Stevie G: Victim or Thug?

What do you guts make of this story? Am disappointed by it all but not in the least fooking surprised there's a mancunian scummer in the middle of it all. Bastard!

Look forward to hearing yer opinions on this fooking unsavoury incident.

Steven Gerrard in custody after brawl
By Russell Jenkins (Times UK)
Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool captain and England international footballer, was in custody last night on suspicion of assaulting a man during a late-night brawl at a nightclub.

Gerrard, who has 70 caps for his country, was celebrating at the club in Southport when trouble broke out at about 2.30am on Monday.

It is understood that the alleged victim, Marcus McGee, who was a guest at the club, was sitting behind the bar when Gerrard asked him to change the music. He is then said to have asked for the music card that operates the sound system. Mr McGee apparently refused.

Subsequently Gerrard is said to have caught the alleged victim with an elbow, although it is not known whether this was deliberate or not. This incident is thought to have sparked the wider brawl. There were reports last night that a glass had been thrown during the fight.

Gerrard and five other men aged between 18 and 33 were arrested after the row. Merseyside Police said that Gerrard was arrested on suspicion of inflicting a malicious wound without a weapon, which amounts to grievous bodily harm. The offence attracts a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment.

Mr McGee, a father of two who is thought to be a supporter of Liverpool’s great rival, Manchester United, was taken to hospital, where he received treatment for facial injuries before being released. His family said that he suffered a cut nose and swollen eye and was given four stitches. He also lost a tooth.

Gerrard, 28, who is married with two children, is understood to have been given permission by his club to attend the private party, hours after he had scored two goals in Liverpool’s 5-1 demolition of Newcastle United.

Staff at Liverpool FC declined to comment officially about the incident but there was general shock that their club captain had been caught up in such an unsavoury incident. He has the reputation of being a model professional who rarely drinks, and even more rarely stays out late.

Gerrard, who has captained England four times and is regarded as one of the world’s best midfielders, was appointed MBE last year and received an honorary fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University Sources at the club suggested that Rafael BenÍtez, the club manager and a noted disciplinarian, would take disciplinary action only if Gerrard were charged with any offence. The footballer is due to play on Saturday, when Liverpool take on Preston North End in the FA Cup third round.

The Lounge Inn, a restaurant that becomes a nightclub later in the evening, remained firmly closed yesterday despite continuing to advertise its New Year’s Eve menu at £59.95, but spots of blood were clearly visible on the floor, surrounded by shards of glass.

Mr McGee’s mother, Patricia McGee, 61, said last night: “He was only with his partner in the bar. I have absolutely no idea how he became involved in this. He was just out for a drink. The whole family is shaken up.”

John Watts, a lawyer whose daughter Eve was hosting a birthday party at the venue, said that Gerrard had been in good spirits during the night. He said: “He bought a bottle of champagne for my daughter when he found out it was her birthday.

“It was a really civilised occasion in a middle-class bar. There was no sign of trouble kicking off. Eve is very upset because it spoilt what was a very pleasant evening.”

ps: Meanwhile, a certain Portuguese prima donna was involved in handbags at ten paces in the tunnel after Boro game . . . Another incident which escapes the FA's censure after being accused of having an "anti-united agenda"? Bollocks!