Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has confirmed that he will walk away from Anfield at the end of the season when his contract expires.
We have asked Liverpool fan Donovan Chandler of 90min.com for his take on the situation. How will the team cope without Gerrard's influence? And how hard will it be to see him leave the club he is synonymous with?
That old chestnut of 'all good things must come to an end' has never held more weight than it does today as a fan of Liverpool Football Club.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has confirmed that he will walk away from Anfield at the end of the season when his contract expires.
We have asked Liverpool fan Donovan Chandler of 90min.com for his take on the situation. How will the team cope without Gerrard's influence? And how hard will it be to see him leave the club he is synonymous with?
That old chestnut of 'all good things must come to an end' has never held more weight than it does today as a fan of Liverpool Football Club.
Gerrard's 25-year association with the Reds will end after our final game of the season in May - by which time he'll have notched up over 700 first-team appearances - and even then it won't be any easier to watch our local boy ride off into the sunset (the sunset of the big city of Los Angeles, most likely).
Gerrard's exit appears as amicable as we could have possibly wished for and he's even stated he would like to return one day. Manager material he most certainly is.
His departure though, comes at the right time. And that's from both the club's and the player's points of view. Despite the loyalties, the love and the memories, Gerrard's standing in the Liverpool ranks has started to make him more of a hindrance than a help to manager Brendan Rodgers.
Looking in from the outside, we can only guess just how much influence such an experienced leader has on the club's dressing room.
As supporters, we can't fathom how much having Stevie around helps our group of youngsters, but people move on. It is now time for this group of lads to take responsibility themselves.
His presence will be missed on the field too, but think about that for a second.
Gerrard is not as dynamic as he once was - far from it - and while he has modified his own game, his qualities make him something of a square peg in a round hole at Anfield.
Rodgers wants to get back to the high energy, in-your-face philosophy of last season, typified by the hunger and the youthful exuberance of the likes of Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson. And while he would have offered that energy in his heyday, it's just not Gerrard's forte anymore.
His style counteracts the philosophy Rodgers is trying to establish. Come next season, Liverpool will be better served not having to accommodate anybody - even our famed number 8. It's time for head over heart.
So cherish the final few months of his stay. As Gerrard's 12-year-stint as club captain dwindles down, we can hope for more unbelievable memories, but rest assured that this man has given Liverpool plenty of those down the years.
