Steven Gerrard says turnaround at St Johnstone required
STEVEN GERRARD is open and honest, his words firm but fair. It is an approach that stood him in good stead as a player and one which he has taken into management.
If something needs said, he is not afraid to say it. His messages on Sunday were designed to inspire rather than belittle his players and they had the desired impact.
The reaction from the away supporters inside McDiarmid Park at the halftime whistle said it all about how poorly Rangers had performed as Matty Kennedy fired St Johnstone into a lead that they more than merited.
Just an hour later, those same fans erupted in celebration as Alfredo Morelos completed his brace and a comeback that didn’t look on the cards for long spells.
Gerrard revealed afterwards there were some home truths spoken at the break as he attempted to cajole his players. Whatever the 38-year-old said, it more than paid off.
“I don’t think they were harsh words,” Gerrard said. “I think they were fair. They were certainly firm and honest. It wasn’t aggressive or loud.
“It was just clear and honest because the first half performance wasn’t good enough. We were second best and we deserved to be in the position we were in. That is credit to St Johnstone as they made us look second best.
“But, credit to them in the second half. We got a reaction and they came out like a team with belief and purpose.
“We have only been together a short space of time and we are not good enough to take our foot off the gas and think we can just turn up and beat teams.
“I think with anything I have done in my career I prefer honesty whether that be one on one with a manager or a team-mate.
“I think the most healthy environments are the ones where you can be honest with each other and that is them back to me as well.
“We do have that open floor where people can say what they want. But there is no point me trying to sugar coat for them and try to tell them at half-time on Sunday everything was fine.
“I think you could hear from our supporters they were unhappy. And rightly so. This is a top club that expects better.”
As he reflected on a remarkable 90 minutes in the McDiarmid Park media room on Sunday, Gerrard was as effusive in his praise of St Johnstone as he was critical of his own players.
His comments in a television interview provoked an outcry, however, and he was accused of being disrespectful towards Tommy Wright’s side by stating ‘we shouldn’t have to work that hard to win at places like this, with all due respect.’
Gerrard phoned Wright on Sunday evening to set the record straight and reiterated his points hours later as he met the press to look ahead to the visit of Hibs.
He said: “I was going to mention that. You were there in the written media, I made it quite clear.
“I didn’t mean to disrespect St Johnstone or Tommy Wright, I spoke to Tommy [on Sunday] night and said some of my quotes have been taken the wrong way or maybe I’ve got one wrong and, if I have, I apologise.
“But we’ve got nothing but respect for St Johnstone and the manager. They were much better than us for certainly the first half and parts of the second half so in no way did I mean to disrespect him or anyone in the middle or the bottom of the league.
“He gave me a wonderful welcome here when I turned up, Tommy, and I like the way his team plays. I think after the Celtic game they went eight or nine unbeaten so the last thing I’m going to do is disrespect that.
“[I phoned him] just to make it clear that it wasn’t my intention to disrespect him. I try to be honest and authentic in all my press conferences and I try to make it work for you guys as well but the last thing I would want to do is disrespect a fellow manager or a team.”
There is certainly no chance of Gerrard taking his next opponent lightly. Just days after going head-tohead with Neil Lennon for the first time, he will do so again this afternoon.
Rangers were left frustrated at Easter Road as they failed to make their superiority count and saw two Premiership points slip through their grasp.
But the Light Blues know that wins over Hibs and Celtic in the coming days will take them top of the table going into the winter break.
Gerrard said: “It is a lovely thought but there is a lot of hard work and big individual and collective performances needed to achieve it.
“For us right now we focus on Hibs. We had a tough game against them last week, but performed very well. That’s the level I will be looking for at Ibrox.
“We need to do everything we can to get three points and that will set up for a wonderful game to finish the first half of the season off.
“It is two tough games, six big points available and we need to give everything we can. 100 per cent we need to keep focused on Hibs. It would be very naïve of us to think about the Old Firm right now.
“We know Neil Lennon will be desperate to come here with his team and get a