[lfc-news] Gerrard aiming to join elite group of scousers - Echo

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Liverpool Echo, 24 May 2005
Gerrard aiming to join elite group of scousers
By Chris Bascombe In Istanbul, Liverpool Echo

THE select, elite pair of Scousers who have lifted the European Cup are
praying they will welcome a new member to their illustrious group on
Wednesday night.

Steven Gerrard celebrates his stunning late strike against Olympiakos,
which guaranteed Liverpool a place in the Champions League knockout stage

Liverpool's Phil Thompson and Aston Villa's Dennis Mortimer are the only
skippers from the city who have made the most glorious walk in club
football.

If Steven Gerrard joins their ranks, he says he'll feel a sense of pride
for his region as much as his club.

"As a Liverpool lad, I'm not only proud to be leading the team out, but
also to be following in a great tradition," said Gerrard.

"There aren't many players from this city who have had this kind of
opportunity. I know all the stories about 1977 when there were a lot of
local lads in the team, then there were a couple who played for Aston
Villa. But there aren't many lads from Liverpool who have had the honour
of being captain in a European Cup final.

"Phil Thompson always used to tell us those great stories about winning
it in 1981. He says it was the highlight of his career and something
which he still thinks about all these years later. That's exactly what
we want to repeat.

"I know how much Tommo will be wanting me to go through the same
experience. He'll be sending me a good luck message before the game,
like he always does, and I'm desperate to do it. If we win it, and I can
get the permission I need from the club, I'll take the cup to Huyton to
show all my friends and family.

"I should get plenty of opportunities to do so since we'll get to keep
it this time, if we win.

"I would organise a big party so everyone who has supported me could
come along and see it.

"I know Tommo did the same thing in 1981. He lifted the European Cup and
took it to Kirkby." Ian Callaghan, Tommy Smith, Jimmy Case and David
Fairclough were the Merseysiders who tasted European glory in 1977, and
they were followed by Villa duo Peter Withe and Mortimer in 1982.

Sammy Lee was a key member of the 1984 team, while Steve McManaman was
the last Scouser to get his hands on the trophy, playing a pivotal role
in Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Valencia in 2000 and coming on as a
substitute in the 2002 win over Bayer Leverkusen.

"The last Scouser to score in the European Cup Final is Macca, so
there's an incentive for Carra and me to match that," said Gerrard.

"I'm also expecting to hear from Steve before the game because he's
another ex-player who's always quick to say good luck or well done
before or after a big game. I know he'll be right behind us too.

"Since my mates started leaving for Turkey on Sunday, I've not been able
to sleep. My family left for the game last weekend and that's when it
all started sinking in. I've not been able to think about anything else.

"The nearer it gets, the more you start thinking about what might
happen. You can't stop yourself. Now, we all just want it to start."

Gerrard was too young to remember Liverpool's last European Cup victory
and is relieved he finally has the chance to experience the occasion for
himself rather than rely on the testimony of others.

"My dad always followed Liverpool around Europe and I'm pretty sure he
went to the last final we won," says Gerrard.

"I was only four the last time we were in the final so I can't remember
the game. I've just had to watch the matches on video ever since, but
when you've done that you can't say you've had that feeling which the
old players and fans felt then. The more we've heard about those times
and seen the tapes, the more we've wanted a slice of history for
ourselves. We're determined to recreate our own experience which we'll
look back at in years to come.

"I want to be looking back and saying that this was the best week of my
life. I want to be able to think about the whole occasion and say it
didn't get any better. But you can only do that if you win. There's no
point getting this far and then losing."

Having suffered cup final heartbreak once this season, the pain is still
fresh in the memory.

But rather than banish the sense of hurt he felt against Chelsea in
Cardiff, Gerrard says remembering how horrendous it is to lose such
games can have a positive impact.
"We've got to use the fact we've lost one cup final already this season
as a spur to make sure it doesn't happen again," said Gerrard.

"I know it may sound strange, but we can use that experience to help us.
When you've suffered a big disappointment and you know how horrible it
feels, it can make you even more determined to win next time. Nobody
could have felt worse than I did after the Carling Cup Final and it's
been on all of our minds to make up for that disappointment ever since.

" Maybe it ' s given us an extra yard in the cup games we' ve played
since and if it does so again against AC Milan, that may prove the
difference.

"I know I don't ever want to go through that feeling of being so close
but not winning again and the rest of the lads will be feeling the same
way. To get an opportunity in another final again so soon, particularly
in the biggest competition of all, is fantastic."

With AC Milan's star-studded line-up chasing its own sense of destiny,
as the legendary Paolo Maldini prepares for an extraordinary seventh
triumph, the obstacle to Gerrard's dreams couldn't be more formidable.

The Italians are clear favourites, while there are some even in this
country who have questioned the credibility of Liverpool's participation
in the final.

Gerrard's response to that is as tigerish as one of his 50-50 tackles.

"There's a lot been said about us in the build-up to the game, saying we
play this way or that," he said..

"To be honest, I don't give a damn what anyone thinks if we win this
trophy. Look at our record in the tournament. We've beaten the Italian
and English Champions, scored some fantastic goals and, as far as I'm
concerned, played some great football to fully deserve our place in the
final. If we beat AC Milan, another one of the best teams in Europe,
we'll have won it on merit.

"And if the boys bring the cup home on Thursday, you won't find a single
Liverpool fan in the world caring what anybody else has got to say about
it."

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