Gerrard links to Newcastle to be expected, says Rangers assistant
GARY McALLISTER believes Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has been linked with Newcastle United this month as a direct result of the success he has enjoyed at Ibrox in the past three seasons.
Gerrard has emerged as a contender to take over from Steve Bruce at St James’s Park after a consortium led by the Saudi Arabian government’s sovereign wealth fund completed a £300m takeover.
McAllister, who is preparing for a cinch Premiership match against second-placed Hearts in Govan tomorrow, feels the speculation is a reflection of how well the former Liverpool and England midfielder has done during his time in Glasgow.
The 41-year-old led Rangers to their first Scottish title in 10 years last term as well as through to the last 16 of the Europa League for the second season running.
Asked about the links with Newcastle, McAllister said: “The thing is, since we have been here there has been speculation and links to several clubs.
“That’s part and parcel of being a high-profile manager. A high-profile manager that’s done pretty well here. Winning the league last season was decent.”
Meanwhile, former Scotland captain McAllister has praised Nathan Patterson for his performances for the national team in their Qatar 2022 qualifiers and predicted the 19-year-old defender will improve further.
Patterson helped Steve Clarke’s side come from behind twice to beat Israel at Hampden on Saturday evening and then supplied the cross that Lyndon Dykes scored a late winner from against the Faroe Islands on Tuesday night.
“He’s improving and improving,” said McAllister. “We feel we have a player who can play a long time for Rangers, but also a player who can represent his country for a long period as well.
“He’ll just keep on getting better. He just needs to keep taking on board the information the manager and the coaches here at Rangers are feeding him.
“His development will get better and better. He’s working hard on the quality of his deliveries when he gets into that fi
nal third and the fact is that in the last few games, as a result of that hard work, he’s got results.
“He’s got a level head and he takes on information really well. He’s a humble lad and that’s standing him in good stead.”
McAllister is confident that Rangers can defeat unbeaten Hearts in their league match at Ibrox tomorrow – if they reproduce their display against Hibernian before the international break.
The Scottish champions came from behind against their capital rivals and clinched a 2-1 triumph thanks to second-half goals from Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos.
“They [Hearts] look very compact, they look very together,” said McAllister. “Their team spirit sometimes hides the fact they are a team that’s playing really good football.
“It’s impressive in the fact that the two Edinburgh clubs are challenging and that they are up there at the top of the table. We look forward to the challenge. We had Hibernian here a fortnight ago and we look forward to welcoming Hearts here.
“The combinations were quick and sharp and we started to cause Hibernian problems. We managed to get the right result and that was more like us, definitely. We are enjoying the challenge. We set ourselves wee targets and we’ll try to keep our noses in front.”
Away fans will be allowed inside Ibrox for the first time in 18 months when Hearts visit tomorrow after the Joint Response Group announced that a Covid-19 red zone is no longer mandatory inside the stadium. McAllister has welcomed the move.
“Of course, this is a personal thing, but I am happy away fans will be in,” he said. “I like when there are two sets of fans going at each other, it makes for a better atmosphere.”