Written by my friend Must Read : On a personal note, 2015 began really well. But, when I woke up on the second morning of the year and went through my usual routine of browsing my Twitter feed... Boom! Shock. If there has been one constant in my life since 2005, its been Liverpool FC. And if there has been one constant at LFC since 2005, its been Stevie Gerrard. In my time as a fan, Ive seen the departures of Luis Garcia, Xabi Alonso, Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez. Each time, there was a sadness, a tinge of regret that the club might not have done enough to keep those idols. But there was always that ray of hope. That ray of hope that the club would fight, that ray of hope that the club would still challenge. I dont think too many people would argue if I said that that ray of hope was Stevie. There is no doubt that like the millions of decisions he has taken before, this one will be dissected, scrutinized and analysed, maybe much more. But, if theres anything that us Liverpool fans can do, it is to show as much respect as we can. Ensure that each of us is able to leave a mark that he will not forget. There are 18 Premier League games left, and however many games we play in the cups. All I can say is, enjoy him, savour him, and thank God that weve had him for as long as we have. There are things in football that Ive taken for granted when Gerrard has played. The perfect penalties into the corners. The inch perfect diagonals. The desire. The passion. Most of all, Ive learnt from Gerrard to never, ever stop in the search for greatness. Ive learnt from Gerrard that you can be in the most hazardous of situations, and still come up trumps if you thought you could. The first football match that I actually saw live was the Champions League final of 2005. Who can forget that game? It was Gerrard stretching every sinew of his body to head past Dida, and begin the fight-back. It was Gerrard whose energy took him past Gennaro Gattuso to win us the penalty that resulted in Mission Impossible being accomplished. As Clive Tyldesley put it, Hell surely stay, now. This is what Gerrard has always wanted. Success with his beloved, one and only Liverpool. Fast forward to a year later, and the 2006 FA Cup final, which might well be known to our future generations as the Steven Gerrard final. An own goal from Jamie Carragher and a goal from Dean Ashton put West Ham 2-0 up. Gerrard tees up Cisse with a 40-yard pass. 1-2. Crouch jostles in the box, Gerrard pounces on the loose ball, and Boom! Top Corner. 2-2. Paul Koncheskys freak goal seemed to have won the Hammers the cup, but in injury time, to quote Andy Gray, Take a bow, son! I mean that, take a bow! If anyone ever doubted your value to your side, you have just blown it away with the most incredible equaliser ever seen in a cup final. Were heading into stoppage time, youre fighting against everything, and you pop up with this? Absolutely top drawer. There have been countless Gerrard moments that Ill never forget. Memories that all of us will surely have. Now, there is sadness. Sadness that the club is seemingly not doing enough to keep him. Gerrard is one in the family. You dont weed out an old member in the family just because of his age. It just doesnt work that way. I remember having umpteen number of discussions with loads of people, and all we could say was if ever LFC had to replace Gerrard, wed need atleast three players. One, the leader. Two, the midfield general. Three, the goalscorer. As an 18 year old making his PL debut, Gerrard said his dream was accomplished. The dream was to put that famed Red shirt on atleast once. But boy! Has he achieved beyond his wildest of dreams or what?! Next season, wherever he goes, itll feel wrong. That royal feeling I get when I see a man with No. 8 on his back leading the Reds out to an Anfield crowd blasting out YNWA is something that cannot be matched. When I see Gerrard going into tackles, I know hes going to make them. When I see Gerrard make a diagonal pass, Im only hoping that the man on the wings can control the ball, not for a moment worried about Gerrards pass as such. Its such small things that I will miss. For me, what defined Gerrard was the seeming hatred he got from most oppositions. Oppositions can only hate you if youre a top, top player. And Steven Gerrard IS much more than a top, top player. Well captain, I know youll keep loving LFC, because before all this adulation, before all the frenzy, you were a Liverpool fan first. I will shed tears. I will cry because its ending. But once its all sunk in, Ill look back at all these years and have a beaming smile, that Steven Gerrard happened in my life.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 13:05:24 +0000
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