welp go figure the board's scousers avoid the 14-15 euroseason thread cuz i'm mr. TLDRsenal plastic over here. 2+ years into "the beautiful game" and i'm ready to write a fucking book about my experiences, eh? i wonder my my memoirs would be really long or really short, seeing as i've technically already said so much as it was happening there isn't much left to say for the memoirs.
BUT YEAH, sir slip-a-lot,
the man who even moreso than underworld was "born slippy" (lol somebody actually did make that video. god bless 'em... they aint walking alone!) is FINALLY* leaving the scouse midfield to go to the MLS, or so everyone on talkSPORT/daily-mail/etc is telling me.
i dont have enough perspective to tell you if the legends of him being the greatest player in premier league history (read: 92-present) are true... especially cuz Stevie G was the captain who oversaw an era where liverpool cemented their slide from the best team in england to an arsenalesque perennial-top-4/CL team (that managed to win the 04-05 CL) all the way down to the midtable fodder they've been lately, save last year's majestic suarez-led run to 2nd place which was lost in the last few weeks and epitomized by that slip which.... man. i dont think it was as bad as #Crystanbul because that game was "remember where you were" territory (and i'm not even a liverpool supporter) but still, that slip ended up tarnishing his legacy IMO because seriously.... this guy was the captain of a champions league winning side, and while the champions league isn't technically as prestigious as it was 15-20/+ years ago back in teh european cup days (and liverpool has got 4 of those) but still.... this guy was the captain of a team that won the fucking champions league in 2005. and not just won it.... but had a magic night in Istanbul where liverpool came back from 0-3 to win on penalties. that's something even the purported "invincible" arsenal side of 03-04 couldn't do. hell didn't liverpool eliminate the invincibles in the 04 CL? there you go.
but still, love 'em or hate 'em, liverpool is there and you're going to have an opinion about them. and when you talk about liverpool from 98-present, albeit mainly in the 2000s.... one guy was MR. LIVERPOOL, the heart and soul of the team. the captain. i mean look at this picture here.... it says it all about the guy:
he was born in a suburb of liverpool between there and manchester. when he was a kid he had a trial with manchester united JUST to pressure liverpool into giving him a youth contract. he joined the liverpool academy at age 9 and came up through their youth system and eventually joined the first team and became its captain in 2003 (at age 23 no less!). hell years later when he wanted to join chelsea to try and win the prem he even had liverpool mafia/gangster people step up and say NUH UH YOU AINT GOIN TO CHELSEA, GUV. because he was that deeply entrenched in the community. this man WAS liverpool.
and thus when he slipped and then #Crystanbul happened to blow the title last year it was really kind of sad in that this guy was THE liverpool legend of his era because he was red until he was dead and now his legacy is under fire. i mean, even now when he moves on he says he'll only play for a side that won't play liverpool (so someone tell jamie redknapp that he won't go play for 'ADDY aka 'ARRY over @ QPR) so that's why everyone and their mom is assuming he's gonna go out to pasture @ the MLS. it makes you wonder if he can play CF/CAM because idk if hanging out in the deeper midfield in a league that's more rough and tumble to make up for its lack of skill is necessarily the best thing for the guy, but hey he'll be making $5-10mil/yr to basically retire so what the hell why not? i hear the new york red bulls are down one designated player and you could always sign with NYCFC and go play for man city if LFC is out of the premier league race and just refuse to play against liverpool. it's done wonders for lampard!
but then again even "fat frank" lampard wasn't a chelsea youth product or anything. he was a family man who followed his dad's footsteps (west ham from 67-85 plus an assistant coach under his brother and law 'ARRY REDKNAPP from 94-01) and then when daddy+uncle-arry left WHU he followed in rio ferdinand's footsteps to go chase trophies and ended up at chelsea.... so yeah, he wasn't an iron til he died or anything remotely endearing like gerrard was to liverpool and i think frank's comprable to gerrard even tho they technically played different roles for the english team where they both had 100+ caps and ended up being symbols of their bygone era by the time the 2014 WC rolled around. gerrard was the truth... a throwback to a time when players came up through a team's youth program and went on to the first team and had as much success as possible, but they didn't leave town to go hunt for trophies (tho again, that could have to do with Liverpudlian gangsters more than it did steven) because THEY WERE ONE TEAM MEN.
and now that it's basically time for steven to move on because he's a veritable mascot out there in the liverpool first XI, he won't take up their offer to stick around and keep being a sentimental choice in the midfield when the team is better served by other people in that position; he puts liverpool first and leaves with his head held high.... even if only because that's the only direction h can look when he's on the ground having just slipped =D/
and did you notice there's an URL there i wanted you to see? ah well if i'm going to TLDR and shit up the soccer people threads i might as well get my money's worth before it all comes TUMBLING DOWN.... TUMBLING DOWN.... TUMBLING DOOOOOOWWWNNNNNNNN =D
so yeah hats off to you #SG8, as you were the Scouser with a capital S. you were the living breathing symbol of everything liverpool FC, and what better way is there to determine what you are than to ask supporters of your team's #1 rival manchester united, who said:
"Cost his team the league and walks out on them a year later.
"
"Stevie Me, winner of zero Premier League titles, leaving Liverpool, winner of zero Premier League titles."
yeah this video pretty much sums up a lot of fans' thoughts on him... in song no less"I think it's huge he's leaving Liverpool, his ability may not be what it was but he's still Liverpools best player and with him gone by God do they look mid table"
and of course, assuming he goes to the LA galaxy...
"At least his Hollywood passes will finally be at home."
----
so yeah hats off to steven fucking gerrard, the Man, the Myth, the Legend that kept it real enough to never quite be a spice boy, but was generous enough to ensure that the most decorated team in english football didn't go an hog all of the trophies like those c-nuts at manchester united did. i'm sorry that i never got to see the bulk of your legendary career, as you used to be some sort of awesome (i'm out of URLs/links but that goal vs marsielle in the CL? wowzers" but now.... i think a scouser said it best:
"When I've said at the beggining of the season that this man is broken, simply destroyed mentally I was laughed at by our fellow scousers. Now we're witnessing essence of Stevie Me, like a rat he's leaving the sinking ship first, this is glorious to watch."
so happy trails, stevie me! i read that you're talking to the LA galaxy now so i can't wait for you to be unveiled so you can begin your storied bromance with robbie keane. you guys are going to be siamese twins i tell you! if you can be even 1/3 of the player landon donovan was well then american soccer is truly in great great hands!
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Curious Hair wrote:
Les Grobstein's huge hog is proof that God has a sense of humor, isn't it?