Glasgow Rangers’ move to replace sacked manager Graeme Murty with Steven Gerrard has been almost unanimously applauded by the media, who have portrayed it as an ideal opportunity for both sides. Rangers have attracted a former England captain to raise standards and attract young talent to the club, while he takes over at one of the two biggest clubs in Scotland.
Yet there remain several flaws to this assessment.
Firstly, Gerrard has spent less than a year coaching Liverpool’s U18 side. Although there are exceptions, it has been proven time and again that great players do not automatically become great managers. If the 37-year-old’s candidacy had been based purely on his unremarkable record as coach, then he wouldn’t even have been shortlisted for the role. Furthermore, while players in the club’s academy may revere him, it is unlikely seasoned professionals in the Rangers first team will hold him in quite such high regard. Some pundits have suggested Gerrard’s contacts in the game will enable him to attract a higher calibre of player to Rangers, yet this appears optimistic. A couple of loan deals may be agreed for young players, but footballers with ambitions of playing in the Premier League next season are unlikely to be tempted by the SPFL.
In time, Gerrard may consider his appointment a mixed blessing at best. The former international has spent the past months learning under Jurgen Klopp, who, lest we forget, is currently being talked about as a visionary of modern football after leading Liverpool to the Champions League final. Now he has been appointed at Rangers, Gerrard must privately acknowledge that the odds are stacked against him. His new club are light years behind Celtic at the moment. The Liverpool legend will know that with his former manager, Brendan Rodgers, in the opposite dugout, preventing Celtic from winning their eighth consecutive league title will be far from easy.
Rodgers is well placed to warn his former captain that even if he achieves the feat, it may not be enough to convince his detractors. Many would attribute his success to an overall fall in standards and a lack of competition in Scottish football.
Almost 18 months ago, Gerrard was interviewed for the managerial vacancy at MK Dons. He resisted the temptation to take charge then and it would perhaps have been wise to wait a little longer still.
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