Steve Gerrard at the Amex

[Weststander]

Do explain what your definition of a DECENT English player is then?

Obviously a player who has won:

FA Cup: 2000–01, 2005–06
League Cup: 2000–01, 2002–03;
FA Community Shield: 2001, 2006;
UEFA Champions League: 2004–05;
UEFA Cup: 2000–01
UEFA Super Cup: 2001, 2005

In a team in which, more often than not, he was far and away the best player is only HALF decent.

Just in case you need any more convincing that he was in fact THE best English midfielder of his generation, and probably for a while before him, he won a few individual awards to:

FWA Footballer of the Year: 2009
PFA Players' Player of the Year: 2006
PFA Young Player of the Year: 2001
PFA Fans' Player of the Year: 2001, 2009
PFA Team of the Year: 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
FA Premier League Player of the Month: March 2001, March 2003, December 2004, April 2006, March 2009
Liverpool top goalscorer: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09
UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2005
UEFA Champions League Final Man of the Match: 2005
UEFA Team of the Year: 2005, 2006, 2007
FIFA/FIFPro World XI: 2007, 2008, 2009[100]
FA Cup Final Man of the Match: 2006
Goal of the Season: 2006
England Player of the Year: 2007

I for one can't wait to see a player - who in various periods in his career - was among the top 2 players in the world, play at the AMEX.

Anyone who says he is over-rated as a player is literally MENTAL.

This.
Not just the facts. Ferguson (yes of ManU), Pele, Cruyff ... all have lavished praise on him before.

It is possible to support the Albion, and praise/not hate England/PL players from clubs where there is no grudge with the Albion!

 

[Weststander]

This is a brilliant summary!

Ignores the Bucket's facts, and obviously refuses to watch the wins against major PL and Euro opposition with Gerrard's key input.

 

[Weststander]

Never made the top 3 in the FIFA World Player of the Year

1991 - Gary Lineker - 3rd
1996 - Alan Shearer - 3rd
1999 - David beckham - 3rd
2001 - David bekham - 3rd
2005 - Frank Lampard - 2nd

So the 4th, 5th, 6th etc players must be crap then. Absolutely awful.

If Iniesta, Xavi & Messi dominate now, does that make (subjectively voted) numbers 4 to 20 average, or still incredible footballers at the top of a global game of millions of wanabees?

 

[Bold Seagull]

Ignores the Bucket's facts, and obviously refuses to watch the wins against major PL and Euro opposition with Gerrard's key input.

He's been a great player for Liverpool football club, scored some key goals, but has been grossly overrated in terms of comparison with his contemporaries around the world. Funny how no one other than Chelsea ever really came in for him...

 

[Fitzcarraldo]

but has been grossly overrated in terms of comparison with his contemporaries around the world.

Who are these contemporaries that were so vastly superior to Gerrard as players that he was overrated in comparison?

Also, how can you judge the quality of a player from the level of transfer bids that come in for them? Peter Crouch has the second highest accumulated transfer fees of an English striker, behind Darren Bent, but you would hardly describe either of them as world-beaters.

 

[Driver8]

Who are these contemporaries that were so vastly superior to Gerrard as players that he was overrated in comparison?

Also, how can you judge the quality of a player from the level of transfer bids that come in for them? Peter Crouch has the second highest accumulated transfer fees of an English striker, behind Darren Bent, but you would hardly describe either of them as world-beaters.

Zidane?

 

[Bold Seagull]

Zidane, Xavi, Iniesta, Scholes, Rivaldo, Pirlo, Keane, Viera, Sneijder, Kaka...



* by grossly overrated, I refer to him being considered 'the best' not being overrated in simply being a good footballer.

** by transfers, not to judge, but Zidane went for 75mEUR, generally the best player in the world attracts attention of the best clubs in the world. Not a yard stick in itself though I grant you.

 

[Common as Mook]

We mustn't forget in all this that Bold Seagull is a Man Utd fan, making his views more than a little one eyed.

Gerrard is a top top player and The Bucket's stats back it up.

 

[Zamoracomehome]

Easily the most consistent player for England over the last few years...bar the new input from Jack Wilshere. Gerrard has constantly got us out of trouble...the guy is pure class and I'm really looking forward to seeing him against us on Wednesday.