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Sharuko On Saturday
FOR many Liverpool fans, there is only one Stevie G!
Among Scousers, he is one of their own, a football god of some sort, the boy from their city, who grew up to lead their favourite club.
This isn’t a city short of superheroes.
One which, in its desperation for idols, quickly falls for any average star, who emerges on the scene, and blows his profile ten-fold.
This is the hometown of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, collectively known as the Beatles, the Fab Four, the supergroup which changed music forever.
It’s also the hometown of Dixie Dean, the goal-scoring king who, during the ’27/’28 season, scored 60 goals.
Of course, he didn’t star for Liverpool but for Everton but that doesn’t diminish his profile as probably the finest footballer to emerge from Merseyside.
That explains why he is a Hall of Famer.
If you aren’t interested in football, or music, Liverpool still has something for you, in terms of greatness, when it comes to its sons.
Take, for instance, John Alex Brodie, the civil engineer, whose genius enabled him to come up with The Mersey Tunnel and the United Kingdom’s first ring road.
Into this proud community, in Whiston, a child was born on May 30, 1980, to Paul and Julie Ann Gerrard — the family’s second son.
They named him Steven and, for us, his arrival into this world came amid the joyous celebrations, in this country, as we toasted the euphoria of the freedom that comes with Independence.
A year later, on March 17, 1981, an eternal bond would be established, between Liverpool, and a good chunk of our people, after Bruce Grobbelaar completed a £250,000 to the Anfield giants.
It’s a special relationship, which has stood the test of time, including a 30-year wait for the league championship, and the Reds probably have a massive local support base.
A BBC report, based on a Twitter survey, which was published in August 2015, didn’t have Liverpool among the Top Three clubs in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Malawi and Zambia.
Manchester United topped the poll, as the most popular team, in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Zambia while Arsenal topped the table of preference in Malawi.
Still, even in that country, United were ranked second while Chelsea, just like the Gunners, featured on all the tables, in the three countries.
It’s a survey which I strongly dispute because, in my little book, I find it difficult to believe that Liverpool can’t feature in the TOP TWO, of the most popular clubs, in this country.
In Arcadia, alone, it’s like no other football club, except Liverpool, exists in this country and, just as well, the Anfield club’s primary identity has a red colour.
For this community, in a way, Liverpool appears to remind them of the good old days when their local club, Arcadia United, was so good it even won the domestic league championship in 1971.
It’s impossible to talk about Arcadia without mentioning super fan Auntie Cookie, a benchmark of loyalty to the cause of a community football club, in this country.
“Come On Arcadia!” became her signature rallying cry, for the club of her dreams, wherever her team went, she would be there, her passion unyielding, her romance, blooming.
She became the one-woman soundtrack, in the stands, for her team’s chorus of encouragement, its melody of endorsement and the signature tune to salute her team’s commitment.
THE MAKING OF A LIVERPOOL HERO
In Liverpool, they also have their football legends and, when it comes to the Reds, Gerrard is right up with their best of the very best.
For years, he was the heartbeat of Liverpool, the soul of the club, the captain who, now and again, would lead from the front and, under his leadership, this famous club rediscovered its competitive edge.
Who can forget the Gerrard Final — the 2006 FA Cup final — at the Millennium in Cardiff?
In the first minute of added time, Liverpool found themselves 2-3 down to West Ham and, with hope starting to fade away, Gerrard refused to go down with his troops, his club, his city and his club.
The goal he scored, a powerful shot from distance, is probably the finest goal one can ever see, in terms of execution and timing, given the occasion, the weight on one’s shoulders and the knowledge that there was no room for error.
It sent the game into extra-time, and later penalties, and Gerrard converted one of the spot kicks, to cap his man-of-the-match award, as Liverpool won the trophy.
Fittingly, it was the last FA Cup final played at the Millennium – the football gods are never wrong, how can humans try to mess up the memories of the Gerrard Final by trying to stage another showcase on that hallowed turf?
It was a golden period for Gerrard and Liverpool, coming a year after their incredible comeback, from 0-3 down at halftime, to beat AC Milan on penalties, and win another European title.
But, life has a way to remind us of our mortality and Gerrard’s infamous slip, at Anfield in 2014, to let Demba Ba speed away and score for Chelsea, showed that he was just human, just like all of us.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of El Hadji Diouf’s £10m transfer from French club Lens to Liverpool.
It’s a transfer which, in Gerrard’s view, was a sheer waste of Liverpool money, and he highlights that in his explosive book.
“I don’t really want to waste time thinking about El Hadji Diouf but it’s worth highlighting his wasted seasons at Liverpool as an example of how it can all go wrong,” Gerrard wrote.
“We had finished as runners-up to Manchester United the season before and a combination of Diouf, Salif Diao and Bruno Cheyrou was supposed to drive us to the title.
“It was probably the biggest waste of £18m in Liverpool’s history. We finished the season in fifth place and Diouf had sealed his place at the top of the list of Liverpool signings I liked least.
“It seemed to me that Diouf had no real interest in football and that he cared nothing about Liverpool. For example, the way he spat a huge globule of gunky phlegm at a Celtic fan, in a UEFA Cup match at Parkhead in March 2003, summed up his contemptuous and spiteful demeanour.
“A few people have since asked me if I saw any comparison between Diouf and Mario Balotelli — and I’ve always said no. I’ve got respect for Balotelli; I’ve got none for Diouf.”
Wow!
If he believes £18m for these THREE players was the worst investment in Liverpool transfer history, what about:
The £35m which Liverpool spent on Andy Carrol, almost twice what they spent on those three players, in an investment which brought just SIX league goals in THREE years?
The £17m, which Liverpool spent on Alberto Aquilani, a player who, in three years, was loaned to AS Milan and Juventus, where he failed to make an impact, ending up running his contract and arriving at Fiorentina for just £800k?
The £4m spent on Paul Konchesky, who only featured in 15 games, during his one-and-half seasons at Anfield?
The £19.3m spent on Robbie Kean for seven goals, in 28 appearances, before he returned to Spurs, where he had come from, for just £7m?
The £20m spent on Serbian Lazar Markovic, who spent his time being loaned out, ran down his contract and ended up being signed by Fulham where he only played just ONE game?
The £9m spent on Iago Aspas of Spain, the man who failed to score even a single goal, in his two years at Liverpool?
Diouf’s response was predictably explosive and he accused Gerrard of being a racist, which the former England skipper dies, and someone who never liked black footballers.
The Senegalese legend claimed it was not a coincidence that Stevie G was not a fan of him, his countryman Salif Diao and, along the way, had also decided to include Balotelli in the conversation.
The three footballers all have African heritage.
I don’t believe Gerrard doesn’t like black players because anyone, who is able to handle Alfredo Morales, and embraces him as a leader in his team, the way Stevie G did at Rangers, can never be accused of being against black footballers.
Morales is the perfect rebel, a chaotic character who, only this week, was left out of the Rangers team, for the Champions League battle against PSV Eindhoven, because of his troubled character.
If you think Balotelli, with all his baggage of fireworks in the bathroom, was a rebel, then you probably don’t know Morales.
But, I have to say that, in recent weeks, I have been forced to question myself, whether I am right, to disagree with Diouf’s stance, in which he accuses Gerrard of being someone who “doesn’t like black footballers.”
I’m not sure whether “black footballers” is the right term because Gerrard clearly loved Morales, who is a black player from Colombia, during his time at Rangers.
He also loved Glen Kamara, a black Finnish footballer, who became a very key part of his Rangers project.
Gerrard also trusted the captaincy of Rangers in the hands of James Tavernier, a black Englishman, who has also been the target of racist abuse, including being targeted with monkey emojis, on his social media platforms.
SO MANY QUESTIONS, VERY FEW ANSWERS
Gerrard’s first 10 years, as a child, came in the ’80s, at a time when racism was not only rampant but, in a way, even acceptable, in English cities and at the country’s stadiums.
Back then, it even appeared fashionable, to be a racist.
For Gerrard to reveal that one of his childhood heroes was John Barnes was quite revealing given that this was a boy, who was growing up in a community, where there was quite a considerable resentment, towards the forward.
There was even a section of Liverpool fans, who rallied against the signing of Barnes from Watford, back then, simply because of the colour of his skin.
In that environment, the boy Gerrard refused to be dragged into a pit of darkness, where people were being judged by the colour of their skin, to appreciate that John Barnes was a special footballer.
I don’t believe Gerrard is a racist and, even if I thought he was, I don’t think my view would be fair because of my Manchester United links, where I am generally expected not to see the beauty of what happens at Anfield.
But, it’s hard, if not impossible, to find yourself failing to appreciate the talents of the only man in history to score in the FA Cup final, League Cup final, UEFA Cup final and Champions League final.
My respect for Gerrard has, in a way, been influenced by his rise to become captain of the Three Lions, a team I have always supported, even though they have won nothing, during my half-a-century on this world.
We cannot say Gerrard is a “racist” and does not like “black players,” when his biggest signing this season is a black French midfielder, Boubacar Kamara, on a five-year deal.
However, I can understand the disappointment in Burkina Faso today, and their argument that their star forward, Bertrand Traore, was given a very raw deal by Gerrard.
The people of Burkina Faso are probably saying Diouf was right but, rather than saying Gerrard does not like “black players,” maybe he should have said the Villa boss does not like “African players.”
You can understand their fury, and why it’s leading to such outrageous conclusions because they can’t understand how their man has suddenly become excess baggage at Villa.
After all, this is a player, who in his two seasons at the Birmingham club, has clocked 55 appearances, and scored nine goals.
This is a man who, in his first season at Villa, clocked 36 appearances, before injuries marred his second season at the club.
After being relegated to train with the Under-23 team, Traore was this week shipped out on loan, until the end of the season, where he will play for Basaksehir.
Why are they alarmed?
It’s because they have seen this script before, where a loan move to Turkey has become the template for Villa to dump their African players, starting with Mbwana Samatta and then moving to Trezeguet.
Here in Zimbabwe, there is also growing concern, over the way Marvelous Nakamba has suddenly fallen down the Villa pecking order, in the new season.
Many fans cannot understand how a man, who won the Villa Player of the Month, in Gerrard’s first month in charge of the club in November, is suddenly battling to make the Villa squad, let alone the first XI.
They can’t understand why a player, who Villa barred from moving to Newcastle, when the Magpies showed genuine interest during the January transfer window, now finds himself struggling to make the team’s Match Day squad.
They can’t understand why someone, who claimed 36% of the vote, among 8000 Villa fans, for that accolade, has suddenly become so bad he can’t even make the Match Day squad.
John McGinn, who took 24% of the vote, is now the club captain.
“Marvelous has really stood out. We knew he was a good player, but we’re really impressed with how he’s gone about it in the past couple of weeks,” said Gerrard, back then.
So, what has changed?
In such situations, it’s hard for fans to just accept that it’s about form and, more often than not, they find themselves clinging to the conspiracy theories, including that Gerrard doesn’t like African players.
They end up feeding from the theories of people like Diouf and it’s hard to blame them.
They can’t understand why Gerrard would rightly condemn Diouf, for spitting at a young fan, and then chose to go into silent mode, when Jamie Carragher does exactly the same thing, to a Man Utd fan, and his 14-year-old daughter, in March 2018?
Even Sky Sports, where Carragher is a pundit, were outraged by his actions and, for some time, suspended him from their set.
So, spitting becomes disgusting, for Gerrard, when it’s an African teammate but he doesn’t see anything wrong, when it’s done by his English teammate?
It’s those little things which confuse both African fans, and pundits, and when it’s combined with the way the likes of Trezeguet, Traore and Nakamba have been treated, it becomes a toxic cocktail.
And, when Diouf pops up again, and preaches his gospel, you can understand when his number of followers, and those who believe in what he is saying, grows.
To God Be The Glory!
Peace to the GEPA Chief, the Big Fish, George Norton, Daily Service, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and all the Chakariboys still in the struggle.
Come on United!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ronaldoooooooooooooooooooooo!
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