Steven Gerrard had taken the supporters’ coach down to Villa Park and was settling into his seat in the away end by the time the double takes from disbelieving fans gave way to the inevitable bouts of mickey-taking.
“There was a bit of banter flying around,” said Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard. “Stuff like, ‘You won’t get back in the team, Stevie’ and ‘You’ve got a fight on next season, Gerrard, to get past Lucas and Spearo [Jay Spearing]’.
“It was all good natured. But I don’t mind all that. I know what I can do and I know the challenge ahead for me. I welcome all that. Right now, I’m just steaming for a game of football again.”
Three weeks on and the playful ribbing he received still brings a smile to midfielder Gerrard’s face. That day when he went back to his roots succeeded in planting a seed in his mind that he believes would help others at Anfield blossom.
While Cesc Fabregas was in Barcelona to watch the Formula One Grand Prix rather than being at the Emirates for Arsenal’s final game of the campaign, Gerrard’s decision to travel to the Midlands with his mates represented a touch of class.
“I was a fan for a day,” he said. “Carra [Jamie Carragher] had done it a few years ago and I’d had a few letters saying I should go to an away game. It was an eye-opener for me to get in among them. For a young player in our squad, or maybe one of the foreign lads, to have a day like that would really help them.
“Fans absolutely adore the players. Everything is about the players for them, so for a player to give up a day, mix with the fans and give a little back...well, there’s no harm in that.
“I am not putting pressure on anyone, but it is important for the players to have that link with the fans. If this club is going to be successful, everybody needs to stick together.” Gerrard is confident that, with the focus having shifted from all the shenanigans in the boardroom to what happens out on the pitch, Liverpool has recovered their identity.
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