By Ollie Irish
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is going nowhere, because he is “very impressed” with new manager Roy Hodgson. Back off, Mourinho.
And by “very impressed”, I mean he quite likes the signing of Joe Cole. It doesn’t take much to please Stevie G, does it – one Chelsea reserve later and suddenly everything is coming up roses.
Gerrard told the Liverpool Echo: “It is a great signing for us. I know Joe well through the England set-up and have seen first-hand just how good a player he is.
“I’ve told him what a great club this is and I’m sure Joe’s the sort of exciting talent our fans will love to see.”
On the subject of his own future, Gerrard said: “I made it clear that I simply needed to concentrate on the World Cup and then have a decent holiday with my family.
“I wanted the chance to meet Roy Hodgson privately and having done so, I’m very impressed with his plans for the future.”
Translation: “Phew, thank God I don’t have to go to bloody Spain and learn how to speak the lingo and eat tapas and all that crap, la. Cheers Roy!”
Hodgson’s arrival, and Cole’s, is the perfect excuse for homeboy Gerrard to once again show his lack of ambition, his fear of really testing himself. Is he not tired of getting his hopes up before each new season? There’s not much hope this time around anyway – Liverpool can’t win the league in 2010-11.
In Gerrard’s shoes, I’d happily take a pay cut to move to a club like Real Madrid – it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play for an amazing team in an amazing city, but instead it seems small-minded Gerrard would rather play it safe and stay on Merseyside, swathed in regret for the rest of his playing career.
The insular attitude of England’s top players kills me.