I like bookends and if you go back to the beginning of Steven Gerrards 17 year Liverpool playing career, it started with him wearing the number 17 jersey. My first memory of him is a goal at Anfield against Sheffield Wednesday in about 1999. He picked the ball up 35 yards out and slalomed his way through their defence before finishing low across the keeper into the bottom far corner. I looked at my mate and said “This boy is gonna be great”. Just how great I could never have predicted. It was only 9 years since we won the league, surely it wouldn’t continue like that for much longer. Gerard Houllier had taken over from Roy Evans, things were changing. Owen, Gerrard, Murphy and Carragher were coming through. Fowler was one of the best strikers in the country. Hyypia, Hamann, Babbel and Heskey were added. McAllister was an oldie but a goodie. Gerrard had struggled with injuries for his first year or so. Groin problems mostly that were, oddly, linked to his wisdom teeth. Whatever it was