I want these boys to see me as their COACH.. not their HERO
GERRARD REFUSING TO DWELL ON PAST GLORIES AS HE BRINGS ON REDS STARS OF THE FUTURE
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 (right, 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 preseason, 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, giving them the time to improve them individually and collectively. That’s been the biggest eye-opener, the hours.”
Gerrard, 37, agreed his role in the summer with Jurgen Klopp and Academy boss Alex Inglethorpe and loves being back at Liverpool.
Klopp has told him he can always speak to him and he loves playing in the Academy staff games on Tuesday mornings.
Most importantly, coaching the Under-18s is helping him fill the void left in his life since he retired last year.
“I think when I went to LA and had four or five months off, I found it very difficult to get over the fact that my playing days were gone,” he said.
“I’m in a better place in terms of that now. I’ve moved on from it and coaching fills part of that void, although I don’t think anything can properly fill it for me because I loved playing so much.”
Gerrard’s young charges are clearly learning from him and they produced a comeback of Olympiakos proportions to score two late goals to beat Wolves 2-1 last week to go top of the Under-18 Premier League.
He says he has taken bits from every manager he has played under to mould his own style – but is no teacup thrower. “Do I roar at someone in front of the whole group and try to belittle them?” he said. “No I don’t. Am I strong with the team at halftime if they haven’t played well in the first half ? Yes.
“I’m not in this to belittle anyone or throw a cup at anyone, not at this age. I’m well aware that you can kill a player very quickly.
“I’ve learned loads. I’ve shouted things I shouldn’t have shouted. I’ve said things to officials I shouldn’t have said. I’ve said things to players I shouldn’t have said. I’ve made mistakes, I’ve made loads of them.
“One of the reasons I took this role was so I could make mistakes without getting judged in every newspaper and every social media site. The time will come for that when I’m ready.”
Gerrard is glad he turned down numerous offers, such as the MK Dons job, to learn his trade out of the spotlight. And he suggested the famous Anfield Boot Room may return. “The Boot Room may never ever be as good as it was, but it still might come back,” he said. “It depends if someone wants it back, someone is in a position to bring it back.”
Steven Gerrard, Liverpool manager. That really would continue the legend.