[Archived] European Cup

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

Gerrard explains "agonising" U-Turn

"It's been the hardest five or six weeks of my life," said Steven Gerrard as he revealed his dramatic U-turn.

The England midfielder has decided to stay at Anfield just a day after announcing he wanted to leave.

"At first I was convinced I could earn more money at Chelsea," he said. "It came as a real shock when I later heard I couldn't get more than 90 grand a week at the Bridge."

"Me and the girlfriend were all set for the move to West London. We'd looked at properties down by the Thames and I was salivating at the mouth at the thought of Roman's millions going into me bank account. All that lovely cash coming my way was a dream come true. My agent fed a nice story to the press that I'd had a row with Rafa, which was untrue of course, but it was a good way of pinning the blame onto Liverpool."

"But then, just as I was about to hand in a formal transfer request, my agent said that Kenyon had drawn up the contract at Chelsea for £90,000 a week - keeping me on the same terms as Lampard. I was shocked and gutted. My agent pleaded with Kenyon to raise the wages. I didn't sleep much last night, thinking about all the various scenarios. It was a very difficult time for me. I had an agonising decision to make, thinking of what would be best for me bank account in the long-term."

"I thought maybe that if I could just squeeze some more money out of the Russian, then the deal could still go-ahead. To be honest I wasn't expecting such a good offer of £100,000 a week from Liverpool. I didn't think they'd go as high as that."

"It became a bit of a cat and mouse game, but in the end I've got a nice increase in me basic wage packet which is always nice for a scouser. "

"I got what I wanted - which is squeezing every last penny out of Liverpool. And I'm still the skipper up here at Anfield rather than just being a team player at Chelsea."

"But there's no doubt I would have been on the first chauffeur-driven Bentley down to London if Roman had come up with a better salary package. I mean you've got to do what's best for your career in the long-term haven't you?"

"I remember what it was like as a boy living in a council house in Merseyside and being so bloody poor we had to re-use the teabags. It's alright for the fans to moan and whinge about loyalty, but they don't realise it's just a short career for us players."

"You can be retired at 33 with a mortgage still to pay on your mansion, and just a couple of Ferraris in your garage. It's not enough for a footballer these days is it? What's wrong with trying to earn as much as you can when you're still young?"

Gerrard announced that he wouldn't be making any further U-Turns this summer.

"I've got what I wanted for now. There'll be no more U-Turns for a while. Not unless me agent hears from Real Madrid that they're willing to go up to at least 120 grand a week," he said.

"I wouldn't mind living in a nice villa in Spain with a big swimming pool, but the personal terms would obviously have to be right first," he said.

[LeChuck]

When your original comment goes tits up just create something completely false to cover it up. Genius.

[joey_big_nose]

Gerrard explains "agonising" U-Turn

"It's been the hardest five or six weeks of my life," said Steven Gerrard as he revealed his dramatic U-turn.

The England midfielder has decided to stay at Anfield just a day after announcing he wanted to leave...............blah blah blah

Get a life. You got it wrong.

You must lead a pretty immaculate life Smithy because you throw more stones than I have ever seen thrown by anybody. Bilious, bitter and sad seem the most accurate words for you.

[neekoy]

I still think Liverpool should sell him, he has expressed a desire to leave the club to move to a club he believes has ambition and will win trophies. How will he be next year if Liverpool finish empty handed? Then they will not get anywhere near the 32 million offered

[modes98]

A;; me respect for ASEF has now gone! You can't have a go at a guy for doing one thing then have a go at him when he does the opposite, sorry dude!

You have to learn taht with people like gerrard money is not the sole aim in life! It is teh love and effection of the team. nothing would have made me more happy than to see stevie leave the scousers to move to a far better club but he has shown his grit and love for anfield to stay there! He is a muppet for letting his agent say what he did, but he nothing but loyal to liverpool and their fan's. Unlike mr D Dunn!

[Paul]

Can anyone here suggest anything?

329397[/snapback]

Yes......Liverpool's management seems to have gone quietly potty. Benitez stated he wants Gerrard to stay, become coach and then manager. Now what is it Rafa can see the rest of the world is missing? Stevie G may be a good footballer but the rest.........

Sorry colin, I know it's not where you were going with that.

[FourLaneBlue]

It seems that Liverpool are likely to be facing the only team who Rovers have ever knocked out in Europe, CSKA Sofia, so long as the second leg games provide no great surprises.

As for Everton...their supporters have been whining on all close-season about how they are looking forward to being a big club again now they have qualified for the Champions League. They were disgusted by Bellamy's move to Rovers as it showed his lack of ambition at choosing a little club like Rovers over the chance to play in the Champions League for Everton.

Two problems with that...

1. Everton are not in the Champions League. They have merely reached the third qualifying round and the big money only really starts pouring in when the league stage is reached and a further six (at least) games are guaranteed.

2. They have now been drawn against Villareal, the team which finished third in La Liga last season. Similarly upstarts like Everton in reaching their first shot at the Champions League. Yet Villareal finished last season superbly whereas Everton at times were seen staggering towards the finishing line of fourth, fortunately the Liverpool nag seemed to pull up injured and didn't offer much of a challenge at the last few hurdles.

Although Everton are a great club with a long, successful tradition I must admit I didn't like the way that some of their fans looked down on us during the Bellamy saga. It's also happened before when we bought Ferguson and when we have been linked for similar players. They seem to have a similar inferiority complex to the Birmingham fans as only the second most successful club in their city, particularly in recent times. So they in turn decide to look down on other clubs. Shame as they are a grand old club that some of their fans have to act all uppity.

Regardless...Everton face a very tough task to qualify. Moyes needs his players to pull off two more great performances to cap off their fairytale year.

[Tris]

What a night, what a comeback. Even for a neutral watching in a packed pub last night the tension was incredible. Three nil down by half time even die hard fans couldn't have imagined what was going to take place in the second half.

First half Milan were awesome, the reds didn't know what had hit them, at half time did both teams swap shirts ? That's how it seemed and three goals in twelve minutes left everyone gasping for breath. Funny seeing grown men wrapped in Liverpool flags covering their eyes during the penalties, then the eruption when Dudek kept Shevchenko out.

Marvellous for English football, and a sweetener for our 'Engerlund football hooligan' image. 40 thousand over there and hardly any bother.

What a night for football fans everywhere and a sickener for the artful dodger.

318705[/snapback]

That night last May was something really special, and although Arsenal are very near the top of my "hate" list (unlike Liverpool who I have a soft spot for) - I can't help but be pleased that an English club will contest the final again.

Good luck to the gooners in the showpiece in Paris on May 17th - really the sweetest thing would be if they win it and deny Spurs a place in the CL next season - would be priceless.

And bizarre - what price two Liverpool clubs having that problem last year, and two London clubs this year. Football is just great.

[tcj_jones]

I'm really happy another English club will be in the final again next season. I too have a soft spot for Liverpool, but am reasonably neutral when it comes to Arsenal.

Villareal were disgusting with their cheating tonight and the ref was abysmally biased towards the home team. Every corner Arsenal got, the yellow submarines would just wrestle them to the floor or pull them all over the area. That is a penalty. How it cannot be given I do not know. As if that wasn't bad enough, Villareal would cynically foul Arsenal players and, in the case of a foul on Ljundberg, stop him when he was through on goal. Yet, I don't think a single Villareal player was carded. If I were Wenger, I'd have been fuming. No mtter how poorly Arsenal played, they deserved to win for these reasons.

[waggy]

i said all along if the arse did not get 4th place they would win the champions league,terrible game last night,in fact i stated cleaning the house

[Rovermatt]

Arsenal will get buried if they play like that against Barca. The only option is to fight fire with fire and to play as open a game as possible. Arsenal's superior defence should win out.

[Flopsy]

i said all along if the arse did not get 4th place they would win the champions league,terrible game last night,in fact i stated cleaning the house  

402207[/snapback]

come on the game wasnt that bad surely

Well done the arse - is that 9 games without conceding now? Not to shabby.

I think/hope the final will be one of the best games in european football for a long long while.

That being said, Barcalona are an attacking team, Arsenal should be an attacking team. Im going for a 0-0 bore draw with a defensive display to make Serie A proud

[cletus]

I hope Arsenal win the final, but i fear Barcelona will be too good. I`m always up for the British club in Europe.....except when it`s man ure.

BTW...last nights game was awful to watch

[gazsimm]

henry was not on his game last night at all, but i think he needs a player along side him to get the best out of him

[Hughesy]

If Barcelona get through tonight then im confident they will beat Arsenal with Ease.

They had Chelsea in thier pockets and they can do the same to Arsenal

[G Somerset Rover]

I too am confident of a Barca win against the Arse, but providing that they can get a few of their key injured players back for the game. Messi, Deco, Xavi et al. have been missing of late so it's important they get them back, although they did make Chelski look pathetic with one and a half of those players!

Edit: Just seen that Deco is back for tonight, and Messi and Xavi not too far behind.

Edited April 26, 2006 by Somerset Rover!

[tcj_jones]

Henry desperately needed a man to play alongside him last night. Often he was dropping in to midfileld to get the ball or on to the wings and when Arsenal broke, they didn't actually have a single striker up front. If Adebayor or Van Persie had have been playing, then I think Arsenal would have won last night's game.

[Exiled in Toronto]

Good to see Arsenal in the final, but it was without doubt the worst major game I can remember seeing. It must be a first for a team to have no shots at all in a game. Villarreal had good quality when it can to controlling the ball but were woeful passers and finishers. And that penalty taker had an expression on his face when waiting to take it of "Why me?"

[Eddie]

Arsenal had a couple good chances towards the end of the game, they could easily have scored.

[Hughesy]

Villareal were the best team without a doubt last night and could have won easily had they scored 1.

As for Henry - I think he's off to Barca in the summer. He should of kept that shirt the guy chucked at him

[philipl]

Lehman is a class keeper- he's the difference between Germany and national humiliation on home soil this summer.

Anyone else think Rovers v Spuds last night? There was only ever going to be an Arsenal advance to the Final despite a rugger ref on the pitch but Forlan's miss was a collector's piece. Onn BBC Wotrld Service this morning- "only Man U fans will be able to explain how Forlan missed that chance"

As for the penalty. It was SOO obvious Riquelme wasn't going to score. Why didn't someone take the ball off him after he'd kissed it before spotting it?

PS The BBC cameramen had done a decent job of scouting the talent in the stands. Pouting, emotional senoritas all night.

Edited April 26, 2006 by philipl

[Presty On Tour]

well done to arsenal for getting to the final, 9 clean sheets in a row is a class record to have achieved.

great to see an english team in the final even though it's a contenental 11!!!

wenger has worked wonders.

everyone seems to think barcelona are in the final already, they still have to see off milan tonight which i think won't be that easy, people seem to have milan doomed without a ball being kicked.

[gazsimm]

well done to arsenal for getting to the final, 9 clean sheets in a row is a class record to have achieved.

great to see an english team in the final even though it's a contenental 11!!!

wenger has worked wonders.

everyone seems to think barcelona are in the final already, they still have to see off milan tonight which i think won't be that easy, people seem to have milan doomed without a ball being kicked.

402316[/snapback]

i toatly agree barcelona are playing milan tonight not bloody Burnley

[pleasure]

everyone seems to think barcelona are in the final already, they still have to see off milan tonight which i think won't be that easy, people seem to have milan doomed without a ball being kicked.

402316[/snapback]

age might be the decisive factor, but tonight is made for milan. they're my 2nd team, i was taken to watch them in '89, (whilst on my hols)- gullit, van basten etc... - theyre also back in with a shout for the scudetto aswell.

forza rossineri!

[Eddie]

Looks like I might be getting a ticket for the final so really looking forward to having an English side to support.