Go on, you know you want to: (at least it isn't London press)
Steven Gerrard factfile Jul 4 2005
Liverpool Echo
1980: Born May 30 in Huyton.
1988: Joins Liverpool Academy.
1998: Signs as a professional.
November - Makes Liverpool debut as substitute against Blackburn.
1999: August - Scores against Luxembourg on England Under-21 debut.
December - Scores first Liverpool goal in 4-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday.
2000: May - Included in Euro 2000 squad and makes England debut in 2-0 friendly win against Ukraine.
2001: May - Wins treble with Reds.
August - Signs an extension to his contract which will keep him at Anfield until 2005.
2002: May 14 - Ruled out of World Cup because of groin injury.
2003: June 12 - Admits he would like to extend his Anfield contract and reveals he was on the verge of signing a new deal, despite having two years left on his current contract.
September - Appointed Liverpool captain.
November - Signed new contract to keep him at Anfield until 2007.
2004: March - Named England captain for friendly in Sweden.
June - Announced he would be staying at Liverpool despite fresh speculation that he would join Chelsea.
2005: May 25 - Lifted Champions League trophy.
July 4 - Linked with a move away from Anfield following reports the player is unhappy with contract negotiations.
We want Stevie here for life Jul 4 2005
By Chris Bascombe, Liverpool Echo
RAFAEL BENITEZ this afternoon made an impbuttioned plea to torn skipper Steven Gerrard to step back from the brink and said: "We want you at Anfield for life."
Gerrard's representatives from agents SFX have pulled out of discussions over a lucrative new four-year deal claiming the
Reds have delayed too long because they're trying to engineer his departure.
Those accusations were today strongly denied by Liverpool officials who still hope the damage of a weekend of chaos is a spat that can be quickly repaired.
Benitez, speaking at a Press conference to confirm new signings Bolo Zenden and Jose Reina, said: "We tried last season three times to talk about a new contract and he said he wanted to wait until the end of the season.
" Then we lifted the most important trophy in Europe. We have signed the best player in the middle of the team, the best goalkeeper in Spain, and the best young player in Chile.
"We have improved the team to make a better challenge for next season.
"I can butture all our fans we want Steven to stay with us.
"If I renew my deal at Liverpool for another four years on top of my current contract I would like Steven to become my buttistant manager and after that become the next manager of Liverpool.
Lastest pooeWell it would appear that the same sources feeding the media have again been busy on Monday evening as the majority of...
"I want him to stay with us for the rest of his life."
Gerrard arrived at Melwood today amid growing concerns he's ready to quit Anfield.
Anfield chief executive Rick Parry remains optimistic face-to-face discussions can yet resolve the baffling deadlock between a player who wants to stay at the club he loves - and a club who insist they want to keep him.
"Rafa wants Stevie to stay. We still hope this situation is repairable," said Parry.
"We're completely surprised by the reports this morning having made it clear since January we wanted to talk to Steven about a new contract. For anyone to make an issue of a delay of just a few days makes no sense. When we met on Wednesday things were fine.
"We have wanted to keep Steven all along.
"Money is not an issue. There are no financial concerns regarding Steven's contract."
Manager Benitez is understood to be furious at accusations he's engineered a possible transfer.
He and Gerrard were involved in private discussions on Saturday, but reports of a 'blazing training ground row' have angered the manager.
Liverpool may yet decide to keep Gerrard, even if Chelsea and Real Madrid make their expected approach over the next few days.
The 25-year-old has two years left on his contract.
However, the most likely outcome is the sale of the captain.
The row over Gerrard today over-shadowed the arrival of Zenden, who comes on a Bosman free transfer from Middlesbrough, and Reina, bought for £6m from Villarrea
Skipper wanted talks straight after final triumph Jul 4 2005
By Chris Bascombe, Liverpool Echo
STEVEN GERRARD'S last match for Liverpool may prove to be the Champions League final, but a political game is now being played to rival the epic battle in Istanbul.
Amid a series of claims and counter-claims, contract negotiations have been called to a halt by the Liverpool skipper.
The captain suspects moves have been put in motion to engineer his sale and make him look responsible, despite his public declaration to stay.
His patience snapped last night and he called the whole thing off - a move sure to trigger bids from Chelsea and Real Madrid. The Gerrard camp believe the £35m cash injection for his signature is what Liverpool wanted all along.
Absolutely not, say Anfield officials. Rather than privately welcome the news, Liverpool reacted with a combined sense of horror and bemusement. They're adamant they want their skipper to stay, insist they will try to revive talks and believe the captain has been mis-informed about the club's intentions.
An alternative conspiracy theory blames the Real Madrid propaganda machine for cleverly manufacturing this crisis, convincing SFX their client is being victimised by those who want him out of Anfield in order to allow Rafa Benitez to fund squad rebuilding.
Unless heads are banged together quickly, ACAS or the United Nations peace envoy pbuttes the Melwood training ground, Liverpool will lose their captain. It may already be too late.
What's beyond question is the breakdown has been triggered by a single factor. Rightly or wrongly, Gerrard doesn't feel the club want him any more.
He identified a lack of will to find a quick resolution to his future after victory in Istanbul. This was perceived by some as a telling insight into Liverpool's shift in attitude towards the captain compared to a year ago.
When Gerrard offered a ray of hope he would reject Chelsea after Euro 2004, the Press conference was arranged with the click of a finger, ensuring he wouldn't change his mind.
A similar opportunity to tie the skipper down was presented on a golden platter after his post-match comments in Turkey. This time, everyone went on holiday.
According to Liverpool, this reflected the trust and confidence between player and club. There was nothing to worry about and no hurry. Gerrard, lest we forget, has two years left on his contract.
