Steven Gerrard has been called the “best player of his generation” by a former cup rival as Gary McAllister reveals how he helped the young Liverpool captain clean up his reckless tackling ahead of his talkSPORT appearance this week.
The 114 cap England hero will join the breakfast show on Tuesday alongside Ally McCoist and Gabby Agbonlahor to discuss all things Liverpool, England and his managerial future.
But before that, two fascinating stories have emerged about the man they called ‘Captain Fantastic’.
First, the praise. Craig Harrison now the all conquering manager of The New Saints, came up against Gerrard during Liverpool’s treble winning 2000/01 season. His side pushed the Reds all the way in the League Cup before eventually losing on penalties.
And Harrison, speaking to talkSPORT.com, did not hold back.
“This might be, might not be, controversial, it’s only my opinion, but I think Steven Gerrard’s been the best player of his generation,” Harrison said.
“I understand [Paul] Scholes, [Frank] Lampard, etc, etc, but they’re both playing in much better teams than what Steven Gerrard did.
“For me, Steven Gerrard was right up there with the best. You look at the only ones I’d probably put in front of him, of what I’ve seen, are Paul Gascoigne and Bryan Robson.”
High praise indeed from a man who saw Gerrard up close and felt the pain of losing to him at Anfield.
McAllister: ‘He wanted to win every ball’
The other revelation comes from Gary McAllister, the Scottish midfielder who arrived at Liverpool in 2000 when Gerrard was just a raw 20 year old trying to break into the first team.
Gerrard’s early career was blotted by suspensions for wild tackles. He was sent off against Everton in September 2001 for a horror foul on George Boateng. A year later, he got a three game ban for a two footed lunge on Gary Naysmith in the Merseyside derby.
Enter McAllister, 16 years his senior.
“He wanted to win every ball,” McAllister told talkSPORT earlier this year. “I’d say, listen, maybe you might hurt an opponent, but the biggest danger when you go reckless into tackles you might hurt yourself.
“If your body’s out of sync and you’re stretching to make a tackle, you’re not in a strong low position. I think he’d think, ‘Oh, that makes sense a wee bit.’
“He’s a warrior. He wants to win at all costs. He wants to win every ball. But I think that appreciation of you can’t win every ball, and occasionally it’s not a bad thing to go in and steal it. Use your brain a little bit.”
It worked. Gerrard went from a hot headed youngster to one of the most complete midfielders the Premier League has ever seen.
The treble and the legacy
Gerrard and McAllister were key figures in Liverpool’s treble winning 2000/01 campaign, the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup all landing at Anfield.
Harrison’s TNS side pushed them all the way in that League Cup run, beating Liverpool 2-1 at Selhurst Park before getting “heavily beaten” in the return leg at Anfield.
Harrison has since built a dynasty in Welsh football. TNS have just won the Cymru Premier for the fifth consecutive season, his 11th title with the club in total.
But he has never forgotten the quality of the man who stood in his way all those years ago.
What comes next
Gerrard joins talkSPORT Breakfast on Tuesday. Expect questions on Liverpool’s title hopes, his managerial future and perhaps a word or two about the man who taught him to tackle.
McAllister will be listening somewhere, no doubt with a smile.
The raw kid who wanted to win every ball became the best of his generation. Not bad for a lad from Huyton.
