STOP THE LET’S GO TALK.. LET’S GET REAL FOR STEVEN’S SAKE
Fans must be patient and give Gerrard time to rebuild Gers
IT’S impossible not to get excited when a guy like Steven Gerrard comes to Rangers and I’m as enthusiastic as anyone about his arrival.
Even from almost 2000 miles away on holiday in Portugal I could sense the buzz as I watched the build-up to his first competitive game in charge on my phone.
I’m not sure my wife was too chuffed considering we were out for dinner but my family are used to it by now and as a Gers fan there was no way I was going to miss it.
What I loved seeing was the positivity and the feelgood factor with Ibrox virtually sold out five days before Thursday’s first leg of the Europa League qualifier against Shkupi.
But with the excitement surrounding Gerrard’s appointment comes huge expectation and what is also required is patience from the Rangers fans.
Gerrard described the 2-0 win over the Macedonians as no better than satisfactory and some supporters might have been hoping for a bit more from their side.
But it’s hard to criticise for the simple fact it’s a new team and it was the first competitive game of the season and the Gerrard era.
I’m sure Steven and his coaching staff would have done their homework on Shkupi and watched plenty of videos but there’s still a bit of the unknown against these teams.
The 6-0 win over Bury the previous week was obviously great but pre-season friendlies are a totally different ball game.
For a start a lot of the players wouldn’t have played in a stadium like Ibrox before in front of that number of fans so that would have been new to them.
It could have been better but overall they got the victory and that’s the most important thing and I’m pleased they got that second goal through James Tavernier’s last-minute penalty after Jamie Murphy’s opener.
I was worrying a bit towards the end with the missed chances and would have been slightly concerned taking a 1-0 lead over there but with that second goal I’m confident they can finish the job off in the return in Skopje on Tuesday.
Of course I would have preferred another couple of goals but it’s an early start in Europe, a new team trying to gel and get used to a new system, and their first competitive game.
How many times have we seen shocks involving Scottish clubs this early in the season? We only have to look back to last year and Progres Niederkorn.
And during my time, although I was injured, we lost to Kaunas.
I felt defensively they looked solid but middle to front there were a few stray passes and that is down to rustiness. Let’s not forget they’re only halfway through pre-season.
In my mind there’s a lot more improvement needed but Gerrard has a mindset that I feel has been missing for a number of years at Rangers.
However, it can’t be all singing and dancing right from the start.
Of course, the problem at a club like Rangers is you don’t get much time but there needs to be a settling-in period of some sort and I’m sure they’ll come good.
I’m not saying Rangers are going to win the Premiership and go deep into the Europa League but I believe there will be a vast improvement certainly from last season.
James Tavernier led Rangers out and will captain them in the new era. It’s a wise choice as he has been at the club for three years now.
Lee Wallace obviously has his issues with the club and Tavernier was probably the most consistent player last season so it’s a good shout. I’d probably have given the armband to Allan McGregor but that’s just me being biased!
Seriously, an outfield player is probably a better option.
I’m not saying a keeper can’t be captain but if you’re outfield you’re more involved and Tavernier has been at the club long enough to realise what it’s all about and the expectations and mentality needed at the club.
The full-back has also been through some difficult times which makes you a strong character and that’s what is needed at Rangers. I also heard Gerrard talk about Ross McCrorie before the game and how throwing him into the centre of defence early in his career could have ruined him. And I understood exactly where he was coming from. A young boy coming into the team needs to be protected. He has a bright future and like the manager I like him as a holding midfielder.
I know he can play centre-half but I’ve always liked him in that No.6 position. Pedro Caixinha said he was going to be “one of the best centrehalves in history, not just for this club but for this country” and that was putting too much pressure on him.
You need to protect young players when they are coming through rather than make such bold predictions.
Another youngster who is exciting the fans is Glenn Middleton and while it’s early doors he looks like he can light up a game.
I looked up his history and having been let go by Norwich he will be eager to prove himself. From what I’m hearing coming out of Rangers he has a bright future ahead.
But he’s another who needs to be protected and hopefully in time he can become a really good player. After the Bury game Shkupi was his first competitive appearance off the bench and he looked bright so it will good
to see how he progresses.