Steven Gerrard – by the men who made him

“I know the names of those who guided me along the road to the first team – Steve Heighway, Dave Shannon and Hughie McAuley”

“There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do” 

HUGHIE MCAULEY (LFC Academy youth-team and reserve-team coach 1988-2009)

If you go to Melwood to watch the first team train you’ll see that Steven wants to win every five-a-side game. If he doesn’t he’s upset or he’ll be having a go at the others on his team. That winning mentality has been part of his character since he was a young boy. Every time he took to the pitch he showed it. People who play for Liverpool need a winner’s attitude and he has that.

Then there is desire and commitment to play and train – again he had plenty of those qualities too. It was up to us to put other good players and teams around him to make him even better. Hopefully we did that. In such an environment he was able to express himself, improve and develop. Talent-wise there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do. And tactically – which isn’t the case with every youngster – he knew the game inside out.

The only area he really needed to work on was his decision-making regarding when to challenge for the ball. A lot of that came from his natural enthusiasm. He wanted to win every 50/50, 70/30 or even 80/20 in the opposition’s favour and felt he could. He didn’t want to hurt other players, he just wanted to compete. Football is an aggressive game. At times though he was overzealous and we thought if he didn’t curb that instinct he would end up getting injured.

When boys are still growing up it can sometimes be hard to speak to them about their own game. But Steven eventually took our message on board. Coaches have to earn a player’s trust and he knew we were only trying to help him.

Another big part of his development was his family. They were always there for him and that support is vital for a youngster because there will be disappointments along the way. You won’t win every game or every trophy. You won’t always convert every chance. Sometimes things will go wrong. Learning to deal with those moments is part of becoming a footballer. Steven was able to do that. Once he went out on the field he had this ability to leave everything else behind.

Another big part of making it is taking your chance in the first team when it eventually comes along. Steven earned his opportunity and then grabbed it. His first senior goal against Sheffield Wednesday was part of that. A terrific solo effort, it was Steven announcing: I can play at this level – this is what I can do and I’m here to stay.

Favourite Gerrard moment

I don’t think I can just pick one. For me his goalscoring ability is what really stands out. At junior level he scored so many brilliant goals it just became the norm, we expected it. The goals you’ve seen him score for the first team in Istanbul or the FA Cup final, he was doing the same spectacular thing at the age of nine or 10.

“He still calls me ‘Ping’ to this day” 

DAVE SHANNON (LFC Academy youth-team coach 1987-2009)

I was sitting at home one night when a guy called Ben McIntyre, who was involved with Whiston Juniors, phoned me. Hughie, Steve and I used to go to a lot of Sunday league games in an attempt to find talented youngsters. Of course we couldn’t cover every fixture so we’d always ask those working in under-age football on Merseyside to let us know if there was a player they really rated. Ben was one of those people and he told me: “There’s this kid in our Under-9s and he’s outstanding – you’ll have to see him play.”

We organised for Steven to come to train with us at the Vernon Sangster Centre in Stanley Park and he was simply phenomenal. Full of energy, he was getting stuck into the older players. Obviously we had a lot of talented boys at the club. But from the first minute Stevie was special. It was natural talent. All we had to do was ensure he kept working on his technique and continued improving. He did because he loved training. He never wanted to be anywhere else.

I can easily recall how he excelled during the passing drills. We’d strike balls at him from 10 or 20 yards away and he’d control them with one touch before knocking the ball straight back to us. When I speak to him now he jokingly calls me ‘Ping’ because I would always emphasise the need to ping passes to stop defenders intercepting them. He could do it superbly then and you see him doing it on a regular basis now.

As a lot of people will know Steven was small, the same size as Michael Owen at one stage. That didn’t concern us at all. Our views were always based on the talent, not a player’s height. The Barcelona team of recent years are a great example of that. It became irrelevant with Steven when he went through a growth spurt later on and he shot up.

Right from the start we were certain he had what was needed to go all the way to the first team. We knew if he avoided serious injury and illness he would make it. Steven’s natural talent was a big reason for that belief. There was also his inclination to take responsibility. As a kid he wanted to impress people. He wants to be the main man in the team and usually is. He relishes being a leader, and delivers on a regular basis.

Favourite Gerrard moment

It was a B-team game against Man United at Melwood. The ball dropped to him about 25 yards out. He chested it down before smacking a shot straight in to the top corner. That is a brilliant memory for me and summed up what he’s about. Of course he’s done it plenty of times for the first team since then. It was something we spent hours getting right so it’s always good to see such hard work pay off.

“I never like predicting but I knew he’d make it”

STEVE HEIGHWAY

(LFC Academy director 1989-2007) 

Roughly ten years ago I had to leave a first-team game early. It was raining as I ran down Anfield Road towards the car park in Stanley Park. On the other side of the street I spotted someone else doing the same – it was Steven’s dad. As we jogged along he told me: “Everything you and the other coaches said would happen in our Steven’s career has come true. Thanks for all your help.”

It was great to have been given their trust. Working with Steven was a real pleasure. We saw him develop from an enthusiastic boy in to a world-class player. His talent was there right from the beginning but I never like predicting players will make it until they are slightly older. By the time he reached 14 or 15 I was certain he would go on to be a Liverpool player. The only other individual I’ve ever said the same about at that stage was Michael Owen.

Steven’s love for LFC was something that really shone through. When it came to him signing a new deal every year – as young players do when they progress up through the various age groups – it was always very straightforward. In total I must have signed or re-signed him about seven or eight times.

We always knew he was one of the best young players around and nothing convinced us otherwise. Steven has said he was gutted not to be selected for the school of excellence at Lilleshall. That didn’t concern us in the slightest. Only a few boys were chosen and not all of them went on to make it. In a selfish way we were happy because it meant we could still work with someone who we thought so highly of. We were certain he was good enough to have gone there. In the end it didn’t hinder his development at all.

The growing pains that caused Steven some niggling injuries weren’t a huge concern either. He was slightly frustrated because he saw his mate Michael [Owen] pushing on. But we knew Steven would be okay once, if you like, he settled in to his new body. If we were certain about Steven’s future, Michael felt the same way. I remember him saying: “I can’t wait until Steven is in the team because he knows all the runs I make and how to find me.” It wasn’t long before that awesome sight became a reality.

I don’t see much of Steven now, but he knows that if he ever needs help or advice from me all he has to do is pick up the phone.

Favourite Gerrard moment

We took a team to an U-18 tournament in Spain and brought Michael and Steven along for the experience. They were just 14 and we never intended for them to play. Before games and during half-time they were out on the pitch entertaining the fans with their skills. To see two small lads enjoying themselves in that environment and being so well behaved was brilliant.