NI’s Ibrox hero McClelland tells GerstoshowGerrardthemoney
FORMER Rangers captain John McClelland has told the Ibrox board that they must splash the cash if Steven Gerrard becomes their new boss in order for him to have a chance of stopping Brendan Rodgers leading Celtic to a record-breaking 10 league titles in succession.
Liverpool legend Gerrard is in talks with Rangers about the manager’s role, leading Northern Ireland World Cup hero McClelland to suggest it would be a massive boost for his old club to appoint the ex-England captain.
However, McClelland is adamant the job could only work for Gerrard, currently in charge of Liverpool’s Under-18s, with major financial backing to compete with Celtic, who won their seventh championship in a row on Sunday with a thumping 5-0 victory over Rangers at Parkhead.
“There is no doubt that having a figurehead like Steven Gerrard would give the club a massive boost, but it would only be the first boost,” said McClelland (right) ,a defender with Rangers in the early ‘80s.
“Is he, or any manager for that matter, going to get the complete support he deserves? Whoever comes in will have to be given a big investment to challenge Celtic. They need a major capital outlay to push forward.
“If Steven Gerrard does take over, one of his remits would be to stop Celtic winning the 10 in a row. It is unrealistic to think that it could be done in a season.
“With the right backing it would take a couple to compete. He would have to get a few established players in who he could really rely on and then take it from there.
“You want to show progress and show what you are building, do well in some of the cups, get the standards up and then you could really challenge for the title.
“Brendan Rodgers had a good base when he took over but has done a great job, and Celtic are like a runaway train, so it will be tough for Steven Gerrard or whoever takes over to stop them.”