For Sreeram Haran, an entrepreneur in the city, the fascination with Steven Gerrard started when he witnessed the Liverpool captain miraculously curl a 40-yard screamer into the net against their deadliest rivals, Manchester United in the 2000-2001 English Premier League season. It evolved into sheer respect in 2005, when Liverpool won the finals of the Champions League in Istanbul after the match went into penalties. “Gerrard made that possible for Liverpool. We will never be able to witness something as spectacular as that ever again,” he says painfully.
Liverpool and football fans alike in the city, were in utter dismay when they saw their idol bid farewell to the crowd at the Anfield Stadium on Saturday. LFC Chennai (Liverpool Football Club) (Madras KOP), a Chennai-based Facebook supporters’ group organised a screening of the match in Adyar to commemorate his move to the club LA Galaxy.
Yograj Kumar, a die-hard fan, was present at the screening. “At the start of every such screening, we chant ‘You Will Never Walk Alone’ (the anthem of the football club) in unison. But this night was different. We were so shaken by the sudden realisation of his departure that every eight minutes we started chanting ‘Gerrard Gerrard’ to keep our spirits up.”
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Even fans of rival clubs in the city were devastated by the news. Sashidharan S., an Arsenal fan, was almost in tears seeing Gerrard’s send-off on T.V. “More than an opponent, he is an entertainer of the highest class. He always kept his cool in tight situations and always reminded me of former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira. He is sure to be missed, not just as Liverpool captain but also as a great human being.”
A majority of the fans in Chennai were of the opinion that he should have stayed for another year or two. Since that will not be happening, the only hope is that he becomes a vital cog in the overall machinery of Liverpool’s management. Madras KOP will also be screening Gerrard’s last game against Stoke City on May 24.