Gerrard retaining his focus as he hits Rangers milestone
STEVEN Gerrard insists he always knew rebuilding Rangers into a title-winning force was not a quick fix.
The Ibrox boss will chalk up his 150th game in charge of the Light Blues today as his team finally look set to claim the club’s first league crown in a decade.
Victory at home to Ross County will push them 23 points clear of Celtic and deliver another blow to the Hoops’ 10 in a row dreams.
Yet there have been times during Gerrard’s reign where the Gers faithful thought their Parkhead rivals were on an unstoppable march to that record-breaking Premiership triumph.
The stunning collapse of Neil Lennon’s team has changed all that, but Rangers had to be in a position to capitalise.
And Gerrard admits that simply was not the case when he was appointed back in 2018.
He said: “I’m not soft. I’ve been around the game a long time and I knew walking into this job it wasn’t going to be overnight change. It wasn’t a case of days or months, it was going to be a process.
“I’ve been reluctant to mention any targets. I sat down with the chairman at the time Dave King and Stewart Robertson and the board and I was well aware of what was expected of me.
“So knowing it was going to take time and a certain amount of windows, that hasn’t surprised me. It’s played out exactly how I thought. We just need to remain focused on our targets and what we’re trying to achieve.”
Gerrard has recorded 97 wins as Gers boss so far and 10 more in the league will be enough to finally crown his side champions.
He added: “I was told this week that Saturday is my 150th game. It’s not something that I give too much focus to. It’s very much not about me, it’s about the team and getting results.
“But I am really proud to be sitting here having been the manager for 149 games. It’s a journey that I’ve enjoyed immensely.
“I’m certainly in a better place for what I’ve learned from the experience so far. I want to improve and push myself to become a better manager. I hope there are many more to come. It’s a fantastic number in such a short space of time. It’s almost like three full seasons in two and a half years.
“It’s been really intense but enjoyable at the same time and I’m very much looking forward to the future and us pushing towards becoming a successful group. That’s the challenge.
“We all know that when you sign up to Rangers and the DNA here, you’re always pushing towards success as quickly as you can.
“That was the remit on day one and it hasn’t changed, so that’s what we’ll continue to push for.”
Rangers are so far in front this term they have already turned their attentions to next season.
But Gerrard refused to confirm if Bournemouth pair Jack Simpson and Nnamdi Ofoborh were among those he was looking to secure on pre-contracts.
“Rangers are linked with players on a daily basis,” he said. “But what I won’t do is be disrespectful to any player or their clubs.
“Those are two players who belong to another club. Yes, we are actively trying to add to the group come the summer, but I certainly won’t be mentioning any names.”