Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will be presented with a special merit award by the PFA on Sunday evening in recognition of his 17-year Anfield career.
The midfielder has scored 183 goals in 705 appearances for the Reds and lifted the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup as the club's captain.
In a change of tradition, the normally small understated award is to be replaced by one that is an exact replica of the official Premier League trophy.
A normal, regular award will also be given to Frank Lampard, in recognition of his achievements. Obviously, this must take 2nd billing as the BBC have so far refused to announce this news, despite the PFA announcing it at the same time as the Gerrard announcement.
Its quite rare for current players to awarded this whilst still playing. Its usually reserved for (often quite long) retired players/officials.
Gerrard to be honoured
posted on 24/4/15
So when they were teamed up together with England, our national team must've been unstoppable
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11 in a team, perhaps the other nine were garbage?
...................
Perhaps not.
However both of Gerrard and Lampard clearly did their best work as part of a midfield three.
For England they worked as a midfield two. Any of us know nothing effwits on here could see it would never work out.
Yet three England managers who should have known better decided they would be the man to make it work.
As club players you can't knock their roles for their respective clubs.
posted on 24/4/15
The only way it might have worked would've been if England had hired a manager willing to moves away from 442.
-------------Carrick
------Gerrard----Scholes
------------Lampard
------Rooney-----Owen
Could've beaten ANY team in world football in the 2000s with a decent keeper and RB---Terry--Rio---Cole behind them.
Sadly, I think that the squad was a world class keeper and a RB version of Ashley Cole away from being one of the greatest European international teams (with the right manager).
Beckham also held us back because his profile made him undroppable, to the detriment of the team.
posted on 24/4/15
comment by LQ (U6305)
posted 39 minutes ago
Ah the golden generation
Lampard Gerard beckham scholes Neville Ferdinand Cole sheringham Owen Rooney
World class players that didn't do it at international level.
Truly a golden generation
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More like a golden shower if truth be told
posted on 24/4/15
A good manager would have made the golden generation work.
Just play one of Stevie or Frank.
posted on 24/4/15
England tried Scholes on the left of a diamond and it failed miserably, they're were to many good players to try and fit into the midfield so they were, at one time or another, shoe horned in to a system that didn't suit them.
Be it Scholes on the left, Gerrard on the left, Gerrard as a DM, Carrick not even making the squad
I actually think two of England's better players during that period were Ashley & Joe Cole, there were a couple of tournaments where everyone had a stinker apart from those two IMO.
posted on 24/4/15
Man United should honour him too. He provided us with a lot of comedies in the last couple of years.
posted on 25/4/15
The old 'didnt do it on the International stage' comment.
Thats something id expect Andy Townsend to say. He once said Messi wont be one of the best until he wins a World Cup.
posted on 25/4/15
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posted on 25/4/15
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posted on 26/4/15
comment by #4zA (U19575)
posted 16 hours, 35 minutes ago
Ashley Cole was awesome at international level
as was Terry
never impressed with Gerrard
Beckham was excellent
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Contrary to popular belief, Gerrard did well as an International player.
I'm of the belief that Gerrard was so good for Liverpool that anything he produced on the International scene would be put in the shade.
Funnily enough, those players you stated weren't recognised as having better England careers than Gerrard. Gerrard was voted England's player of the year on two occasions (2007, 2012).
Beckham and Cole only won this on one occasion. Terry hasn't even made the top 3 during his playing years.
Gerrard was also 2nd best England player of the year on two occasions and 3rd on one occasion.
So in 5 years, Gerrard was one of England's top 3 performers.
When it really matters is at the big tournaments and funnily enough, Gerrard didn't too badly at those either. In his first World Cup (2006) he was actually England's top scorer.
He was the driving force of the England side that qualified for Euro 2012 and led them through with two man of the match performances.
Whilst England bowed out of Euro2012, he was the only England player to make the Team of the Tournament.
Interestingly enough, even with such good feedback, Gerrard was probably the one England player to be sacrificed from his best position. Yes, it was Gerrard who would be told to sit back to allow the likes of Lampard and co to be the more adventurous players.
England put a harness on Gerrard during his best years. The Managers who overseen that did a disservice to both the national team and the player himself.