Steven Gerrard and his ‘keyboard wizards’….

Steven Gerrard today took a very pointed aim at sites like ourselves and pundits by referring to the criticism he and the club receive from the likes of ‘keyboard wizards’.

And critically, endorsing those criticisms and the right for them to be made, which is a heck of a lot more than what many fans have done.

Specifically he said:

“I’m well aware of the job I signed up for, I know after a few bad results pundits and keyboard wizards will always be there. That’s fine.”

This is probably our favourite Gerrard quote to date. Why? Because unlike his predecessors he doesn’t smear the right of fan groups and others to have their say, be it positive or negative. Indeed, only recently he held his hands up and admitted he’s taken the praise, so it’s only fair he also takes the criticisms too.

And this is the kind of introspection we can respect.

Gerrard is no fool – he knows the fans have their opinions and unlike Mark Warburton and Pedro Caixinha, for example, who couldn’t tolerate a bad word said about their work, he allows those who might have a negative comment after a bad result to have their say.

And that is a cut above. Sure, he’d rather be praised all the time – wouldn’t we all? But he recognises us ‘keyboard wizards’, social media posters, pundits in the paper and all the rest of them will not always pour platitudes over him and his team.

And he’s man enough to take it.