I want these boys to see me as their COACH.. not their HERO

IT’S hard for Steven Gerrard to get away from his legendary status at Liverpool.

At his new workplace at Liverpool’s Academy in Kirkby hangs a banner, proudly listing his games and goals, beside other famous youth products like Jamie Carragher.

But he just wants to be Steven Gerrard the coach when he is out on the training pitch working with his table-topping Under-18 squad.

Gerrard has consciously consigned the glorious playing chapter in his life to the past as he focuses on successfully writing the next one as a coach.

“I never ever bring my playing days up,” he said as he sat in a room in the Academy, reflecting on his first five months as a coach. “I never bring footage up of when I was involved.

“If I want to show them something tactically then I’ll always use Liverpool’s first team or someone else’s first team. My career as a player is gone. It’s about me now trying to help, shape and guide them to give them the best chance for their careers.

“It’s about what’s happening tomorrow, not what happened yesterday.”

While Gerrard (below, with the Champions League) consigned the past to the scrapheap the day he first donned his coaching gear, he admits his players needed longer to see him as their boss rather than their hero.

“I think at first they saw me as the player,” he admitted. “I think they were a bit in their shells during pre-season, shy and quiet.

“But if you’d watched them this morning, you’d have seen they are out of that now. They’re comfortable now and realising I’m serious as a coach.

“I had to earn their trust. I had to show them my work ethic was right. I have to be here on a daily basis, putting the hours in,