Stevie G’s already a Kop legend... but they’ll be raising a statue of him at Anfield if his Villa defy City
I’ve had a vision of Liverpool parading FIVE trophies around the city next Sunday.
And there in front is a little popemobile car, leading the Quadruple kings and the secondtier-winning women’s team around the route... with Steven Gerrard standing within it, blessing the cheering millions.
I messaged him to tell him that. All I will say is, he didn’t entirely rule it out. If we can all agree that replying with a ‘face palm’ emoji is not ruling it out.
He also suggested that, instead of parking a bus in front of the Aston Villa goal today, he’d love to park my wallet instead.
Which is a bit rich coming from him (I know, but I couldn’t resist it!).
You couldn’t make it up, could you? He’s one of Liverpool’s greatest-ever players – and most certainly the greatest Liverpool player to never win the title.
And here he is, taking Villa to the Etihad to try and give his former club – and the club that is still in his heart – the chance to win the title.
There would be buckets of tears if that was a film. There WILL be buckets if it happens for real today.
When we spoke, I said that, if he takes points off City, and Liverpool win the Premier League on the way to a Quadruple, I’d almost guarantee the fans would commission a statue of him to go alongside Shanks, behind the Kop.
It would probably be up before the start of next season.
All joking aside (though I’m not joking about the statue, or his wallet) I know how much our old club is in his heart, because he’s the same as me.
It gets in your blood. You can’t grow up there, live and breathe the whole history, and not be affected by it. Those amazing highs, the cruel lows. We’ve both had them.
Leaving was a wrench, no doubt.
Leaving without achieving that dream we both had of lifting that league trophy, as all the greats had done, just as the teams we grew up watching did, hurt like hell.
So I know how much Stevie’s slip in 2014 – when his team should have won the title – must have skewered him. We’ve never spoken about it, but I know.
I’m not going to go all sentimental and say today’s game is a chance of redemption, but, without wishing to burst the bubble of romance of it all, the truth is it’s a game he wants to win. For his old club, yes, but mostly to help cement his position at Villa and his reputation as one of the coming managers.
Steven knows getting a result at City will help him do that.
There’s no doubt Patrick Vieira made waves when he twice took points off City this season.
Vieira’s a winner, too, like all the great players, with an intense desire to succeed, especially on the big stage against the best. That doesn’t go when you hang up the boots.
What better stage, what better opponent than one of the game’s most astute tactical masters?
That’s why I’m clinging to that dream of Liverpool parading the full Quad around my city.
In reality, we all think it’s a bit of a long shot. Manchester City have
been here before, many
times now.
Yet I think back to their first one. QPR were relegation no-hopers, the result a foregone conclusion. Yet we all know what happened – and that it took one of the greatest last-gasp goals in Premier League history for City to lift the title.
Point is, there’s always a chance. And football has a strange knack of writing the most incredible stories.
That’s why there are statues outside stadiums.