STEVIE COUNTS DOWN HIS TOP 5 MANAGERS

Paul Eaton 20 November 2008
	He's played under many great managers during his time with club and country, but who has Steven Gerrard selected in his top five?
Number 5: I have to give a mention to Sammy Lee, who was my reserve team manager at Liverpool for about six months before I broke through into the first team. Steve Heighway passed me on from the Academy to Melwood and then Sammy helped me make the final step. It's brilliant to have Sammy back at the club now. He's a top guy, he's very enthusiastic and he's given the place a big lift. Number 4: I mentioned Steve Heighway before and it's only right he features in this list because he was my manager in my early days, from schoolboy to YTS and then Academy. He's been a massive influence on my career and I certainly wouldn't have got into the first team without him. He helped me with all sorts of things, not just on the field, but he'd get me boots, tickets and all the kinds of things that people wouldn't normally think of. He guided me in the right way and I have a lot to thank him for. Number 3: My former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier has played a really big part in my career and was like a father figure to me during his time here. He helped me become a better person off the pitch, he gave me my chance in the first team and gave me the platform to go on and become captain of the club. When Gerard first came it was a big change because I had never worked for a foreign manager before. He was very strict with things like diet but on the pitch he was always on at me to improve my game. He helped me a lot and I owe him a big thank you. Number 2: I would say Fabio Capello is number two, even though I've only worked with him for a short amount of time. He is quite similar to Rafa in many ways, he's a good tactician and very strict on discipline. Hopefully he's the man to lead England to success in the future. Number 1: When choosing the best manager you've played under you have to look back at which manager has given you the greatest nights of your career and for me that has to be Rafa. The Champions League win, the FA Cup win, the game against Olympiacos, victories over Juventus and Chelsea - Rafa's been there for them all. He has taken my game to a different level and hopefully he can continue to do that. The big thing about Rafa is that he's a winner. He's not a man who shouts or who is in your face, he's a calming influence and a man who is very good at explaining all the different situations we may face during a game. Whenever we step onto the field there is nothing left in the dressing room, we have prepared for everything. He's a great tactician. from liverpoolfc.tv