2 statements were issued regarding Gerrard's future: One by the club, and one by Gerrard himself. Both claim to be telling the truth, but the truth only depends on which side of the fence you sit on, and which you believe. They can't both be correct.
I side with the player. The first two lines of his statement back it up, where he quotes: "I intended to sign a new contract after the CL final, but (crucially),
events of the past 5/6 weeks have changed that". Therein lies the rub, and I suspect what really made the decision.
After the CL final, Gerrard's contract talks, were not negotiated for the first time. Nothing happened during June, when there was a second opportunity to negotiate them. Eventually last week, discussions began, 6 WEEKS after the season finished. Initially, things didn't go to plan. Then the following weekend, Benitez having elbowed Owen out the door last year over contractual negotiations, launched a campaign against the player in the media, insisting that the player wanted out, something that shocked the player. When he found out about it, SG presumably decided that he didn't want to continue with the discussions, and said "That's it, I'm off!!".
There is a culture of laziness, incompetence, and inertia among the top brass at LFC now. This is not the first occasion that something like this has happened. After 2 years of constantly delayed contract discussions with McManaman, he then left on a free transfer. Last year, after a similar delay over contract talks, Owen was left with one year left on his contract. The club did not offer him a suitable deal, so they sold him, to a club who didn't want him. Now, the same thing has happened again with Gerrard. The message from Moores and Parry is always the wrong one, and they were involved in all three players' contractual discussions. It's always, "We'll discuss it, (we will, we will, we will, we will,) in the near future". On all three occasions, the player left the club. After Steve decided to stay with the club, his new contract could have been sorted out then, in January, after the CL final, during the summer break, and when the team reported back for pre-season training. It wasn't on all 5 occasions, and Gerrard then decided he'd had enough of the club's failure to come to an acceptable deal. As the club's captain, and best player, why wasn't his contract sorted out as priority at the end of the season, over any other business, instead of Hamann's, for example? The club claim they did all they could to keep SG at LFC. They obviously didn't, because if they did, he would still be there.
Judging by the terminology of those two lines in his statement, Steve probably didn't really want to leave the club, but feels that due to the club's failure to come up with a suitable contract, and that the coach tried to create a propaganda campaign against him in the press, he felt that he had no choice but to leave the club. The club's statement is full of PR-driven spin, designed to make Gerrard at fault over the whole business. I feel that he was forced to leave the club by the ineptitude of Moores, and Parry, and the betrayal from his coach, over what were supposed to be confidential contract talks, in the press. Following the near-certainty that Gerrard will leave, he will hopefully move to Real Madrid. If he goes to Chelsea, they'll be rubbing our nose in it for years. If he goes to Real, it will be more palatable to our fans, and maintain the good relationship that exists between the clubs.
I would like to say to the following:
Moores: Do us all a favour, sell up to Steve Morgan, and fuc off out of the club, before any more damage happens regarding players, as a result of your naivety and incompetence. You're Tony Maguire in disguise!!
Parry: As above, great with the media, but a hopeless CEO, who has failed to negotiate successful contracts with 3 key players. Go too!!
Benitez: He is far from innocent in all this. If we hadn't won the CL, I would be calling for his head as well, the damage caused by his part in this whole business has yet to be revealed.
Without Gerrard, the team has no leader, and the move will be a severe blow to squad morale. Qualifying for the CL this season has suddenly become much more difficult. When we last won the EC in '84, the captain Souness, was immediately sold to Sampdoria. By the following October, we had lost at home to Everton and were then 17th in the league, as the club struggled to cope without Souey. We eventually recovered to finish second, and that '84 team was way better than the current team. Benitez bought 3 players this week, all from La Liga. One of them, a player who's club was relegated, is out for the
whole of next season. That's his judgement for you!!
Maybe we should just rename the whole team, and call them Spain!! Players from there will dominate the team and squad for the foreseeable future, players who won't be able to cope with the English culture, mentality, and style of football. The damage this whole episode has done will be extensive on the field, and it may start a process, that ultimately costs Benitez his job.
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Originally Posted by Frank Blue
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