Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
GERS A TOP PLATFORM FOR STEVIE
GRAEME SOUNESS has told English critics Rangers is a “monster club” Steven Gerrard would find it nigh on impossible to better.
The Scotland legend has tasted life at both Ibrox and Liverpool but believes the Govan side is also a giant in world football.
He has been left hugely impressed by watching Gerrard lead his side to a mammoth 23 points clear of Celtic in the title race.
Pundits reckon Gerrard will soon be able to walk into a host of top posts when he decides to leave Rangers but Souness believes few are bigger than the one he currently holds and insists they would be challenging for the Premier League crown were they to have access to the TV cash enjoyed down south.
The iconic former midfielder, 67, said: “I don’t think you get much bigger and better than Rangers. Rangers, as you know, is a monster football club. Don’t underestimate the size of Glasgow Rangers.
“If it was a level playing field, if they had the same money coming in from television as the big clubs in England, if they were playing in the Premier League, they’d be challenging for the title, make no mistake of that.
“History has been unkind to them the way the game has evolved in Scotland and money has been introduced through television to England.
“Getting back to Steven, he’s done a wonderful job. If you go back to last year when they played Celtic, they were better. But they came back from Dubai very much in it, this time last year, and blew up for whatever reason.
“This year they’ve been sensational with their consistency and that’s how you win leagues. You also have to say factor in that
Celtic have imploded.”