Winter load o Of nonsense
Gerrard dismisses Dubai theory as Gers boss demands derby focus
RANGERS haven’t been able to stand the heat after failing to kick on from their new year Old Firm derby wins in the past two years.
But Steven Gerrard is adamant successive warm weather winter training camps to Tenerife and Dubai had nothing to do with them wilting in the second half of the season.
Ryan Kent and Niko Katic netted in a Parkhead victory 12 months ago to move Gers, who had a game in hand, to within two points of the Hoops.
But they failed to kick on after the winter break and trailed their rivals by 13 points when the season was halted due to Covid back in March.
It was a repeat of the previous season when Ryan Jack’s goal earned Gers a first derby win in 13 attempts to move level on points with Brendan Rodgers’ men, having played a game more on that occasion, only to tail off and finish nine points behind the champions.
Gerrard leads his side into the Old Firm battle at lunchtime today with a massive 16-point advantage over Neil Lennon’s men, who have played three games less.
It’s another opportunity to deliver some festive cheer but if he pulls off a hat-trick of wins at this time of year then what follows will be just as crucial.
They won’t board a plane to sunnier climes this time with no room in the calendar for a winter break and it will be a real contrast with a bus journey north to the north east to face Aberdeen in eight days’ time.
As he looked ahead to the visit of Celtic today, Gerrard said: “We’ve had success in this fixture in the previous two seasons and haven’t really gone and built on that - that’s there in black and white.
“It’s different this season with no winter break but the fixtures don’t change. Hopefully we can get a result that continues our rhythm and we don’t have a fixture for eight days after that so we’ll give the players one or two days with their families.
“And depending on how the result goes, we’ll prepare for the next fixture after that. People make an awful lot of winter breaks and Dubai but for me it’s a load of nonsense.
“The reality is we haven’t really been the best version of ourselves from the turn of the new year in both seasons, that’s the reality of it, and using Dubai or the winter break as an excuse is an easy way out for us.
“We’re very much focused on each fixture as and when it comes and they’re no bigger than this one.”
While there is no winter break this season, there was talk south of the border of a ‘circuit breaker’ this month to help combat the rising threat of Covid-19.
Gerrard doubts a cooling-off
It’s a ver myselfspecial day, y players andthe aware, areall butI’d allour ask fansto stay away GERRAR D
period would be beneficial and when asked how he would feel if something similar was proposed in Scotland, he said: “You leave those decisions to the powers that be.
“But my own opinion is that if there’s to be a significant improvement and everything is to be perfectly fine to crack on as normal after that two or three week circuit break, then I’d obviously be for it.
“But I don’t think there’s any evidence or data to suggest a guarantee of improvement after a circuit break.
“We also have to realise what football is doing for people who are being told to stay at home and are suffering from boredom and Covidrelated challenges. It’s giving people a release, excitement, something to watch. There’s been a lot of football south of the border and it’s really helping people in terms of their daily routine because everyone’s affected by Covid.
“I’ll follow what the decision makers do in this situation but for me there’s no guarantee a two-week break will make things a lot rosier than now.”
Today’s fixture will be an emotional occasion with the game taking place on the 50th anniversary of the Ibrox disaster when 66 Rangers fans lost their lives.
The tragic events of 1971 resonate with Gerrard whose cousin Jon-Paul Gilhooley was the youngest of the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster.
Former Liverpool captain Gerrard felt the pain of that tragedy throughout his Anfield career
He said: “There’s certainly a relation from my point of view with my connection to the Hillsborough disaster as well.
“I certainly know what this disaster means to people and I want to send my full respects to all the families and the survivors. I also want to pay my respects to the people who passed away.
“It’s a very poignant day, the 50th year as well. In a normal situation, we’d have a lot of people around the ground and we’d obviously put a full service on so we could pay our respects that way.
“But because of Covid-19, things will look slightly different. However, as a club we still want to pay our full respects to everyone involved and to all the names that are no longer with us.
“It’s a very special day, myself and the players are all aware of that – but I would ask all our fans to stay away.
“I know that’s tough but we also have to pay respect to the situation we’re all in at the moment and stay safe at home.”
A capacity crowd fell silent to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Ibrox d i sast er a decade ago but on this occasion the ground will be empty with fans still locked out.
Celtic won that match 2-0 back in 2011 and as he prepares for his second derby behind closed doors, Gerrard said: “In a normal situation we’d love to have our crowd with us but the technical and tactical side remains the same.
“With an empty stadium you can get messages onto the pitch much more, the players can communicate better.
“I’m sure you’ll hear more in terms of the technical and tactical side of it.”