Jamie Redknapp: A tribute to Steven Gerard - 10 years on.

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It feels like only yesterday that I saw this teenage kid from Huyton for the very first time. He came to join first-team training along with Stephen Wright because Gerard Houllier wanted to have a look at the two of them. Funnily enough I think the boss thought Wright was the better of the two when they first arrived. I always remember passing the ball to Stevie early on and he hit this 50 yard pass to the left wing. I thought to myself: "what have we got here then?" Next he goes into a 50-50 with Paul Ince and smashes him up in the air and we're all thinking we've got something special on our hands - he certainly made an impression that's for sure.
At the time there were a few concerns over his fitness but since then he's been relatively injury-free and he's been different class. They don't come along like him too often. When you're asked to give a tribute to someone it's normal to heap praise on them but with him it's easy because it's so true. He's a special lad - and I don't just mean on the field, I mean off it too. Even now if I ask him to sign a shirt for someone he goes out of his way to help and there it is the next day. I honestly can't speak more highly of him.
One game that always stands out from my brief time playing with him was the Merseyside derby against Everton in 1999. We won the match 3-2 and Stevie kicked a couple off the line playing at right-back. His passion for the club was there for all to see that day. I remember how he celebrated one of those clearances as if he'd just smashed one in at the Kop end. I spoke to my Dad after the game and he said: "Who was that at right back? He was like superman that kid." After that day he just got better and better and in the seasons that followed he went on to establish himself as one of the best central midfielders in the world. Now he's improved so much that he is the best. I've been saying that for a while now and no-one comes near him as far as I'm concerned. He's dynamic, he's powerful, great at passing, great at tackling - you name it he can do it. People talk about who the best player in the world is... Is it Messi, Ronaldo or Kaka? They are just a few names we could mention and Stevie's right up there with them. I honestly don't think he realises just how good he is. I've got some great Stevie memories from my time at Anfield but one that sticks out in my mind that always makes me chuckle was when I asked him if he wanted a pair of boots. He used to clean mine when he was a trainee and when I asked him what size boot he was he turned to me with a cheeky grin and said: "six, seven, eight and nine." I'll never forget that. He wanted the other boots for his mates! Like I say, I was at Liverpool a good number of years too so I know how it feels to have played for them for over a decade. It's a special club and if you leave, no matter where you go, it's always going to be a step down. So, it's a great achievement for him to have been such a huge part of the club for those 10 years and I think he's got many more ahead of him.
You need the likes of Gerrard and Carragher in the side because they are local lads who have a great affinity with the fans. They are your heart and soul. Stevie could walk into any side in the world but he has remained a loyal red and if you were dreaming up a Roy of the Rovers top five he could probably better it. Every few months he seems to be picking up a new accolade or breaking another record and, to be frank, I'm proud to say I played alongside him. I hope he goes on to achieve even more in the years ahead and continues to add to his medal collection in what has been a fantastic Liverpool career so far.
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Reebok conquered, next up Craven Cottage

It was a good game against Bolton last Saturday. Except for the first 15mins of the second half, I felt it was a comfortable win. Order was restored when the first team was put up against Bolton. The weekday League Cup game against Spurs was complete rubbish. The team's performance and, in particular Torres, prompted an outburst from the manager. I suspected the comments Benitez made about Torres made him play a lot better against Bolton. He came on in the second half and created that beautiful cross for Stevie to score the second goal. It was a perfectly timed cross that made the header looked easy. 2 goals up. I knew we would go on to seal the 3 points. The fact that Chelsea matched our result later that evening means that this season's title race will be extremely tight. With Man U playing a lot better, I expect a 3 horse race for the title. Arsenal will be close but I don't think they have the tenacity and desire for the League title this season. Their focus may well be in the Champions League. We need 3 points in every game. I just hope Stevie, Keane and Torres will all recover in time from their injuries to play against Fulham this Saturday. It's good that they are all dropped from the mid week international friendly due to injuries and that will allow them sufficient time to recover for Saturday's game. That should be the priority over everything else now. We don't need our key players to be distracted. I don't believe in "country before club" as far as Liverpool's title chances are concerned this season.

Knocked out of the League Cup again.....

It can be viewed as a blessing in disguise ......if we decide to be optimistic. In any case, the game this morning was complete rubbish. Rafa made 10 changes to the side that beat West Brom last weekend. Most of the key players needed to rest....that was his reason. But the trend was obvious. For the past 5 seasons, Rafa had constantly fielded under strength teams for this competition. It is clear that the priority has always been the Champions league, League title, FA Cup in that order.

Looking at Spurs this morning, they were not the full first team either. For one, Bently and a few other first team players were on the bench.

Hypia, Babel, Dossena, Lucas, N'gog are all first team fringe players. Even Plessis and Nabil El'zhar had a few first team starts this season. Only Degen and Cavialeri can be considered as full reserve players. In other words, there is really no excuse for the kind of rubbish we dished out. 3 goals in 8 first half minutes. The second goal by Campell was complete rubbish between out goalkeeper and defender. No excuse for a big club like Liverpool. Degen was atrocious. His defending was non existent and it was his wrong positioning that caused Hypia to drift left to cover him and as a result, leaving a man short in the centre. That allowed Spurs to score the first goal.

I am really disappointed. It's ok to lose but the quality of play must be there for all to see. In this case, we were really bad. It was so painful I had to switch off the tv and spare myself the agony of the second half.

If we view this as a blessing in disguise, then at least the team can now focus on the League title and the other 2 cups.

The League cup are for teams like Arsenal and Man U especially when they will end up with nothing to fight for this season....;-)

Lethal Strike

With Keane scoring his first league goals for the club on Saturday and Torres back from injury, this is the time to let the most "lethal strike" partnership in the premiership to flourish. Rafa needs to play them week-in and week-out now. We need to get them working more together and to build on that understanding. There is no question about their ability. Both are world class strikers and if we are to win the League this season, we need them firing on all cylinders soon.

Having Keane's confidence restored, Torres will benefit greatly from the Irishman's non-stop running and creativity. Keane has the ability to create, to drag defenders wide whilst paving the way for Torres to strike. Similarly, with Torres on the ball, it will not be surprising to see 2 defenders marking him very quickly. Drag them wide and whip a cross into the box and we have Keane or Gerard or Kyut or Reira waiting to pounce. Sweet!

With an attacking line made up of Keane and Torres, supported on the flanks by Kyut and Reira and in the middle of the park by Alonso and Gerard, it's not difficult to see why opposing defenders will be under tremendous pressure when facing them. Throw in Babel, recently dubbed the Super-Sub, Benayoun and Mascherano, we have the ability to inflict a Red tsunami. Both Chelsea and Man U have already seen it so far. The loss to Spurs 2 weekends ago must be seen in context. It was a sucker punch after having been so dominant for most part of the game. Ironically, it was one of the best games we had so far in the season. The movement and passing were fantastic. We were just unlucky not to have scored more. Agger could have had a hat-trick! We need to expect teams visiting Anfield to try and shut us out. A point is always a fantastic result for them. We need to build up our resilence and be patient. One goal is all we need to get that 3 points.

One loss does not lose us the title and similarly, 10 wins will not win us the league. There's still a long way to go and we need to maintain that level of consistency. When the team is playing well and winning games, the changing room will be buzzing with confidence. Confidence breeds belief. With belief, anything is possible. The additional plus factor in our favour is hunger. Hunger for the 19th League title. It has been 19 long years since the league title came home and what better time to win it now.

I really believe this is the season. I sense a feeling of excitment in the way the team plays. Each time they attack, they always look like they are going to score. Our set pieces and corners are looking a lot more threatening. My only hope is that we maintain this current form and keep our players injury free. Maintain the level of competitiveness and consistency.

3 points.....every game. (I have said this more than a hundred times now).

The new "Robbie"

First it was Robbie Fowler. Now, it's Robbie Keane.

I feel vindicated. I said a month or two ago that Keane needed time to settle and he was probably feeling the weight of the club on his shoulders. Whether that's self-imposed or not, I don't know but it's certainly a fact that any player moving into a new club will need time to find his feet before start playing to his true potential. In this case, there was no doubt about Keane's potential. We all knew what a great striker he was at Spurs. With better players around him, it was only a matter of time before he starts banging in the goals.

Many critics were voicing their frustrations over his lack of goals and, more importantly, his movement. In the game against West Brom, he's starting to look like the player he was at Spurs. Finally 2 goals for Liverpool in the league. He is looking more mobile and threatening. His touch is a lot better. Given time, I am sure the Kyut, Torres, Keane and Gerard attacking front line will reap many rewards.

Back at the top of the table. Let's stay there and not lose the lead again. 3 points, every game. That's the target.

2 famous quotes from 2 great Liverpool managers

"The socialism I believe in is not really politics. It is a way of living. It is humanity. I believe the only way to live and be truly successful is by collective effort with everyone working for each other and everyone helping each other and everyone having a share of the reward at the end of the day. It is the way I see football and the way I see life". Bill Shankly

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"One of the things I keep reminding players is that when you're in a fog, you must stick together. Then you don't get lost. If there's a secret about Liverpool, that's it."
Bob Paisely

We lost....

I am totally devastated! How did we lose the 3 points in injury time? What happened to the fight back? Looks like all the things we said about losing a late fight back is coming true.

It's sad to lose the lead so soon. We needed to break away from the pack and extend our lead. We failed but the consoling thing is that it's still early days. There's still 27 games left to play and it's not even christmas yet.

We need to improve, that's for sure and bounce back in a big way in the next game.....