Match Day Thread Gerrard Interview

Steven Gerrard: St George's Park is 'boring' and needs a golf course

Former England and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has described St George's Park as "boring." Gerrard says the Football Association's £105m national football centre needs to be more player friendly.

The 35-year-old also says that his slip against Chelsea, as Liverpool missed out on the 2013-14 Premier League title "kills" him, in a BT Sport interview.

And he admits being benched against Real Madrid in last season's Champions League hastened his Liverpool exit.

The 330-acre St George's Park site in Burton, Staffordshire, opened in 2012 as a base for all 24 England teams at various levels. It includes a grass replica of the Wembley surface and an altitude chamber to mimic a variety of playing conditions.

But in an interview by Rio Ferdinand for a BT Sport programme, Gerrard said he thinks the complex needs a golf course to help overcome the "shyness" in the England squad.

"It's an unbelievable site but they need to be a bit more realistic around it," he said. "They need to make it a little bit friendlier for the players."

"It's a top place to train and prepare but away from training pitch and the games, it can be boring. We need to create that atmosphere where England players are desperate to get away and do well."

"When you get to England, you want to have your lunch and go to bed and keep away from everyone because there's a shyness. There needs to be an England atmosphere when you turn up and you know each other, you want to be with each other."

Being benched at the Bernabeu

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Gerrard was left on the bench for Liverpool's Champions League match at Real Madrid last season

Gerrard announced he was leaving Liverpool after 17 years in January to join MLS side LA Galaxy.

But he has revealed that it was during a 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid in November that Gerrard made his mind up about leaving Liverpool.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers choose to start with Gerrard on the bench for the match at the Bernabeu.

Gerrard said: "When I was told I wasn't playing for the sake of the team, because of my relationship with Brendan, I took it and I accepted it. "But I sat on that bench devastated because I wanted to play. It pushed me into making a decision to move on and try something different."

Chelsea slip will 'hurt me until the day I go'

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Gerrard's slip was the defining moment as Liverpool's title challenge crumbled in 2014

In 2014 Liverpool were top of the Premier League with three games to go when they hosted second-placed Chelsea at Anfield.

But a slip by Gerrard allowed Demba Ba to score Chelsea's first goal and Jose Mourinho's side went on to win 2-0 as Liverpool's title challenged fell apart.

Gerrard has criticised Liverpool's tactics in the game and said they "lost their way" and went "gung-ho instead of being controlled" - but refused to blame Rodgers.

He said: "The inexperience showed from myself having not been in many title races and the inexperience of the team.

"The slip happened at a bad time, it was cruel for me personally.

"I'm not scared of any criticism or cruelty. I understand it and the impact it had it kills me, don't get me wrong. Inside it kills me and it will do for a long time. I think to myself 'if I'd have got that league, it would have been the icing on the cake'.

"That one moment will always hurt me until the day I go because if I'd have got that moment, I'd have achieved every dream with Liverpool. It hurts."

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/33251595

 

Sympathy post

 

He says he's not criticising Brod but clearly he is by blaming tactics for missing out on the title and then being benched against Real Madrid.

 

Fixed. But yes, he clearly is blaming Brod, as well as himself and the entire team.

At least he'll have plenty of time to play golf soon.

 

"That one moment will always hurt me until the day I go"

Oh well

 

Just reported this comment

 

For it's brilliance I assume?

 

Almost, it does begin with a b

 

The only way he could have 'refused to blame Rodgers' was if he was asked a direct question 'was it Rodgers fault' and he answered 'no' - otherwise it's pretty clear and always has been to us fans that he's leaving because he wasn't being 'managed' the way he would have liked. He's said previously that he gave up England duty to prolong his career and coming off the bench doesn't fit with that desire.

 

Would have been easier to say "because he was being managed"

 

Gerrard was very fortunate to get as much as game as he did under Rodgers - any quality manager would have had him coming off the bench far more often.

If Gerrard had started vs Real, we probs would have lost by 2 or 3 goals.

 

You're very sharp today, been in the knife drawer ....

 

Not been on here much since last week, maybe it's just been storing up and is now being unleashed...?

 

Not like he's bitter or anything.....

Glad to see he's still grounded like....."what the England National Football facility needs is a golf course", FFS

 

Yoive sacked off Hibbert for a donkey?

 

One could argue that there wasn't much difference.......

 

Ones more likely to make an ass out of themselves

 

With regards to the Real Madrid match, I think he comes across as quite selfish. Saying that was the moment when he knew he would quit Liverpool - it's all well and good being loyal to LFC when you're the number 1 player but was very quick to leave when he didn't get his way.

Not slagging him off per se but it was one thing that I picked up on.

The Chelsea slip is painful reading.

 

How is accepting it and supporting the manager being selfish...?

He basically says it was a reality check for him and the reality was, his time was up and he needed to move on.

 

It's not how I read it - he was dropped for a big game and he wanted out straight away...