He DID retire. He retired from Liverpool, from the Premier League, so the media obsessing over him retiring from Liverpool and the Premier League is understandable. Again, they did fuss over him a lot, but that's the media for you, they always do that, but it's completely understandable why they did.

Going to LA Galaxy means nothing, it's just a kickabout. People will view him as a Liverpool legend, in the same way they view Jamie Carragher. Because most people aren't pedantic, and won't let their bias get in the way, and please don't insult my intelligence by denying it because I'm not blind.

It's just the way you put it, that he moved clubs like countless others before him. It's the clear disrespect that's annoying, like you'd wish they just brushed him aside as if he's nothing. And that's even ignoring the fact that this little rant of yours came from nothing, Jamesp's post you replied to wasn't even talking about his last season at Liverpool.

What's worrying me is that it's been such a strange season is there one more surprise to come in the FA Cup final. Wonder what the odds were for a Leicester champions, Palace FA Cup winners double?

WIth City and Liverpool both winning European trophies.

The stuff of nightmares.

He didnt retire, hes still playing.
He left liverpool not retire, if he retired he wouldnt be playing else were.
He left the premier league for the MLS. He didnt retire.

He chose to leave liverpool and didnt want to play for another english team so he went to the states for that reason.

He retired in all but name. Having spent his whole career at Liverpool he left, and left the Premier League but the media treated it the way they did because he effectively did retire, just not officially. At least he retired from Liverpool and the Premier League. The way the media reacted in that season was over the top, as I said, because it's what they do, but it was understandable, which was my point, and not the farce that Batdude likes to think it was. If he just said he felt the media love-in was too much that'd have been fine but it was the way he brushed him leaving aside like he left "like many before him" like he was any old player that I took issue with. If Ryan Giggs or Paul Scholes went to the MLS for a couple years before retiring and got the same media attention should either of them leaving have been treated as such? Like they left "like many before them"?

The media went OTT when Gerrard went regardless of how well he did for LFC.

The best part was when he got sent off at Anfield last season after he fouled Herrera and Martin Tyler said something along the lines 'Oh no!' He sounded gutted.

The same fuss wasn't made when Scholes and Lampard quit whom in my opinion were far better players.

I would say worse was when Giggs got gifted a PFA player award at 35. That was nothing short of a joke. He started 12 games that year and scored 1 goal.

Which I haven't denied, but the UK media always does that. They love to milk things for all it's worth and more. They love their stories. Vardy's their current favourite.

i see we are now being linked with Griezmann would be a great signing but i think if he moves anywhere it will be to Real, a new striker or 2 is a must this summer i think we should get rid of Rooney he has had a great career with us but we need a 20+ a season striker, i would also get rid of Fellaini and Blind neither are good enough to play for manchester united imo

But that was a PFA award, voted for by the players. Not much that anyone could do about that. Whatever their reasons, they voted for him so what can you do? If it had been the Writers' award, I'd agree with you.


I definitely agree that we need a new striker. A couple of outlets seem to be pushing this 'Aubemeyang for £70m' line, which sounds a little far-fetched to me.

I wouldn't be getting rid of Blind, though. Class player.

Here you go - https://i.gyazo.com/a83d6cedced3612d...e2f32cccc3.png

Nice touch from Shaw http://www.manchestereveningnews.co....-star-11284273

The fact is that they (Scholes and Giggs) didn't leave us, perhaps a more apt or appropriate comparison might have been Beckham, he didn't get the sort of media attention/love in when he left us for Real Madrid.
His last match (away at Everton from memory), was not treated as if he was retiring from the game, he was moving clubs, just like players before him did, and have done since.

He was a player many fans loved (and still do), so the comparison is at least comparable here in that area.

With Gerrard, yes he was a great player for Liverpool, but he was just moving clubs, unlike say Carragher, who did actually retire, so fully deserved that sort of media attention (the last match where he had a shot that hit the post I remember most vividly), as he was a Liverpool great, and he fully deserved all of the applause going his way.

But with Gerrard, it was as if he were actually retiring, when he wasn't, he was simply moving clubs, and is still playing this season (as their season doesn't finish until November, if Galaxy reach the play-offs).

Do all of the media stuff with Liverpool, when he actually does retire from the game as a professional, I would have no issue at all with that, as he would then definitely deserve it.
But to act as if he were retiring, rather than simply moving us, was to my mind, way over the top.

Tbf that was probably down to missing out over the years. Maybe it was a bit of a token gesture?

Blind is a bargain buy. Do you think he will end up back in the midfield if we do have a change of manager?

If you can't see the difference between Beckham leaving United at 28 to go and play for Real Madrid, and Gerrard leaving Liverpool at 35 after spending his whole career there, to go and play in an exhibition league, then I genuinely pity you.
But I really guess you're just being contrary for the sake of it.

I am not being contrary at all, Beckham is probably the nearest comparison (or if you want to go back a bit further Robson, as he went off to play for Middlesborough, even if it was as a player/manager) of modern day players to Gerrard at Liverpool from a Manchester United perspective (it could have been Giggs or Scholes, but the fact is that they didn't leave us to play elsewhere, heck Giggs is still with us, albeit in a coaching role).

Carragher deserved a retirement send off, as that is what was happening to him, he was retiring from the game, and he was a true Liverpool legend looking from the outside in of course).

Gerrard was also a Liverpool legend, but he was not retiring, he was moving to a different club (it is very derogatory to call a league an "exhibition league"), and continuing his career as a footballer, so all of the talk at the time was as if he were also retiring, when he was not, he was simply moving clubs.
Yes, he had been at Liverpool since he was a child, and come up through the ranks, and he was a Liverpool legend, and fully deserves any and all plaudits that came his way.
However, the testimonial style match at Anfield, was over the top, save that for when he was actually retiring, and having his actual retirement last match, that is all that I am saying.
He is still playing now, (what you think of MLS as a league is irrelevant, as if he had moved to Serie A, or La Liga, or wherever else, this would still have applied) so all of the media hype over him finishing with Liverpool, did come across as him retiring, when he was not doing anything of the sort, he was simply moving from one club to another.
As I say I don't begrudge him any plaudits, he fully deserves all of them, just have the testimonial atmosphere etc, for when he actually is retiring, not simply moving clubs.

Anyway back to on the pitch matters, at least the nightmare scenario of seeing both Liverpool and City winning their respective European trophies is over with.

I think it was simply the end of an era which deserves to be marked. When he eventually retires it will be impossible to bring him back from America and falsely recreate the same atmosphere, his actual retirement will be a low key affair. He has spent his entire meaningful career at Liverpool, most would be hard pressed to begrudge him a big send off from that.

Not sure. Could easily see him as a natural replacement for Carrick.

I'm genuinely fine with him in central defence, central midfield, or at left-back.

He's impressed me massively, this year. The only thing lacking is pace (and perhaps height, for a CB). Reading, passing, tackling, strength, vision: All excellent, in my view.

I was not begrudging him a send off, he deserved one, as he was a super player for them, and as I say deserved any and all plaudits that came his way, but it did kind of seem as if he were retiring, rather than simply moving clubs.
I think with the press and media, they did more for Gerrard, then for Carragher or Giggs in their respective last matches, and both were actually retiring, not moving to a different club.

When Gerrard actually does retire (be it in November, or whenever), allow him a testimonial at Anfield, to say goodbye to the fans, as he most certainly would have deserved it, but the fact is, he was leaving Liverpool to continue his playing career elsewhere, so the hype at the end personally I thought was a little over the top, when compared with other possible players on a similar level (Giggs and Carragher), who actually did retire.

Maybe I am wrong in my thinking, but that is how it came across to me at the time.

He has certainly settled in very well, and has somewhat gone under the radar in terms of players who have done very well for us.
De Gea, Martial and Rashford, rightly so get a lot of praise, but Blind is very quietly going about his business in a very positive manner.

The fact that he can play in a few positions, a d play in them well is a bonus.

I too can see him in the future taking over from Carrick eventually (possibly as soon as next season, seeing as I don't think we have renewed Carrick's contract which runs out this summer have we??), as he certainly does have the skill set to do so.

Gerrard was a talismanic figure, for Liverpool.

Carragher, Giggs, even Scholes just didn't have that aura of 'carrying' the club for so long, despite being bona fide 'legends'.