CLASSIC CLIPS | Steven Gerrard Admits “I Didn’t Appreciate It Enough” During Liverpool Career

0:04Right, here we are. We've got the main man, Mr. Steven Gerrard. Well, come on, the main man here. The big draw. The reason we sell out. How's it going? Good, mate. Yeah, stress-free. Hard of work in terms of the coaching and management, which is obviously 24-7. So back in Liverpool a couple of weeks. Going to try and make the Merseyside derby. See a few friends and family, mate. So I'm great. I'm all good. Yeah, enjoying. I know, obviously, you want to be in work and things, but is it nice to kind of sit back and come back to your home city and do normal things again? I don't want to be back in work, mate.

0:37Do you not? No, not at the moment. I've just come out, so I'm happy with waking up and being free and doing the family stuff and just being free away from stress. I will go back in at some point, but when it's around the clock, I've been doing it 18, 19 months in terms of the last job. I just want to be free. I want to go and have a game of golf. I want to go down the dozer I have a couple of beers I want to do normal things that you can't really do in your culture so I'm all good yeah good how nice is it to come and see this is my first one I've done so nice to see the lads you've played with and shared so many amazing memories with listen I think obviously the main priority is obviously the cause that we do for the foundations this foundation the Chelsea foundation but I know the next big draw is to get back in the dressing room with the lads and you know run it back if you like obviously you can't run as fast and you can't think as fast and the intensity's not the same but to have a game of footy with your ex-teammates is a big draw for me I've just traveled seven hours to do this you know what I mean that's why I come back to play at Anfield full out see the lads have a game of footy great crack and you scored you scored a belter last time right it was actually a couple of games ago yeah couple of games I was desperate to score you know what I mean I'm dying to as well well listen as soon as I get within range just get the back post Just clip on my face like the old days.

1:57I know where you are. I've been tapping everyone up, all the service. First one I need to talk to is you. I love it, you know. I love it. I love, I miss it. I miss it every day. I speak to Carrad a lot, a bar and he goes, I'm made up. I hated it. I hated the last few years. I miss it every day. Do you? Everything. I would love to go back and run it all back again. Really? I love it. Love it. Yeah, I suppose when you've had the career that you have, I'd run it back as well. to be honest with you though like you go I'll do coaching and management you know it'll fill the void and blah blah it doesn't it's just not the same don't get me wrong it's it's it's a great job to still be around it and stuff like that but in terms of the buzz of playing I didn't appreciate it enough I didn't appreciate it enough Do you know I've mentioned on this podcast many a time that like I felt like you know I got to a great level but I felt like the real top players like yourself kind of didn't enjoy it enough.

2:55It was about the next game all the time. Whereas I'd go, fucking hell, I did great there and really enjoy it. You know, whereas I felt like you maybe. I think with a bit of maturity and experience, I look back and think, oh, you're a bit too intense. You're a bit stiff. It's serious. You know what I mean? I get, I get all that, but. That makes you the player you was. Yeah. Well, maybe, but in my shoes, like in this city and stuff, you do carry it. I've heard Jamie say it a lot. He carried it as well. and you probably feel slightly more responsible. I don't know whether you've had that at previous clubs when you've been at the team.

3:27I moved around too much. Topham and what have you? Yeah, I didn't play for the club that I was raised at all. QPR for like a season and that was it. It's difficult to get away from it when you're from this city and you play for the club, one of the biggest clubs in the world. It's intense. Most of my family are Reds, friends. You go out the door, it's Red, you know, and it's gone even bigger now. The social media, you know, the club's grown. I think the current owners have done an unbelievable job. But even at the time, I lived it and breathed it, and it was round the clock. So I was intense. I was serious.

3:59I get all that. People's opinions of me from afar or wherever it is, is right I was too intense. But it is what it is. It is, yeah, of course. And it's so hard because I've asked everyone else their favourite memories of being a Liverpool player. And I feel like we need another two hours for yours. but obviously Istanbul must have been right up there. But I mean, is there any other moments alongside that that you remember so fondly? Yeah, lots, lots, highs and lows. I often reflect and go over some bad moments again and go, well, I wish that didn't happen. We don't have to go down that road. But making my debut is the big one because I'd been at Liverpool from seven or eight years of age.

4:43I'd chased the dream for so long. I remember being on the bench and around the first team I was so close and I was fear of not getting my debut at the time so when I actually got called to play the last 2-3 minutes against Blackburn it was at Anfield wow what a moment I just felt on top of the world and it was the same feeling when I had Istanbul the FA Cup final and whatever else highs that people want to talk about but that first call back from Phil Thompson to actually come on to Anfield I'd watched so many games as a fan and I'd chased the dream for so long that was the moment where I just felt like I was floating you know in that moment obviously because you're a local lad and all that are you thinking about your family and friends are you thinking or are you just thinking I want to make an impact in this game I just want a fair touch of the ball I want to feel what it feels like to play for Liverpool's fair team it was a pinch me moment because for the six months prior to it when I'd moved in and around the first team I'm on the bus with Robbie Fowler Jamie Redknapp Steve McManaman and these are people that I waited outside the training ground, I cleaned the boots, they're role models, inspirations to me.

5:54So for me to play in front of 40, 240, 2000 at the time with my heroes, that was a proper pinch me moment. When I had all the other heist after that, I felt like I belonged in the first team. But that was like a surreal moment where you're like, what is going on here? What is happening to me here? I've talked about on this podcast before, I think some of my early sessions at Liverpool when I first arrived and I found myself kind of trying to impress you and Cara more than Rafa. And I've said about it before. Did you feel that? And did you like go out to try and achieve that for other players and set standards?

6:33Because I felt your standards, they were so high and they went, I just wanted to kind of meet those standards. Did you see that with players? I definitely wanted to set a standard. yeah you're definitely right with that I think you know as the captain of the team or vice captain of the team myself and Jamie I think we had the responsibility to try and hold that standard because that had been obviously put into us for many years growing up the Liverpool way but I was never out to intentionally make anyone feel uncomfortable or put any more pressure on anyone if any and it was the opposite always wanted to try and help people settle as much as I can but also from a football point of view also set the standard like this is a different club to most you know we you need to be at a certain standard because at the end of the day every three four days this football club you get judged to win so it wasn't to make anyone feel uncomfortable but yeah it was to certainly get them standards well listen my little lad's here today and he's a big Liverpool fan and he's never saw me play he's only five and he's obviously really enjoyed so if you can put one on the plate for me at some stage as soon as I get soon as we get into the final third I swear I'll be either looking to play off you or I'll be looking for that little clip to the back post or if it comes first time it's getting whipped in so you just run through the goal I really appreciate it mate I look at me after a cup middle every day and I thank you for it so if we just do the same again today please no problem you bringing him into the session yeah yeah how old is he only five bring him in he loves it get him in he loves it I will do yeah cheers fellas thank you

8:38We'll be right back. for more.