STEVIE GLEE TO STEVIE GLOOM
He’s ALREADY claiming refs are conspiring!
IT is the sort of scenario they may well present to a budding manager during assessment for his coaching badges — what to do if your team are reduced to 10 men after less than quarter of an hour?
Oh, and it’s your first ever league game. And it’s away from home.
This, however, was far from the comfort of the classroom for Steven Gerrard. At a partisan Pittodrie, this was for real.
The former Liverpool and england captain thought he had the answer — put your two pacey wingers through the middle, play on the counter-attack, nick a goal, defend your lead and escape back to Glasgow with an opening-day victory.
And how close the rookie boss was to emerging with top marks. Indeed, Aberdeen’s first shot on target did not arrive until the 92nd minute — it so happened to find the bottom corner via the boot of a teenage debutant who had not read the script.
For Gerrard, after impressively negotiating two europa League qualifiers in recent weeks, this was his first setback.
Interestingly — and somewhat surprisingly — he did not react to it with the good grace you would expect of an individual so intelligent and considered.
By the time he came to reflect, the club tie which had completed his suited ensemble had been ditched. Perhaps he had used it in an attempt to string up the referee and his assistants, for they were the source of his ire.
Yes, his frustrations were not entirely without justification, but to suggest a wider conspiracy against his new club after his first Scottish Premiership match in charge was baffling. ‘It’s not just today, it’s been happening for a good while,’ said Gerrard. ‘I believe it’s been happening for seasons, I’ve watched footage. I don’t think we ever get anything to go for us. So someone should give me answers on that.’ Why was he so angry? Well, we were only 12 minutes in when his striker Alfredo Morelos was sent off for kicking out at defender Scott McKenna. For while the social- media hot-take was that the dismissal was harsh, it was still the correct call. On no page do the Laws of the Game state that you are allowed to kick an opponent (as long as it’s not too vicious). Morelos deserved to go. Gerrard saw it differently and referenced the provocation of the 22-year- old by McKenna, whose actions were deliberate and scheming, yes, but not worthy of a red card. ‘We feel hard done by because we felt he was provoked twice with violent barges,’ said Gerrard.
Gerrard wasn’t done there with the officials. His side were awarded a penalty on the half hour after breaching Aberdeen’s static backline before Josh Windass was tugged to the ground by Dominic Ball.
‘There was no attempt to play the ball. So it’s beyond me how a card can’t be shown for that situation.’ said Gerrard.
Was he right? Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes did not think so and opinion among observers was split, too.
either way, captain James Tavernier scored from 12 yards and Gerrard allowed himself a discreet fist-pump — after events of the first 30 minutes he could take nothing for granted.
And so it proved when 19-yearold Bruce Anderson smashed beyond Allan McGregor from inside the penalty area.
That was the afternoon’s big injustice — not the refereeing — and Gerrard reflected: ‘Tactically we were spot on for the majority of the game. So I don’t go away from here sad, I actually loved what I saw.’
There wasn’t much love for the officials, however.