Goodbye to The Kop’s last action hero

Published May 16, 2015

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London - Steven Gerrard barely had a chance to settle into his seat when he was immediately put on the spot: should we anticipate tears today?

“Carra said I can’t cry, didn’t he?” Gerrard replied with a wry smile, referencing a playful barb from his close friend Jamie Carragher.

“I really don’t know. I’ve never been in this situation so I’m not sure. I don’t want to. I want to keep it in check, but I’m dreading the moment when the final whistle comes.”

We are approaching the moment many never envisaged happening - Gerrard’s leaving of Liverpool - and reality is biting him. Soon the smile that greeted the question about keeping his emotions in check was replaced by a familiar furrowing of his brow.

“When I made the announcement in January (to join LA Galaxy) this was the time I was dreading,” Gerrard said quietly. “The simple reason is because I’m going to miss it so much. But it’s here now. I have to get on with it, play then say my goodbyes.”

For that reason, what would have been a run-of-the mill, end-of-season contest between Liverpool and Crystal Palace has assumed huge significance; after 708 appearances and 185 goals, it will be the day Anfield loses its last action hero.

Some believe he is going too soon. Goals in consecutive matches against QPR and Chelsea have hoisted his tally into double figures again and, for all the scrutiny directed at his displays this year, scratch away at what he has done and you will see his impact.

Without his interventions, the Reds would be eight points worse off in the Premier League, taken three fewer points in their doomed Champions League campaign and almost certainly have gone out of the FA Cup in the third round at AFC Wimbledon.

The legs that pumped like pistons in his pomp and propelled him into the pantheon of Anfield’s greats may not move as fast as they once did, but the class that has hallmarked his game since he emerged from the substitute’s bench on November 29, 1998 is still there.

Is there a concern, then, that in a few months, when the Colorado Rapids, Seattle Sounders and San Jose Earthquakes are opponents, he will discover he has made a mistake? His reply is typically honest and ends any of the conjecture over whether Liverpool dithered over offering him a deal.

“I think there are going to be some challenges ahead as far as travelling, settling in to a new country and playing in a new league are concerned,” Gerrard said. “But I think it’s a nice challenge, an exciting challenge. I’m going to live in a fantastic place and I think the level is right for me where I am now.

“I’m 35 in a couple of weeks. I’m not really sure how much more I could give the club at the level I’d like to give it. Going back to when I peaked from 23 to 30 years of age, the reality is that I’m getting too old for this level and maybe a different level will suit me more.

“I’ve been in the spotlight in this city, in this team, for 17 years and had some highs and some lows. I think in a couple of weeks there will be a release. What some people don’t understand is (Liverpool) is a tough place to live and be a player as well.”

Unforgiving might be a more suitable word, particularly for a local boy. Gerrard is adored on The Kop but, curiously, it is not unconditional in the way it is for Xabi Alonso and Luis Suarez. A conversation with Carragher reinforced the idea that now was a suitable juncture to pursue another challenge.

“I have grown up and played alongside players like Robbie Fowler and Carra (Carragher),” said Gerrard. “We spoke about those moments a lot, about when you make the decision, when it’s right.

“I have always agreed, especially with Jamie, that you leave a touch early, when people want a tiny bit more. It’s better than people on the terraces or around the city saying ‘you stayed too long’ and they are trying to kick you out of the door.”

He could have gone before. Jose Mourinho vigorously pursued him for Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid; Alex Ferguson had two goes at trying to convince him to do the impossible and head down the East Lancashire Road, while Bayern Munich, as recently as 2012, enquired.

“I just always had that connection with this club that I didn’t want to let go of,” he explained.

“When you play for your family and your people I always wanted to achieve success and win trophies to share with them - not to just go and look for glory, which I could have done.

“Sitting in the dressing room after I was sent off against Man U (in March), I was thinking ‘I don’t want this to fizzle out’; for people to remember a hamstring injury, a suspension and some bad games. So I’m really happy the last couple have gone well and I hope the final two games go the same.

“But I think people will remember me not for a period of four, five, six games or even six months. Once it’s actually done and I’m away, if my name ever comes up, I think they will remember what I have done for 17 years rather than a short space of time. I hope they do, anyway.”

That Gerrard even is left wondering about his legacy - defined on those remarkable nights in Istanbul and Cardiff - is remarkable, but that gives you some insight into his character. Even more revealing is the exchange that follows when he is asked to give his Liverpool career a mark out of 10?

“What would you give it?” he asked. “No one is interested in what I would give it.”

Why not? There was interest when you rated your England career?

“You’re just after a headline, aren’t you?” No. There is genuine interest.

“I’m not going to judge my Liverpool career out of 10,” he said. “But I can judge two performances for you. I’ll give Istanbul nine and I’ll give the last Man U one at home zero.”

And there, in a sentence, is an encapsulation of Gerrard. There was, he felt, always room for improvement on the greatest days and always reminders of the pain the bad days can bring. It is an approach that enabled him to fulfil his dreams.

Daily Mail

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