1: LISTEN TO THEM 2: TRUST THEM 3: DO AS THEY SAY
Board deserves credit for bold bid
FIRST, let me give credit where it’s due.
When I initially heard the rumours about Stevie Gerrard and Rangers I didn’t think for a minute anything would come of it.
So now it looks like they actually might make it happen I have to take my hat off to Dave King and his board for being so bold and ambitious.
Recently it has felt as if these days were a thing of the past for my old club. From Graeme Souness to Terry Butcher to Brian Laudrup and Paul Gascoigne, there was a time and place when the club was used to dealing with some of the biggest names in the European game.
But all that seemed like a lifetime ago. So the fact someone of Stevie G’s calibre is so close to walking through those front doors as manager is something I can’t help but get excited about. And King and his regime deserve nothing but praise for even making it a possibility.
I realise there are concerns about his lack of managerial experience and I understand that. There are risks involved with any appointment.
But what you are dealing with here is a guy who has spent his entire career operating at the highest level. He knows the standards required to be successful at a giant club.
And if there’s one thing we know about Rangers it’s the standards the club once held dear have been allowed to slip over the last few years. There’s no doubt in my mind if Stevie G and Gary McAllister do walk in through those doors they’ll see it for themselves within minutes.
And they’ll know exactly what is required to fix it.
What matters most of all is having managed to bring two outstanding professionals to the club the board are then prepared to listen to them, trust their judgment and follow their advice.
King and the board should concentrate on bringing in the money and hand over complete control of the football side of the business to the pair. Let them call the shots and allow them to rebuild all aspects of the club.
Yes, that’s an awful lot of responsibility for such a young manager – but we aren’t dealing with just anyone here. This is a guy who has handled pressure all the way through his career.
He has won the Champions League and led England to World Cup finals. If anyone knows what’s required to restore the standards at Rangers surely it’s him.
He’s not going to deliver success overnight. He’ll need time to get his teeth into the job because so much work needs to be done.
But if you’re going to trust anyone you have to trust someone with his level of professionalism. Trust me they don’t get much better. During my time in England I played against him a number of times and I met him last summer when we were part of a Star Sixes tournament. He even bought me and the Scotland boys a beer.
He’s a top man in the way he conducts himself. For such a worldrenowned superstar he is completely grounded and humble as a human being. But as a player? Wow! The guy was something special.
When I left Ibrox for Birmingham at the age of 32 I remember people saying I was all washed up. That there was no way I could cut it playing in the English top flight week in, week out. And I recall thinking to myself I had to prove them all wrong.
In order to do that I knew I had to fall in love with just playing football all over again. To forget about everything else that had gone on up the road and get back to being an
Stevie G is a guy who has handled pressure all through his career
addict. Addicted to training. Addicted to fitness. Addicted to the game.
I realised if I didn’t allow it all to consume me these guys would eat me alive every time I stepped on to a pitch.
The truth is I was starting to doubt myself and the three that worried me the most were Stevie G, Paul Scholes and Frank Lampard.
Every time I came up against them it was a chance to measure the level of my own performances against the very best.
For me they set the standard for every other midfield player in that league. When it was my turn to go up against them I wanted to prove to myself I belonged out there on the same pitch. It was a matter of pride.
I like to think I managed to do that during my time at St Andrews. I’m not saying I walked off the park thinking I’d just put Gerrard in his place. But I certainly did believe I had been able to give him a proper game of it – that he knew he’d been in a battle.
And that meant the world to me because of how much respect I had for him as an opponent.
I used to watch the way he operated out there and you could tell he was on a different level to the rest.
He was never a shouter – he was a leader without having to be vocal. He led with the ball at his feet. I admired him for that.
He could lead his team, stamp his authority over a midfield and take a game by the scruff of the neck without opening his mouth.
It was an honour and an education to be up against a player like that. So, yes, the thought of seeing him in the dugout at Ibrox really does excite me. The entire club would be given a massive lift by his presence alone.
Most important of all, Gerrard will change the club’s outlook.
It pains me to see the acceptance of second best and the general downgrading of standards that has gone on over these last few years.
Bringing in a guy of Gerrard’s international standing changes all that in a single stroke.
It’s a statement that would set a new high bar for the way the club intends to move forward.
Yes, there’s no doubt in my mind Gerrard is the right fit for Rangers. I just hope the board give him the assurances he needs to make him feel the same way.