Gerrard is warning Gers to tighten up or face trouble
Ban looming over Ibrox boss after SFA lay down disciplinary charges
STEVEN Gerrard has warned Rangers that a repeat of their lax Leith defending could lead to trouble in Tilburg.
The Gers kicked off the new Premiership campaign with a British record seven straight clean sheets but saw that shutout streak blown apart at Easter Road as they dropped two points in a 2-2 draw with Hibernian.
Gerrard’s team must pick themselves up as they travel to Holland to take on Willem II in their latest Europa League qualifier and the Ibrox boss has warned his team they can’t switch off like they did in Edinburgh.
Gerrard said: “It’s very difficult to predict how a game might pan out but one thing is for sure at this level, if you’re passive and stand off good players, even more than domestically, you’ll get hurt.
“A big part of our performance and success throughout these qualifiers in the last couple of years and our journeys in Europe have stemmed from a solid base defensively, our organisation and what we’ve given out of possession.
“That’s just one side of the game, you’ve still got to have the players and the talent in your team to go and hurt the opposition when the ball is turned over.
“To get a result both sides of our game will have to be good, but certainly from an out of possession point of view we have to do much better than the weekend.”
And Rangers say they are “bemused” after Gerrard was handed a notice of complaint over comments made in the wake of Dundee United defender Ryan Edwards’ challenge on Alfredo Morelos.
The Colombian had to be stretchered off with a nasty gash after being caught by the Tannadice stopper’s thigh-high tackle during Gers’ 4-0 Ibrox win earlier this month, but Edwards escaped punishment after referee Kevin Clancy chose to take no action.
Gerrard also refused to single out Edwards for criticism, but did question whether Morelos would have got off so lightly had he been the culprit.
Speaking after the match, Gerrard said: “I’d be very interested to see what the decision would have been had the shoe been on the other foot and it was Alfredo who had made that tackle.”
Those words have now earned the former Liverpool skipper a Scottish FA disciplinary charge.
Gerrard is accused of breaching rule 72 which covers comments which “indicate bias or incompetence” on the part of match officials.
That has not gone down well with the Ibrox club, who hit back in a stinging statement.
It said: “Rangers are bemused that a notice of complaint has been raised against Steven Ger
rard, for comments relating to the challenge which caused injury to Alfredo Morelos.
“This is a bizarre charge which we will robustly contest at the scheduled hearing.
“As is often the case, Steven Gerrard was asked for his view on a flashpoint in the match, with leading questions relating to the challenge that caused the injury and whether it should have been deemed a red card. On several occasions, he refused to do so.
“Given the wide range of incidents in Scottish football so far
this season, we are perplexed that this issue has been raised and cited for complaint.
“Whilst our national sport faces an unprecedented crisis, it is baffling that resources are used to charge Rangers’ manager based on a flawed and inaccurate interpretation of Steven Gerrard’s remarks.
“Rangers will fully support its manager against this charge during the scheduled hearing.”
Gerrard will go before Hampden disciplinary chiefs on October 8.