Steven Gerrard

I couldn't give a single feck about "cheating" on the pitch. The only cheating is match fixing. Handballs, shirt pulls, professional fouls. Couldn't give a feck really.

Don't know Seagull any off the ball stuff and diving is still not alright with me (spitting also while not cheating is just vile). Though handballs (however blatant) and shirt pulling and body checks funnily enough I feel are more gamesmanship. Just the era I played the game in I guess as I feel diving is becoming more and more acceptable you see it even with commentators now suggesting yep he definitely touched him it's a penalty, as when I played it was a case of there is no way that amount of contact would have been enough for him to go down he cheated.
 
Yeah diving is the lowest of all those things for me too, but it's rare for a completely blatant dive under no contact or a challenge. Every single incident is slightly different and it's really tough to tell what's a dive and what's just a player stupidly exaggerating a fall.
 
of feck off.

Solskjaer did not cheat. If your going to call that cheating then every single foul is cheating. Roy Carroll did not cheat, he made a mistake. Suarez did not cheat vs Ghana.

Suarez against Mansfield was cheating as he deliberately handled the ball and went on to score.

If you can't see the differences between the incidents then you need help. I am not saying United players have never cheated (there are probably loads of examples of us cheating as well) but justifying Suarez's cheating against Mansfield by bringing up incidents that are completely different in nature is stupid.

I brought up another incident which you have failed to see and that is the one by Macheda against Chelsea which was like Suarezs handball goal. I realised yesterday that Carrolls incident was nothing to do with it, but Machedas handball was and it seems that we are avoiding answering that particular one.

Here is the incident:





Both balls come off the goalkeepers and perhaps we could argue that they had no chance of getting out of the way, but Machedas voluntary movement of his right arm and that of Suarez are similar.
 
Yes that was cheating, I didn't ignore it but was just preoccupied with people calling me hypocrite when there is clear difference between the incidents I mentioned
 
Yes that was cheating, I didn't ignore it but was just preoccupied with people calling me hypocrite when there is clear difference between the incidents I mentioned

I was pre-occupied with the Carroll incident yesterday until a few here made me see the error of my ways. Then I remembered the incident with Macheda and his deliberate handball. I found that it was relevant to this incident and very few are arguing against it.
 
If this ends up being the winning goal, does it make up for his assist to Drogba in 2010?

Also, that strike was a carbon copy of his goal against Germany in the 1-5 game. Excellent goal.
 
The slow possession build up is not his style, he wants quick energetic and direct play. I think he's struggling a bit in Rodgers system.
 
He's having to adapt his game big time. Very disciplined from him and kept the ball moving well. As well as being a goal threat.

At the end of the day he was playing in midfield alongside Lucas and Henderson in a side that dominated City at home.

Good performance from him.
 
The slow possession build up is not his style, he wants quick energetic and direct play. I think he's struggling a bit in Rodgers system.

I thought as soon as Rodgers was hired that he could struggle. When they said he'd played every minute of every game for Liverpool (a stat I still don't quite believe), it confirmed it. You're going to struggle to get Gerrard to play a short passing game. It's one of his best attributes and is being strongly limited in Rodgers' style. Nevertheless, played well today.
 
He's been impressive since around the end of November, this is his first fully fit run since our title challenging season really.

I also believe he's adapted pretty well to 'the system'. Because Rodgers likes to pass it about doesn't mean there should be no long balls at all. He's the one player we have in midfield that can see the angles and play those difficult, defence splitting balls from deep. He's picking the right times to smack it about and doing well on the defensive side of things too.
 
It's still crazy to me how much he is walking in a game. Lays the ball off then walks up the pitch.

Check out the City tunnel cam video to see him looking ridiculous in pluggers and socks. Full kit wanker.
 
Having his penalty saved will dent his confident.

Still not convinced in that deeper role. He did it superbly for England with the ability of Cleverley and Wilshere in front of him keeping things tight and moving freely around him on the ball and in the pass.

Lucas/Henderson just don't have that ability and I think Gerrard get's lost trying to play that way. Just my observation.
 
I agree, I can't see him becoming a top holding player. He's got a great pass on him about one in three times he tries it, that's not good enough. And he's never been blessed with great intelligence - he can be creative and split defences when it's all happening fast and instinctively, but he rarely controls the rhythm of a game with measured short passing.
 
Having his penalty saved will dent his confident.

Still not convinced in that deeper role. He did it superbly for England with the ability of Cleverley and Wilshere in front of him keeping things tight and moving freely around him on the ball and in the pass.

Lucas/Henderson just don't have that ability and I think Gerrard get's lost trying to play that way. Just my observation.

His recent performances have been good, the Lucas/Henderson/Gerrard combination has been working.
 
His recent performances have been good, the Lucas/Henderson/Gerrard combination has been working.

Urgh, on paper that just sounds horrible, honestly. I mean Gerrard used to be a brilliant player and can have the occasional great game, no doubt, but physically he struggles more often than not, and anyway, having that trio at the heart of your team must just seem depressing!
 
His recent performances have been good, the Lucas/Henderson/Gerrard combination has been working.

Fair enough - I haven't watched 'every' game but probably 15 or 16 out of the games so far this season and when he has played I just feel he doesn't fit into that Rogers 'system' of high pressure dominant 1on1 technique type play.

A lot of the time he dishes off and then just walks back to position or jogs. I think it's nearly a crime to not take advantage of his marauding ability and his finishing. The latter which I think is much much underrated.

Bottom line for me is he needs to be playing closer to goal with the support coming behind him and doing all the leg work. The great St. Rafa hardly ever played him in a deep role.

I agree, I can't see him becoming a top holding player. He's got a great pass on him about one in three times he tries it, that's not good enough. And he's never been blessed with great intelligence - he can be creative and split defences when it's all happening fast and instinctively, but he rarely controls the rhythm of a game with measured short passing.

I think he's lost a lot of mobility somewhere. It's almost like he's trying to 'know when to run' and 'know when not to' but most of the time he spends jogging about the pitch. It's a waste I think.