Just finished reading Stevie G's book

[Gravy]

Describes Keegan as a top top bloke, as well as Staunton, Keown and surprisingly Eriksson.

 

I qyuite enjoyed the book, especially the Cjhelsea CL match. That brought the hairs back up on the back of my nexk. However, his passage bout the two summers where he nearly left didn't seem to ring true to me. The first summer - Euro 2004 - seemed to be glossed over to a point and the seond one last year just didn't seem to add up, and after reading I just thought that he seemed to be a bit of an idiot for getting worked up about the club not wanting him etc.

 

All in all a good read and recommended.

[Guest Sabre]

I finished it the other day too. I don't think it promoted him particularly well. At times he came across as xenophobic - stating things like how the foreigners didn't integrate that well or how he would prefer English managers because they knew him better and would more likely pick him. He would never have been as critical of English players as he was of foreign players, at one point calling Biscan a 't**'.

 

He obviously prefers man managers who tell him how good he is on a regular basis. He says he has a lot of respect for GH because he was a father figure, and Eriksson to some extent also was like that. He respects Rafa but I think it's obvious that he would rather Rafa wasn't so detached.

 

He comes across as an immature, sulky child in most of the book, always complaining about being subbed or not playing.

 

You're right Gravy - he glosses over the first Chelsea escapade. The second Chelsea escapade seemed to me to be down to money even though he said it wasn't - he wanted to be paid his market value and we offered him a few grand less. He states that he asked for £100k and we offered somewhere in the region of £80k-£90k. Somehow he saw it as an insult that he was being paid a little bit less than his friends at Chelsea.

 

There were loads of things that annoyed me about the book. The constant swearing, the little jabs he had at people that didn't fawn over him. He contradicts himself throughout the book as well and you wonder why nobody proof-read the part about the FA Cup Goal scored by Konchesky which he says was Etherington.

 

I learnt a few things about him that I didn't know before, but I don't think he's particularly different to any other footballer. He likes to be idolised and he wants people to see him as the main man. He states near the end of the book that he doesn't get fazed by anything, but I think the underlying feeling of the book is how scared he is of pretty much every possibly tense situation. That whole section about his tackling was just cringeworthy, and he spends a lot of time apologising to people.

 

His memory is quite selective unfortunately (but not surprisingly). It would have been more interesting to have his spin on things that happened behind the scenes - not to the extent of pissing anyone off but just to have a little bit more information.

[Gravy]

I finished it the other day too. I don't think it promoted him particularly well. At times he came across as xenophobic - stating things like how the foreigners didn't integrate that well or how he would prefer English managers because they knew him better and would more likely pick him. He would never have been as critical of English players as he was of foreign players, at one point calling Biscan a 't**'.

 

He obviously prefers man managers who tell him how good he is on a regular basis. He says he has a lot of respect for GH because he was a father figure, and Eriksson to some extent also was like that. He respects Rafa but I think it's obvious that he would rather Rafa wasn't so detached.

 

He comes across as an immature, sulky child in most of the book, always complaining about being subbed or not playing.

 

You're right Gravy - he glosses over the first Chelsea escapade. The second Chelsea escapade seemed to me to be down to money even though he said it wasn't - he wanted to be paid his market value and we offered him a few grand less. He states that he asked for £100k and we offered somewhere in the region of £80k-£90k. Somehow he saw it as an insult that he was being paid a little bit less than his friends at Chelsea.

 

There were loads of things that annoyed me about the book. The constant swearing, the little jabs he had at people that didn't fawn over him. He contradicts himself throughout the book as well and you wonder why nobody proof-read the part about the FA Cup Goal scored by Konchesky which he says was Etherington.

 

I learnt a few things about him that I didn't know before, but I don't think he's particularly different to any other footballer. He likes to be idolised and he wants people to see him as the main man. He states near the end of the book that he doesn't get fazed by anything, but I think the underlying feeling of the book is how scared he is of pretty much every possibly tense situation. That whole section about his tackling was just cringeworthy, and he spends a lot of time apologising to people.

 

His memory is quite selective unfortunately (but not surprisingly). It would have been more interesting to have his spin on things that happened behind the scenes - not to the extent of pissing anyone off but just to have a little bit more information.

 

I wouldn't disagree with any of that, but I read it cover to cover i n 24 hours so I must have enjoyed it.

 

Agree particularly about him seeming a bit self centrered but I guess that's footballers today. The swearing did p133 me off a bit as well. My 11 year old wanted to read it after me, but I'm not sure if I'm going to let him now.

[fred milne]

He likes to be idolised.

I think you can contrast that with some of the players that he is (lazily, in my view) compared with - i.e. the likes of Keane and Souness.

[Guest Sabre]

I wouldn't disagree with any of that, but I read it cover to cover i n 24 hours so I must have enjoyed it.

 

Agree particularly about him seeming a bit self centrered but I guess that's footballers today. The swearing did p133 me off a bit as well. My 11 year old wanted to read it after me, but I'm not sure if I'm going to let him now.

 

It's just lazy writing though for the average footy fan I suppose. To get his point across he would just eff and blind about it, even at one point saying cn.ut.

 

I think you can contrast that with some of the players that he is (lazily, in my view) compared with - i.e. the likes of Keane and Souness.

 

Absolutely. He's an insecure character and I think that without his talent he would be a right pain in the a*** for a manager. His comments about Danny Murphy are just absolutely b******s as well. If Danny was French/Spanish/Albanian he wouldn't even be mentioned or he would have been slagged off.

[Internationinteroperability]

I get the impression that the books doesn't offer much new (useful) info?

 

Would like to read it but my budget is v. limited atm so I'm not sure if I should buy it?

 

I haven't even finished Fowler's book yet

[Cobs]

 

I haven't even finished Fowler's book yet

really? it's a simple read.

 

 

"I'm a scally. I played for Liverpool. I scored stacks of goals while i was young. I fecked what should have been the best years of my career up the wall. It wasn't my fault."

 

 

there you go.

[Cobs]

He has a right go at Biscan for getting sent off in one match calling him a 'shirt-tugging t**'.

 

if that was the derby then he's right.

[Guest Sabre]

if that was the derby then he's right.

 

Yeah, not saying he's wrong. Just think it's a little rich of him to be criticising others (or picking out others) for being sent off with the things he's done in the past.

[abc]

He also has a ago at Diao when he was brought on for Stevie in the Basle game, saying how he could do what he did even if he was playing 4/10.

 

I remember quite clearly that period in particular, when Gerrard was playing pretty poorly and Diao was actually impressive. And in that match he was so bad that GH took him off and then later explained why he had started with, and then subbed Stevie off (half time wasn't it?); I think GH wanted to give him the chance to play himself back into form but he couldn't deliver.

 

I believe a lot of people were in agreement, some even asked why an in form Diao didn't start the match.

Edited September 19, 2006 by abc

[Guest Sabre]

I remember quite clearly that period in particular, when Gerrard was playing pretty poorly and Diao was actually impressive. And in that match he was so bad that GH took him off and then later explained why he had started with, and then subbed Stevie off (half time wasn't it?); I think GH wanted to give him the chance to play himself back into form but he couldn't deliver.

 

I believe a lot of people were in agreement, some even asked why an in form Diao didn't start the match.

 

There's a portion of the book which is all about GH's comments to the media: I posted it in another thread but here is it again:

 

I quote from page 253:

 

"Before we flew out to Basle, Gerard hauled me into his office at Melwood. He'd had enough. He wanted to find out what was bugging me. I walked in to be confronted by Thommo, Sammy Lee, Joe Corrigan and Alex Miller, as well as Gerard. Christ, they looked like a bloody firing squad standing there. Gerard opened up first: 'What's eating you, Steven? Is your family all right?'"

 

He didn't tell them because he couldn't in front of them all. Each person apparently laid into him and Steven stormed out, incensed that the chief scout and the goalkeeping coach were even involved.

 

If you remember, he was hauled off at half-time. In the book, he lays into Diao, saying that he couldn't believe he could be hooked for Diao, but then admits that he did help turn the game around. (Stevie talks a lot about how he hates being subbed/not started)

 

I quote: "In the dressing-room, I was scarcely through the door when Gerard shouted, 'Steven, shower.' That was it. Me off. f***'s sake. All the lads felt embarrassed because I looked stupid. If a player has a nightmare, a manager can react in two ways at half-time. Either give the player another five minutes so the subbing doesn't appear that bad, or humiliate the player by not allowing them out for the second half. [] Corrigan walked into the showers. 'Keep your chin up' he said. 'f*** off' I told him."

 

About Salif: "Even if I was playing four out of ten I could do what Diao did. In fairness to Salif, he did help turn the game around."

 

GH then laid into Stevie G in the press and their relationship was strained for a while.

[Falconhoof]

I won't be reading it, simply because I love Gerrard too much as a footballer to allow my view of him to be tainted by what i'll read. I don't like modern footballers, they are shallow, insincere and greedy workshy young men with too much money so why would I read a book by one.

If I want to read a book i'll probably be better off buying one by someone who has something to say or even writes for a living.

[Sion]

I can't believe we're paying Gerrard 100,000 a week, it's a disgrace that any footballer should get that. I know he would have left if we didn't as well, says a lot about him really. Carragher > Gerrard (as a person)

[Guest Sabre]

I can't believe we're paying Gerrard 100,000 a week, it's a disgrace that any footballer should get that. I know he would have left if we didn't as well, says a lot about him really. Carragher > Gerrard (as a person)

 

Personally, I can sort of understand why he wanted to be paid the going rate for a world class player. It's the same principle as one of us asking for a pay raise after we've scouted around and seen how much our contemporaries are being paid.

 

However, he's the captain of the club he loves, with a manager that is winning things and he's already earning a shedload. It's not like his life will be dramatically changed by that extra £20k a week. Unfortunately footballers forget reality sometimes. He saw it as a personal insult to him that he wasn't given what he wanted. Rafa called him into his office and offered him a blank piece of paper and a pen, asking him to write down what he wanted, and he refused. I think Rafa learnt a lot about the lad at that point. True, Stevie asked for the escape clause to be removed from his contract which is credit to him, but he is as much to blame as anyone in the Chelsea debacle, handing in a transfer request to push the club to give him what he wanted.

[Elisha_Scott]

if that was the derby then he's right.

 

Marseille away

 

I can't believe we're paying Gerrard 100,000 a week, it's a disgrace that any footballer should get that. I know he would have left if we didn't as well, says a lot about him really. Carragher > Gerrard (as a person)

 

Spot on mate, Carra is on £250 quid a week and drives a V reg Astra.

 

For f***s sake.

[Sion]

Personally, I can sort of understand why he wanted to be paid the going rate for a world class player. It's the same principle as one of us asking for a pay raise after we've scouted around and seen how much our contemporaries are being paid.

 

However, he's the captain of the club he loves, with a manager that is winning things and he's already earning a shedload. It's not like his life will be dramatically changed by that extra £20k a week. Unfortunately footballers forget reality sometimes. He saw it as a personal insult to him that he wasn't given what he wanted. Rafa called him into his office and offered him a blank piece of paper and a pen, asking him to write down what he wanted, and he refused. I think Rafa learnt a lot about the lad at that point. True, Stevie asked for the escape clause to be removed from his contract which is credit to him, but he is as much to blame as anyone in the Chelsea debacle, handing in a transfer request to push the club to give him what he wanted.

 

Yeah, I agree, I also think if he loved the club as much as people like to make out, he wouldn't have acted the way he did.

[fred milne]

Carragher > Gerrard (as a person)

I'm not trying to defend Gerrard but how do you know Carragher is the better person?

[Cooldude]

Marseille away, remember that one, he tugged a bloke outside the box and it was given as a pen and he got sent off

[Guest Sabre]

Yeah, I agree, I also think if he loved the club as much as people like to make out, he wouldn't have acted the way he did.

 

All in all it was a massive feck up from both sides. Stevie wanted to sign a contract straight away but on his terms. Rick Parry and Benitez had asked Stevie to sign a contract on three separate occasions during the season but Stevie wanted to wait until we had guaranteed CL football.

[Tetti]

Marseille away, remember that one, he tugged a bloke outside the box and it was given as a pen and he got sent off

 

 

Dreadful night that one. And I think I called Igor far worse than that.

Edited September 19, 2006 by Tetti

[Cooldude]

Dreadful night that one.

 

f*** yeah, and my hate for some c*** called Drogba started that night...

[Tetti]

f*** yeah, and my hate for some c*** called Drogba started that night...

 

 

Fear for me.

 

I still freak out when he plays us. Sunday didnt help either as he wheeled towards us first, then away

[Guest Anders Honoré]

the Gudjohnsen shot at the end (which apparently Carra claims he pushed out for a corner)

 

Gudjohnson said the same at the time, saying that carra, who had covered every blade of grass that night, out of nowhere managed to get the slightest deflection on it to send it wide.

Edited September 19, 2006 by Anders Honoré

[diggy]

One of the great football mysterys was also in Gerards book.

 

In his first England training session he raves about the training and quality of players on show. He talks about the things players do in training and how amazing they are and that some of these things the players do are unreal and unbelieveable.

 

Footballers always seem to talk about these things players do at training, particularly when they join a new club or get a national call up.

 

The mystery for me is:

 

a) Why do they not repeat these amazing things in matches on a more regular basis, as they seem to do it an awful lot in training.

 

b) Has anyone ever caught these amazing tarining sessions on film?

 

Rant over.

Book is average at best - is Chinese whispers in the dark really as good as he made out?

 

Footballers should only write books when they finish.

[Cobs]

Marseille away

 

forgotten that (thanks ) - and he's still right.