GERRARD GRUMBLING AGAIN

Last updated : 08 December 2004 By editor

From The Guardian:

'Steven Gerrard has warned Liverpool he will seek a transfer in the summer if the club fail to display clear evidence that they can transform themselves from Premiership also-rans into title challengers in time for next season.

The England midfielder was courted by Chelsea last summer but opted against moving to Stamford Bridge in order to work under Liverpool's newly appointed manager Rafael Benítez. But he will lead his team-mates out in tonight's crucial final Champions League group match against Olympiakos having effectively served notice to his employers that he will consider his future if it becomes clear that Liverpool cannot satisfy his pursuit of silverware.

"If we're moving forward and I'm successful at this club then I won't need to go anywhere else, but if things aren't looking good I'll have to see what happens in the summer," said Gerrard. "I'm 25 at the end of the season and I think I've got six or seven years left in me at the top level to win things, so hopefully the turnaround can happen quite sharpish. I'm in a difficult situation because I'm a fan myself, I want to win things at this football club, but I haven't got time on my side. I can't really wait three or four years for the club to be turned around and to be made into a title-winning side. I'm hoping that will happen from now until the end of the season and that, come the summer, we'll be in next year's title race. I'm not giving up now, but look at the table."

"I wanted to give the best chance to get back involved in the title race, and that's the reason I decided to stay back in the summer," added Gerrard. "I didn't want to make a quick decision and leave the club in the lurch. I wanted to try and help them turn it around this season. It would mean a lot more to me to be successful at Liverpool. Everyone knows that. I've supported the club all my life. So hopefully from now until the end of the season the club can show me that they are as ambitious as I am and that we can win trophies together."