Stoke: View from the opposition

Normally this might be seen as just an end of season fixture, but is there something special about the fact that it may be Steven Gerrard's last competitive game in England?

I saw the send off at Anfield last week which I thought was very fitting considering the player that he's been, probably one of England's best ever midfielders. He really has been that good and he's one of very few left in the game now who grew up at a football club and played for a long time with the same team. Among the top teams there's only him and John Terry left.

You came through the Manchester United youth team at a similar time Steven was coming through the Liverpool ranks, did you play against him as a youngster and if so what were your first memories of him?

Yeah I think I played against him in the A and B team at Liverpool when I was at Manchester United and there was big talk about him then. If I remember correctly he was having problems where he was growing very quickly, so at times he couldn't play in certain games. There was always talk about him being a special player even at that early age. When I played against him in the Premier League he was always a stand-out player. He was so graceful on the pitch, you'd call him a Rolls Royce of a player. He looked as though he was jogging but he'd leave people behind. He just had everything in his game, he was a complete midfielder.

Not necessarily playing against him but as an observer, do you have any moments you'll really remember him by as a player?

The Olympiacos goal without question, because of the importance of it. You also have to look at the West Ham game at Wembley as well. One I do remember, not fondly obviously was against Manchester United, he hit the ball so hard it came back out of the net!

How do you think Stoke's season has gone?

I'm absolutely delighted with the season we've had. I think Mark Hughes has done a great job. I think when he first went in there at the start of last season I think he may have tried to change things too quickly to go from the style under Tony Pulis, but he's now got the perfect mixture of both. Now he's put his imprint on it and the players understand how he wants his team to perform, he's done brilliantly. The only thing now for Stoke is to get to the next level which could cost a lot of money, so the future is going to be interesting. I think when we first came into the Premier League we had an identity which was very good for us and played to our strengths. If we'd have tried to play football on the ground we'd have probably come straight back down, but now it's football played on the ground which is getting the fans excited.

The Britannia Stadium is obviously famous for its atmosphere, what's it like playing there?

It's unbelievable to be a player there, especially the first two years in the Premier League because every time you walked out on that pitch the hairs would stand up on the back of your neck. It was something you could never get enough of and it was an absolute honour to be a player there.

Talking of atmospheres, what was it like to be an opposition player at Anfield?

It was always special when you walked out there when the Kop was singing 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. It's such an historic place, everything about it. When you think about Manchester United years ago and the Stretford End years ago, the Kop has managed to maintain the atmosphere to a certain extent. It's well known throughout the world and when you walk out there and you see the flags, and hear them singing the anthems it's something that's very special even as an away player. You walk down and the Liverpool players touch the 'This Is Anfield' sign on the way down and it's just something that is synonymous with Liverpool. As a Manchester United supporter there's always rivalry but Liverpool has so much history. That's what I love about the older stadiums, when you go into them you can smell the history, that certain players have sat in that dressing room, certain players have played on this ground. It's such a special place to go and play football.

Finally, what are you up to at the moment?

I'm mainly doing media work but get involved when I can with a bit of charity. There's a friend of mine, he's a big Liverpool supporter, he's also a hero of mine - Mark Maddox. He's been living with Motor Neurone Disease for a while now. He played for Altrincham but had to retire but has done marathons for MND when realistically it's very difficult. He's an inspiration and it's something which needs to be highlighted more.

Click here to find out more about Mark's story.