact at Liverpool.
Taking Aim
My first inclination when I get the ball is to pass it. If one of my team-mates is in a
better position than me on the pitch, then I will look to find them rather than selfishly
trying to dribble the ball. Technique is important when you are trying to pass
accurately, and you can see from how my left ankle is bent over what sort of strain
footballers put their bodies under. When you do that repeatedly, it is no wonder you
get little niggles and pain in your ankle joints.
Sweet Victory Over United
Winning at Old Trafford is always a cause for celebration and here I am with our
goalkeeper, Sander Westerveld. Sander is one of the best goalkeepers I have seen with
the ball at his feet. He was exceptional in that respect. But I felt he sometimes looked
for an excuse if he ever made a mistake in a game. For me, it is better to say, Sorry
lads, that was down to me. Hed try to blame it on something else. When we lost at
Middlesbrough once on a freezing day in December, he said there was ice on the ball
and that had prevented him from gathering the ball properly. Despite that, he did well
for us in the Treble season in 200001. He was a good keeper.
The Ignominy of an Early Bath
The walk of shame is a long one and every yard feels like a mile. Ive done it quite a
few times, too many to be honest. On this occasion, I was sent off against Leeds
United at Anfield in April 2001. I was given my marching orders for two bookings,
although I will always contend that I didnt deserve either of them. David Batty, the
former England midfielder, stitched me up, I felt. Liverpool versus Leeds was always
a big match and the atmosphere was bouncing. In my view, Batty milked the contact
from a challenge I made when there wasnt too much there, and I paid the price. If it
was a deliberate stitch-up, you can look at it two ways. Either hes clever because he
laid the bait and I fell for the trap he set, or you can say he was out of order. If I am
injured I will stay down but, if he wasnt hurt, I would never have done to him what I
felt he did to me.
Premature End
My first final for Liverpool came against Birmingham City in the League Cup in
February 2001, and it set the tone for so many of those that have followed. We made
desperately hard work of getting over the line and lifting the trophy. Robbie Fowler
gave us an early lead with an amazing volley, but we couldnt shake Birmingham off
and ended up needing penalties to prevail. I was on the bench by then, having been
taken off after 78 minutes.
Unplayable Robbie
Robbie was captain that day and his volleyed goal from 30 yards was brilliant. He
maybe wasnt at his best when I played alongside him, but he was still very good. In
training no one else could have duplicated some of the goals he scored because of the
power he got into his shots with virtually no back-lift. His accuracy to hit the inside of
the net from tight angles remains the best I have seen to this day. There were times
when a game of 5-a-side would begin in training and after 10 seconds youd be 20
down because Robbie had banged in two goals. Turn finish, turn finish. Youd be left
thinking to yourself, We might as well stop this now because hes unplayable.
Calming the Pre-match Nerves
It is important to learn from your mistakes and Im glad to say there was no repeat of
the infamous white FA Cup Final suits of 1996 when we played in the final in 2001.
Everything was a lot more toned down. Stephen Wright (far right) came through the
ranks with me and Robbie, and Jamie Redknapp helped to look after us both during
the build-up.
In the days before a major final, you mentally prepare yourself for the game and the
fact that we were playing Arsenal meant we knew we would have to be on our mettle.
But before the game you can still be pretty calm and relaxed. It is only when you are
in the dressing room that the butterflies and the nerves start and you realise exactly
what is at stake.
Late and Lethal Michaels Day
The faces say it all. There is joy written across all of our features, but surprise as well
at having turned round a game we were second best in. Arsenal had taken the lead
through Freddie Ljungberg and with seven minutes left we were still trailing at
Cardiffs Millennium Stadium, having not done ourselves justice. But that was
Michael Owen for you. He could come alive in an instant and bang, bang he turned
the game on its head. We owed him an awful lot that day.
A Childhood Dream
As a kid I used to stay glued to the TV when it was FA Cup Final day. Afterwards,
whoever had won, I would pretend to be one of their players in the street outside my
house. It sounds a clich but it was a dream of mine to win the FA Cup and, of
course, you never think you are ever going to achieve it. It is an experience thats
difficult to describe properly, but its magical, thats for sure. I have this picture in a
room at my house together with Patrick Vieiras shirt from the game. Theyre in the
same frame. A nice memento.
Early Recognition
I played 50 games and scored 10 goals in the 200001 season and things could hardly
have gone better for me. As well as the Treble, I won the PFA Young Player of the
Year award. Team honours are always more important to me and I realised that
without the support of my team-mates there was no way I would have been
recognised. There are pitfalls to being lauded and showered with accolades, but I
knew I had to stay on the straight and narrow and make the most of the talent I had. I
wanted to win more trophies with Liverpool first and foremost, and if that led to
individual honours, all well and good. Later on, in 2006, I won the PFA Players
Player of the Year and to receive both awards in your career is an achievement I am
proud of. Not many players have done that.
Final Flourish
I am proud of my record of scoring in big matches. Ive found the net in the League
Cup Final, FA Cup Final and European Cup Final with Liverpool, and in the World
Cup finals with England. The run started here in the UEFA Cup Final in Dortmund in
2001 when we beat Spanish side Alaves. My goal was something of a rarity because
Michael played me in with a great ball. I have to say, it was about time he returned the
favour! Over time my finishing has improved but when I got into positions such as
this early in my career I just wanted to hit the ball as hard as I could. If a centre
forward had had the same chance, maybe he would have placed it. But as a
midfielder, who wasnt used to having only the goalkeeper to beat, you tend to blast it
that is why I was so far off the floor. The game itself was another rollercoaster. We
should have had it tied up in normal time, but let them back in and ended up winning
54 by virtue of a golden goal in extra time. Winning all three cup competitions we
entered that season often gets overlooked, but it was a fantastic achievement.
GERARD MY HERO
The night we lifted the UEFA Cup to complete our Treble season, I was ready to
party. Gerard Houllier had other ideas.
We still had one game left away at Charlton Athletic and one that would
determine whether we would be defending our European trophy next season or
rubbing shoulders with the big boys in the Champions League. This wasnt the time
for beers and champagne. Gerard put us on lockdown. He told us to be patient and
then we could party.
At the time, the lads and myself didnt understand. Wed just written a glorious
chapter in Liverpools history and wanted to be let off the leash. I thought the
manager was being a killjoy and I didnt appreciate fully how important the
Champions League was at that point. But without him, we would not have qualified to
join Europes lite. There is no question about that. If we as players had had our way,
I doubt we would have won 40 at Charlton just a few days after the Alaves game and
finished third in the table. As always Gerards professionalism shone through and he
guided us over the line.
When you consider how important Gerard was to Liverpool, then for him to suffer
a life-threatening illness just three months into the new season was upsetting and
worrying for everyone. We came in at half-time of a game against Leeds United at
Anfield in October 2001 expecting him to be there as always and impart some more
words of wisdom. Even when we were told he had been taken ill, I, for one, thought
hell just get it checked and then hell be fine. It wasnt until we spoke to the club
doctor, Mark Waller, that we grasped just how serious the heart problem he had was.
I was worried about what would happen to Gerard and then I worried about what
would happen to us as a team. We had all been on an upward curve, winning trophies
and making giant strides, and I did wonder if his illness would derail us and lead to us
caving in. But his battle for health was the most important thing. I dont know how all
the players felt, but I missed him enormously. He had been there for me every day
since I broke into the first team set-up and I missed his reassuring presence, asking
how I was, giving me little tips, telling me what I was doing both right and wrong.
It was typical of Gerard that he was sending text messages to the team as soon as
possible and sooner than the doctors would have allowed had they known. Keep
playing well. Im OK, Ill be back soon, were the sort of messages he sent. Again, it
was typical of Gerard that he thought of others before assuring you that he would be
OK. He was more interested in the team than himself, which is amazing really when
you consider how his life was in danger. That is impressive.
My concerns about whether our season would unravel without Gerard were
unfounded and did not factor in Phil Thompsons capabilities as coach.
We had a lot of foreign players in the squad Sami Hyypia, Markus Babbel,
Vladimir Smicer and I suppose I wondered whether Thomo would be able to
maintain the atmosphere and harmony that had built up between us all.
We had just won the Treble, but already that season we had added the Charity
Shield, beating Manchester United, and the European Super Cup, beating Bayern
Munich, to our expanding silverware collection. It was a big challenge for Thomo to
come in and take the reins alone, but he was brilliant and did an unbelievable job.
You couldnt challenge him because he had lifted the European Cup as captain in
Paris in 1981 and won so many other trophies and titles that it was ingrained in him
exactly what the club stood for. Anyone looking to pinch an inch and cut some
corners in Gerards absence didnt stand a chance and so we continued making
strides.
There were set-backs, however. Barcelona came to Anfield in the second group
phase of the Champions League and played us off the park, winning 31 despite
Michael opening the scoring. It was mind blowing how they moved the ball and how
different their style was to our own. Xavi played, but it was Patrick Kluivert and Marc
Overmars who did the damage.
After matches like that you start doubting yourself and the team. I thought to
myself leaving Anfield that night, What level can I get to because these players seem
to be on a different one from me?
But you dig in and recover and as the season progressed we were still in the hunt
to win the league and the Champions League.
Gerard had returned to the dug-out on an emotional night against AS Roma when
we needed to win by two clear goals to remain in Europe. He would admit now that he
came back too soon, but that he did so showed the strength of the bond he had with
the club. He wanted to be in the dug-out, helping, guiding his team. Still, his presence
helped us that night with Jari Litmanen scoring a penalty and then Emile Heskey
sealing our progress and leading Gerard to proclaim later we were ten games from
greatness. We came up short.
Bayer Leverkusen beat us 43 on aggregate in the Champions League quarter-
finals before we came second behind Arsenal in the Premier League, finishing seven
points behind Arsene Wengers side. After all the highs we had grown used to, the
disappointment was numbing.
For me, the pain manifested itself in other ways as well. All throughout my career,
problems with my fitness have repeatedly cropped up.
The first serious set-back I endured came on the final day of the 200102 season. I
had been nursing a groin injury for some time, but given the importance of the games
Liverpool were competing in I played through the pain barrier.
There was also the World Cup coming up with England in Japan and South Korea
and there were people saying to me to wait until after the tournament and then have
surgery.
The pressure they were putting on me left me with a decision to make. Do I get the
injury sorted and come back the player I want to be at the start of the next season for
Liverpool? Or do I go to the World Cup carrying an injury, not being able to train and
go into the games maybe 50% fit, then get judged on those performances and miss a
big chunk of the next season?
When I put it like that it seems straightforward. In the event, the decision was
taken out of my hands.
I broke down on the final weekend of the campaign in a home game with Ipswich
and I knew as I trudged off that England was no longer an option. It was a tough
moment for me, but throughout the summer one thought kept me going: I was
confident that we could challenge for the league.
It was typical of Gerard that he thought of others before assuring you that he would
be OK.
A Special Rivalry
What you dont see in this picture is that I have my tongue out as I run along the front
of the Bullens Road stand at Goodison Park down to the corner where the Liverpool
fans are. I had been abused by Evertonians throughout the game. They had thrown
coffee at me, and half-eaten sausage rolls, and I actually got hit by a coin on the bridge
of my nose. It hurt, but the only thing you can do is try to make their team suffer. I
rifled one into the top corner and the celebration wasnt just instinct. It was to say:
Throw whatever you want at me . . . there you go, theres my reaction.
The Art of Crossing
The way I look to cross a ball, I take risks because I want to put a certain amount of
pace on it. I can hit the right area 10 times out of 10 if my cross is slow or floated, but
I try to put in balls with pace and venom so that they are enticing for my team-mates.
Sometimes you cant get them right, but I have the confidence now that if one goes
off-target the next one will be better. My delivery from wide areas is an important part
of my game. You can catch opponents out if you hit the ball early and with power into
the right area.
Bulking Up
Im trying my luck from distance here against Everton, but if you look at the
difference in my physique now to when I made my debut the contrast is stark. The
change is down to Gerard Houllier. I hate the gym. I find it boring. Unfortunately, due
to the injuries that I have had in recent seasons, I have done more gym work in the
last 12 months than I ever did between the ages of 22 and 28.
I never used to go in partly because of the back problems I have had earlier in my
career. But when I started out, Houllier said that if I wanted to play for him in the
middle of midfield then I needed to bulk up a bit. You can see the definition in my
quad muscles which you get from doing squats holding weights. I am starting to get
the build of a strong Premier League player.
Jamie a Great Player and Mentor
Jamie Redknapp had the body I wanted. I was a similar height to him and when I
broke into the first team, I saw how he had the build of a top, top player and I wanted
the same. I strived for a physique like his. He suffered a lot from injuries at Liverpool,
but he scored a great goal here against Charlton at The Valley and I have tons of
respect for him as a player and a person. He has always stayed in touch and I can
count on Jamie to be honest with me. When we talk about football, it is not just a case
of him giving me a pat on the back. We talk about what I, and the team, have done
right and wrong.
Getting a Taste for the Champions League
The UEFA Cup was good to me as a player. I got to lift the trophy and I found out
about what playing in Europe was all about. But as soon as you taste the Champions
League, you never want to go back. I found the quality of the opposition and the
speed of the games went up a notch from what I was used to. There was no hiding
place. Sink or swim. You can have a couple of seasons at Liverpool under your belt
and think you are doing well, but there is no time to sit back and take it in. There were
always new challenges to confront and conquer. This is during a game against
Borussia Dortmund in our first season in the competition in 200102, and I loved
everything about the Champions League. I didnt dare to dream at that point it would
provide me with the best moment of my career.
Rising to the Physical Challenge
When I was starting out, I probably would have ended up in a heap next to the
advertising hoardings at the side of the pitch following this tussle. I wasnt timid, but I
wasnt strong enough for the cut and thrust of the Premier League. The physical
demands on players these days are immense. Every game is a battle. I needed to get
stronger in order to win these sorts of situations and then showcase the talent that I
have. Im shoulder to shoulder here with a Blackburn defender and, hopefully, Im
just about to get the better of him.
Finesse, Not Power
Where Jussi Jaaskelainen is concerned I have a lucky streak. I have scored more goals
against him seven than against any other goalkeeper in my career. This one against
Bolton was different from the sort of powered finish I normally produce. My finishing
has improved with experience. When you find yourself in certain positions in front of
goal, you are a little bit more calm and relaxed as opposed to when you first get into
the team. Practising helps, but I have to be careful how long I stay behind after
training because of the injuries I have had. It is about quality not quantity.
Celebrating with a Good Friend
Im very rarely in touch with Michael Owen these days. I suppose thats natural in a
sense because he left Liverpool in 2004 to move to Real Madrid. I can totally
understand why he made that switch. Real are one of the biggest clubs in the world, if
not the biggest, and Michael was a success there even though he only spent one season
at the Bernabeu. I have to be honest and say I was very surprised he chose to sign for
Manchester United. Michael enjoyed legendary status at Liverpool, but that has been
diluted now because of the move he made. Only Michael knows if he got that decision
right.
Battling for Possession
This was when Chelsea started to become a really powerful force. They signed a lot of
foreign players who had real quality and you knew when you faced them it was going
to be a tough game and a physical battle like the one Im having here with William
Gallas. Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United were bigger and stronger than the
other teams in the Premier League around this time which gives an insight into the
quality and type of players they buy and also how much is at stake. I dont think
youd get the neutrals saying Liverpool-Chelsea was a great game too often. They
have always been attritional matches, with the teams cancelling each other out.
World Cup Dreams Torn Apart
Walking off, head down, with the Liverpool physio Dave Galley, I knew I would not
be going to the World Cup with England in 2002. A concerned Gerard Houllier is
behind me. We played Ipswich on the final day of the season and the injuries that had
been affecting me towards the end of that campaign became too much.
I damaged my groin and the decision was taken the next day that I would undergo
surgery, which meant a lay-off during the summer. I was gutted to miss out on going
to such a big tournament, but if I had tried to cover up the problem I knew I wouldnt
have done myself or the country justice.
A Footballing Lesson
This picture is a rarity because it captures one of the five or six touches I managed to
get against Barcelona in the Nou Camp! Even now I remember something really
clearly from one of my first games there. One of us hoofed the ball into space up the
pitch and Sammy Lee, who was part of Gerard Houlliers backroom staff, shouted:
Good decision. Normally the thought of surrendering possession would be frowned
upon by Liverpool coaches, but the reason it was a good decision was that it allowed
us to breathe and get to the halfway line. That shout sticks in my head. Barcelona have
a way of playing that is deep in their culture. When they are kids, they are
embarrassed when they give the ball away and so you see them cherish possession.
When you play against Barcelona it is usually a long night.
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
You train all week, rest well, eat well, prepare well, and you know exactly what you
want to do. But there remain some things which, as a footballer, are still out of your
control.
Liverpool had really good players, and some great ones, at the time we were
winning the Treble and making progress in the league. We had grown together over a
period of three or four years and I think that if the club had added to that with a
couple of key signings we could have won the title.
It is a regret that this wasnt the case, but, as I say, sometimes as players you can
only do so much. Of all the seasons back when Michael was terrorising defences, I
think 200203 was the one where we missed out. We had finished second to Arsenal
and were ready to push on. Unfortunately, the signings we made that summer did not
come off.
You work out pretty quickly whether a new team-mate is going to cut it or not
simply by training alongside them. My first impressions of El-Hadji Diouf, Salif Diao
and Bruno Cheyrou, signed for combined fees of 18m, were not good. I only wish I
had been wrong and it had turned out that I judged them too soon.
I knew Diao was tough. I knew he would do a job in certain games and be a
decent squad player, but I thought he wasnt good enough to play every week. You
could trust him and you knew what you were going to get from him. He put in a few
good performances for Liverpool, but the way I look at it, to play for Liverpool in the
centre of midfield you have to be very good and perform consistently. Thats my
opinion. He had caught the eye with Senegal in the World Cup in Japan that summer,
but he wasnt world class.
I felt sorry in some respects for Cheyrou. The moment Gerard claimed he was the next
Zinedine Zidane, he was on a hiding to nothing. Yes he was French wed signed him
from Lille but the comparison with one of the best players ever to have played killed
him from the start. How could it not? Cheyrou is a nice guy and he had talent, but he
wasnt suited to the Premier League in the same way that Alberto Aquilani later found
it tough.
Diouf was the biggest surprise for me because I remember we had the chance to
sign Nicolas Anelka permanently. He had joined on loan in the second half of the
previous season and made an impact, quickly becoming a favourite with the players
and the fans. Gerard called a group of us into a room one day and said he had the
chance to sign Anelka before adding that he was getting Diouf instead, that wed all
love him and that hed turn out to be a class addition for us. That is one of the few
things I can ever criticise Gerard for. He got that decision wrong.
As for loving Diouf? I found him a constant liability to me and the rest of my
team-mates. He wasnt the type of person, or player, I wanted in the dressing room
with us and the way his career has since gone isnt a surprise to me. I thought he was
arrogant and massively over-rated. I desperately wanted to win the Premier League,
we all wanted to win the Premier League, and basically he was compromising that
ambition. There were rare occasions when he played well, more often than not when
he was moved on to the right of midfield. Yet he had been bought from Lens to score
the goals that would take us from second place to the summit. He had been recruited
to make the difference. That didnt happen.
Selfishly, you do feel let down by the club. Just as the supporters do. We were close
to taking a step forward and ended up taking two or three backwards.
I had started the season with such high hopes, but the whole campaign turned into
a rollercoaster with more lows than highs.
Even though Liverpool did not lose a Premier League game until the start of
November, I knew things werent right. We werent going to move on to the next level
after all.
There were some silver linings. We won the League Cup, beating Manchester
United 20 at Cardiff, after I had given us the lead with a deflected shot from distance
that flew past Fabian Barthez. Michael sealed victory with time running out. Any time
you beat United is great and that it came in a final meant it was even better. I had
another winners medal. But, in the context of our season, winning the League Cup
was the bare minimum we had set our sights on.
Personally, I found that season tough. I suffered a dip in form that resulted in me
being hauled off in a Champions League match against FC Basle which Liverpool had
to win to stay in the competition. At half-time we were 30 down. Id stunk in the first
half and Gerard told me to get showered at the break. It was an embarrassing
performance from me. Liverpool needed to drag themselves off the canvas and I
wasnt deemed worthy of helping my team-mates out. That was a big blow. A slap in
the face. Instinctively, you go on the defensive when that happens. I blamed the
manager. I wanted to take on Gerard and Phil Thompson as I sat sulking in the
dressing room, believing the whole world was against me.
It was a big deal at the time, a story that gripped the media because afterwards Gerard
publicly questioned whether I had got too big for my boots. That hurt.
It was days, maybe weeks, later that I realised I was taken off for the right reasons
and the Liverpool staff were trying to help me.
I realised that I wasnt playing well and it wasnt anyone elses fault but my own.
It was a problem I had to rectify myself and stop searching for excuses. Liverpool
came back to draw 33 in Basle, although it wasnt enough for us to remain in the
Champions League. Some 10 years on and I still think about that night from time to
time. It is moments like those that spur me and drive me on so that it doesnt happen
again. You go back to the drawing board.
Sometimes you think you have learnt all you can learn and then: smack.
Something happens and you realise, Hang on, Im still wet behind the ears.
It wasnt just the Basle game that did that to me. That season was the first time I
came across Rafa Benitez. He was the coach of Valencia, who had just won La Liga in
Spain, breaking up the heavyweight dominance of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
We were drawn in the same Champions League group as them and lost home and
away, barely getting a kick. They dominated from start to finish, pressed the ball and
basically suffocated us. They were the methods I would experience at first hand later
on, but for the time being Rafa had left me worried. Seeing the standard they set made
me realise Liverpool needed to be better. An awful lot better. We were falling short
against the best. That meant we had to improve.
Any time you beat United is great and that it came in a final meant it was even better.
I had another winners medal.
Taking on a Daunting Adversary
Arsene Wenger complained about this tackle on Patrick Vieira in a Charity Shield
match in the curtain raiser to the 200203 season. He has his opinion, but I never hear
him saying much when one of his own players has made a hard tackle. This game was
one of the first times the two teams had met since the FA Cup Final when we were
played off the park but still nicked the trophy. It was clear I had two options. Either
you stand off them again and we dont get lucky this time, or you get in their faces
and make it hard for them. I chose the latter.
Rough and Tumble
Hitching a lift on Charltons Scott Parker, who later became my team-mate with
England at Euro 2012. We had a decent partnership in the tournament. Scenes like this
are part and parcel of the cut and thrust of the Premier League. I dont know how I
got on top of him, presumably I was going for a header at some point, and Im on the
way down.
Overstepping the Mark
Squaring up to Kevin Campbell in a Merseyside derby again after a poor tackle on
Gary Naysmith, who is lying on the turf out of shot. Youll notice a certain Wayne
Rooney trying to get involved. It was Waynes first Merseyside derby and the Everton
fans had been singing all through the game, Rooneys gonna get you. He bounced
our goalkeeper, Chris Kirkland, in one full-blooded challenge and also hit the bar. He
was desperate to make his mark. I had seen Wayne in junior games, and word was
spreading fast that he was a special player. Its amazing to think that not long after this
I was playing with him for England.
With a Little Help From My Freund
I am either trying to win a free-kick against Steffen Freund here or looking to run the
ball out of play and give my team-mates a breather. To me this is a classic Premier
League photograph. Rough and tumble, no one giving an inch. There are a lot of
strong players in the top flight and you have to try to hold your own. If you dont, its
simple: you get bullied and then disappear.
Always There With a Helpful Word
Gerard was the manager and I was just a player, but at times our relationship felt as
though it was father and son. I like this picture because I think the warmth between us
and respect we had for each other comes shining through. Nothing was ever too much
trouble for Gerard Houllier where I was concerned and that is still the case today.
When England played France at Euro 2012, he was in touch in the build-up, looking
to help me because he knew how important that tournament was for me. Yes hes
French, but he wasnt being unpatriotic. I think 11 was the perfect result for him.
First Taste of Rafas Talents
Our visit to the Mestella in September 2002 resulted in a performance I would get to
know very well. Valencia were coached by Rafa Benitez and the way his team took us
apart planted a seed with the Anfield hierarchy. Valencia were hard to beat, they
pressed the ball well and had good players in the final third. It was the blueprint Rafa
used when he eventually came to Liverpool. We were suffocated in this game, losing
20 to goals that were world class.
Adding to the Tally
When you smack a ball as hard as you can, it naturally brings both feet off the ground.
I have never set myself a goal-scoring target. When I first broke into the team, I think
if you got double figures from midfield that was seen as being really good. But now
the bar has been raised by players such as Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes, 15 is
almost seen as the norm.
The Sweetest Thing
There arent many better feelings than scoring against Manchester United, especially in
a major final. It is important to take the chance to win silverware because it doesnt
come round too often and when we played United in the Worthington Cup Final in
2003, I knew we had to seize the moment.
I only ever fear losing to Everton and United because I am a fan and I know how
much it hurts, so to win 20 was a relief as much as anything. My goal had a bit of
luck to it, taking a deflection off David Beckham and looping into the top corner. But
Ill settle for that. My celebration was instinctive. Just the perfect day.
It Means So Much
Days like this are everything I dreamed of as a kid: winning silverware, scoring a goal
and celebrating with my mates. Michael added another late on to seal the win and we
had a good celebration afterwards. At that time under Gerard Houllier, Liverpool had
the Indian sign over United. We used to play a diamond formation in midfield, with a
holding player for security and then we would end up out-numbering them in the
middle. On a big pitch like at Cardiff or at Old Trafford, having more bodies in the
middle helped.
FAREWELL HOULLIER
There have been plenty of occasions in my career when I have been asked for my
opinion on a managers situation. Whats going on? Can we turn it round? Has he lost
the dressing room? I have been asked those questions by fans and I have been asked
those questions by people at Liverpool.
But I can honestly say, on my kids lives, that I have always backed every manager
I have worked under. Yes, there have been occasions when I have been frustrated
with how things are going and when I have been quizzed about things I could have
said: This is rubbish. We hate the manager. We want out. The clubs going nowhere.
Instead, I have said we can turn it round and I believe I can help whoever is in charge.
I am all for fighting for a manager rather than sticking the knife in and pushing
him closer to the sack. So the whispers and the rumours that become fact, especially
in a city like Liverpool, that the senior players were behind Gerard Houllier leaving in
the summer of 2004 forget it.
I heard that I was consulted and I had a say in his departure. Not at all. I have
gone out of my way on countless occasions to back managers not just through my
performances, but in what I say. When results dont go well at a big club like
Liverpool everyone sees what is around the corner. As players we have targets, but
also the fans and the club have aims and aspirations as well. When you fail to reach
them, change becomes inevitable.
There has been a pattern at Liverpool, going back to when I was going to the
games as a fan, whereby managers have left.
Ultimately, it is the manager whose job comes under threat because Liverpools
history demands that the team competes at the very top. It is difficult and sad to see
anyone in any walk of life lose their job, but when it is someone you have built up a
very strong relationship with over the years, someone who has gone out of their way
to be supportive of you, it hurts even more.
The harsh reality of football is magnified as well when you are young. Nowadays I
am more thick-skinned. I have come to realise that football is a business and that
managers come and go in every league in the world. However, when Gerard left there
was a huge sense of sadness.
Liverpool finished fourth in the 200304 season, which ironically would be
considered as a success today, but back then it wasnt viewed as enough. The Premier
League has grown stronger and stronger and that season was the first in which the
landscape changed.
Roman Abramovich had just bought Chelsea, which was to prove fantastic for
them, but a major set-back for everyone else. No one knew that much about
Abramovich to begin with, but as the days and weeks went by you started to realise
that big changes were taking place within English football.
Money has always talked, but now the sort of sums that were being spent were
mind-boggling. Signings were arriving at Stamford Bridge left, right and centre and I
realised that while Abramovich was around it was going to take time and be a massive
challenge for Liverpool to win the league again.
It didnt seem impossible, but Chelsea immediately established themselves at a level
that we were still striving to reach. Overnight they became genuine contenders. I knew
they werent going to go away.
In those circumstances, every pound and penny that Liverpool spent had to be
spot on. Yet whereas other teams made signings and improved their squad, becoming
stronger, I feel now that we went a bit flat. The margins are fine. If you dont
strengthen in the summer correctly, you will find other sides pulling away from you.
The sides with the most financial power usually get their signings right because they
have first pick of the best players available. Everyone else comes in behind them
because they dont want to get involved in a head-to-head battle for players that they
cannot realistically win. You get judged on your signings and while it wasnt solely
down to Diouf, Diao and Cheyrou that we didnt progress as we wanted, Gerard paid
the price.
Yet that final step in football is the hardest. And it is getting even harder to take
now. I was gearing up for Euro 2004 with England when the decision was taken by
Liverpools board of directors that Gerard would be leaving.
I know the chairman David Moores and Rick Parry the chief executive were sad, even
though they were making a decision they felt was in the best interests of the club, and
I felt the same way.
From the moment I broke into Liverpools first team, Gerard spoke to me every
day. The conversation I had with him for the first time after it was announced he had
left was difficult and awkward. I had shared everything with him and yet now I didnt
really know what to say except thank you and sorry.
Typically, Gerard was more interested in me than in himself. Keep going, keep
learning was the gist of what he said to me when really I should have been the one
offering him kind words. But that is Gerard Houllier for you. Before every big game, a
text message will come through from him wishing me good luck. If Liverpool or
England have a big result, he will be in contact offering his congratulations. He is
always in touch to see how my family is and vice versa. I keep in contact with him as
well. Just because he left Liverpool did not mean our relationship ended. In many
ways, the texts and conversations I have with him now mean more than ever.
I can honestly say, on my kids lives, that I have always backed every manager I have
worked under.
Getting Palmed Off
I have taken a few blows to my mouth and face over time, but that comes with
wanting to win. Tackling has always been a big part of my game and really I have no
right to get to the ball here. Im helped by the fact that I have got long legs, but being
at full stretch probably explains why I have picked up niggles in my groin. Sometimes
Ill get the tackle right, other times Ill get it wrong and itll be a yellow card. This
looks like I got it spot on against Tottenhams Helder Postiga, although referee Uriah
Rennie probably gave a foul!
Laying My Body on the Line Against the Gunners
Games against Arsenal are always physical and you have to be prepared to win the
battle before you can win the match itself. I was trying my utmost to reach a pass here
in the Arsenal penalty area, but the ball has evaded me. Ive had some good moments
against the London club over the years and the odd low point, but I love playing
against them and Ill always try my hardest to ensure that it is Liverpool who come
away the happier of the two teams.
CAPTAINCY
When Gerard Houllier called me into his office one day, I thought it was just going
to be another of those seemingly daily chats about how I was doing. Then he dropped
something of a bombshell.
Stevie, I want you to be captain. I think the time is right for you. For a split
second, I was stunned and shocked. And then excited.
Great. Fantastic. Of course, I said. I had worn the armband before. The first time
I was captain was in a League Cup tie against Southampton in November 2002 that we
won 31 at Anfield. But this was different. This was for keeps. It was only after I left
Gerards room that a new emotion washed over me: worry.
This was something I desperately wanted, but questions instantly popped into my
head. Would I be any good as a captain? How would the lads react? It wasnt as if my
form had been sparkling around that time and there were other senior players who
might have deserved that honour.
More importantly, how would Sami Hyypia, who was the current captain, react?
From what I could see Sami was doing a good job. Ideally, you dont want to receive
the captaincy on account of it being taken off someone else. It is better if a player
leaves a club or someone retires after a distinguished career. But Sami still had years
ahead of him at Anfield and he had developed into a key player for us since arriving
from Dutch club Willem II in 1999.
My respect for him, therefore, only increased as a result of the hand-over of the
armband. I knew he was a top guy, but he went up in my estimation afterwards. Not
once did he sulk, not once did he make life difficult for me and not once did he let the
disappointment he must have felt show. Sami made a decision just to get on with
things and he can rightly be described as an Anfield legend.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I walked out for the first time as
Liverpools permanent skipper in a UEFA Cup tie against Olympic Ljubljana on
October 15, 2003. It wasnt a bad start either: we won 30. My life changed again with
the armband on. I went from being a normal player to Liverpool captain at the age of
23.
Looking back, maybe it came too soon and I was too young. Usually captains are
aged 25 and over, and coming into their peak years. But one of Gerards motives for
giving it to me at such a young age was that he wanted me to mature that bit quicker
because he wanted me to reach my potential. He wanted me to realise the opportunity
I had in front of me.
When you are 23 and a Liverpool player, you can still get away with going to certain
places and doing certain things. You are under the microscope, but it is not as intense.
When you are 23 and you are the Liverpool captain, the responsibility is greater again.
You cant do the things some of your team-mates are doing. Yes, I had to make more
sacrifices, but any sacrifice in the world is worth it when you are the captain of
Liverpool Football Club, the club you love. I learnt an awful lot by being made
captain so young. I grew up.
People think I am a quiet captain, but I dont see it like that. It is just that I would
never ever stitch one of my team-mates up in front of the media or the public. What
image is it going to create if I start shouting at a young kid in front of 40,000 fans or in
front of 25 members of the press, who are then going to write about it?
Of course, there are times in matches when the cameras or the fans will catch me
shouting at someone. And my team-mates shout at me, believe me. That is all
acceptable. Sometimes the player next to you needs shouting at to tell them they have
done something brilliant. Sometimes you need to shout at them to tell them not to
make that mistake again. But if you are on someones back and verbally bullying
them, then that is not the right way to lead a team. I wont do that, but have you ever
known a Liverpool player to come out and say that I am quiet in the dressing room?
That just isnt the case. I prefer to say the right things at the right times. In football,
there are plenty of players who make a lot of noise but not much sense comes out of
their mouth.
But the most important aspect of being a captain, for me, and I dont care what anyone
says, is how you play yourself. It is not how noisy you are or what you say. It is about
what you do. If you are a senior player in the dressing room, then usually the less
senior players in there will watch you. That is the most important thing. It is not
simply 3 oclock on a Saturday afternoon when a captain comes into his own.
Training that week is just as important and the entire build-up to the game. For
example, if the team gets picked on a Thursday and Jay Spearing is playing, I will text
him or speak to him and just point out a few things for him to expect in a certain
game.
Jays a great lad. Someone who is still making his way in the game and willing to
take on board any advice. I will do it in a quiet way one-on-one not wanting
people to think I am this noisy captain, roaring in front of people on the Sky cameras.
For me, that is the wrong thing to do.
Gerard appointed me because he liked the things that I was doing, but I have learnt
from some of the other captains I have played under. I liked Michael Owens
demeanour on the occasions he had the armband on. He was never in your face,
ranting and raving, but he preferred to show he was right up for it by going out and
scoring a couple. Leading by example.
David Beckham is another captain I hold in high regard. He never said too much
in the England dressing room, but when he spoke it was sensible and constructive
and, best of all, he went out and performed at a consistent level for the vast majority
of his career.
My life changed again with the armband on.
The Armband That Means So Much
My life as a Liverpool player changed for the better on October 15, 2003. That was the
first time I was officially Liverpools captain for a match. We played Olympic
Ljubljana in the UEFA Cup at Anfield and won 30 with Anthony Le Tallec, Emile
Heskey and Harry Kewell scoring. It was a proud, proud day. From that moment on,
the way I was viewed and the responsibility I had altered. Team-mates, managers and
fans look to the captain to get results and to pull the team through when times are
tough. I always prided myself on doing that even without the armband, but now I
realised I had to step up another level. I was even more of a role model. It remains
one of the best days of my life.
Fully Committed
It is easy to see just how much winning means to players. Im desperately trying to get
the ball on target and the Fulham defenders are doing everything in their power to
protect their goal.
Louis Saha is the Fulham player nearest to me and my Liverpool team-mates Emile
Heskey and Igor Biscan are looking to get on the end of any ricochets in and around
the penalty area. You make a run into the penalty box and 9 times out of 10 you dont
get the rub of the green. But you have to keep on going and eventually it will turn for
you.
Pass Percentage
I often take risks with my passing. That is just how I play. Nowadays you get
statistical analysis of how many passes players attempt, how many are completed and
a pass completion percentage. If I am being honest, I dont take too much notice of
them. The figures dont properly differentiate between a pass that Im trying to
squeeze through the eye of a needle and the safe ball an opponent will play to a team-
mate five yards away. Id rather have a pass completion rate of 73%, but lay on two
goals, than make 90% of passes to someone standing within touching distance.
Sheer Joy
My face says it all. There is no better feeling than scoring for your boyhood team and
I have been lucky enough to do it quite a bit over the seasons. I think you can see the
passion I have for Liverpool here and just what it means to me to score for them.
Usually I find myself drawn instinctively towards where the fans are when I find the
back of the net. Maybe its the noise that pulls me towards them, but also I am a fan
myself. I would be in with the supporters if I wasnt playing, so to get a result and
share it with them is magical.
On the Angle and Goalbound
Another goal against Bolton and another past Jaaskelainen. I possess a decent range in
my finishing now. Whether it is shooting from distance, more delicate efforts from
close range or scoring with my head, I fancy myself in and around the penalty area.
That confidence just comes over time. When you are a kid, you find it tough to stamp
your personality on matches because you are worried about making a mistake. Now I
am not afraid to miss. Obviously Im gutted if a gilt-edged chance goes begging, but
make no mistake Ill be in there for the next one that comes my way, looking to make
amends rather than hiding in the shadows.
Sharing the Moment With Someone Special
Gerard did so much for Liverpool in a short space of time that maintaining those high
standards becomes more difficult. Nobody takes into account that other teams
improve as well and that the competition to win trophies becomes fiercer. At times,
Gerard found himself under pressure and there were the inevitable whispers that he
had lost the dressing room. After a left-foot volley at Anfield, I ran over to embrace
him by the dug-out. It was a show of support to him to put all the nonsense to bed,
which was the least I could do given everything he did for me.
Trying to Clip the Wings of an All Time Legend
You have to appreciate what Ryan Giggs has done in his career. His longevity has
apparently been helped by yoga, something I have taken up in recent seasons.
Whatever the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United, I admire Ryan Giggs
so much. To think there was a time in his career when his own supporters were
booing him, thinking he had come to the end, is just unbelievable.
Putting on the After Burners
I have history with George Boateng, none of which is his fault. He is playing for
Middlesbrough here, but it was while he was at Aston Villa that I was guilty of
probably the worst tackle I have ever made in a game. It was a horrible challenge,
right by the dug-out. I dont even like speaking about it now. Afterwards, I called him
on his mobile to apologise. He was good to me because he could have just slammed
the phone down and said he wasnt interested in what I had to say. We had a chat and
he just said that he had mistimed a few challenges in his career and added: Make sure
you learn from this. The sending-off that day was a turning point for me. I knew I
wouldnt make that sort of tackle again.
These Long Limbs Come in Handy
I had my growth spurt when I was 15 and 16. I absolutely shot up in size. Thank
goodness I did because without adding a few inches to my frame I honestly dont
think I would have played at the top level. I would have had a decent career, but I
dont think I would have made it to the very top. Without a doubt my entire career has
benefited from me having such long legs.
They mean I can make tackles and do things other players cant, I can reach balls that
evade opponents and, generally, they add to my dynamism and help me to get around
the pitch effectively. Athleticism is a huge part of the modern-day game and it is
becoming more and more important. Look at someone like Cristiano Ronaldo. He is
so skilful, but athletic too.
In the Spotlight
My profile has increased over the years as I have achieved more in my career. It is not
something that I am totally comfortable with. Im quite a quiet person, but I
understand that it comes with the territory. I know that as captain of Liverpool and
now England, I have a responsibility to project myself as a role model and always say
and do the right things. Of course that can be hard at times, but the career of a
footballer is short and if you are prepared to try to do the right things and make
sacrifices the rewards will come. When I was young, Gerard Houllier used to say to all
the lads at Liverpool that if we stayed out of nightclubs during our careers, we could
own one after we had finished playing. The financial rewards for a Premier League
footballer are great, but it has never been about money for me.
A SUMMER OF CHANGE
Within weeks of Gerard leaving, at the end of the 200304 season, I found my
own future being debated on the backs of newspapers and on Sky Sports News. The
mobile phone of my agent, Struan Marshall, was on fire that summer with clubs
calling him and asking would I be interested in what I always thought would be the
unthinkable: leaving Liverpool.
Chelsea, backed by Abramovichs millions and with a new manager in Jose
Mourinho at the helm, declared the strongest interest, bidding big money for me,
something in the region of 35m. But there was foreign interest as well from the likes
of Real Madrid, who were also trying to tempt me away from Anfield.
When you receive those kind of phone calls out of the blue, they are flattering in
many respects. It is confirmation that you are doing your job properly and that you are
making the most of the talent that you have. It becomes a boost to your confidence
when one of the biggest clubs in the world looks and thinks: Hes a good player. He
can make us better.
If Liverpool had done well in the Premier League that season, I dont think the
calls would have come. Clubs knew my bond with Anfield and wouldnt have tried to
break that. But when you finish fourth and there is a sense of uncertainty, the vultures
circle and look to feast on your insecurities and make the most of the opportunity that
is before them.
No one had really called Struan before in my career, but now he had people telling
him theyd give me huge pay rises and how great it would be for me to join them. The
situation didnt help my performances at Euro 2004 that summer with England. I like
to be able to concentrate solely on playing football when I am away with England
without any outside interference, but everywhere I went someone wanted to ask me
about my future.
In my mind, it was simple. I wanted to stay at Liverpool, but questions needed to
be asked. I wouldnt say my head was turned by the interest from elsewhere, but I did
want Struan to speak to Liverpool and see what their goals and ambitions were,
especially in the aftermath of Gerard leaving. For example, would there be funds
available for team strengthening? It was clear that we needed some new blood if we
were going to get back to being competitive again.
As much as I love Liverpool, I want to win. I am a footballer and I want to do
well in my career and savour as many highs as I can cram in. Of course, I want that to
be at Liverpool, but if they could not offer me the reassurances that I was looking for
then you naturally think about the future. Thankfully, the answers I wanted were
forthcoming and in order to clarify my future I held a press conference at Anfield
saying that I would be staying and leading the quest for new trophies.
It was a weight off my mind. I was 24 at the time, my first daughter, Lilly-Ella, had
been born in the February of that year and I had moved to the outskirts of Liverpool.
I was settled off the pitch and to uproot everyone, and everything, would have
been a huge commitment. There was also the fact that I had only been the captain of
Liverpool for one year to take into consideration. Why throw all that away?
Being honest, there have been times since when I thought harder about leaving.
Chelsea renewed their interest in me a year later, while the prospect of playing abroad
has crossed my mind on a few occasions, more so at the ages of 2830.
If I ever did leave England, and I cant see it happening now, then Spain would
have been my destination. I watch the La Liga games on television when I can and
there is something about the football there that appeals to me. Barcelona have made
contact in the past. There have been a few phone calls to check what the situation is
with me, whether I am happy or not at Liverpool, but there has never been any
concrete interest from them.
When Malaga were taken over by backers from Qatar a couple of years ago, they
also sounded me out. They wanted to know whether I would be willing to sign up for
their project and offered me all sorts of riches.
More recently Bayern Munich and Paris St Germain have also made it known that they
were interested in signing me.
Yet the strongest interest from Spain has always come from Real Madrid, who
were keen to take me to the Bernabeu. When you see the stands in that stadium
towering towards the heavens it is awe-inspiring and Real are one of the biggest, if not
the biggest, clubs in the world.
Back in 2004, they did raid Liverpool. It was for Michael Owen rather than me.
Losing Michael was a huge blow for the club and also on a personel level. He was
someone I had played alongside since we were kids at the Vernon Sangster Sports
Centre just setting out on our careers. I knew his runs, exactly where he wanted the
ball and I knew he was a player we would find hard to replace. Michael had one year
on his contract and was more impatient than me for change. He wanted to get on in his
career and found the lure of Real too hard to turn down.
As it was, I was starting to see things from a Spanish perspective as well. But in
order to do so I didnt need to leave Liverpool. It was all about the man who had
taken over at Anfield and who I hoped was going to take us to the next level. That
man was Rafa Benitez.
In my mind, it was simple. I wanted to stay at Liverpool, but questions needed to be
asked.
HOLA, SIGNOR BENITEZ
Within half an hour of meeting Rafa Benitez for the first time, it became apparent
that Liverpool would be doing things differently from now on and that I would have
to get used to some changes as well.
Gerard Houllier is a man-manager. Someone who loves his players, supports his
players, embraces them and wants them to be close to him. Rafa was the opposite.
After being appointed by Liverpool, he requested a meeting with myself, Jamie
Carragher and Michael Owen when we were out at Euro 2004 in Portugal. We met
him one Friday night at the team hotel and straight away you could notice the
difference. He was hands-off and there was going to be a bit of distance between the
players and the manager. It didnt matter who you were, a big player or just starting
out, the team was all-important. Everyone had to pull in the same direction.
Perhaps that approach is exactly what I needed at that stage of my career, but when
you are used to the love and a bit of TLC the change in emphasis was hard for me to
accept at first. As it went on, I quite liked the fact that Rafa kept his cards close to his
chest and didnt involve me in things as much as Gerard had. I wondered what he
thought of me and, as a result of that, it drove me on to impress in every training
session and in every game. I wanted him to turn round and embrace me and I thought
the breakthrough would come and we would grow close that a close relationship
between the manager and the captain would develop over time. It didnt happen
though not in a bad way, and thats fine.
I had a successful time under Rafa and as you get older you realise football isnt about
friends. It isnt about being loved. It isnt about everyone being nice to you. If the
manager is distant and does things a different way from the manager before, but we
are successful, then bring it on. Im cool about that. If a manager doesnt speak to me
for four years but we win five or six trophies, I will happily take that over a manager
who speaks to me every day but under whom we win nothing. It is about results. And
I was sure we could get them under Rafa.
Liverpool had played his former club Valencia a couple of times in the Champions
League and I liked their style. They were well organised, but played good football at
the same time. I also liked the way Rafa looked on the sidelines. I like managers in
suits and when they are out in the technical area trying to give instructions and
influence the game. I just think it looks good and it offers a sense of reassurance to
the players if a game isnt going well.
Gerard had looked to France for a lot of his signings and despite leaving had put
in place a deal for us to sign Djibril Cisse, who had scored lots of goals for Auxerre
and who would now become even more important given Michaels departure.
Understandably, Rafa turned to the Spanish market he knew well and signed Luis
Garcia, Xabi Alonso and Josemi. Antonio Nunez came as part of the deal that took
Michael to Real Madrid. Straight away I could see that Xabi had a touch of class about
him. His passing range was great, but he was tough as well. He would have no
problems settling into English football.
Luis was someone who could inspire one minute and frustrate the next, but he scored
some important goals for us. Given the amount of changes that took a hold in the first
months of the season Cisse also broke his leg it was perhaps no wonder that our
form in the Premier League was inconsistent.
In a one-off game we were a match for anyone and that revealed itself in the cup
competitions. We reached the Carling Cup Final against Chelsea in Cardiff and while
it is an occasion I would rather forget it is one that will live with me forever. For all
the wrong reasons.
Given that Chelsea had tried to sign me the previous summer, this was a game that
had an extra edge to it even without the fact there was a trophy at stake as well. Then
there was Jose Mourinho who had started to wind up the Liverpool supporters during
the game by putting his finger to his lips and sssh-ing them. It was a final that none
of us wanted to lose. We had started well with Fernando Morientes scoring early on
and were minutes from getting our hands on the Cup when I looked to clear a free-
kick that had been pumped into our penalty area. Instead of heading the ball away, it
skimmed the top of my head and flew into the back of our net.
Devastation. Total numbness. This. Cannot. Be. Happening. In that split-second
the momentum of the match changed. Chelsea forged ahead in extra time and to
compound my misery I was millimetres from getting an equaliser. The ball was played
across the box and it just passed by in front of my toe. When the final whistle sounded
and Chelseas players celebrated a 32 win, I have never had a worse moment in
football.
I held my hand up in the dressing room straight away afterwards and my team-
mates rallied round, but it was a long journey home and a long, long night.
You feel sorry for yourself, you sulk, you walk through the door at home and feel
totally alone and thats when you want everyone to fuss you.
The disappointment will never vanish and it still hurts talking about that moment
all these years on. When I think of myself going up for that header and slightly
mistiming my jump, a shiver goes down my spine. I was gutted for a long time after
that game, but you cannot hide away. We lost on a Sunday, but by Monday night I
knew I had to start fighting again.
There were a lot of fans at Cardiffs Millennium Stadium that day who went home
realising that it was an accident. But there were also Liverpool fans in the ground who,
given the link with Chelsea, saw my own goal as some sort of grand conspiracy and
gave me the height of abuse.
I know because members of my family were in the crowd and were forced to
listen to the vitriol. Driving into our training ground at Melwood in the aftermath I
knew I couldnt change the past, but I also knew I could make amends in the future.
Redemption proved to be around the corner.
It is about results. And I was sure we could get them under Rafa.
Putting the Laces Through the Ball
The red boots Im wearing are a rarity because I prefer standard black boots. I dont
like putting any undue pressure on myself by having all fancy colours. But they didnt
let me down with this free-kick which flew past Portsmouths David James in front of
the Kop. Ive always been willing to step forward and take a free-kick. The
confidence to do so comes from having the captains armband on, the trust of my
team-mates and also not being scared to take criticism if the ball flies 20 yards over the
crossbar.
Ill Eat My Shirt!
Although Ive been guilty of kissing the badge before, I dont like seeing players do it
especially when they have done it at other clubs, too. This is a variation I have tried
once or twice. On this occasion it was after scoring a free-kick against Everton. I
suppose Im just trying to show how much playing for Liverpool means to me. John
Arne Riise looks like he is about to smother me. He is a great friend and was a really
good player for Liverpool. I think we found it difficult to replace him when he left in
2008. Hes a player with great energy, great athleticism and is excellent on the ball. It
was Johns cross that led to my header against AC Milan in Istanbul.
Power Play
The fact that I am so off-balance demonstrates the power that I have tried to put into
this free-kick. Fortunately, it found the back of the net. Unfortunately, we lost the
game 31 and it proved no more than a consolation strike. The players in the wall tell
you how difficult the game was: Pires, Vieira, Gilberto, Van Persie and Fabregas.
Applauding the Twelfth Man
Win, lose or draw, I always clap the fans after every game. Every player should do
that as a matter of course. It is a mark of respect for the effort they have made to
follow the team. As captain, I wouldnt say to my team-mates, Go and clap the fans.
Every player has their own responsibility to do that, but it is something I take
seriously. The Liverpool fans are the best around and that is not just me being biased.
Look at some of the people who have said nice things about our supporters, people
who have no ties with the club. They have just felt the power of Liverpool fans in full
cry and it is an amazing experience.
THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ODYSSEY
I have walked out at the Nou Camp with almost 100,000 Catalans whistling at me,
played in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley and faced up to the abuse 75,000
supporters inside Old Trafford can muster. Anfield has a capacity of half of some of
those venues, but its power remains untouchable. Liverpools Champions League win
in 2005 will forever be synonymous with Istanbul, but do not under-estimate the
importance of the raw energy and electricity Anfield conjured up during that
rollercoaster run to the final.
If the truth is told, we were maybe only the 10th or 11th best team in Europe that
season. But in a game played over two legs, we were up there, and that was
overwhelmingly due to the force Anfield exudes. On a big European night, when the
stakes are high, there is something in the air in the stadium. It is hard to describe what
it is. You cant see it, but you feel it.
It makes the team walking out of the home dressing room feel 10 feet tall and our
opponents shrink in size. The tidal wave of momentum the Kop and the other stands
generate was first seen against Olympiakos in the group stage when we were cornered
and, at half-time, staring elimination full in the face.
When you get a taste for the Champions League, you want to play in it again and
again. I hate sitting at home on a Tuesday or Wednesday evening watching the best
teams in Europe go at it hammer and tongs, knowing that I am just a helpless
spectator.
Our league form had been patchy which meant Europe took on even greater
importance for us and I remember doing the press conference the day before the
game. We knew we had to beat Olympiakos by two clear goals to progress and I was
asked what would happen if we went out of the competition. I answered the question
honestly and said I would look at where I felt the club was going, that I would assess
things.
I didnt mean if we lose, Im off, but that is how it was interpreted and I can
understand why. I was probably a bit rash in what I said and that is one of the press
conferences I have learnt the most from.
The next morning, the morning of the game, it was headline news. Seeing my
name across the back pages comes with the territory of playing for Liverpool and
England. Most interviews I do end up being strongly projected. But I was concerned
that the fans would read the headlines and think that if we were beaten I would be
definitely leaving. The pressure had been turned up a notch.
The best way of clearing everything up was to make sure we won, but when
Rivaldo scored a free-kick midway through the first half we were up against it. That
was to be a scenario that brought the best out of us that season and Anfield came alive
when we jogged back out for the second-half, needing to score three goals.
Take nothing away from the substitutions Rafa made at the break for getting us
over the line though. Neil Mellor and Florent Sinama Pongolle came on at half-time
and without their intervention Istanbul would have forever remained a pipe-dream.
Make no mistake about that.
Substitutions change games but I must admit that when they both came on, I didnt
really see what Rafa was hoping to do. With all due respect to Mellor and Pongolle,
they hadnt done a great deal for Liverpool up to that point and they werent used to
playing in games with so much riding on them. Yet within minutes Pongolle scored
and then Mellor scrambled a second with nine minutes left to set up a grandstand
finish.
One goal. We needed one more goal. I knew the moment would come. All the
hours you spend on the training pitch, the times you stay behind and practise after the
main session is finished, are for moments like the one that fell to me in the 86th
minute that night. Mellors header set me up perfectly and I knew as soon as I hit a
shot from 25 yards that it was going to go close. The shot was going away from the
goalkeeper and it found the back of the net. Pandemonium. Then Exhilaration. Then
relief.
It is one of my best goals and the funny thing about that is that I never actually felt
it. The ball came off my boot so sweetly that it belied the power that I managed to get
into the finish. It is a bit like hitting a golf shot when you connect with the ball just
right and you dont feel it, theres hardly a reverberation up the club.
We were through, but it was only later in the competition that the players started to
get a feeling that this was going to be our year. We had cleared a hurdle, played well,
it had been a great night, but at the same time I thought how did we get in that much
trouble in the first place?
Beating Juventus over two legs in the quarter-final fuelled the belief in the
dressing room and then came Chelsea. Again.
Three months after the lowest point of my career, here was a chance to try and
make amends by reaching the Champions League Final.
Chelsea had all the power and strength. They were on their way to winning the
title in Mourinhos first season and resembled a relentless machine under him. No one
gave us a chance. Drawing 00 at Stamford Bridge in the first-leg was a good result,
but offered Chelsea as much encouragement as us given away goals counted double.
It was imperative we got off to a good start. Usually when you come out to warm up
at Anfield 45 minutes before kick-off, the stands are still quite empty.
That night it seemed every Liverpool supporter realised what was at stake and
turned up early on purpose. The noise was deafening. Inspiring every player in red,
but intimidating everyone in blue. How could we let them down?
Luis Garcias happy knack of coming up with big goals was never more crucial
than on that night. Chelsea can debate whether the ball crossed the line or not, but
consistently overlook that Petr Cech clattered Milan Baros before the rebound fell to
Luis and he could have given away a penalty and been sent off. The fact that Luis was
in the right place at the right time was no accident. Rafa always worked on the wide
players running into the space between opposing full-backs and central defenders and
so many goals originate from that move.
Over the two legs, I actually thought Chelsea were a stronger team than us. But we
pulled through because we were all in it together. We had our brilliant fans, who
created a wall of noise the like of which I had never heard before, and we had some
majestic performances.
Sometimes you can win a big game by not necessarily playing great football and
playing teams off the park. When it is not going well, you can get through by hanging
in there, believing and grabbing the little bits of luck when they come.
We did that against Chelsea and were soon to call upon that blueprint once again.
Pandemonium. Then exhilaration. Then relief.
The Tide Turns in Our Favour
The goal I scored against Olympiakos in the group stages of the Champions League in
2004 is one of my favourites. Everything was against us when Rivaldo curled home a
free-kick for the Greek side in the first half, leaving us needing to find three goals in
order to progress. Florent Sinama Pongolle and Neil Mellor reduced the arrears before
I struck from distance with time running out. I caught the shot so sweetly that as soon
as it left my right boot I knew there was a good chance of it hitting the back of the net.
I was showered with plaudits afterwards, but without the efforts of Pongolle and
Mellor and the rest of the team, the game would have gone long before I got involved.
THAT EPIC FINAL
Istanbul. The very mention of the word makes me smile and brings memories,
glorious, surreal memories, flooding back.
The pressure to win silverware at Liverpool is massive. From the moment you
sign for the club, you are aware of the history and when you play for the first team
that pressure intensifies. So to deliver the biggest trophy in club football when no one
expected it was huge.
The night before the final, I couldnt sleep. I get really excited about big games
and finals and I was constantly tossing and turning. I couldnt sleep in the afternoon
on the day of the game either. Nowadays, I can have 40 winks after training no
problem, but that probably has something to do with having three kids and trying to
catch up on all the sleep Ive missed!
As a result, I found myself yawning and feeling drained when we were doing all
our pre-match stuff. It took a while for the adrenaline to kick back in and in many
ways that was the same for everyone. We were caught napping as a team when the
game started. Instead of realising our dreams, we found ourselves initially plunged
into a nightmare.
AC Milan were a strong team with outstanding players, but we made them look
exceptional as well. We couldnt get near them.
Paolo Maldini scored inside a minute and, with Kaka running the midfield, the
Italians added a second and then a third through goals from Hernan Crespo. Walking
off at half-time, I felt embarrassed. We were being humiliated on our big night. We
had been played off the park. It was men against boys.
A lot has been said about Rafas half-time team talk at the Ataturk Stadium, but
there was no real mystique to it. He spoke about playing for pride, he mentioned the
fans, who had forked out such enormous sums of money to take over Istanbul and the
stadium itself, and he urged us to keep believing. Lets try and score the next goal, he
said. Then, we will see. Then he ran through the tactical changes, he wanted to
implement. Steven Finnan was struggling with an injury and Didi Hamann came on.
Rafa wanted me to play a little further forward as a result.
I tried to gee the lads up as well, but at that stage I was simply trying to be positive.
Privately, I thought the game was over and I was praying that we would not slip any
further behind. Please dont let it get to five or six-nil, I thought.
I cannot fully explain what happened next. Why a game that was beyond us was
turned on its head. Yes, we had our togetherness and spirit and Rafas tactics worked,
but you would have to ask AC Milan why they collapsed so dramatically. Why for six
minutes at the start of the second half they were so open, so weak and seemed
physically tired when they had been like lions before that. It didnt feel like we were
playing the same side.
We were different as well. I have scored more eye-catching goals, but the header
that flew into the top corner past Dida from John Arne Riises cross is undoubtedly
the most important of my entire career. It offered us a foothold and more importantly
gave us a slither of hope.
From the dressing room at half-time we had all heard Youll Never Walk Alone
echo around the arena. It was sung in open defiance. Now the noise from the stands
carried more belief. Could we do it? When Vladimir Smicer scored from distance
moments later, the Ataturk erupted. The great escape was on.
Milan Baros was often criticised for not having a great sense of awareness for
what was happening on the pitch, but the little touch he played into my path as we
sought the equaliser was exquisite. An arm in my back from Gennaro Gattuso and I
was sent sprawling. Penalty. Xabi Alonso stepped up to take the spot-kick and
although Dida saved his effort, he smashed home the rebound into the roof of the net.
Amazing.
We had all been scooped up and swept along in a whirlwind, but there was no
chance to consider what we had just done. As soon as the scoreline went to 33, I was
thinking penalties. Lets get to penalties.
The shock of throwing away such a commanding advantage seemed to stir Milan
to their senses, like a boxer being givien smelling salts. They poured forward again.
We dug in, putting our bodies on the line and then relying on a bit of luck as well.
Jamie Carragher was immense in defence defying Milan time after time as well as
the cramp that was shooting up his legs and then there was Jerzy Dudek.
Talk to him today and he still does not know how he managed to save a header
from Andrei Shevchenko that looked goal-bound. The look of disbelief on
Shevchenkos face immediately afterwards is priceless.
In that split second, Milan had it confirmed to them that this was not going to be
their night and their lack of confidence was evident in the penalty shoot-out that
followed.
Didi, Vladi and Djibril Cisse scored for us and even though Riise was wayward,
Milan could not afford another miss from 12 yards.
Rafa had put me down to take the fifth penalty that night which, given the misses
before from Milan, had the potential to be the crucial spot-kick. No problem. I was up
for it. But when people say, Oh, you are so lucky to be a footballer and I would
give anything to be a footballer, you have such an easy life and get paid all this
money they have to remember the flipside. What I say to those people is
straightforward. Could you handle the pressure of knowing that you are five seconds
away from taking a penalty in the Champions League Final? And not only that, but
you are five seconds away from taking the penalty that could win the Champions
League for Liverpool? Do you fancy that? Could you cope with that, knowing that if
you miss you could be remembered for that for the rest of your life?
So when Shevchenko was walking up to take the penalty that Milan needed to
score to ensure I would have to step into the spotlight, that is what I was thinking. I
was preparing myself rather than watching what was happening. I was confident of
scoring and I was going to place my effort rather than going for power.
In a pressure situation like the one Shevchenko was under, the last thing I thought
was that he was going to dink his spot-kick.
So when Jerzy pulled off the save, it was a split second before I realised I
wouldnt have to take my penalty after all and that we had won the Champions
League, or the European Cup as it was before, for a fifth time.
And then it hit me. I was off. Off trying to catch Carra, off to celebrate with my
team and our fans.
The celebrations went on into the early hours of the morning. There was no time
to sleep. Each and every one of us was too caught up in what we had just achieved.
Relief and euphoria were my over-riding emotions and then I felt drained and tired
for days after because the pressure in the build-up and during the game itself was
intense. But to have Champions League winner on my CV, well, it doesnt get any
better than that.
The trophy we won is on display in reception at the training ground and I walk
past it every day. When I see it, or when I am watching a Champions League game at
home, moments from that match against Milan flash into my mind. But I dont really
reflect on and wallow in that triumph much any more. I will never forget that night,
but it no longer feels fresh. These days, I think more about what else I can win before
I finish my career; what other trophies I can lift before I call it a day.
I felt embarrassed. We were being humiliated.
Shock and Awe
This picture tells a thousand words. Were all shell-shocked as we wait for AC Milan
to kick-off following another goal in Istanbul. If you look at my face Im thinking,
Theyre too good for us. Were not going to win this game. Were getting the
runaround. How often have you seen Xabi Alonso in the last few years look like that,
just staring in the distance, helpless? It doesnt happen to him, does it? You can shout
and try to coax some belief back into your team-mates, but it is hard to make yourself
heard in that sort of atmosphere. Also, it is tough to say anything meaningful that isnt
just trying to paper over the cracks. We were 30 down at half-time and surely down
and out.
Coming to Terms With a Disastrous First Half
Knowing Rafa, he is probably telling me to get control of Kaka and get someone on
Andrea Pirlo. And knowing me, Im probably saying, Its impossible. We were
getting over-run so much in midfield it was a nightmare. Pirlo earned rave reviews at
Euro 2012 for the way he played for Italy, especially in the penalty shoot-out win over
England in the quarter-finals. If you give him time and space, he will look good
because technically, with the ball at his feet, he is as good as anyone in the world. If
you get bodies around him, you can run off him and I dont think he is very physical
but he controls games with his passing if you let him.
Heading in the Right Direction
I have scored better goals and come up with more eye-catching strikes, but, without
doubt, this is the most important goal-scoring intervention of my entire career. It gave
us back a little bit of respect, and some belief too, but I still didnt think it would
spark the tremendous fight-back that followed. I checked my initial run because John
Arne Riises first cross was blocked, then I gambled on going into the box again.
What is surprising about the goal when you see this picture is how much space I had
between Jaap Stam and Alessandro Nesta, who were two of the best defenders in the
world at the time. To get a header right in the middle of them, and in a game of that
magnitude, was special for me. The header was instinctive. I went for accuracy rather
than power because the cross was that good.
If the Fans Believe It, So Will We
At half-time at the Ataturk Stadium we were despondent in the dressing room but we
could hear the strains of Youll Never Walk Alone being sung by the Liverpool
supporters outside. On the way back to the half-way line after my goal, I waved my
hands towards the fans to show that the players were with them and that we hadnt
given up either. They had descended on Istanbul in their thousands and the very least
they deserved was for us to keep going. They responded to my gesture by creating
even more of a din, but thats the Liverpool fans for you. The best in the world.
Turning Point
Vladimir Smicer had just scored from distance and the momentum was now with us
when I screamed at Milan Baros to nudge the ball into my path as I looked to burst
into the area. His touch was perfect and Gennaro Gattuso put a hand on my back,
pushed me off balance and sent me crashing to the floor. Penalty. I wanted to take the
spot-kick and for a large part of that season I was our designated penalty taker. But
Rafa had a thing where he named a different penalty taker for different games and he
would go off his head shouting and fining players if someone disobeyed his
orders. He named Xabi as the penalty taker for the final before the game and while I
was personally gutted, I knew Xabi was deadly. OK, Dida saved his first attempt but
when he fired the rebound into the roof of the net our comeback was complete. 33.
Amazing.
Ive Done It For You
Here Im blowing a kiss to my family who were in the crowd. My dad and brother
were among a gang of friends who had travelled to Turkey for the game and this was
for them. The drama of our penalty shoot-out win gave way to the best celebrations I
have ever known and I wanted my family to be a part of it. I owe everything to them,
for the support they have given me over the years and the belief they have always had
in me. Im proud to have given them something back. The red wristband I am wearing
is in support of the Hillsborough Family Support Group.
Champions at Last
The scene still takes my breath away. Sometimes I sit and think: How did that team
win that trophy? We had six or seven players who were up there with the best in
Europe, but without being disrespectful to anyone else, there were others who were
not quite as good. I knew straight away what a massive achievement this was. It was
the best night of my life and I doubt it will ever be bettered. With the amount of
money that is in football now with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, Paris St
Germain and Real Madrid, it is going to get a lot harder for Liverpool to win this
trophy again. Not least because it is a lot harder for Liverpool to even qualify for the
Champions League nowadays.
Happy Scousers
I have grown close to Jamie Carragher in recent years, probably since Michael Owen
and Danny Murphy both left the club in the summer of 2004. We share a room
together on away trips and as captain and vice-captain we feel a lot of responsibility
on us. He was magnificent in Istanbul, defying cramp, putting his body on the line,
repelling wave after wave of attacks from Milan after we had come back to 33. For
two homegrown lads to stand shoulder to shoulder on one of the best nights in the
clubs history is special. Carra is a Liverpool legend and a good friend.
Planting a Smacker on the Trophy
Alex, my wife, says I kissed that Cup more than her. After the joy came relief. I had
grown up knowing what European football meant to Liverpool Football Club. I had
seen the tapes of Emlyn Hughes, Phil Thompson and Graeme Souness lifting the
European Cup and I wanted that for myself. I wanted to deliver that trophy for all the
Liverpool fans out there.
The Red Sea
You could feel the bus literally rocking as we snaked our way through Liverpool City
Centre the night after Istanbul. Police horses were banging into the bus as they tried to
hold the fans back. It was mayhem, but glorious, brilliant mayhem. I just dont think
you would see this scene anywhere else in the world. When have you ever seen that
before? It is a majestic sight. Wow. Mind-blowing. We crawled through the streets of
Liverpool and every player on that bus took away memories that they will never ever
forget. Afterwards, we had a party in town. That was a late night!
UP FOR THE CUP AGAIN
Just 49 days after our season had gloriously ended, and with the miracle of
Istanbul still uppermost in everyones thoughts, we stepped back out onto a football
pitch again.
No one at Liverpool could complain too much. UEFA had ripped up their own
rule book to allow us to defend our Champions League trophy because we had
finished fifth in the Premier League and outside of the criteria for entry into Europes
lite. Not allowing the Champions League winners back into the competition would
have defied logic and the morning after our win over AC Milan, the pressure began to
snowball on the authorities until they had no option but to cave in. So stepping out
against Welsh part-timers Total Network Solutions (TNS) at Anfield on 13 July did
not seem like a hardship.
On a personal note, I started the campaign as I meant to go on. I grabbed a hat-
trick against TNS that night and in total scored seven goals in my first four games of
the season.
I was up and running, my confidence pepped by what had happened in Istanbul,
and I finished the campaign with 23 goals, which was by far the best goals return of
my career up to that point.
Collectively, Liverpool were much more competitive as well. Our Champions
League success had masked what had been a disappointing Premier League campaign
and we couldnt rely on conquering Europe every season. Something had to change.
One of Rafas great strengths around this time was that he would never make the
same mistake twice.
Liverpool werent physically strong enough the season before so he rectified that in
the transfer market. The revolving door at Anfield spun faster than I had known. In
came Pepe Reina, Momo Sissoko, Peter Crouch and Bolo Zenden along with others.
Out went Milan Baros, Antonio Nunez and Mauricio Pellegrino. It didnt matter that
Jerzy Dudek had been one of the heroes of Istanbul. Rafa felt the goalkeeping position
needed strengthening and even before the Champions League Final he had lined up a
deal for Reina. You have to say that was one of his best transfers. Baros, too, had
played his part in one of the greatest nights in Liverpools history. But there is no
sentiment in football. He left to make room for Crouch.
The pressure to perform at Liverpool is always intense. We drew four of our first
five Premier League games, and then lost 41 at home to Chelsea, and you could
sense people were sharpening their knives to plunge into Rafa. The criticism lingered
on the assumption that he couldnt get to grips with the unique features of English
football, the pace, intensity and physical nature of the game here.
Rubbish. And we soon exposed that myth. When we beat West Ham at home on
29 October, the win didnt feel out of the ordinary. It was routine. Yet it acted as a
springboard for us to go on an exceptional run of form. We won 10 straight games in
the league and when James Beattie scored a consolation for Everton in a 31 win at
Goodison Park in December, it was the first time Pepe had conceded a goal in the
league for almost two months.
There are times when, as a team, you play almost on auto-pilot. That stems from the
trust you have in your team-mates. We had the best goalkeeper in the world in Pepe
and two of the best defenders in the world in Carra and Sami. I was being given
licence to roam from the right of midfield and we had Xabi and Momo who were
ruthlessly efficient. Plus, we had lots of players who could chip in with goals: Riise,
Fernando Morientes, Crouchy, Luis Garcia, Zenden and Harry Kewell.
We werent the finished article by any stretch of the imagination, but we werent
the pushovers we had been on too many occasions the previous season, that was for
sure. Football is all about making progress.
There was a disappointment during that purple patch, but it came on foreign soil.
We had travelled to Japan just before Christmas for the World Club Championship by
virtue of our Champions League success.
To be crowned the best team on the planet was a huge incentive for us, more so
because the great Liverpool teams of the past had always failed to get their hands on
the trophy. How we came up short I dont know. We battered Brazilian side Sao Paulo
in the final, seeing goals dubiously disallowed, but still lost 10. Rafa was fuming
afterwards, but the season would contain a silver lining.
We had gone out of the Carling Cup in a shock defeat to Crystal Palace and been
dumped out of the Champions League by Benfica, losing both legs, but the FA Cup
provided us with a great source of satisfaction. En route to the final we beat
Manchester United in the fifth round and Chelsea in the semi-finals, so no one could
accuse us of having an easy draw. Of course, the final itself turned into a drama with
the penalty shoot-out win over West Ham, but there was a sense of accomplishment at
the end of that season.
We were never going to leap from fifth to first in the table, but finishing third with
82 points, one point behind Manchester United and nine points adrift of champions
Chelsea showed we were making strides. Making that final step is the most difficult,
but there were clues as to how we should go about trying to get there. Of the six
games we lost in the league that season, two were against Chelsea and one was against
Manchester United.
If we could correct that imbalance, Liverpool would become genuine contenders. I
finished the season positive about the future. I believed that under Rafa, Liverpool
were becoming a force again.
The pressure to perform at Liverpool is always intense.
An Unsung Hero
Pako Ayesterans role in the success Liverpool enjoyed under Rafa Benitez often gets
overlooked. He was Rafas assistant, the link between the players and the manager, as
well as being an innovative coach.
All the trophies we won in that period came while Pako was alongside Rafa in the
dug-out and I often wonder what he could have achieved had he stayed, instead of
leaving at the start of the 200708 season.
In Rafa We Trust
Rafa Benitez pushed me more than any other manager I have had in my career and, at
the time he came to Liverpool, I needed that. He didnt ever give out any credit, but he
made me a better, more rounded player who could play in a variety of positions and
appreciate what being a team player was all about. At times we didnt always see eye-
to-eye, and I will never forgive him for substituting me against Everton at Goodison
Park in 2007. Lucas, who replaced me, earned the penalty that enabled us to win 21,
but I felt the decision was disrespectful because I was playing well.
On the Spot
I always fancy my chances from the penalty spot. Over the years I think I have a good
record. Up to the end of last season, I had taken 34 and scored 27. Five have been
saved and twice I have missed the target. The key is to know exactly where you are
going to put the ball. If the goalkeeper pulls off a great save then sometimes there is
nothing you can do about it other than to say, well done. The worst thing is changing
your mind in your run-up and that has cost me in the past. Nowdays I go for
placement rather than power. But if I miss, Ill be back ready to take the next one.
The Best Fans in Football
Having stood on the Kop as a kid, I know what the supporters think, how they feel
and what they expect from someone in a red shirt. They want 100% commitment first
of all and if you offer that you find theyll support you through anything. The first
time they sung my name, I was taken aback they cant really be singing about me,
can they? It remains one of the best experiences Ive had as a player: the fans chanting
my name and being totally behind me.
Best Seat in the House
Being able to put a smile on the faces of these supporters is one of the reasons I play
football. It is an amazing feeling to know that you are only ever a couple of seconds
away from lighting up the stadium and transforming the mood among 40,000 fans.
Supporters can feel alienated in this day and age, but Ill always try to do as much as I
can for them. If celebrating a goal in front of them makes them feel good then that is
great.
Hes Giving Me Twisted Blood
There are a handful of players who I have played with or against who are on a
different planet from the majority of players in the Premier League. Cristiano Ronaldo
is one of them. He is a freak (I mean that as a compliment!); he is unique. He has
raised the bar in terms of skill, constantly pushing himself to stay one step ahead of
the defenders who gang up on him, trying to stop him. There are not many players
that you genuinely worry about facing, but Ronaldo is one of them because he can
win a game on his own. He showed that at Manchester United and is now doing it
game in and game out at Real Madrid. I love watching him. He takes my breath away.
Precision Placement
Set-pieces have a huge part to play in the modern game and that is why getting the
delivery right is so important. There is nothing more frustrating than seeing a corner
hit the first defender or fly over the head of everyone in the penalty area. Having said
that, you can have great delivery but if you havent got the players in the team who are
prepared to finish the job off then that is no use either. This is where you need your
team-mates to be brave. If you havent got players who are prepared to break their
nose or their jaw, or get their face mangled, in order to smash a header into the back
of the net, then there is no point in putting the ball on a sixpence.
What Will They Ask Me Next?
Dealing with the media and attending press conferences is part of a players job. I
understand how important the media is in the modern game and I try to be as honest
as I can when I am answering questions. Sometimes it has got me into trouble in the
past and people have said I am too honest, but that is hardly a fault is it? The manager
has a weekly press conference at Melwood in the build-up to games, and the players
are asked to stop and talk to the press after matches. I am in the papers and on TV
quite a lot so I tend to limit what I do during the season, but it is a responsibility I take
seriously.
Losing Never Gets Any Easier
There is a common misconception about my career that it has always been on an
upward curve. There have been plenty of highs, but several lows as well, which act as
a kick in the stomach and never get any easier to take. I once read Ryan Giggs say that
he lingers on the defeats in his career longer than the triumphs and I know what he
means. Losing the FIFA Club World Championship to Brazilian side Sao Paulo 10 in
Yokohama in 2005 was a major blow that often gets overlooked now. How we didnt
win, I dont know. We had three goals disallowed and it felt as if the officials were
against us. We would have made history had we won because no Liverpool team had
ever lifted that trophy. When the moment passed by, I was left alone with my
thoughts. The only consolation is that not many players get the chance to play in a
game like this.
A Huge Honour
I would like to think that over the years I have proved myself to be a team player.
Liverpool comes first, my team-mates come first. Individual awards, of course, are
nice, the icing on the cake. To be voted PFA Players Player of the Year in 2006 was a
great honour because it meant I had the respect of not just my team-mates, but players
up and down the country. I scored 23 goals that season for Liverpool and felt as good
as I have ever felt walking onto a pitch. Give me the Premier League title that season,
however, and I would have gladly handed the Player of the Year trophy back.
Its There!
Complacency undermines everything you do as a footballer and makes life harder. We
almost found that to our cost in the FA Cup Final in 2006 against West Ham. To be
honest, I thought we just had to turn up and wipe the floor with them, winning two,
three, four-nil. We were the favourites, the pitch at the Millennium Stadium was huge,
surely we would make our superiority tell? Any thought of that was soon banished as
they grabbed a two-goal lead to leave Liverpool staring humiliation in the face. Djibril
Cisse halved the deficit before the break and I scored the first of my two goals
afterwards following a knock-down from Peter Crouch. The ball just sat up nicely for
me and I was in the right place at the right time to smash it into the roof of the net.
Typically, the drama didnt end there.
Cramp The Downside of Extra Time
I build myself up so much for the big games that I tend use up a lot of energy before I
even kick a ball simply because I want to win so much. Ive never been a good
sleeper before important matches because its whirling around my head just what is at
stake. Liverpool as a club was fashioned on winning silverware, so every chance you
get to make new history you have to take it. Cramp is a consequence of all that. The
Millennium Stadium pitch was huge, it was a blazing hot day and for a large part of
the game we were chasing round trying to get ourselves back into contention. When
cramp takes hold you feel like you are restricted, like your muscles are snapping. Its
horrible. Its different, too, from the cramp you sometimes get when you are in bed.
Sami Hyypia is on hand here to try and get me going again, bending back my toes in
order to freshen my legs up.
Sweet as a Nut
As a one-off shot, I have never connected with a ball better than here. It flew past
Shaka Hislop from 35 yards. It really was a boom or bust moment. There were just
seconds left before the final whistle and West Ham were still leading 32. If Id had
more energy, I would have sought to control the ball and looked to have found a
team-mate. As it was, it was all that I could do to whack it. Sometimes they go in,
sometimes they dont. You can see the West Ham fans in the background, standing up
in their seats, probably praying that it goes a yard wide. I surprised myself because
you never expect to score a goal like that in those circumstances.
Taking Responsibility
Even in extra time West Ham gave us a couple of scares, but once we reached
penalties I was confident we would come out on top. After Istanbul the previous
season, we had experience of the pressure that comes with a shoot-out. I was due to
have taken the fifth penalty in the Champions League Final, but ultimately I was not
required. Here, I am first up. Rafa Benitez put his trust in me and I always feel I can
deliver because I am not afraid to miss. That is the key. Believe in yourself and dont
fear what might happen.
Jubilation Reigns
People talk about The Steven Gerrard Final but you can see from this picture it
wasnt all about me. Ultimately, we celebrated because of the role Pepe Reina played
in the shoot-out. To get another FA Cup winners medal to add to the one I won in
2001 was brilliant. I really like this photo: Hyypia, Hamann, Finnan, me, Sissoko,
Carragher, Morientes, Riise. I trusted these team-mates and it is one of the best
Liverpool teams I have played in. We were strong, physical and had a real sense of
togetherness.
Rafa, Me and the Pursuit of Trophies
The perfect end to the perfect day. Rafa became the first ever Liverpool manager to
win two major trophies in his first two seasons. At the time, it seemed like we would
just carry on winning silverware, but unfortunately it didnt work out like that. I think
Rafa has respect for me as a player, but I dont think he appreciated how lucky he was
to have Carra and me in our prime. Maybe I didnt appreciate fully what being
manager of Liverpool is like when you have Chelsea and Manchester United to
compete with.
DEALING WITH FAME
It is strange the first time someone asks for your autograph. You are a star in the
eyes of the person thrusting a pen and a piece of paper at you, yet you are the one
who feels awkward and shy initially.
Like everyone does Id practised my signature lots of times growing up, imagining
making the grade for Liverpool, but being in the public eye has never sat easily with
me. Even now, I dont really like doing interviews for the media. I try to be honest
whenever I do them and I respect the media not only because I know how big and
important they are, but only because they have always been respectful to me.
But I am happiest coming into work just to play football: to train and play the
game at the weekend. Yet, it is not possible when you are playing in the best league in
the world to simply do that. I had noticed that more people had started to take notice
of me when I returned from Euro 2000 with England.
Things snowballed from there. Winning the Champions League in the awe-
inspiring manner Liverpool did in 2005, the performance I produced in the FA Cup
Final in 2006 and then scoring twice for England in the World Cup Finals later that
same year simply ensured that my reputation spread.
Reaching a second Champions League Final in three seasons as we did in 200607
ensured that the focus was rarely off the club and myself.
Playing and scoring around the world led to camera crews and journalists from
Germany, France and Spain wanting to come and interview me.
If I agree to every request that the press department at Liverpool receive, there would
be no time to play.
I am not going to deny that when you are younger all the attention you receive is
great. You do get a bit big-headed, you do milk it and any player who says they
havent enjoyed a bit of press attention over the years is telling lies.
Its nice to pick up the paper and see someone praising you. In any walk of life
people like praise, but it is important to take criticism as well. I have had it drilled into
me that you cant linger on any hype or praise. I know when I have played well and
deserve plaudits, and I know when I havent. Over the years I have probably been too
hard on myself in interviews and too honest, but I refuse to see that as a negative. My
honesty pushes me on and is one of the main reasons I have found a level of
consistency over my career.
I only ever get the hump with the media if someone is being unfair, but, equally,
Ill take no notice of a piece if they are trying to cosy up to me for no reason. I can
read between the lines. Im not soft. I dont revel in people praising me. I want to be
around people who treat me as a normal person.
All the people I am close to my family, my wife Alex, and my friends they
dont brown nose me or over-praise me. I dont surround myself with people who
just say, yes, yes, yes. I am quite selective in who I will allow to get close to me
because there are so many slippery slopes to go down as a footballer.
The introduction of camera phones and the explosion of social media mean trust
becomes a big issue for players. I would say I have a dozen close friends who are in
my life day in, day out and who know a lot of private stuff about me and my family.
But I dont want to upset anyone because Ill have a coffee or a bite to eat with plenty
more and they are important to me as well.
I have had to adapt. Nowadays I try to create a low profile off the pitch, while
trying my best every day in training and in games so as to keep my standards as a
footballer high. It is a balancing act.
Part of my appreciation of how best to deal with being in the public eye was
shaped by Gary McAllister when he arrived at Liverpool. We are looked after by the
same agent, Struan Marshall, and so I knew Gary was coming to Liverpool in 2000.
Having played against him before I realised he was someone I could learn from. From
the moment he walked into the dressing room Gary has always been someone who
was prepared to talk to me. He was one of the people who spoke to me about my
tackling in the early days and he helped me to channel my aggression in the right way.
Not many people in football have the balls to come and tell you when you have done
something wrong. A lot of people just want to talk to you about things you have done
right. Gary said it as he saw it and I owe him for that.
These days I try to take on the role Gary did so well during the time he was at Anfield.
I think it is so important for young lads in any team to have older ones around them,
players who will offer pointers and advice about the game and the pitfalls away from
the pitch. It is priceless. The worry I have is whether the young players want to listen
or whether they think you are being busy, as we say in the game, which basically
means to mither them.
It tells you a lot about the young lads at the club when you see how they react. If
their eyes glaze over and they cant wait for you to go, then I take the view that its
their loss and Im not going to keep on taking time to speak to them if they are not
interested.
Id say the ones who listen, like I did, are the ones who take the advice and tips on
board, giving themselves a better chance of succeeding. I can speak to my younger
cousin, Anthony Gerrard, who plays for Cardiff City, and some of the things he says
to me stick, so the way I look at it is you never stop learning as a footballer.
Ill help anyone at Liverpool and with England too. After all, we are striving for
the same thing: success.
I want to be around people who treat me as a normal person.
Kung Fu Panda
Another test for the groins! No wonder Ive had niggles over the years. Im probably
trying to reach, unsuccessfully it would seem, a cross from one of my team-mates.
Rather that than my touch being poor. I think it shows two things. Firstly, the
determination I have to go the extra yard for Liverpool Football Club and, secondly,
the increasing physical demands that players are placed under. Far more emphasis is
put on rehabilitation these days than when I first started. Sport science, with practices
such as ice baths, has become a major part of the game. I would say that is the biggest
change I have noticed over the years.
Catching My Breath in the Cauldron of Old Trafford
Gary Neville once asked me on an England trip whether I would fancy playing for
Manchester United. I just laughed. It is unthinkable. I actually love going to Old
Trafford, though. It is a tough, tough venue and you know you are going to have to
play well to come away with anything.
Over the years, Ive had mixed results there: some good wins and some performances
in which we havent done ourselves justice. Banter from the crowd is part and parcel
of football. As long as it doesnt overstep the mark, I have no problem with it.
In the Full Glare
If I could be in charge of the Premier League for one day, I would scrap all lunchtime
kick-offs and go down the foreign route of playing games at night. The atmosphere is
better, the pitches are always extra slick because of the dew that falls on them, and
there is just a better tempo to games that are played under floodlights. I much prefer
playing under lights than in daylight. That is the downside of the increasing influence
television companies exert on our games. I think Sky has been brilliant for the
Premier League, but maybe they could just schedule a few more of our games at 8pm,
although I understand they have scheduling commitments around the world.
Upended in Full Flight
Hes one dirty hatchet man, that Joe Cole! (only joking!). To be fair, I have kicked
him a few times so Ill take one back no problem. Joes very talented, but his
enthusiasm for playing football shines through above all else. He had a difficult time
at Liverpool when he arrived and wasnt helped by the uncertainty off the pitch. But it
says everything about him that he went to Lille in France on loan for a season to play
and sample a new culture and that he has come back to try and prove he can be
successful in a red shirt.
The Long Walk to Destiny
Penalty shoot-outs have played a big part in my career both with Liverpool and
England. You are talking about fine margins, the difference between reaching finals
and semi-finals, winning trophies and going home as losers. The second time we
played Chelsea in a Champions League semi-final in 2007, the drama was no less than
when we met the first time. I will always put my name forward for a shoot-out. If I
miss from 12 yards, Im not one of these players who will say I dont want another
one. You have to accept that sometimes the keeper will guess right and pull off a good
save, or that your accuracy wont be spot-on all the time. Thankfully, I scored here
and overall I am pleased with my penalty record, considering some of the situations I
have been in. The walk is long, especially in this situation, knowing you are trying to
reach a Champions League Final against a very good team. In fact, it is too long and
you have too long to think, but that is part of the test. With a couple of penalties that I
have missed I have changed my mind on the way to taking them. So I stick to my plan
now. If I go the way I intend and the keeper saves it, I accept it.
Rubbing Shoulders With One of the All Time Greats
Paolo Maldini is one of the few players my wife Alex has enjoyed watching over the
years! Shes quite keen on him, as I suppose all girls are. My respect for Maldini is
similar to the respect I have for Ryan Giggs. When you are playing for one of the
biggest clubs in the world, in AC Milan, every week for decades, not just years, and
playing consistently well, you deserve legendary status.
Dont under-estimate how difficult that is. On the few occasions I have met him, he
has come across as a humble man, which is testament to him, given everything he has
done.
Kaka Thanks His Maker
There are two sides to any final joy and despair. Kaka is in ecstasy and Im
distraught. The Brazilian was probably one of the best players in the world around that
time. The irony is that both he, and AC Milan, played better in Istanbul than in Athens
two years later. Thats football.
Contemplating the One That Got Away
The reason why the Champions League Final of 2007 grates with me so much is
because it was a missed opportunity. The sort I may not ever get again in my career.
The team selection wasnt right that night. In my opinion, there wasnt enough pace in
the starting line-up to hurt Milan, plus we gave them two soft goals. If we had been
sliced apart, then I would have accepted defeat, however reluctantly. But that night
still fills me with regrets.
BOARDROOM POLITICS
Looking back now it feels like I was brainwashed, but at the time I was excited by
the plans of Tom Hicks and George Gillett. To compete with the likes of Chelsea,
Manchester United and the other mega-forces across Europe (this was before
Manchester City became such an important financial powerhouse) you need to be able
to buy the best players when they become available.
In the words of David Moores, the Liverpool chairman at the time, he wasnt rich
enough to do that. So he sold the club in February 2007 to Hicks and Gillett and I can
understand why he felt they were genuine, why he felt they had the best interests of
the club at heart. I felt all those things, too.
When I sat down with the two Americans at a meeting in the Lowry Hotel in
Manchester, they blew me away, with what they were planning to do and the ideas
they had. Me and Jamie Carragher were on England duty for a game against Spain at
the time and the coach Steve McClaren said it was OK for the new owners to come
over and see us.
Rick Parry, Liverpools chief executive, brought Hicks and Gillett over to the
meeting and, over the course of half an hour, they spoke about ambitious plans for a
new stadium in the shadow of Anfield and of backing Rafa in the transfer market. I
was happy and to be fair to Hicks and Gillett, they were as good as their word on
some things, albeit initially. They had paid for Fernando Torres to come in that
summer, but soon after, the storm clouds gathered.
The first time I started to get uneasy was in the autumn of 2007 when rumours
started to circulate that Rafa was under pressure. He had given a bizarre press
conference in which he kept on repeating the phrase coaching and training, in
response to a barbed request from Hicks to stop getting involved at all levels of the
club and focus on what he was best at coaching and training. Those were Rafas
strengths, no doubt about it, but he didnt take kindly to an American in cowboy boots
telling him that.
Relations became strained from there and the media had a field day as it did
throughout the Hicks and Gillett tenure. I have learnt a lot in my career about how the
media and the press operates. I understand briefing takes place and when your ears
prick up it is usually for a reason. Stories do not come out of nothing and the idea that
the club was thinking of sacking Rafa was a concern if not a huge surprise, as he had
started clashing with the people above him at the club.
I was equally concerned that Jurgen Klinsmann, the former Germany striker, was
the man in the frame to replace Rafa. He had played at Tottenham, but what did he
know about managing in English football? At the time, I was thinking, Weve just
reached two Champions League Finals in three years, Rafa is a top manager, why do
we even need a change? If you ask me now: Rafa or Klinsmann? I would say Rafa,
all day long.
Yet as a team we found ourselves in a situation where if we didnt beat Marseille
in our last Champions League group game, we would have been out of the
competition. Rafa? The signs were that he would have been out of a job.
As a team, we were awesome that night. We had worked on our shape so much
before that game that I knew we were going to be hard to beat. From the first whistle,
we were too strong and too powerful for the French. We were constantly in their faces
and swatted them aside 41. It was a great display. We were through and Rafa was
safe. For now.
But the lull did not last and for two-and-a-half years everything at Liverpool was
permanently in a state of flux. The club was being sold. No it wasnt. Rafa was going.
No he wasnt. Hicks and Gillett were fighting. Yes they were.
Plans for the stadium had ground to a halt, players were leaving and the money
was not being reinvested. In short, it was a nightmare. A constant headache. A
worrying shadow was cast over the entire club to the extent that the threat of actually
going out of business hung over us. We were front-page news as much as back page.
My head was wrecked.
I get angry and frustrated when I think about how Liverpool Football Club
lurched towards High Court battles off the pitch and slipped down the Premier League
on it.
We were in Spain for a pre-season game against Espanyol in the summer of 2009
when it became clear to me that we were going to struggle. Xabi Alonso had left to
join Real Madrid for 30m and the club would not be reinvesting all the money from
his departure in the team. The banks needed some of it. At the time, I was thinking
there is no player in the world who is going to come in to Liverpool and be as good as
Xabi had been, so to then find out that we couldnt use all of the proceeds from his
sale was a blow. Alberto Aquilani joined from AS Roma for 18m, but he came with
an injury and never really settled. He is a good player, but hes not Xabi.
That night against Espanyol, we were poor. Sometimes in pre-season, you dismiss
the result as meaning nothing, given the games are primarily exercises in boosting
fitness. But I looked at our squad that night and looked at how other teams were
strengthening and I knew we would struggle to finish in the top four that season.
We went out of the Champions League in the group stages and were off the pace
in the Premier League once again. We were immersed in a cycle of mediocrity on the
field and open warfare between the supporters and the owners off it.
The situation was such that, when you are captain, you think: Do I get involved in
this or stick to playing? When you walk out of Anfield 45 minutes after a home game
and there are still thousands of supporters in their seats protesting against the owners
of the football club it is a desperately sad sight. Liverpool Football Club, as I knew it,
felt as if it was slipping away.
No one certainly not the fans or the players wanted Hicks and Gillett any more,
but they were hanging on to the club for grim death, aware hundreds of millions were
riding on whether they could sell it or not.
I knew that was wrong. I knew they needed to go, but I thought long and hard,
most days if not every day, about whether me coming out and saying something
publicly would help the situation?
I totally understand that people thought, Gerrard is the captain. He should come
out and say something. He knows what is happening cant go on. Behind the scenes
me and Jamie Carragher were constantly asking questions and saying this needs to
stop, but we are not the type of players to go and do exclusives in papers and add fuel
to the fire.
It was a delicate situation. Apart from the fact that its hard to think of any other
workforce around the world coming out and attacking the people who own the
institution they work for, I wondered what me slagging off Hicks and Gillett in the
national papers or on Sky would have achieved. Would it have brought about a
solution any quicker? I dont know for sure, but I doubt it.
There was also the fact that when I was asking questions behind the scenes, people
like Rafa and managing director, Christian Purslow, were telling us they were taking
care of things. Players can influence matters on the pitch, not in the boardroom.
In the end, I was just relieved that all the mess was cleared up and that the club
won its case in the High Court in October 2010, forcing Hicks and Gillett to sell. They
had taken Liverpool to the brink, selfishly putting themselves first and willing to risk
the longevity of a club that is adored by hundreds of millions of people around the
world.
Our most important result of the season came that day, not least because as a
player it meant I could focus on playing football again. Inevitably, I suppose, I am
more sceptical and cautious of the clubs new owners, Fenway Sports Group, simply
because of what went on under Hicks and Gillett. Once bitten, twice shy.
That is not particularly fair on John W. Henry, but it is not a bad thing either.
Liverpool cannot be allowed to suffer again like it suffered under Hicks and Gillett. So
far no one can say FSG have not made money available for signings and I know for a
fact that they are trying their best to resolve the stadium issue, whether we should stay
or move from Anfield, despite facing all sorts of complications.
Time will tell if they are good owners or not.
Liverpool Football Club, as I knew it, felt as if it was slipping away.
EL NINO
It seems strange to admit it now, but I had doubts about whether Fernando Torres
would be a success at Liverpool.
Two things came into my head when he signed in the summer of 2007 for 20.5m
from Atletico Madrid. I thought he could bomb because he would not be able to cope
with the intensity and physicality of the Premier League having come from Spain and
it would be another expensive mistake in the transfer market for the club. But I
desperately hoped he would be the signing to take us to the next level. And what a
signing he proved to be.
During his hot streak for Liverpool over the next few seasons, Torres was easily
the best player I have ever played with in my career. I loved him.
I used to walk onto the pitch every single game convinced I was going to set up a
goal for him or score myself. Sometimes I didnt. Mostly it seemed I did. I knew it
was going to happen because Fernando was with me out there. At times, I felt
invincible with him in the team alongside me.
In the first training sessions after he arrived, I recognised that his movement was
very similar to that of Michael Owen. I thought to myself that I used to love playing
with Michael and quickly came round to thinking my initial doubts had been stupid.
Torres was like Michael, but with more power. Sometimes if you played a difficult
ball to Michael, the defenders were too big for him and they would win it back. Torres
would make bad balls look good. That is how strong and powerful he was. He was a
nightmare for defenders, but an absolute dream for me. I used to sit next to him in the
dressing room because the pegs for our squad numbers 8 and 9 were next to each
other and wed talk like team-mates do.
I wouldnt say we were overly close. Torres is a really quiet person, although it
would be wrong to call him a loner. He was comfortable with the Spanish lads we had
in the team like Pepe, Xabi and Alvaro Arbeloa, and the South Americans like Javier
Mascherano, but we had a mutual respect of each other and we worked out pretty
quickly that we needed one another to shine. He knew that if he made a good run, I
would find him, but he also helped to make me become a more potent player as well.
I owe Rafa Benitez a great deal for my development as a player. When Rafa was
appointed I had played right-back, and I had also played on the right of midfield from
time to time, but I was essentially a box-to-box central midfielder. Rafa helped to
make me a more disciplined midfielder and taught me how to time my runs better,
which helped me get more goals.
When I went onto the right flank, although I didnt feel totally comfortable out
there, he helped me become a good player there as well. I realised about the sacrifices
you make for the team because at that point Liverpool were better setting up with two
holding midfielders and, without sounding big-headed, I was enjoying a spell where
not being in the middle did not unduly affect the level of my performances.
After that, Rafa helped me become a No.10 someone who plays behind the
striker which I didnt think I even had in my armoury. I think the key to my success
in that position was Torres. I always need to play with someone who can run in
behind defences.
I played the odd game there with Dirk Kuyt and Peter Crouch, but that was
different. I was the one who had to run in behind and I had to try and get their flick-
ons. It wasnt the same. Torres would stretch defences, wreaking all manner of havoc,
and that gave me space to exploit as well. Together we scored 111 goals in 117 games.
Prolific.
The only downside was that we didnt win anything together. My boyhood club is
Liverpool. Torres boyhood club is Atletico Madrid. He left there in search of trophies
and though we reached the semi-finals of competitions, we fell short.
It became obvious that he wasnt happy at Liverpool, but his departure in 2011 still
hit me hard. Very hard. Every player is entitled to do what they want to do in their
career. I dont own anyone elses career and I cant make decisions for them. But
when you love playing with someone and you have a player alongside you of Torres
calibre, then you cannot help but feel sorry for yourself and the fans who adored him.
You wonder where the club is going if the best players want to leave, but I didnt feel
let down by Liverpool.
There was nothing they could do to prevent him from leaving for Chelsea. His
mind was set, but they made it as hard as they could for the 50m deal to happen.
In the days before the transfer, Torres came to see me as captain. He said he
wanted to leave, but added that the club was being difficult. Listen, I said. You have
to understand that you are a top player and they dont want to let you go. It didnt
matter. He asked if I could speak to Kenny Dalglish, our manager, on his behalf. That
put me in a difficult situation because I didnt want to help Fernando. I didnt want to
tell the manager that the star player wanted to go because, at that point, I wanted the
deal to fall through. I wanted Chelseas interest to go away and for his enthusiasm to
be rekindled. We had just signed Luis Suarez from Ajax for 22m. Money was
available. We were trying to compete for silverware.
Fernando had told Kenny himself, but, with the club still playing hardball, he
asked me to speak as well. I just told Kenny he was unhappy and left it at that. That is
the role of the captain that people dont see and that I never want to experience again.
You dont want your best player to come to you and say, Ive had enough. I want to
go to another club. And I want to go to one of your major rivals.
When Fernando approached me and said he wanted out, it was like a knife to the
heart.
Torres would make bad balls look good. That is how strong he was.
Another Footballing Temple
I have scored seven career goals against Newcastle, a tally bettered only by my record
against Aston Villa. St James Park it will always be known as that for me is a
great stadium. The fans are proper football supporters. If the club is going through a
hard time, they still turn out in their droves. Im glad they are in the Premier League
and doing well.
Equalling Owens Record
I dont really compare myself to the likes of Michael Owen and Ian Rush where goal
records are concerned because I have probably played in more games than them, or
scored against weaker opposition.
Of course, it is flattering to hold records at Liverpool. Here a penalty against FC Porto
allows me to match Michaels tally of 22 European goals for Liverpool. I would go on
to set a new record a few weeks later when I scored against Marseille, scrambling
home a loose ball after Steve Mandanda had saved my initial penalty.
Stevie on the Spot
Keeping my nerve from the penalty spot became a feature of our run in the
Champions League that season. We played Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the
competition and after a 11 draw at The Emirates we fought out an enthralling battle at
Anfield. When Emmanuel Adebayor made it 22 on the night, 33 on aggregate, with
six minutes left we were staring at elimination. Ryan Babel earned a penalty straight
away and it was up to me to dispatch the chance and reassert our authority. The
pressure was on. All I could do was pick my spot and hope. Although Manuel
Almunia went the right way, the penalty was too precise for him.
A Kiss for Good Luck
The Champions League in 200708 was nerve-shredding. We almost went out in the
group stages, but clambered off the canvas, scoring 16 goals as we won our last three
matches to qualify.
Then we played Inter Milan followed by Arsenal to set up another showdown with
Chelsea. After beating them twice before in semi-finals, we were aiming to maintain
our lucky streak.
Flying High, but Soon Grounded
We had conceded an advantage at Anfield when John Arne Riise scored a last-minute
own goal to allow Chelsea to leave Merseyside with a 11 draw. It was a physical
battle at Stamford Bridge, one that ebbed into extra time after Fernando Torres had
cancelled out Didier Drogbas goal in normal time. But it wasnt to be our year.
Chelsea prevailed before losing to Manchester United in the final in Moscow.
Collectors Item
You wont often see me taking a throw-in for Liverpool. Not unless we are in a rush,
desperately trying to get a goal, or Ive been tackled by the touchline and I can see a
team-mate in space. I am usually stationed in the centre of the pitch so a lot of the
throw-ins are taken by the full-backs. When Fabio Capello was England manager, he
would hate players simply throwing the ball down the line where a rival could
challenge for it. Capello wanted throw-ins taken to a team-mate, and for possession to
be kept. It sounds nit-picking, but it makes sense.
CHANGING LANDSCAPE
It will be a miracle if I now realise my dream of winning the title with Liverpool
and of hoisting the League Championship trophy towards the Kop. I know that
sounds stark when it is written down and read out loud, but I am not soft. Im not
giving up, but Im realistic and I am honest. Simple as that. Liverpool will rescale the
heights one day, but, on a personal note, time is against me now.
One of the first pieces of advice my dad gave to me was that if you always do your
best at something then no one will complain if, in the final reckoning, it ends up not
being good enough. I would give my left arm for a title winners medal, but if at the
end of my career I have fallen short I know it will not have been through a lack of
trying from me or my team-mates. We have been close and it is not too long ago that
the core of the Liverpool team was as good as anyone in Europe.
Ive spoken about the impact Fernando Torres had on my game, we had Carra at
the back, and there was another person who contributed to the success of our
partnership and that was Xabi Alonso.
He was a magician in midfield. The hub of everything we attempted. Every time
Alonsos name comes up in conversation, people will instantly say: fantastic passer,
and he is. I would have so much time on the ball because invariably Alonso would
find me and do it so quickly that the opposition did not have time to react.
But despite the cleverness and speed of his passing, that was not the most obvious
thing that struck me about him. Actually it was his work rate and his toughness. Xabi
is a tough, tough boy.
So when you look at the spine of the team we had for a few seasons, you could
not help but be impressed. Pepe Reina, probably the best goalkeeper in the world for a
spell after he signed; Jamie Carragher, who between 2004 and 2010 was one of
Europes best defenders; there was Alonso, who has proved himself to be one of the
best passers year after year after year; and alongside him was the Argentina captain,
Javier Mascherano, clearing up all the mess and doing all the unheralded work.
I was enjoying my football and playing well, and in attack there was Torres at the
very top of his game. One chance, one goal. I revelled playing alongside those players.
It is open to debate, but in my mind that spine was better than the core group of
players who won the Treble in 200001. It was just that the overall team wasnt as
strong. If we had been a bit more astute in the transfer market around the time when
Alonso was pulling the strings and Torres was scoring for fun, then that team would
have won the league.
No doubt about it, we fell a bit short, but I dont think anyone has an argument
with me that the core of that team didnt deserve, or wasnt good enough, to win the
league. We finished second to Manchester United in 2009, three points off the top, but
despite that small margin, it always felt as though it was a struggle to keep up. Rafa
used to say to us all the time: Focus on the next game. Just the next game. But when
you havent won the league before, you lack the experience to do that, and you start
looking ahead and thinking, If we win this game and they dont win that and if that
happens. . .
You cant help but get carried away and dream. That is the difference between,
say, Liverpool, and Manchester United and Chelsea. I hate to say it, but you can add
Manchester City to that now, too. They have won the hardest title they will ever have
to win because they now possess the know-how and the experience to do it all over
again. You cant buy that even with all the money they have at their disposal.
So it didnt happen for us again and when you are at the coal face, you cannot
blame anyone but yourselves for not pulling it off. We are responsible for getting
results and we fell short. There is no use in pointing fingers, but, at the same time, you
cannot help but look back and think what if. Liverpool provided funds initially and
you cant ask a club to go out of its comfort zone in a financial sense just to make a
player happy. The sad thing is seeing how that team has fragmented, although to be
honest you have to expect it with foreign players and you cant afford to be too
emotional towards them when they do move on. Look at Mascherano. He had the
chance to go to Barcelona and I dont know any South American in the world who
doesnt want to play at the Nou Camp.
Xabi Alonso had his own problems, which began when Rafa wanted to bring
Gareth Barry in and move Xabi on in the summer of 2008. I dont blame Xabi for then
getting his agent to see what was out there. It is hard for a Spaniard to turn Real
Madrid down, especially when the manager had tried to sell Xabi when he was settled
at the club. When some players move they go on about how they are huge Liverpool
fans and why leaving is killing them. Xabi was genuinely gutted to go. He loved the
club and believe me when I say he is a true Liverpool fan. Before every big game he
has I will text him and wish him good luck. He does the same to me. A great player,
but a great lad, too.
So the owners have tried, managers and players have tried, but we have so far
fallen short. We have to accept that. I will never give up on that dream of winning the
title. Its just going to be tough because I know I am running out of time.
He was a magician in midfield. The hub of everything we attempted.
Biding My Time
I hate being a substitute for many reasons. For one it suggests that I may be easing my
way back after an injury, or that the manager has decided to rest me from his starting
line-up. Then there is the fact that when you are warming up on the touchline, the
stick you get from some of the crowds in England can be relentless. The best
atmosphere, other than Anfield, I have ever played in came against Besiktas in
Istanbul in 2007. We lost the game 21, but the atmosphere their fans generated was
unbelievable. They stood up and were bouncing for 90 minutes. That was a hostile
environment.
Gratitude
Im either pointing towards one of my team-mates by way of thanking him for setting
me up with another goal, or I am picking out one of my family members in the crowd.
My dad and brother come and watch me all the time. Its good for me to share my
success with them. They have made sacrifices in their lives to help me reach the top.
Keep Calm
The most dangerous part of any game is when you have just scored. Everyone is on a
high and concentration can lapse in moments like that. Fernando had just scored
against Everton in a Merseyside derby at Goodison Park and I am trying to tell the
team that weve still got work to do, that we cannot get carried away. That is the role
of a captain sometimes. It worked anyway because Fernando scored again and we
won 20.
Set-piece Specialist
You can see from the shape of my body that I am trying to whip this set-piece right
into the centre of the penalty area. Putting pace on corners can cause problems for
defenders and open the door for attackers. This corner came at Fulham, a team with
players such as Brede Hangeland, Bobby Zamora and Dickson Etuhu all tall players.
They wouldve had a better chance of relieving the pressure if I had just floated the
ball across with little pace.
Jump for Joy
We played Everton three times in the space of a fortnight at the start of 2009: once in
the league and twice in the FA Cup. We didnt win any of the matches, drawing twice
at Anfield and losing a replay at Goodison Park in which I had hobbled off with a
torn hamstring. I scored in both the Anfield games and I always milk my celebrations
against Everton because of the amount of stick I get from their fans. But I would
rather have won the games.
Move Over Madrid
If you look at the players in the Real Madrid team we met in the Champions League
this season, it shows what a brilliant performance we produced. Heinze, Robben,
Cannavaro, Casillas, Ramos, Raul, Sneijder and yet they couldnt live with us. We
won 10 in the Bernabeu thanks to a header from Yossi Benayoun, a great player and
friend, and then battered them at Anfield 40. I scored twice.
Kiss Me Quick
There are just some days when everything goes right for the team. We were confident
going to Old Trafford because we had just beaten Real Madrid 40 in the Champions
League, but no one expected us to beat Manchester United 41 on their own patch.
This was when Fernando was at his peak, scaring the life out of defenders such as
Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand. He equalised and I dispatched another penalty
before noticing the Sky cameras nearby and running over and planting a kiss on the
screen. The celebration was to wind up the United fans, but also for my daughters
watching at home.
Good Things Come in Threes
We produced a spell of football around the March of that season that was as good as
anything I can remember in my time. We were swatting teams aside. Good teams as
well. Aston Villa came to Anfield and we were on fire. I scored a hat-trick that day,
including two more penalties, and finished the season with 24 goals.
Last-minute Winner
There is no better feeling than scoring a last-minute winner. We had been trailing at
home against Middlesbrough until the 86th minute when they scored an own goal and
I managed to find the back of the net in injury time to seal a 21 success. Anfield
erupts at moments such as that and the dressing room afterwards is buzzing. Belief is
important in any football team and it is games like this, which tilt in your favour right
at the death, that allow you to dream and think anything is possible. It proves you
should never give up or sulk about things when they are not going your way. There is
always time to alter history. It just depends how you use that time.
One Captain to Another
Having inherited the captains armband from Sami Hyypia, it was my pleasure to hand
it back to him as he said farewell to Liverpool after 10 years of brilliant service. Sami
had announced he was leaving the club to move to Germany and this was his chance
to say goodbye to the fans. He came on with six minutes left, which I thought was
very harsh of Rafa. I kept looking to the sidelines in the game, thinking: When is
Sami coming on? We had nothing to play for against Tottenham apart from pride and
I think that he should have started the game.
The Full Set
Having previously won the PFA Young Player of the Year and Players Player of the
Year awards, it was nice to complete the hat-trick by being voted the Football Writers
Association Footballer of the Year in 2009. I am hugely appreciative of the honour,
especially when you consider the standard of players in England.
THE MANAGERIAL MERRY-GO-ROUND
Rafa Benitez is the best coach I have played for. Tactically he is very astute, he
undoubtedly made me a better player and I respect him. But I understand why he was
sacked by Liverpool in the summer of 2010. Everything felt a mess at that point and it
was the right time for a change. Rafa had become embroiled in fights with different
people at the club and lost his focus on what his strengths were. His job was to coach
the team, it wasnt to get into political battles and it seemed best for everyone the
club, the players and also Rafa that there was a break and the slate wiped clean.
We had disappointed that season, finishing seventh in the Premier League and
crashing out of the Champions League. It looked like our season could still end with a
silver lining as we progressed through the Europa League, but we fluffed the semi-
final against Atletico Madrid and ended up watching them lift the trophy.
Rafa could have continued into the new season, but the first sign of a set-back and
the atmosphere would have turned poisonous again. That would have been no good
to anyone. Again there were whispers that it was the players who said: Push the
button. Get rid of him. But that just makes me frustrated and angry. It was
Liverpools board of directors who made a decision they believed to be in the best
interests of the club. All the rumours suggesting otherwise simply harm reputations
and harm relationships with managers.
OK, so I dont think I will be going out for a meal with Rafa any time soon, but if
he had been in charge on the first day of the following season I would have stood in
the dressing room before the kick-off and told my team-mates this was the campaign
in which we would achieve something. And from the moment the first whistle went, I
would have been giving 100% because it is Liverpool Football Club.
I feared for Roy Hodgson almost as soon as he became Liverpools new manager.
I feared for him because he was not Kenny Dalglish. I have no doubt that if Roy had
arrived at Anfield at a different time in the clubs history, he would have done well.
The demands and expectations, the history and tradition at Liverpool make it one of
the most difficult jobs in football, but I believe he could have made a success of
things with the right support.
But from the moment the club overlooked Kenny as a replacement for Rafa, it was
always going to be difficult for Roy. Kenny is the number one hero of everyone at
Liverpool: the fans, the staff, the players. He was itching to step back into
management, desperate for the chance to return to the club he loves and where he had
been so successful previously. I totally understand why there was such a groundswell
of opinion among supporters for Kenny and that made things tough for Roy.
Tough, but not impossible. There is a lot said about the way teams play under
Roy. Negative is a harsh criticism of him. Cautious? Maybe. Thats fair. But then
Gerard Houllier and Rafa were cautious as well at times.
When you are playing against the best teams at the top level, if you are not
sensible, if you are not disciplined and if you are not cautious, then you are going to
get beaten. Its common sense. But I wouldnt say England were cautious when we
were losing 21 against Sweden at Euro 2012 and Roy sent on Theo Walcott to help
the team win 32. His style could have worked.
Managers become good managers with good players and the right personnel
around them. Dont forget that at that time, Javier Mascherano left Liverpool and once
again not all the money was being reinvested into the team. Roy was also on the trail
of Luis Suarez at that point but we couldnt afford him, and some of his other
signings, like Paul Konchesky and Christian Poulsen, didnt work out.
Still, there is no point making excuses. Roy also knows football is about results
and we didnt win enough matches.
You could smell pretty quickly that it wasnt going to work out. We lost to
Northampton in the Carling Cup and Blackpool at home in the Premier League and
were soon on a downward trajectory. The atmosphere was deteriorating.
I remember after we lost 10 to Wolves in December, a defeat that ended with
boos ringing around Anfield again, going to my car and a fan shouting over towards
me. Hey Gerrard, youre the captain, get it sorted. You want to have a look at
yourself, he said (and thats minus the swear words) as he peered through the huge
iron gates by the Centenary Stand.
My initial reaction was to go over to him and front it up face-to-face, but I ignored
him. It wouldnt have looked good if Id started rowing with a fan. Someone with a
camera phone takes a picture of us and the next thing I am on the front of a national
newspaper, adding to the problems. We had enough of those without me making it
worse. I did the right thing.
Liverpool fans are the best in the world. That is not just me being biased. There
have been hundreds of football people who have no ties with the club, but have
visited Anfield and said the same. Fact. But like with everything, there are a handful
who are daft. Its like the supporter who took 20 to burn one of my shirts outside
Melwood in front of the Sky Sports cameras around the time of all the stuff about me
going to Chelsea. I understand the frustration, but from the first time I pulled on a
Liverpool shirt I have been doing everything I can to get it sorted.
If the fan who shouted at me after the Wolves game sits back and thinks about my
contribution over the years, then hopefully he will recognise that he was wrong.
Roy was sacked not long after that debacle, the shortest reign of any Liverpool
manager, but he is a good man and an honest man, and my respect for him is not
diminished by his time at the club.
You could smell pretty quickly that it wasnt going to work out.
The 500 Club
When I walked off the pitch on my debut against Blackburn, it was with a real sense
of accomplishment. Never mind I had only been on a few minutes, Id played for
Liverpool. It was a dream I never thought I would realise. Then you get greedy. You
want to play again and again and again.
To pull on a Liverpool shirt 500 times is something I am hugely proud of. It was nice
of the club to commemorate the milestone with Rafa and managing director Christian
Purslow presenting me with an award as I hold Lilly-Ella and Lexie. The next target is
600, which isnt too far away.
Rallying the Troops
I would always prefer to lead through my actions rather than words, but sometimes
the occasion demands it. I try not to rant and rave as a captain, but look to choose my
moments to speak. Otherwise, people can switch off if they are hearing the same voice
over and over again. There have been a lot of changes at Liverpool in recent years,
new players coming in and young, foreign players arriving that is when I have to
step up as skipper. It is important to make people feel welcome off the pitch and make
sure that on it they understand what playing for Liverpool is all about.
Blood, Sweat and No Tears
Beating Everton always pleases me because I know how badly our fans feel when they
turn up for work on a Monday morning and have to take a load of stick from their
Evertonian mates. David Moyes has done a really good job at Goodison Park and
helped Everton finish above Liverpool on a couple of occasions in the Premier
League. That hurts, but we still have a good record in head-to-heads against them and
that means a lot. Arms aloft, teeth gritted, you can see what winning against our
neighbours means to me.
Im No Dummy
You can imagine the stick I took when I walked into the dressing room the day after
this shot appeared in the papers. Id kept it quiet that I had been approached by
Madame Tussauds because I knew what would follow. Carra and Pepe Reina were the
ring leaders, passing comment on my hairstyle and my nose among the cleaner stuff I
can reveal. I was hugely flattered, if a little embarrassed, when they said they wanted
to produce a waxwork dummy of me. I think the likeness is really good. The real
Steven Gerrard is the one on the left just in case you cant tell.
These Boots Were Made For Talking
As soon as I signed a boot deal with adidas as a teenager, they put Gerrard on my
boots. It was a bit embarrassing at first because Id only played a handful of games
and some of the senior players at the club mightve thought I was a Big Time
Charlie. Nowadays, of course, its odd if you dont have your name on your boots.
Its a nice touch. This is the perfect boot for me because its black. I cant be doing
with those boots that are yellow, pink or orange. Maybe Im boring, but give me a
standard black boot any day. But I am on my own on that one it seems. Recently
adidas were saying to me that black boots dont really sell well these days.
Always a Poignant Day
When my cousin, Jon-Paul Gilhooley, was nine he went to Hillsborough with his
family to watch the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. He
did not come back. Jon-Paul was the youngest fan to lose his life that day. It is
important for the club to never forget what happened at Hillsborough and never to
forget the 96 fans who lost their lives supporting the club they love. Each year on the
anniversary of the disaster, Liverpool hold a memorial service at Anfield. The players
and staff attend and pay their respects to the dead and their families. It is personal for
me because of Jon-Paul, and I will never forget. For the families of the Hillsborough
victims, the battle for justice continues. Hopefully their persistence and dedication is
going to pay off soon and the truth about what happened that day will finally come
out in public. I admire their fight and resolve. I am with them.
KING KENNY RETURNS
In the games room at my house, I have the shirts of some of the players I have
been lucky enough to play against, and also alongside, hanging on the wall.
Zidane, Ronaldinho, Xavi, Iniesta, Ronaldo, Totti, Keane, Vieira and Henry are all
there, together with Torres, Alonso, Reina and Carragher. Thinking about it now,
Carra has done well to get himself into such esteemed company!
But there was one shirt I wanted to make the room complete: Kenny Dalglishs. I
knew Kenny before he came back as manager and so I tried my luck. He said he might
have an old one in a box upstairs at his house somewhere and true enough he found it
for me and signed the Number 7 shirt with a private message on it.
As much as I was disappointed that things didnt work out for Roy Hodgson
because I think he is a top coach at Liverpool Football Club, when results are not
good, inevitably changes will happen no matter who is in charge. Things couldnt
carry on like they were. We were in the middle of the table and not certain of climbing
it, which is ridiculous when you consider the quality of the players we still had.
Liverpool supporters have a powerful voice and when they speak, you have to
listen. It was clear who they wanted to take over, they had been singing Kennys name
as early into the season as October, and I knew Kenny walking through the door in
January 2011 would give everyone a lift.
In an instant, the club was united again. Everyone was on the same page, no one
was fighting and the clubs new owners made money available for transfers. Torres
left, but Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll arrived as we broke the clubs record transfer
fee twice in a matter of hours.
When Andy came he took time to settle and find his form. Playing for Newcastle is
different to playing for Liverpool. The pressure is different and that is not me being
disrespectful. I think he understands that now and in the second half of the season he
was on fire and a handful for the opposition. He has the potential to be one of the best
strikers around.
Suarez, on the other hand, made the transition into English football seamlessly. I
love training and playing with him. He is a magician, a player who can conjure
something out of nothing and I just hope that Liverpool can satisfy his ambitions and
that he stays at the club for years to come. There are not many players like Luis in the
world, someone who lights up the pitch as soon as he steps onto it and I just wish Id
played alongside more often up to now.
The delight I took at seeing Kenny back at Liverpool was tempered on a personal
level by the fact that I didnt feature for him as much as I would have liked. I was sent
off in his first game, an FA Cup tie versus Manchester United, and then injuries took
hold. Of the 16 months that Kenny spent back in charge, I probably missed 10 months
of that time. That is a major regret, but there was nothing I could do because of both
my injuries.
Before I broke down with a ruptured groin in the March, Kenny knows what I
went through for him, the club and for my team-mates just to get out onto the pitch. I
was like a pin cushion, taking injections in order to play.
At the time you dont worry about the effects because you have a game against
Manchester United in three days and you need to win. The fans want you out there.
There are two groups of players in football. There are those who will do anything to
get out on the pitch and there are players who wont. When you have an injection, you
are basically trying to cover the problem up. I knew I wasnt doing my body any
good, and that my groin was becoming weaker. I knew the risks.
We were training at Melwood one Friday before a game at West Brom and I
twisted. Bang. My groin ruptured. One sharp movement and it came completely off
the bone. Agony, complete and utter agony. I was out for six months, my comeback
delayed by an infection, but in the back of my mind I at least knew that the surgery
had been a success. Liverpool had done medical tests that showed my groin was
stronger than it had been for the best part of a decade.
My comeback lasted five games. There have been so many rumours about why I
picked up a second infection, but the truth is it was a freak accident. I had gone up for
a header with Daniel Agger in training and when he landed, he caught me on my
ankle. It was the sort of graze caused by a stud mark that I have suffered a million
times before, the sort of knock I wouldnt even show anyone.
But overnight my ankle started swelling and growing like never before. Even then
I travelled down to West Brom with the team and was going to have another injection
to play, although I seriously wondered whether I would even be able to get my boot
on because the joint had ballooned up so much.
Liverpools doctor, Zaf Iqbal, did a blood test and sent it away to a laboratory for
tests. I was just sitting down for an evening meal at the team hotel when he said I
needed to go back to Liverpool immediately. My first thought was that something had
happened to my family, but then Zaf told me about the infection and said it needed to
be treated straight away.
In those situations, you have to put your trust in the medical people and I am
lucky in that I have total faith in Zaf and I also have one of the best physios around in
Chris Morgan.
Two hours after sitting down for pasta, I was in the Spire Hospital in Liverpool
having an operation to drain my ankle and clear up the infection. My career was saved
on that operating table not only by the skill of the surgeon, Chris Walker, but also the
speed of thought of Zaf and Chris Morgan.
I was like a pin cushion, taking injections in order to play.
Roy Imparts the Wisdom of Experience
I will always maintain that Roy Hodgson could have proved he was the right man for
Liverpool. His reign was short-lived because he was appointed at the wrong time.
Liverpool supporters are powerful and when they call for something it is hard to
resist. Roy came in to replace Rafa in the summer of 2010, but I feared he was up
against it from the start because the fans wanted their idol, Kenny Dalglish, to take
over. When the team didnt then hit the ground running, it was always going to be
tough for Roy. I respect him and I like him and I think with the right players he could
have been a success at Anfield. He was very good to me and Jamie Carragher. He
loved Jamie as a player and I just wish, as a group, we could have got better results.
Leading From the Front
Im often perceived to be the leader in the Liverpool team, but it simply isnt like that.
I am the captain and I do my share of organising and, hopefully, leading by example,
but I am not on my own. Carra is a leader in his own right and I believe Pepe Reina is
a future Liverpool skipper. Pepes a very strong character, which is a bit of a
prerequisite for a goalkeeper because it can be a lonely position at times. But he is also
unselfish, genuine and most of all he commands the respects of his team-mates.
Enjoying the Moment
Its not just my reaction that shows how good it is to score against Manchester United,
but my team-mates as well. We were losing 20 in this game at Old Trafford before
getting it back to 22. My first goal came from a free-kick and had a little good
fortune about it as it crept through a gap in Uniteds defensive wall. Unfortunately, my
joy was short-lived. Dimitar Berbatov started that season on fire and his hat-trick
against us that day was one of the reasons why.
A Liverpool Legend and a True Friend
England had played Bulgaria in a European Championship qualifier at Wembley the
night before and we had another game with Switzerland looming, but nothing was
going to stop me from playing in Jamie Carraghers Testimonial match. I desperately
wanted to show my appreciation to a team-mate and friend, whose achievement in
playing for Liverpool for so long should not be overlooked. It is difficult to play for
Liverpools first team week in, week out for the best part of 15 years as Carra has
done. More so because he is a local lad, too. He is rightly considered to be a legend.
Conversing with King Kenny
As much as I was disappointed that Roy Hodgsons tenure was over almost before it
had begun, I knew for the sake of the club that a change was needed. Kenny was
itching to get back and when he answered the owners call to return to the Liverpool
dug-out for the first time in 20 years his impact was like flicking a switch. Straight
away the club was unified. The supporters were behind their hero, the players
benefited from his man-management and Liverpool felt like Liverpool again. What I
like about Kenny is that he will defend the club to the day he dies. He loves Liverpool,
it is his life. Id be sitting at home some days and his weekly press conference would
be on Sky Sports News and hed say something like, Yes, theyve got good players
but weve not got bad ones ourselves. He was only interested in Liverpool doing
well, and the way we finished that season showed how he was successful in stripping
away all the negativity that had been plaguing us before.
Bearing the Brunt of the Old Trafford Faithful
Bring it on! When I was younger I didnt like all the abuse, but now I think it helps
my performances. You can shout what you want and there are a lot of players who
get verbals at Anfield but I am going to try my hardest to shut you up either by
scoring or setting up a team-mate. Ironically, the worse the abuse the better you are
probably playing. It is part and parcel of football. I just think it is wrong when the
supporters throw objects at players.
Face to Face with Fernando Again
This was the day I hoped I would never see. Fernando was such a massive player for
Liverpool and a massive influence on my own game that seeing him leave was hard.
Watching him go to Chelsea was even harder. In some respects, he will argue that the
move he made has been justified. He was part of Chelseas Champions League and FA
Cup winning squads, but I know it will hurt him not to have started either game.
There were days during his time at Anfield when he was unplayable, when I knew he
would score even before the game had kicked off. I hope he gets back to that
standard, except, of course, for the games when I am staring across the pitch at him.
Free Wheelers
The facilities at Melwood are first class and they cater for a players every need there.
Gerard Houllier deserves a lot of credit for this because he recognised the necessity to
create a new state-of-the-art facility on the complex. The old Melwood was a few
dressing rooms, a small gym and a canteen. Before training sometimes, we will go on
the exercise bikes just to warm up our muscles and its good to get everyone together.
There are a lot more British players at the club now and that can help team spirit,
although ultimately it is down to how good you are not where you come from. Carras
leading the banter here as Andy Carroll, Joe Cole and I look on. No change there then.
A Face in the Crowd
I was injured for the end of the 201011 season, but decided to attend the final game
of the campaign away at Aston Villa. Basically, I was a fan for a day. Carra had done
it a few years ago and Id had a few letters saying I should go to an away game. It was
an eye-opener for me to get in among the supporters. I think for a young player in our
squad, or maybe one of the foreign lads, to have a day like that would really help
them.
Why not? The fans absolutely adore the players. The players get so much support
from the fans, so I think for a player to give up a day, mix with the fans and give a
little back . . . well, theres no harm in that. Yes, there was a bit of banter flying
around. Stuff like,You wont get back in the team, Stevie, and Youve got a fight on
next season, Gerrard, to get past Lucas and Spearo (Jay Spearing). I think it was all
good natured!
A BRACE OF CUP FINALS. . .
BUT KING KENNY DEPARTS
My mobile phone rang and Kennys name came up on the screen. I was half
expecting what he was going to say, but it remains one of the saddest conversations
Ive had. After leading Liverpool to two Cup Finals, winning the Carling Cup, I
genuinely thought that Kenny would be in charge for the start of the new season.
When Kenny went with Steve Clarke, his assistant, to Boston to see the clubs owners
after the final game of the season, I thought it would be to discuss the plans for the
new campaign and transfer budgets. But when he flew home without any assurances, I
feared what was coming.
I think Kenny deserved more time, but football is a cut-throat business. Kenny,
more than anyone, knows that eighth place is not good enough for Liverpool Football
Club, but that league position was false.
I dont look for excuses. Every club can say what if about their season. What if
Manchester United hadnt conceded a late goal at home to Everton in that 44 draw?
They would be champions. You have to deal with the set-backs you endure. Having
said that, if you watched Liverpool from the start through to the finish of last season,
there was no way that we were the eighth best team in the Premier League. We were
far better than that and didnt deserve to finish there. I genuinely feel that if we went
into the final couple of games with a chance of still qualifying for the Champions
League that would have been more representative of how we played. I think we hit the
woodwork 33 times we couldnt do that again if we tried and missed numerous
other gilt-edged chances, drawing too many games at Anfield in the process. I still
believe in this team and we are due the rub of the green.
Also, the fact we reached two Cup Finals shows there are good players at this club.
You dont beat Chelsea and Manchester City en route to lifting the Carling Cup if your
team is rubbish. And when you come within a yard, less than that, of keeping your
hopes alive in the FA Cup Final as well, then that shows your team-mates dont lack
heart and character.
The Carling Cup often gets dismissed as meaningless, but you cannot
underestimate its importance to Liverpool last season.
Reaching the final allowed us to dream again and winning the trophy ended a six-
year barren spell without silverware for the club. That is too long for Liverpool FC.
Meeting Cardiff City at Wembley was a landmark day for the Gerrards, but one
that would ultimately end in both joy and despair. My cousin, Anthony, has forged a
great career for himself since finding it difficult to make progress at Everton, and he
can be proud of what he has done. Hes younger than me, but I am quite close to him.
I can remember, growing up, wed play together at Ironside Road where my
grandparents lived.
As always with Liverpool, we made life difficult for ourselves during the game. I
think the occasion got to some of our players and we also found ourselves trying too
hard, myself included.
What I thought would be a comfortable success, and I mean no disrespect to
Cardiff by that, turned into a slog. We fell behind, hauled ourselves level through
Martin Skrtel, took the lead thanks to Dirk Kuyt, and then conceded at the death,
which lead to extra time and then penalties.
I should have known what was coming. Birmingham in 2001, AC Milan 2005, West
Ham 2006, if we can find the hard way to do something, we will. The shoot-out did
not start well. I was first up and saw my attempt well saved by Tom Heaton, the
Cardiff goalkeeper. The walk back to the half-way line was tortuous. Every step of the
way, I was thinking: Ive just lost us the Cup.
I wasnt on my own. Charlie Adams effort went high and wide, while for Cardiff,
Kenny Miller and Rudy Gestede were also off target. That meant that when Anthony
stepped forward to take his kick, he had to succeed.
Instinctively, I celebrated when he dragged his shot just wide of Pepe Reinas post.
It was an important moment for Liverpool, but I was heartbroken for Anthony. At
times like that whatever you say seems hollow. I sought him out as the party began
around him and looked to console him, but words are useless in those situations.
Instead, I waited until the next day to speak to him properly. I know what he was
going through. When you score an own goal in the last minutes of a Cup Final against
a big team and one of your biggest rivals, there is no place to hide.
The other disappointment of that day for me was that the success did not become
the platform that it should have been for the rest of the season. I still believe it was an
important milestone in the development of this team, but we wasted the opportunity to
prove that immediately.
Our league form remained frustratingly inconsistent and, while the FA Cup left me
dreaming of a Cup double, especially when we beat Everton in the semi-final at
Wembley, that was to end in failure.
It still nags away at me as to why, as a team, we didnt turn up for the first hour of
the final against Chelsea. There is no explanation for it. We knew what was at stake. It
was inconceivable that we should be so insipid.
When we eventually woke up, of course, we pushed Chelsea close and the debate
about whether Andy Carrolls header crossed the line or not raged afterwards. If we
had come back to 22 and forced extra time, I am sure we would have won. Roberto
di Matteos side were out on their feet at that point.
Yet the manner of our comeback left me only with regrets. If only we had started
like we had finished. If only: those two small words are the worst for any footballer.
Reaching two Finals and winning one trophy did not mask our league position,
but it wasnt the worst season either. Liverpool is about winning silverware. It was
important to return to that standard. What the decision to dismiss Kenny shows is that
the Americans are not afraid of making big calls, good or bad. It shows they care
about Liverpool. Now we have to see if it works.
I think Kenny deserved more time, but football is a cut-throat business.
Slide Rule
This was my first start back after my groin operation and the infection that slowed my
rehabilitation. Id made a few cameos before that, easing my way back in, but I have
to thank Kenny for having the faith to pitch me in against Manchester United. It went
better than I expected in the main and I scored a free-kick in front of the Kop before
United equalised.
The celebration was to show once and for all there were no ill-effects on my groins
after the surgery. Being honest, the doctors probably winced when they saw me doing
that.
Behold the Joy on Kennys Face
It is sad the way Kennys reign ended at the end of last season, but it hasnt changed
how I look at him or what I feel for him. I dont think his departure will change the
way too many Liverpool fans regard him either. Whether he is the manager or not, he
is still an icon; someone who has given his life for Liverpool. The look on his face
sums up perfectly his love for the club. Every time we scored a goal, you saw his
celebration: arms in the air, beaming smile. People who have that kind of passion are
very hard to find.
Joe Hart Tries to Psyche Me Out . . .
The semi-final of the Carling Cup last season pitted us against Manchester City and
twice I found myself up against Joe Hart from the spot. You know the banter is
coming. Joes saying: I know where you are going to put it, youre going to miss this,
the pressure is too big for you. Im just trying to stay focused and not get taken in by
it all. Im a little bit too long in the tooth to fall for those tactics.
. . . It Doesnt Work
As I have said, these days I pick my spot and stick to it. If the goalkeeper makes a
save I will accept it and step forward the next time Liverpool get a penalty rather than
rushing to the back of the queue. Twice in the space of a week, I found the back of
the net against Joe and that was the best way to keep him quiet.
You could see during Englands Euro 2012 shoot-out with Italy in the quarter-final
that he was trying to psyche the Italians out of it as well. Make no mistake, Joe will be
the best goalkeeper in the world one day. And when I say one day, I mean one day
soon. He has a great presence and is a great lad.
Signing on the Dotted Line
Liverpool have said to me that when I finally hang up my boots, which hopefully
wont be any time soon, there is an ambassadorial role waiting for me. Im flattered
and time will tell whether I go on to take up the offer. It is an option in the new
contract I signed last season. I wanted two more years on top of the year I had left to
run. The club offered me another 12 months, which I understand, given my age.
I could have kicked up a fuss, been hard work in the negotiations and chosen to go
into the final year of my contract, but I am not that type of player. Here Im putting
pen to paper next to Damien Comolli, who was Director of FootbalI.
I signed a year extension, so my contract now runs out in the summer of 2014.
Hopefully, I can prove between now and then that I am worth another one.
A Matter of Life and Death?
Like everyone in football, I was shocked to see what happened to Fabrice Muamba.
He has always been a good opponent and I can remember on occasions when we
played Bolton, he would man-mark me and make it a tough afternoon. I sent him a
signed shirt during his recovery and Im glad he is making such huge strides on his
road to rehabilitation. What happened to him puts everything into perspective.
Close But No Cigar
Leading Liverpool back into a major final after so many years watching everyone else
doing it was important for me. The Carling Cup often gets derided, but for Liverpool
last season it was a massive competition, especially as we werent playing in Europe.
Once again we made life difficult for ourselves and, collectively, I felt we tried too
hard at times, although Cardiff deserve credit for the way they played. I fared no
better and snatched at this shot before seeing it sail over the crossbar. There is
something in Liverpools DNA that dictates that when we are cornered we come back
fighting and usually get over the line.
Blood Runs Thicker
Facing my cousin, Anthony Gerrard, in the final was a great day for my family. I
knew it would mean joy for one of us and despair for the other. I missed my penalty
in the shoot-out, just like Anthony missed his. Unfortunately for him, his miss was
decisive. Football is governed by small details and that day proved it. I was devastated
for him because I know how hard he has worked to forge a career for himself.
I said a few words at the time Just keep your head up but called him the next day
to chat in more detail. I scored an own goal in a League Cup Final and watched the
trophy slip through our fingers as a result, before channelling my emotions and using
the experience to motivate myself. Anthony will do the same. Hes someone who
meets challenges head on.
Another Trophy in the Cabinet
As I lifted the Carling Cup aloft, I felt it could be a springboard for the club. I havent
changed my view even though the rest of the season didnt pan out as we had
expected. For many of the players at the club this was the first time they had tasted
winning any silverware. It gives you the belief that you can go on and win more
trophies and we came close to doing just that in the FA Cup Final against Chelsea a
couple of months later. Im certain that whole experience will stand us in good stead
for the future.
1, 2, 3, Against Everton
Going into another Merseyside derby, we were under pressure. Our form hadnt been
good. Everyone was telling us Everton were going to win at Anfield for the first time
since I was sent off in 1999. David Moyes rested players ahead of an FA Cup tie, but I
still think we would have won had he picked a full strength team. It proved a good
night for me personally. I grabbed a hat-trick and to do that against Everton rates
highly in my career. This was the final goal, although to be honest I barely had to do
anything. Luis Suarez set me up brilliantly in front of the Kop. Hopefully, my
partnership with Luis will fire this season, too.
The Greatest Feeling in the World
I always relish scoring against Everton and I have clear memories of the goals I have
managed against them throughout my career. I think this picture shows just what the
battle for bragging rights means to me. Beating Everton doesnt make Liverpools
season, but for a few days afterwards you have a spring in your step. It is in matches
against Everton and Manchester United that, as a player, I feel the responsibility we
have in living out the fans dreams even more.
Reverting to Childhood
I get abused mercilessly by Evertonians. They can criticise me all they want and there
were times in the past when I enjoyed the banter. I took it as a sign that, deep down,
they respect me as a player. Why bother shouting abuse at someone who you dont
think is capable of hurting you on the pitch? But the abuse I get these days is about my
family, which I dont like. I am never going to stop them singing their songs, but what
I can do is to try and make sure they are not singing about a win for their team.
A Hat-trick Bun in the Oven
As with the sucking thumb celebration, the match ball up my shirt gesture was one
back at the Everton fans who target my family in their songs. I had been given the ball
for scoring a hat-trick against them. It was just my way of saying, All go home and
sing your songs, but remember who scored the hat-trick. Ive done quite well against
Everton over the years, but the treble I got last season was hugely satisfying. As good
as it was, its gone now. If you linger on your achievements in football, youll go
backwards. I know I wont score a hat-trick against Everton every time I face them,
but the odd goal wouldnt go amiss.
Another One Slips Away
The two finals we reached last season were so important to me personally because at
this stage of my career I dont know when I am going to experience that again. The
FA Cup Final against Chelsea was an opportunity missed to collect my third winners
medal.
I probably have two or three chances left now to try and get that hat-trick. For an
hour, we didnt play and Chelsea could have been out of sight. At the final whistle, we
felt devastated because for the last 30 minutes we swarmed all over them. How many
times have you heard that football is settled by the smallest of details? Well whether a
ball from Andy Carrolls header, in this case has fully crossed the line or not is the
perfect example of that. If it had gone to extra time we would have won. It didnt and
I was left with regrets.
EPILOGUE
Whatever I achieve in my career from here on in is a bonus. After the last two
injuries I have had, I am intent on enjoying every single minute I have left in the
game.
I have spent too much time on the sidelines and when you are out of the team you
realise just how lucky you are to be a footballer. That is why I am determined to make
the most of the opportunities that I am sure will continue to come my way. My
ambition hasnt altered and my will to win wont become diluted. I want to see
Liverpool winning silverware. I want to see Liverpool challenging for the top four and
getting back into the Champions League where this club belongs. And, more than
anything, I want Liverpool to win the Premier League title. I will continue to give
everything I can to try and ensure that happens. It will be hard, but Im not scared of a
challenge.
I think that outlook has served me well so far in my career and there is no reason
to change now. But maybe I wont get as down as I have in the past if what I want
doesnt come off because of what I have been through in recent seasons. I say that
now after I have returned from my summer holiday following Euro 2012, but I know
it will be hard to stick to that and simply take any set-backs on the chin and move on
when the new season starts.
Liverpool has undergone a lot of change (too much change in many respects, if
you want to compete at the highest level), but I know that at the same time some of
the changes in recent years have been necessary.
I am optimistic and excited about the future under our new manager, Brendan
Rodgers. I have spoken to him about his plans and what he has said has been very
impressive. He is someone who is enthusiastic about football and he lives and
breathes it 24/7. He is very knowledgeable about tactics and he is determined to get
Liverpool punching its weight again. Those are good qualities to have. I am eager to
play for him and I think that, even though I am 32, he is a manager who can make me
a better player.
I have always taken the view in my career that I will try to learn from the new people I
come across, whether that be team-mates or managers. No matter how much I have
won in my career, and even though I am approaching my 600th game for the club this
season, I know there are things I can do better. And I am sure, listening to Brendans
ideas for how the game should be played, that I can continue to push myself in a red
shirt.
But it isnt about what is good for me, it is what is best for Liverpool Football
Club. That has always been the case in my eyes and always will continue to be.
Heres to a successful season.
CAREER STATISTICS
(up to and including 201112 season)
Liverpool:
David James; Vegard Heggem (Steven Gerrard, 90), Jamie Carragher, Steve Staunton
(Bjorn Tore Kvarme, 75), Phil Babb, Stig Inge Bjornebye; Jamie Redknapp, Paul Ince,
Patrik Berger; Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen. Unused subs: Brad Friedel, Danny
Murphy, David Thompson.
LIVERPOOL F.C. RECORD APPEARANCES
at end of May 2012
LIVERPOOL HONOURS (winners medals)
League Cup 2001, 2003, 2012
F.A. Cup 2001, 2006
UEFA Cup 2001
European Super Cup 2001
UEFA Champions League 2005
INDIVIDUAL HONOURS
PFA Young Player of the Year 2001
PFA Player of the Year 2006
FWA Footballer of the Year 2009
Steven was born on 30 May, 198024 days after Liverpool brought down the curtain
on their 12th League title-winning campaign.
He has scored 38 goals for Liverpool in Europe, the most by any British player in the
history of European competition.
Steven has netted 149 goals for the Reds in all competitions his first was scored past
Sheffield Wednesday keeper Kevin Pressman in a 41 win in December 1999.
He was the first Liverpool player to score under the managership of Rafa Benitez
doing so in a Champions League qualifier in Graz in August 2004.
When scoring against Arsenal in the Champions League in April 2008 Steven became
the first Liverpool player to score in four successive European games at Anfield.
The Reds skipper lies 10th in the clubs all-time appearances list with 584. The player
immediately above him is Alan Hansen who played 620 games.
He has won more International caps while with Liverpool than any other British-born
Reds player 96 for England.
Steven has scored five hat-tricks for his club against Aston Villa and Everton in the
league, Luton Town in the F.A. Cup and Total Network Solutions and Napoli in
Europe.
The club he has scored most often against in a Liverpool shirt is Aston Villa 10 of
his goals have come against the Midlanders.
Steven was voted Man of the Match in both the 2005 Champions League Final and the
F.A. Cup Final 12 months later.
He has captained Liverpool on more occasions in the Premier League than any other
player 249 times with a win ratio of 51%. In total he has been skipper in 354 Reds
games.
Steven was awarded an MBE in the 2007 Queens New Years Honours List.
Steven became the second youngest captain to lift the European Cup when the Reds
won the trophy in 2005.
He was appointed Liverpools club captain in October 2003 in succession to Sami
Hyypia.
When scoring in the 2006 F.A. Cup Final, Steven became the first man ever to score
in the finals of the F.A. Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup and Champions League.
He captained England in Fabio Capellos first game in charge in February 2008.
Steven is the last Liverpool player to be voted PFA Young Player of the Year, winning
the award in 2001.
He started his Liverpool career wearing the number 28 shirt before switching to
number 17 and eventually number 8 in 2004 following the sale of Emile Heskey.
Steven has been named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year on seven
occasions 2001 and each year from 2004 to 2009.
He scored 28 goals in 248 games under Gerard Houllier and 104 in 292 while Rafa
Benitez was manager.
In the 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany he was Englands leading scorer with two
goals, while four years later in South Africa he was one of only three players to find
the net for his country.
His most productive season for Liverpool in terms of goals was the 200809 season
when he scored 24 times.
Against Kaunas in August 2005 Steven Gerrard became the first player in Liverpool
history to score in five successive games in Europe.
He scored twice in his 100th appearance in Europe for the Reds in the unforgettable 4
0 home win over Real Madrid in March 2009.
His 149 goals have been scored against 83 different goalkeepers including five who at
one time have played for the Reds David James, Brad Friedel, Paul Jones, Brad
Jones and Chris Kirkland.
Steven has scored a hat-trick for Liverpool in League, F.A. Cup, League Cup and
European football. Only Ian Rush has achieved the feat in four or more different
competitions for the club.
86 of his goals have been scored in front of his home crowd with 63 coming away
from Anfield.
On 6 November, 2002 Steven captained Liverpool for the first time in a 31 League
Cup victory over Southampton at Anfield.
LIVERPOOL F.C. GOALSCORERS (all competitions)
at end of 2011/2012 season
WHEN STEVENS 149 GOALS HAVE COME
STEVEN GERRARDS LIVERPOOL GOALS at end of 2011/2012 season
9 - Aston Villa
7 - Bolton W., Everton, Newcastle U.
6 - Birmingham C.
5 - Manchester U., West Ham U.
4 - Blackburn R., Middlesbrough
3 - Arsenal, Hull C., Manchester C., Sunderland, West Bromwich A.
2 - Burnley, Charlton A., Fulham, Leeds U., Portsmouth, Tottenham H.
1 - Chelsea, Coventry C., Derby Co., Reading, Sheffield U., Sheffield W., Southampton,
Wolverhampton W.
3 - Luton T.
2 - West Ham U.
1 - Brighton & H.A., Everton, Luton T., Oldham A., Portsmouth, Reading, Tranmere R.
2 - Manchester C., Watford
1 - Arsenal, Aston Villa, Cardiff C., C. Palace, Manchester U.
5 - Total Network Solutions
4 - Marseille
3 - Napoli, PSV Eindhoven
2 - Besiktas, AK Graz, FBK Kaunas, Levski Sofia, Olympiakos, Real Madrid
1 - AC Milan, Alaves, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Bordeaux, Dynamo Kiev, Inter Milan,
Lille, Porto, Rabotnicki, Unirea Urziceni
1 - Deportivo Saprissa