Gerrard

[Zico]

Needs a holiday to get his head together and make the big decision about his international future.

Have a lovely break Steve, you've surely earned it. And of course it's up to you as to whether you play for England again. It's not like it's a privilege is it?

 

[WasStefan]

A shadow of the player he once was.

 

[Dewsburywolf]

It's NOT up to him if he retires or not

 

[Boss Hogg]

Think they are all having a nice holiday in Brazil. Pity they can't turn up to do their jobs for 90 minutes three times in a fortnight.

 

[Tring Wolf]

After playing for the national side for nearly 15 years, I don't think taking 2 weeks to decide whether he is going to retire from international is that much of a big deal.

Certainly not anything to moan at him for.

 

[WolvesAreBoringOnCeefax]

After playing for the national side for nearly 15 years, I don't think taking 2 weeks to decide whether he is going to retire from international is that much of a big deal.

Certainly not anything to moan at him for.

It's the suggestion that he's doing England a big favour that riles me, he's been bang average for a few years now, a shadow of the player he was back in 2008-2010. If he wants some time to think about whether to make himself available for selection that's fair enough, but do it quietly, and don't act like you're some talismanic player England couldn't afford to lose.

 

[Burton Wolf]

What's to decide? Surely Woy makes the decision for him! As Dewsbury is alluding to, unless he's talking about his wife.

 

[Zico]

Players deciding for themselves whether they'll play for their country are demonstrating their over inflated egos. We're then supposed to be fawningly grateful if they deign to.

 

[FLEET WOLF]

After playing for the national side for nearly 15 years, I don't think taking 2 weeks to decide whether he is going to retire from international is that much of a big deal.

Certainly not anything to moan at him for.

I agree with this, albeit, if he decides to carry on, I would move on without him, anyway. Hodgson is quoted as saying he wants him for the Euros, but I am not sure that is entirely the case really, think he is keeping his option open.

 

[Dewsburywolf]

What's to decide? Surely Woy makes the decision for him! As Dewsbury is alluding to, unless he's talking about his wife.

Players deciding for themselves whether they'll play for their country are demonstrating their over inflated egos. We're then supposed to be fawningly grateful if they deign to.

My point exactly, if he was so good then we'd still be in with a chance of progressing to the knockout stages of this year's World Cup. It's the manager's decision NOT Gerrard's

 

[Tring Wolf]

It's the suggestion that he's doing England a big favour that riles me, he's been bang average for a few years now, a shadow of the player he was back in 2008-2010. If he wants some time to think about whether to make himself available for selection that's fair enough, but do it quietly, and don't act like you're some talismanic player England couldn't afford to lose.

I really don't think he was doing that. He was directly asked a question in the press conference about whether he would be retiring and he understandably said that he would need some time to clear his head before making such a big decision.

I'd imagine that he is absolutely devastated (far more so than any of us) about the events of recent weeks as individual mistakes have cost his club the Premier League title and his country their place in the World Cup. I'd also suspect that deep down he knows he isn't the same player as in his prime when he almost single-handedly drove Liverpool to European trophies and isn't going to be around for the next World Cup.

He probably just wants to take stock, think about whether under those circumstances, he is still the man to lead England forward into their next qualifying campaign.

Sounds entirely sensible to me. And in my opinion, it is his decision to make. If he feels he no longer has the same desire to be part of the England team or that him being Captain is not the best thing for England going forward, then he would be entirely correct in retiring. If, after reflection, he feels that he can still make a positive contribution to his national side then he will continue to make himself available.

I guarantee that if it was down to Hodgson, Gerrard would be lining up as Captain in our first Euro 2016 qualifier.

 

[Mutchy]

I'd say both have a decision to make. Players are able to retire from international football if that is their choice, whether rightly or wrongly. Roy has to decide whether to keep picking Gerrard if he does choose to remain available for international selection.

 

[North West Wanderer]

Players deciding for themselves whether they'll play for their country are demonstrating their over inflated egos. We're then supposed to be fawningly grateful if they deign to.

I agree.

 

[Phitsanulok (Poole) Wolf]

We won't move on till he moves on

 

[Burton Wolf]

I'd say both have a decision to make. Players are able to retire from international football if that is their choice, whether rightly or wrongly. Roy has to decide whether to keep picking Gerrard if he does choose to remain available for international selection.

I can see your point, however he would have been better served by keeping his trap shut.

 

[Tring Wolf]

I personally think the circumstances around this (his age, whether he will be around for the next World Cup, whether after his high-profile errors for club and country, he still feels that he is a positive influence for England) makes his request for time to think about his decision understandable.

The worst culprit for this was Scholes. Retiring at 29 (he played on for another 10 years after this!), purely because the Manager played him out of position. To me, that is far, far worse.

 

[AW]

I'm going to take this opportunity to announce my retirement from international football.

 

[Tring Wolf]

I can see your point, however he would have been better served by keeping his trap shut.

What was he supposed to say though Burton? He was directly asked a question in a press conference about his future and whether he would be retiring. All he said was that it was something which had crossed his mind but he needs to take some time to think before making such a big decision.

He's always seemed pretty humble and down-to-earth when speaking as Captain. Has never made any self-aggrandising statements (e.g. Rooney returning from injury saying that 'The Big Man is back in town'), has very rarely withdrawn from squads through injury and has generally represented England well for the best part of 15 years.

I think Mutchy summed it up best. Firstly, Gerrard has to decide whether he feels that he is still a positive influence and Captain for the side. If , given his age, recent mistakes and the fact he won't be around for the next World Cup, he has doubts about his ability to lead England going forward, then he should retire. If he feels he still has something to offer, then it is down to Hodgson as to whether he then selects him.

 

[Manic88]

the fact that we make such a big deal over a player that has never come close to winning world player of the year, or a transfer to a top team, says it all about what's wrong with England

 

[North West Wanderer]

I personally think the circumstances around this (his age, whether he will be around for the next World Cup, whether after his high-profile errors for club and country, he still feels that he is a positive influence for England) makes his request for time to think about his decision understandable.

The worst culprit for this was Scholes. Retiring at 29 (he played on for another 10 years after this!), purely because the Manager played him out of position. To me, that is far, far worse.

I kind of dont blame Scholes. Absolutely tragic we never got to see him centrally.

 

[Jonzy54]

I suppose in laymen's terms it is like withdrawing your application for a job if he choses to walk away.If he had said nothing and when Roy picked him he decided to walk away at that point some would say he was being disloyal.
I honestly think he deserves the right to say he will be retiring because after all he is the high profile captain not some bit part player with a handful of caps.
Cast your mind back to when England won the Rugby World Cup.Loads of players announced their retirement they didn't wait to see whether Woodward picked them for the Autumn Internationals.

 

[Tring Wolf]

I kind of dont blame Scholes. Absolutely tragic we never got to see him centrally.

Scholes was a better player than either Gerrard or Lampard and should have been used centrally but he retired whilst still in his prime, simply because he didn't want to play where the Manager told him to.

To me, that is far, far worse than Gerrard at the age of 34 saying he is going to take some time to clear his head before making a decision on his future.

 

[FLEET WOLF]

Scholes was a better player than either Gerrard or Lampard and should have been used centrally but he retired whilst still in his prime, simply because he didn't want to play where the Manager told him to.

To me, that is far, far worse than Gerrard at the age of 34 saying he is going to take some time to clear his head before making a decision on his future.

It is very true about Scholes, we really didn't get the best of a very good player. Stupid bloody England managers to blame really.

 

[North West Wanderer]

Scholes was a better player than either Gerrard or Lampard and should have been used centrally but he retired whilst still in his prime, simply because he didn't want to play where the Manager told him to.

To me, that is far, far worse than Gerrard at the age of 34 saying he is going to take some time to clear his head before making a decision on his future.

Perhaps but I don't blame Scholes at all.

 

[Taffywolf]

It's a case of his making the right decision for his career and for the benefit of the English team. It can't be easy walking away from playing for your country but it has to be done at some point.
What England never do is build for the next championship, they should be looking ahead to the euros with a plan as soon as the World Cup is over. Look at what players will be too old and leave then out and build a team that will be involved next time around..

 

[GY Wolf]

I can see your point, however he would have been better served by keeping his trap shut.

So just stay silent when a journalist asks you if you're thinking about retiring?

 

[Sammy Chungs Tracksuit]

It's the suggestion that he's doing England a big favour that riles me, he's been bang average for a few years now, a shadow of the player he was back in 2008-2010. If he wants some time to think about whether to make himself available for selection that's fair enough, but do it quietly, and don't act like you're some talismanic player England couldn't afford to lose.

It's not so easy to do it quietly though is it when the media ask a direct question in a press conference? A lot of people, myself included, are thinking he is past his best and I'm guessing that he would have much preferred not to have been put on the spot over this but that ain't how it is.

 

[Jonzy54]

One of the plus points of our relegation was that we put our house in order with regards to the appointment of Thelwell and ultimately Jackett to the extent that systems are in place as and when change will be necessary.
England never do this.The usual inevitable failure at tournaments is followed by replacing the manager which usually has the groundswell of the media as a back cloth.
Germany ,France and Holland have at different times groomed their next manager to work alongside the incumbent so that change becomes relatively seamless.That then stops the press clamour which was pathetic with regards to their fawning over Redknapp.
Whether Ashworth is the right person to oversee this I don't know but a fundamental change should ensue and not rely on the faceless FA Council making these changes after swaying in the wind dependent on who has been in their ear or what they have read.
I am not saying that this will make us World Beaters overnight but we continue to perpetuate old hackneyed ways of doing things without even contemplating thinking outside the Establishment box.

 

[FLEET WOLF]

It's a case of his making the right decision for his career and for the benefit of the English team. It can't be easy walking away from playing for your country but it has to be done at some point.
What England never do is build for the next championship, they should be looking ahead to the euros with a plan as soon as the World Cup is over. Look at what players will be too old and leave then out and build a team that will be involved next time around..

Taffy, far too logical and sensible all that my old son! The FA will never do anything along those lines, when they can just bumble along from crisis to crisis. Rooney will still be our great hope at the next world cup, probably!

 

[Woburn Wolf]

I really don't think he was doing that. He was directly asked a question in the press conference about whether he would be retiring and he understandably said that he would need some time to clear his head before making such a big decision.

I'd imagine that he is absolutely devastated (far more so than any of us) about the events of recent weeks as individual mistakes have cost his club the Premier League title and his country their place in the World Cup. I'd also suspect that deep down he knows he isn't the same player as in his prime when he almost single-handedly drove Liverpool to European trophies and isn't going to be around for the next World Cup.

He probably just wants to take stock, think about whether under those circumstances, he is still the man to lead England forward into their next qualifying campaign.

Sounds entirely sensible to me. And in my opinion, it is his decision to make. If he feels he no longer has the same desire to be part of the England team or that him being Captain is not the best thing for England going forward, then he would be entirely correct in retiring. If, after reflection, he feels that he can still make a positive contribution to his national side then he will continue to make himself available.

I guarantee that if it was down to Hodgson, Gerrard would be lining up as Captain in our first Euro 2016 qualifier.

I agree with this Tring but suspect that he will go the same way as Paul Scholes and hang up his England boots to enable him to extend his club career. The difficulty Hodgson has going forward is the dearth of genuine English talent at CM, particularly the defensive two in his preferred 4231 line up.

 

[kidderminster wolves]

To me the worse culprit of this over the past few years is neither Scholes or Gerrard, but Jamie Carragher. He 'retired' from international football in 2007 yet come the world cup 3 years later he was back in the squad. To be not making yourself available for the qualifying campaign but then playing in the tournament is a poor show.

 

[MolineuxMixer]

My message to the England players is 'go back to your mansions and prepare to win the next World Cup'

 

[clifs]

Don't think Gerrard has ever had a decent game for England.

 

[Tring Wolf]

Good article on Gerrard in The Guardian.

http://www.theguardian.com/football...n-gerrard-england-scapegoat-uruguay-world-cup

 

[Beastier]

I personally think the circumstances around this (his age, whether he will be around for the next World Cup, whether after his high-profile errors for club and country, he still feels that he is a positive influence for England) makes his request for time to think about his decision understandable.

The worst culprit for this was Scholes. Retiring at 29 (he played on for another 10 years after this!), purely because the Manager played him out of position. To me, that is far, far worse.

I thought Scholes drew reference to his asthma as to why he retired early? He also denied he was actually asked by Capello to come out of retirement for the 2010 world cup (which felt much worse than this one but I guess can now be argued as a success in comparison.....)

 

[Cookyssweetleftfoot]

I guarantee that if it was down to Hodgson, Gerrard would be lining up as Captain in our first Euro 2016 qualifier.

This is the most worrying part.

Gerrard's performances should ensure that we now move on whether he decides to retire or not.

 

[RosehillWolf]

Thing is , our Euro qualifier group is so easy that Gerrard , Rooney , Johnson etc will look like superstars

 

[sidavies1970]

past it now - should make way and let England develop more midfield generals

 

[long ball man]

It's all a circus though isn't it?

Footballing wise, just the sheer lack of numbers in terms of English players defined as 'elite' means we are on more of a downward path. Quite soon England not qualifying will become the norm. Playing for a top six team in England, France, Italy, Spain or Germany for at least 50% of playing time available is the definition of 'elite' by the way.

The whole structure is aimed at supporting the 'best league in the world' which is a foreign dominated league (owners, players, managers, coaches) which just happens to be in England...and that's where we want to be right?

Cue next phase...paparazzi follow Steven and Alex Gerrard & Wayne and Colleen Rooney to some unattainably expensive sun kissed isle, accompanied by Red Top headlines showing 'uncaring England stars' etc

I actually reckon the media get off on England failing...606/talksport etc must have listening figures through the roof when England get knocked out...hence more phone-ins etc and more ex-players getting jobs as pundits. The whole thing feeds itself.

Meanwhile most football fans couldn't give two hoots. Wolves every time for me.

When's the Norwich game again?

 

[Beastier]

I'm far from a Gerrard fan & am still amazed at how he frequently gets with some of his challenges when he's playing at Anfield. However, if he's been asked directly about whether he's going retire from international football then naturally he will provide some kind of answer.

I don't think this should be misinterpreted as him thinking he has some divine right to play if he so feels inclined.