18 Mar 2012

Savage: LFC Star doesn't need to move clubs to prove he's 'world class'...

As most Liverpool fans will remember, Steven Gerrard handed in a transfer request in 2005 in an attempt to force through a move to Chelsea. It was the second time he's almost left for Stamford Bridge, but thankfully, the captain changed his mind in the eleventh hour and decided to stay at Anfield. With hindsight, was that the right choice for Gerrard? Former Blackburn and Leicester star Robbie Savage believes it was.

Very soon after the Champions League win against AC Milan in 2005, Gerrard handed in a transfer request, to which Liverpool responded:

"Steven has told us he will not accept our offer of an improved and extended contract because he wants to leave. We have done our best, but he has made it clear he wants to go and I think it looks pretty final".

If Gerrard had gone to Chelsea, he would've won the Premier League in 2005-6, and may even have won another Champions League trophy in 2007-8. Instead, he stayed at Liverpool, and in the seven years since making that decision, Gerrard has only two domestic cups to show for it.

Speaking to the BBC, Savage - who is a massive fan of Gerrard - dismissed the idea that Gerrard should've left in 2005 to win more trophies:

"If he [Gerrard] moved clubs to Chelsea at that time, he would've won the Premier League, but he's won the Champions League with Liverpool.

"He's world class, and doesn't need to move clubs to prove that. He's the best player I've ever played against, and one of the best players the league has ever seen".


Liverpool fans are obviously glad that Gerrard stayed but seven years later, the club is further away from winning the league than ever.

At the end of his career, I'm sure Gerrard will have a tinge of regret that he doesn't have a Premier League medal to show for all his brilliant performances.

Jaimie Kanwar


24 comments:

  1. tinge of regret i doubt it very much, the man will be forever respected for being a one in a million loyal person to the city and the people he loves.
    would be a totally different story if we had won that other champs league final.
    im sure gerrard will be about for a few years yet in a liverpool shirt, and i think we will only get better from next season. i do get your point though

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  2. "At the end of his career, I'm sure Gerrard will have a tinge of regret that he doesn't have a Premier League medal to show for all his brilliant performances."


    Oh Jamie...(shaking my head).....this is where your really don't do yourself any favours, by continually putting a negative spin on (almost) everything LFC.

    Bryan Robson won his first title with United at the age of 36. A player who is often compared to Gerrard & who suffered with worse injuries (than Stevie G) throughout his career. Why is it so inconceivable* that Gerrard can't do the same.

    * While you haven't used that word (inconceivable), the last 2 lines of your piece pretty much imply it!

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  3.  mate u need to support a different club ur a joke

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  4. oh so now you can see the future? At the end of his career he doesnt have a medal to show for it? geeez the positivity.

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  5. I think " one of them " if he had of left and won the league and champs league with someone else , he would have always thought " what if " , and it just wouldn't mean as much going down the Kings Road on an open top bus , as it did riding right thru his home town knowing how much it means to " his own people " sounds soppy I know but I think that's why he couldn't leave .

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  6. Similar scenario to that of Franscesco Totti... wanted by Madrid for several years but stayed loyal to Rome and ultimatley sacrificed a glamorous club career for his home city (but he did win the title with Roma!)... major difference between him and Gerrard is that Totti has proved himself on the World stage as a world class player which Gerrard never has (Totti was immense at Euro 2000 and a World Cup winner in 2006 with the most assists) - this is the main reason why I dont rate Gerrard as Liverpools greatest player... he has been the big fish in a small pond for most of his career and never did what Macca did... proved himself amongst the best of the best - I do believe Gerrard regrets staying , he unlike Totti does not have International trophies to compensate for the sacrifice made to remain at his home club and not achieve as much as he could have 

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  7. Gerrard did that to get more money.
    He has played at his boyhood club all his life, and the way he is playing at the minute, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a cheeky 6 months loan to City in a year or two just to get him that title.
    Once he's won that, seeing what it's like winning stuff with another clubs fan, people that aren't your own (look at how much he loves Spearing) he will be glad her never left.

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  8. seriously madness, you want to read back what you have just posted! you believe gerrard regrets not leaving? he isn't liverpool's greatest player because he hasn't done it for england! and he is a big fish in a small pond plus never did what macca did! don't know which comment is more laughable! and you seem like you know your football. gerrard has done it at the highest levels and on the biggest of stages, do you not remember what he did for us on the way and in istanbul when we lifted the european cup? gerrard if he would have left would have also won european cups outside of england! macca left for the best club in the world at the time and didn't really produce the form he did at liverpool, gerrard would have not just won the european cup he would have also played a major part in winning the cup and would have started every single game if fit! gerrard being a big fish in a small pond shows just how good of a player he is! he has dragged, carried and pulled us out of the shit so many times it's unbelievable! I'll agree he has never lit up on the world stage for england (england wouldn't win a major tournament if you give us the best players from around the world, that's just england for you! and it's not like he has been awful, he has shown his talent many of times for england)  but has messi for argentina? do you think he is not barca all time greatest player? yes that is debatable like gerrard being liverpool's greatest player is debatable but what they do for their countries has no impact when debating whether they are their clubs greatest player. 

    on the other comment you say you believe gerrard regrets not leaving which is sort of fair to say in a way but you don't know him so its really a nonsense comment.
    YnWa

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  9. Stevie G and Jaime at Anfield...how many Premier League Winners medals have they won? Compare that to Giggs, Scholes AND YES, even Michael Owen! It must be heartbreaking for the two Liverpool stalwarts who will be kicking themselves for the rest of their lives.

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  10. Quite a provocative piece Jamie, not sure about your views re Gerrard tbh, i think Gerrards only regret will be that he hasn't won the league title with LFC.

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  11. I agree he will have that (premier league tittle) in the back of his mind lets face it he likes to win like a true champion. On a different note hey Jamie what are the chances of LFC getting a deal done with Riennes for Yann M'Villa before the end of the season? can it be done or is it allowed? 

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  12. Roman Abramovich would trade off any number of league titles for a champions league and so would any footballer

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  13. Jamie Kanwar gets off by writing negative stuff about LFC. Robbie Savage must get him off as well as every week he has some garbage post about things that idiot says.

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  14. you are way too pessimistic my friend.  all you write about it how far away the team is from competing for the title.  it's not a one horse race, there are five/six others teams building for that exact objective. you have to remember that Liverpool are a good two or three years behind other teams that were building for the future during the Hicks/Gillette years were the investment was not available. Benitez fought for control of the youth setup for years but by the time he was given control it was too late - he won't get to see the fruits of his labour and passion. you must have patience, we are playing catch up basically.  Look at what Comolli did at Spurs, at the time he was labasted for wasting money - three years later and they were challenging for the title. Even Gareth Bale was labelled as a flop when he first came.

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  15. All you said is rubbish. How many of the world bests has international medals? Ronaldo, Messi, Seedoff, Figo etc

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  16. Liverpool are two or three years behind? Yes, but the point is it didn't need to be that way. We're that far behind because of Dalglish and his incompetent transfer policy. If he had bought the right players instead of splurging 90m on crap then Liverpool would be in the top four right now.

    The management of the club has led to Liverpool's regression; it's that simple.

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  17. shardeYNWALFC4EVER9:45 pm, March 19, 2012

    This is what happens when you run out of interesting topics to write about!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

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  18. Deletw


    Sent from Samsung Galaxy Note

    -------- Original message --------
    Subject: [liverpoolkop] Re: Savage: LFC Star doesn't need to move clubs to prove he's 'world class'... | Liverpool-Kop.com

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  19. Its only human to have at least a small regret, especially when he was close to Chelsea move. Only a small one though, I reckon

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  20. I doubt that. Roman wants CL but not necessarily at the expense of PL titles they have earned under Chelsea. 

    Gerrard would trade 2005 CL for a PL title. You can see and hear it in him whenever he talks about the pain of the club not winning the league in over two decades.

    But nice to see you pay so much respect to the CL, as some of my fellow Liverpool fans are making out that the domestic cups are better than getting to play in CL. Maybe its just 'spin', to make things look good.

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  21. As you said, Totti has won league titles with Roma, so its not really that similar. He has already tasted the glory. Roma aren't as big in Italy as Liverpool are in England, i.e., not the same level of expectation, even though they have been close several times in the last two decades. They have given a genuine fight for the title lot more times in the last decades than we have that is for sure. But in terms of stature in Italy, Juve and Milan are the big historic duo.


    De Rossi would have been a better example. The poor lad hasn't won the title and has finished 2nd in Serie A FIVE (Totti SIX) times!!!

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  22. Im sure gerrard said in the past that he realised that winning a trophy would mean nothing with chelsea as its not his own team..

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