Steven Gerrard has agreed to take over at Rangers in his first managerial appointment. The Liverpool legend will take over the Scottish giants this summer with the task of trying to fight against all-conquering Celtic. Gerrard was a world class player and led by example and he will now be looking to apply this to his managerial career.
Steven Gerrard Announced as Manager of Rangers
Will Gerrard follow Souness or Barnes example?
The appointment of Gerrard has been described as a risk because of the enormity of Rangers as a club. Football is a religion in Glasgow and Gerrard will need to learn this quickly. The appointment will bring back memories of Graeme Souness’ time at Rangers. Souness was also an ex-Liverpool legend but managed to win the league three times during his spell.
Gerrard will need to hit the ground running as managers at the Old Firm are not always given time to achieve the objectives they are given. In contrast, John Barnes, in his first job in management, famously took over in Celtic in 1999. Six months later, Barnes was sacked after poor results and a shock exit to Inverness in the cup. Barnes’ managerial career has always been tainted by that and never recovered. Gerrard will be hoping he does not follow suit as I am sure he has dreams of managing at Anfield one day.
Signings are a Must
Gerrard will have wanted assurances that Rangers are going to spend big. With major surgery needed to the squad, the recruitment process has started in the form of Scott Arfield and Allan McGregor. Rangers will be hoping that the allure of Gerrard will enable them to attract some quality signings. Gerrard is likely to use his contacts of youth football to enable him to bring in some quality youngsters. He will also need a good knowledge of the Scottish transfer market to help settle in smoothly.
Patience Needed
With Celtic still on course for consecutive trebles, Gerrard must be given time to close the gap. The gap between the two is 13 points and Gerrard will be keen to reduce it. Celtic have won the league seven times consecutively and the fans/board must be patient. Gerrard will be hoping to end Rangers’ title and trophy drought which has been ongoing since 2011. If he is able to halt that drought Gerrard may go down in history as both a Liverpool and Rangers legend.
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