Read Online Gerrard: My Autobiography by Steven Gerrard - Free Book Online
Authors: Steven Gerrard
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Liverpool’s 2–0 FA Cup defeat of Sunderland in 1992, and that brilliant Steve McManaman performance against Bolton Wanderers in the Coca-Cola Cup three years later. Michael was also in the party heading down to Wembley. Michael was Liverpool’s prizedjunior, so I thought I must be the second best if I was also being taken down to Wembley.
Steve was always good to me. I will never forget receiving a phone call from him early one morning in May 1996. I was just about to head out of the door to catch the bus to Cardinal Heenan when the phone went. Steve came quickly to the point. ‘Steven, we’ve got the FA Youth Cup final against West Ham in two days’ time and we have one or two injuries, so we need you on stand-by. Be on your toes.’ I was buzzing, floating on a cloud all the way to Cardinal Heenan. Injuries and illnesses had plagued the youth team, but I never dreamed they might turn to me. I wasn’t required in the end – a real pity. Liverpool had some youth side, with David Thompson, Jamie Carragher and, of course, Owen, the real star of the show. They won the final against the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard comfortably. But I was grateful to Steve simply for considering me.
Steve even organized it so I did my work experience at Liverpool. I sat in the classroom at Cardinal Heenan, listening to all the boys talking of where they were going on work experience. Stacking shelves at Asda or Kwiksave was not for me. As the forms were going round, someone mentioned that a few Cardinal Heenan boys wangled work experience at Melwood in the past. That was me sorted. No chance was I going to a supermarket. Not with a chance of Melwood. Sharpish, I was into Steve Heighway’s office. ‘I will mop as many floors, clean as many boots as you want, so long as I can do my two weeks’ work experience at Melwood,’ I told him. Steve agreed, and set it up with Cardinal Heenan. Liverpoolobviously thought a lot of me. While the rest of my year worked with their dads, brick-laying, labouring or helping out in shops, I joined Liverpool’s first team for a fortnight. I could not believe my luck. Nor could my schoolmates. I was the envy of everyone at Cardinal Heenan.
Those boys who had done work experience at Melwood just trained with the ressies. When I reported for duty, I was informed I would be training with legends like John Barnes and Jan Molby. My idols! The pair of them, I swear, were so good. It was a privilege just to watch them at close quarters. Standing on the touchline at Melwood, my mouth open in amazement at their skills, seemed the closest I would get. Work experience involved washing floors, cleaning boots, pumping balls up, putting cones out, and collecting balls. But Roy Evans, the manager at the time, invited me to join in the five-a-sides. I was sixteen and passing a ball to John Barnes and Jan Molby! They kept passing to me, making me a better player. They made me look like Diego Maradona.
Those two weeks deepened my passion for football and my desire to make it as a pro with Liverpool. I never changed with the first team those two weeks. I was put in with the young pros like Jamie Carragher, Jamie Cassidy, David Thompson and Gareth Roberts. Their banter was just pure quality. So funny. So wicked. God, I was jealous of them. Carra and the rest were in at Melwood every day, having the time of their lives, and I was heading back to a boring classroom after a fortnight. I was spewing. It was not for long. I had that promise of a YTS. That last term, I did most of my homework and had a go in my exams,but I wasn’t really focused. I knew two months down the line was Liverpool.
On my last day at Cardinan Heenan, I faced a two-hour RE exam. I sat in the exam hall thinking hard over one important question: exactly how I would burn my uniform. The clock showed barely an hour before I sprinted out the room. I have never run so quick to a bus-stop. I wanted to get back to Ironside, get into my normal
Steve was always good to me. I will never forget receiving a phone call from him early one morning in May 1996. I was just about to head out of the door to catch the bus to Cardinal Heenan when the phone went. Steve came quickly to the point. ‘Steven, we’ve got the FA Youth Cup final against West Ham in two days’ time and we have one or two injuries, so we need you on stand-by. Be on your toes.’ I was buzzing, floating on a cloud all the way to Cardinal Heenan. Injuries and illnesses had plagued the youth team, but I never dreamed they might turn to me. I wasn’t required in the end – a real pity. Liverpool had some youth side, with David Thompson, Jamie Carragher and, of course, Owen, the real star of the show. They won the final against the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard comfortably. But I was grateful to Steve simply for considering me.
Steve even organized it so I did my work experience at Liverpool. I sat in the classroom at Cardinal Heenan, listening to all the boys talking of where they were going on work experience. Stacking shelves at Asda or Kwiksave was not for me. As the forms were going round, someone mentioned that a few Cardinal Heenan boys wangled work experience at Melwood in the past. That was me sorted. No chance was I going to a supermarket. Not with a chance of Melwood. Sharpish, I was into Steve Heighway’s office. ‘I will mop as many floors, clean as many boots as you want, so long as I can do my two weeks’ work experience at Melwood,’ I told him. Steve agreed, and set it up with Cardinal Heenan. Liverpoolobviously thought a lot of me. While the rest of my year worked with their dads, brick-laying, labouring or helping out in shops, I joined Liverpool’s first team for a fortnight. I could not believe my luck. Nor could my schoolmates. I was the envy of everyone at Cardinal Heenan.
Those boys who had done work experience at Melwood just trained with the ressies. When I reported for duty, I was informed I would be training with legends like John Barnes and Jan Molby. My idols! The pair of them, I swear, were so good. It was a privilege just to watch them at close quarters. Standing on the touchline at Melwood, my mouth open in amazement at their skills, seemed the closest I would get. Work experience involved washing floors, cleaning boots, pumping balls up, putting cones out, and collecting balls. But Roy Evans, the manager at the time, invited me to join in the five-a-sides. I was sixteen and passing a ball to John Barnes and Jan Molby! They kept passing to me, making me a better player. They made me look like Diego Maradona.
Those two weeks deepened my passion for football and my desire to make it as a pro with Liverpool. I never changed with the first team those two weeks. I was put in with the young pros like Jamie Carragher, Jamie Cassidy, David Thompson and Gareth Roberts. Their banter was just pure quality. So funny. So wicked. God, I was jealous of them. Carra and the rest were in at Melwood every day, having the time of their lives, and I was heading back to a boring classroom after a fortnight. I was spewing. It was not for long. I had that promise of a YTS. That last term, I did most of my homework and had a go in my exams,but I wasn’t really focused. I knew two months down the line was Liverpool.
On my last day at Cardinan Heenan, I faced a two-hour RE exam. I sat in the exam hall thinking hard over one important question: exactly how I would burn my uniform. The clock showed barely an hour before I sprinted out the room. I have never run so quick to a bus-stop. I wanted to get back to Ironside, get into my normal
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