3 minutes isn't going to make a difference to match fitness.
Also playing a player short of match fitness and with an injury history and not allowing him to ease into a game for a very short period could be detrimental.
It's better to save him to play a significant amount of a game which isn't so intense and against opposition that WILL go in dirty in order to build match fitness. He can ease in and play more game cometative game time and work his way into the team, on Gerrards clock.
Gerrard has said he's injury free and has been for some time, he's played some reserve football, has been in full training for quite a while and has been in and around the squad to keep him as part of things. He will most likely start against Dundee or against a less demanding team. I'd imagine we'd prefer him not to be up against that beardy prick for the sheep and be taken out when he's being eased back in, which is wise. Isn't that better and allow him to build up slowly and hit the ground running rather than being slightly off pace, against a bunch of dirty fuckers and risk a setback?
He is doing the right thing. Or maybe some people just know better than the gaffer and prefer to moan like %^*& about something not paying attention to what's actually going on.
