SOCCER:A MAN allegedly attacked by Steven Gerrard told a court yesterday how he "faced a barrage of punches" from the Liverpool captain, who swore at him when he refused to hand over control of a CD player.

Marcus McGee, 34, said he disliked the footballer’s attitude when he asked for a card that controlled the stereo at Southport’s Lounge Inn. “I would describe it as bad and rude. He was bad-mannered straight away. When you see a famous person like that you do not think you are going to have a fight or trouble with them.”

In police interviews read to the jury, Gerrard said that on a drunkenness scale of one to 10 he was “about a seven” and had spent the night drinking bottles of Budweiser and had one shot that included Chambord liqueur and Baileys.

Talking about the disagreement, McGee told Liverpool crown court that Gerrard, 29, said “something to the effect of, ‘Here you are, lad, give me that’.” McGee refused: “It was my job, so I didn’t hand it over.” McGee said the Lounge Inn’s manager had asked him to take charge of the music as he wanted to get everyone dancing.

He told the court Gerrard tried to grab the card and recalls it slipping on to the floor. The footballer walked away.

Seven minutes later Gerrard, in the bar with friends celebrating Liverpool’s 5-1 win over Newcastle United, was seen on CCTV returning to where McGee was sitting. The court heard Gerrard approached and said: “What the f**k is your problem?” McGee stood up, as he felt threatened, the jury heard, and they had a brief conversation.

McGee told the court: “I remember a barrage of punches coming in at my face but at that point I don’t know who has done what. Having watched the CCTV it was quite obvious Steven Gerrard hit me a couple of times, maybe three times but I couldn’t honestly say on the night.”

Gerrard, a married father of two, denies affray and told police he had been given permission by manager Sabrina Malik to pick tracks on the stereo. Interviewed by police after the incident in the early hours of December 29th, he said had been reading a “music menu” when “[McGee] grabbed my menu off me and said ‘You are not f**king deciding what music goes on in here’.”

Gerrard claimed McGee was aggressive and he had just wanted to “sort it out” with him; he said he hit out because he thought McGee was going to give him a “smack”.

Six co-defendants, including two Accrington Stanley players, have admitted charges of affray or threatening behaviour before their trial was due to begin.

Under cross-examination, McGee strongly denied he swore at the footballer. McGee said he was innocent, saying: “I didn’t throw any punches, I wasn’t acting aggressively, I didn’t hit anyone at all.” His girlfriend, Gina Lond, told the court: “I saw an elbow going into Marcus’s face. At that time I thought it was Steven’s. Marcus was just getting punched and kicked by several people. He had blood on his face and he had a cut on his forehead.”

Gerrard is expected to give evidence today.