1) Who is/was a hero in your mind and what was his/her role in society? (Real or historic people only please. So no Marvel or DC superheroes or FF chars.)

Steven Gerrard, Footballer, Captain of Liverpool F.C and jewel in the crown of the English national side.

2)What attributes do you find most admirable in your hero?

He is determined, motivated, modest, has respect for his opponents and his superiors, is highly skilled at what he does, is a great athlete, he is fearless and he inspires others.

3)Who in your life/personal experience and how have they hero impacted your life, morals or ideals?

My morals are handed down to me by my parents and by society. From these I formed my own ideals so really no one person has impacted heavily on these aspects of my life.

4)Is your hero a role model for you? If so, please elaborate. If not, do you simply respect and admire your hero based on their freakish ability to excel in a chosen field?

Yeah my hero is role model for me. I can never be like him because I am nowhere near as good as him at football but I can take some of the aspects that make him a good hero and import them into my own life.

5)Are heroes necessary for society as a shining example of what one human can achieve? To show that the system actually works and produces these exceptional individuals?

Yes. Without heroes I think many people would lose sight of something to aim for.

6)Does the idea of a hero still exist in our society today? how is it different from what it was in the past?

Heroes today don't go round slaying dragons and the like. There are similar examples, for instance when a soldier comes home from war he can be considered a hero. Most of our well publicised heroes these days come off of the sporting fields of the world, it is the equivalent of the roman gladiators I guess. As illustrated by David Beckham co. in a recent Pepsi advert.

7)Is heroism a relative term or are the feats of your hero so grand, that they transcend all boundaries?

I think it's a relative term. It's impossible to transcend boundaries in my opinion, but they can be stretched.

8)Have you admired this hero all of your life? Please elaborate.

I have always admired him as an accomplished football player but really only this season has he acquired hero status for me. He picked Liverpool F.C up and dragged them out of the gutter when Houllier made him Captain. If he continues in this vein for the rest of his career he will go down in history with Pele, Beckenbauer, Baresi, Maradona, Bobby Moore, Jack Charlton, and other footballing legends.

9)If you could have acted on behalf on your hero in a particular situation, how might you have acted differently? Or would you have let the even play out the same way?

I wouldn't have missed the penalty against Fulham ! It doesn't mater though, it wasn't a costly miss. Ask me after Euro 2004.

10)Do you believe that there is a general heroic template, or that each individual hero's attributes are unique and independent of all other heroic people?

I think that all heroes need drive, influence, and to excel at something. Be it sport or philanthropy, whatever.