Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
GERS MUCH MORE CALM
Gerrard is keen to end bad blood with SFA
STEVEN GERRARD has revealed Rangers no longer want to be regarded as Scottish football’s noisy neighbours – despite the retrospective red card that has ruled Alfredo Morelos out of the next three games.
The Ibrox boss has called for greater consistency in the SFA’S disciplinary procedures after Morelos was hit with a suspension for stamping on Ryan Porteous – – even though Hibs’ Darren Mcgregor escaped punishment for a similar flashpoint in last week’s match.
But Gerrard insists Rangers have made a deliberate decision to adopt a more low-key approach to tackling the authorities after years of simmering bad blood and a series of incendiary statements.
He said: “As a club it’s something we’ve spoken about in great detail.
“Everyone is aligned and together we’ve tried to dial the noise down around the club, the unnecessary noise.
“Part of that is to accept the ban for Alfredo. I’ve looked at the incident a lot of times now and I don’t think there’s a case for us to defend in this situation.
“Having said that, it doesn’t mean we’re pleased with everything that happened in that game or previously during the season.
“So it is something behind the scenes myself and the board are working hard on to try to find better solutions, in terms of the disciplinary and the processes that go on.
“It’s obviously disappointing from my point of view not to have Alfredo. It is what it is but my focus is now on the players who are available to us and trying to get another important result.”
Gerrard almost ended up in hot water earlier this season when he seemed to suggest Morelos had been singled out for special treatment by the SFA’S compliance officer.
He added: “Every manager wants a level of consistency for every player. For every incident, if you like, to be judged in the same way so we find that level of consistency. It will really help the league moving forward.”
Asked if he felt Mcgregor should also have been hit with a ban, he said: “He’s not my player. A decision has been made that I can’t control or affect that decision now so it makes no sense for me to comment on it.”