Drop the spin, Rafa. Four defeats in seven games proves that Steven Gerrard is not an 'inspirational captain' for England

In response to speculation that Fabio Capello is about to snub Steven Gerrard for the permanent England Captain role, Rafael Benitez has argued that Gerrard should retain the job as he has ‘shown he can do the job well’. However, a cursory glance at Gerrard’s 7 games leading the team show that this is, in fact, pure nonsense.

In Gerrard's defence, Benitez argued: "Steven has captained England before and he has shown he can do the job well so I am surprised that there is talk that he might not be captain in England's next game.

"It is not up to me to make the decision and Capello is lucky because he has some very good candidates for captain but if he was to ask me I would tell him that Steven is the right man.

"Terry and Barry are both good players and good captains for their clubs so they are good options for England. But I see Steven every day, in matches and in training, so I know what he brings to Liverpool and that is why I think he would be the right man”.

So let’s examine Benitez’s assertion that Gerrard has ‘shown he can do the job well’. Below is table detailing every game in which Gerrard has captained England.

Date	Opponent	Competition	Score	Result
31/03/2004	Sweden	International Friendly (Away)	0-1	Loss
07/02/2007	Spain	International Friendly (Home)	0-1	Loss
13/10/2007	Estonia	Euro Qualifier (Home)	3-0	Win
17/10/2007	Russia	Euro Qualifier (Away)	1-2	Loss
16/11/2007	Austria	International Friendly (Away)	1-0	Win
21/11/2007	Croatia	Euro Qualifier (Home))	2-3	Loss
06/02/2008	Switzerland	International Friendly (Home)	2-1	Win

How exactly does 4 defeats in 7 games prove that Gerrard has shown he can do the job well?! Against the minnows, England do well under Gerrard’s ‘leadership’, but when the going gets tough, he does not have what it takes to motivate the team.

This is most obvious from the two crucial defeats against Russia and Croatia in the Euro 2008 qualifiers. These two games were vital to England’s qualification hopes, and this is where Gerrard’s so-called ‘inspirational leadership’ was needed.

It never materialized though, as England put in two shocking, directionless displays that led to England embarrassingly failing to qualify for the tournament.

If there is one game that sums up Gerrard’s failure as England captain, it is the ignominious defeat to Croatia.

All we’d heard in the week leading up to the game was Gerrard eulogizing in the press about how much he loved England; what an honour it was to Captain the team and how the Croatia game would be the biggest moment of his career.

But when it came to the crunch, the fabled ‘world class’ ability and much vaunted passion and inspirational leadership was nowhere to be seen.

There was a woeful lack urgency in the players as the Croatians were given all the room in the world to weave their magic. Gerrard barely said a world all night to his team-mates, and the real lack of proper leadership on the field was palpable.

A real Captain would not have let the heads go down after Scott Carson’s howler, and would’ve had a quick word with the stricken keeper in an attempt to restore his confidence.

A real Captain would have been pushing the players on and cajoling all night. A real Captain would have fought tooth and nail to keep the confidence and self-belief flowing.

Gerrard did none of these things. As per usual in the big games, whether it’s England or Liverpool, he hid and singularly failed to shoulder the responsibility.

Of course, Rafa is obviously going to say that Gerrard should be captain of England. After all, he probably knows that the only way to keep Gerrard happy is if everything is going his way.

If Capello dumps Gerrard from the England captaincy, it will inevitably mean a period of sulking, which will no doubt affect his performances for Liverpool.

Benitez also managed to crowbar-in the ultimate Gerrard cliche: "If you think back to Istanbul and the FA Cup final against West Ham in Cardiff you will remember how inspirational he can be as captain."

This is all we hear from Gerrard apologists in response to any criticism of Gerrard's leadership ability. My question is this: When has Gerrard ever inspired England (as a player or a captain) in the way Benitez describes?

Never is the answer.

This is why he is the wrong choice to be England Captain. As much as Liverpool fans loathe John Terry, club-bias should be put aside and the facts should be taken into account.

In 13 games as Captain, England have won or drawn 11 games under Terry and lost only 2. Terry is clearly a more vocal, motivational, successful England captain than Gerrard and I would argue he has more of a ‘common touch’ than Gerrard, in that he isn’t a sulker, isn’t as self-absorbed and probably commands more respect.

Of course, I will be slated by short-sighted fans who can’t understand how as a Liverpool fan, I can praise John Terry.

Tunnel vision is not the mark of an intelligent fan in my view; Liverpool fans have always been thought of as knowledgeable precisely because they know when to accord respect and praise to rival teams/players.

In any event, I’m sure Capello’s feelings will have been swayed by Gerrard’s recent public rant – not the best example of someone being an inspiration to the team.

Capello may also have taken note of how Gerrard Stabbed John Terry in the back by shamelessly lobbying for the captain’s role when there was speculation that the FA wanted a change.

Rafa can spin the situation all he wants, but if the reports about Capello are true, then it (thankfully) proves that the Italian can see what I’ve been arguing for years: That Gerrard is a poor Captain for England.

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Crouchie exposes the technical ineptitude of England's prima-donnas

Peter Crouch’s performance against Croatia proved once again that it is utter madness to consider selling him in the January transfer window.

Crouch was the only player to emerge from the Croatia train wreck with any credit, scoring a goal that illustrated the excellent technical prowess that puts so-called ‘world class’ players like Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard to shame.

Crouch has now scored 14 goals in 24 games for England, and that tally is gleaned from only 11 starts! Not good enough? Well, what about Crouch’s Champions league form? He’s now scored 10 goals in the last 12 games! Still not good enough?! What about 18 goals and 7 assists from 30 starts last season?!

It is patently obvious that Peter Crouch is having a consistent and measurable impact on Liverpool and England. As such, it would be complete and utter lunacy to sell him.

In my last article, I proved with indisputable facts that Crouch is a Liverpool asset:

http://www.liverpool-kop.com/2007/11/rafas-irrational-vendetta-against-peter.html

I will now go one further and say that I believe Crouch is the most technically gifted England player in England. The ‘good touch for a big man’ cliché just belittles the fact that Crouch is clearly streets ahead of his more illustrious England colleagues.

As I said in the above article, if you start Crouch, he will invariably score or create a goal for you. This happened again with England, and Crouch should start again against Newcastle on Saturday. He deserves his place, his confidence will be high despite the defeat, and he does not need to be rested since Benitez has kept him on the bench for most of the season thus far.

Crouch must stay, and Rafa must get over his apparent dislike of Crouch and start making decisions that benefit the team and not him personally.

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Croatia debacle reinforces the assertion that Steven Gerrard is NOT world class

Steven Gerrard’s abject ability as a Captain was exposed once again as England suffered ignominious defeat to Croatia.

I’ve said it once and I'll say it again: Gerrard is not a leader. He does not have the strength of character, the fighting mentality or motivational power to be a consistently effective Captain. This has been proven time and time again for club and country.

England were wretched in every respect, and the so called ‘Golden Generation’ were exposed for what they really are: Limited, technically inept primadonnas, drunk on their own hype, whose competitive edge and work ethic has been dulled by rampant egos and shameful avarice.

For once, Alan Hansen had the guts to tell it like it is when he said ‘I can't believe how poor Steven Gerrard was’. Gerrard has been poor for England for a long time, but his international failings have been glossed over by the fawning media and the blind faith brigade who refuse to accept the truth.

Yes – I said Gerrard is NOT world class. The media hype him and every other English player with a smidgen of talent as ‘world class’ but the evidence does not support this hollow assertion. If Gerrard IS world class, where is the proof?
I can already guess the response from the ‘Steven Gerrard can do no wrong’ club: But what about that goal he scored against Olympiakos?! What about Istanbul!? What about the FA Cup final?! But Alex Ferguson said so!

These things do not make a player world class! Gerrard is an excellent premiership-class player – a true example of a typical English midfielder: Lots of huffing, puffing, tackling and endless stamina but precious little skill, creativity, footballing intelligence or consistent technical ability.

Truly world class players deliver not only in their domestic league but on the INTERNATIONAL stage. Any player who does not deliver in the big tournaments cannot be considered world class. There are of course exceptions to this, such as George Best, who never got to play in a major tournament, but players like him are a special case. The whole idea of ‘world class ability’ needs to be redefined, and in my view, achievement on the international stage should be the main criterion.

Steven Gerrard has been a consistent failure on the international stage, and his impact on England has been less than negligible. In Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006, the hype about Gerrard was sickening. Did he deliver? Of course not.

But someone else is always to blame for Gerrard’s failings: It’s the Manager’s incompetence; It’s failing to play him in the centre; It’s Lampard restricting him; the system was wrong for him and blah blah blah. No – Gerrard, like his overpaid pals, is just not good enough on the world stage.

The likes of Zidane, Ronaldinho, Maradona, Cruyff, Platini, Beckenbauer, Puskas, Eusebio, Pele etc all consistently delivered on the world stage – that is why they can justifiably be labeled world class. Gerrard does not deserve to be named in the same sentence as the true legends of the game, and to even think that he is on a par with the true world class greats is a complete joke.

Gerrard talks a good game, but actions speak louder than words. I cringed in the pre-Croatia build up as Gerrard issued his rallying cry of how England had to ‘die out there’ and how the players had to ‘give everything they’ve got’. Gerrard does not have the motivational ability to inspire players to give it everything they’ve got!

This was obvious against Croatia; there was a disgraceful lack urgency in the players as the Croatians were given all the room in the world to weave their magic. Gerrard barely said a world all night to his team-mates, and the real lack of proper leadership on the field was palpable.

All we’ve heard over the last week is how much Gerrard loves England, and what an honour it is to Captain the team, and how the Croatia game would be the biggest moment of his career. So where was the passion Stevie?! Where was your fabled ‘world class’ ability?! Where was the much vaunted passion and inspirational leadership?

A real Captain would not have let the heads go down after Scott Carson’s howler, and would’ve had a quick word with the stricken keeper in an attempt to restore his confidence. A real Captain would have been pushing the players on and cajoling all night. A real Captain would have fought tooth and nail to keep the confidence and self-belief flowing. Gerrard did none of these things. As per usual in the big games, whether it’s England or Liverpool, he hid and singularly failed to shoulder the responsibility.

After the game, Gerrard came out with a real corker:

"The effort was there but the result wasn't. That's what was important”.

What effort?! The magnitude of the game seemed lost on England’s apathetic losers as they ambled around the pitch without breaking sweat for the entire game. Just as Steve McClaren didn’t want to get his hair wet, the England players didn’t want to get their hands dirty, and as the so-called ‘inspirational leader’, Gerrard must take the lion’s share of the blame.

Of course, Gerrard was not solely to blame, but given his pathetic comments over the last week about foreigners taking over the league and how England are more important than Liverpool, he deserves all the criticism coming his way.

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Stevie Me's laughable explanation for his 'England are best' comments

Steven Gerrard has taken time out from his beloved England and deigned to offer Liverpool fans a hollow justification for his idiotic comments about England games being ‘bigger’ than Liverpool games…

Gerrard’s convincing, heartfelt clarification consisted of the following:

“All I was trying to say was when I am with England, England are most important but when I am with Liverpool, Liverpool are most important”.

With these comments, Gerrard is insulting our intelligence, and if he thinks he can fool fans with this feeble attempt at an explanation…he’s right! Sadly, despite the outrageous and obvious truth, Gerrard apologists across the globe will accept his 'explanation' without question and the whole thing will be forgotten.

Quite simply, any fan who unquestioningly believes this tosh is a mug. Gerrard might try and convince people that he didn’t say England are more important, but he DID. Consider his original comments again:

"When I join up with England, these games are bigger than Champions League games or league games”.

This statement is categorically unambiguous: England games are bigger than CL and league games. Gerrard claims that he was making a distinction between when he plays for England and when he plays for Liverpool. Where is this distinction exactly?! He also said:

“If you go to a major tournament and play well or achieve something as a team it's going to be a lot bigger than achieving something at your club."

Am I missing something here? Where does he say ‘when I play for England they are most important’?! Again, Gerrard’s attitude is clear and impossible to misinterpret: Achieving something with England is A LOT BIGGER than achieving something with Liverpool.

Additionally, there is no allusion to the Liverpool/England distinction he makes his ‘apology’. Why? Because that is not what he meant.

Instead of lying to the fans, Gerrard should have the courage of his convictions - If he feels England are more important than LFC, then he should just stick to his opinion. Sticking resolutely to a passionately held opinion in the face of adversity is something I can respect.
After all, my LFC bias aside, I can see the argument that playing for the national team is more important than playing for your club. It’s not something fans want to hear but a convincing argument could be made for it.

In any event, for me as a Liverpool fan, Gerrard’s comments are depressingly explicit. No amount of desperate backtracking or spin can change this simple fact: Liverpool's homegrown Captain prefers winning with England to winning with Liverpool.

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Gerrard: England more important than Liverpool

Coming hot on the heels of his ignorant ‘foreigners are taking over the league’ comments, Steven Gerrard has angered many Liverpool fans by proclaiming that playing for England is ‘ a lot bigger’ than playing for Liverpool.

I have been repeatedly shouted down when advancing that opinion that Gerard cares more about England than Liverpool, but once again I have been proved right. Gerrard stated:

"When I join up with England, these games are bigger than Champions League games or league games. You're representing your country. If you go to a major tournament and play well or achieve something as a team it's going to be a lot bigger than achieving something at your club."

Gerrard’s disappointing views are arguably at odds with the majority of Liverpool fans, who prioritise club over country. Not that Gerrard seems to give two hoots about damaging the expectations of his loyal fanbase:

"Maybe that is supporters being selfish. As a player, you want to play in the biggest games. Those are European [Championship] games and World Cup games."

It’s nice to know that Gerrard considers games against Macedonia and Trinidad and Tobago to be more important than games against AC Milan and Arsenal.

These comments confirm what I have been saying for years about Steven Gerrard: He is more interested in playing for England than Liverpool. In that respect, he is similar to former Liverpool player Michael Owen, someone who has shamelessly prioritised country over club for years.

Gerrard’s comments are depressingly unambiguous, and whilst I can understand his patriotism, this is not what you want to hear from a Liverpool Captain. The fact that Gerrard is a homegrown Liverpudlian makes it even worse, as there is now a damaging dichotomy between him and the Scouse fans that worship him every week.

Fans love to believe that Gerrard is an extension of them, representing their hopes and dreams as a ‘local boy done good’. The reality is sadly very different. Gerrard is as far removed from the average fan on the street as it possible to be. He lives in a different world, and has nothing in common with the fawning fans who put him on a pedestal.

In my view, the reason Gerrard prefers England over Liverpool has nothing to do with patriotism and everything to do with vanity. He wants to be immortalised on the international stage, and considered one of the best players of all time. He is hungry for the fame that the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Maradona enjoy. It’s all about 'Stevie Me' and what he can achieve for himself, rather than having anything to do with the team or the pride of England.

With these comments, Gerrard is close to destroying the special bond that exists between Scousers and ‘one of their own’. Would you ever hear Robbie Fowler say such things? Never. That is why Fowler is revered and Gerrard will ultimately be greeted with indifference.

As I’ve stated repeatedly over the years, Steven Gerrard is not fit to be the Captain of Liverpool FC. He needs to be stripped of that honour, and it should go to someone who prioritises Liverpool FC above all else. This is the way it needs to be and this is the way it should be.

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