Box-office appeal is obvious... but this is a huge risk
ALL we have heard from Rangers fans recently is they need an experienced boss, someone who knows what it’s all about in Glasgow and can relate to the supporters.
That’s why I initially dismissed Steven Gerrard as a serious candidate for the job. He simply doesn’t fit the criteria.
If all Rangers were requiring right now was a big name to sell season tickets, getting him on board would be a huge coup.
Listen, if he gets the job and you’re a season-ticket holder who’s disgruntled, you’d be thinking: ‘Here we go’.
You might have your doubts, but you’ll pay your money and go along for the ride. It has box-office appeal. But this isn’t just about selling tickets or a man taking control of the dressing room and getting them to play better. The job is so much more than that.
There needs to be significant investment. What budget would he get? Would he be able to work with a director of football who’s acting like a recruitment officer? When Brendan Rodgers arrived at Celtic, the changes were from the ground up.
He brought in dozens of his own staff to run it like a professional club.
That’s what the new Rangers manager should be doing but I’m not convinced he will be allowed to do so.
I’m just amazed Gerrard sees Rangers as the right career move at this point in time.
At the minute, he is learning all the basics of coaching and management at the club he loves and getting an education from Jurgen Klopp, one of Europe’s elite.
He’s worked under Rafa Benitez, Gerard Houllier, Rodgers and Kenny Dalglish.
He knows what it takes to be successful.
He’s a Champions League winner, he’s played in the World Cup and the Euros, so he knows what’s required.
Presumably then, he is fully aware of the scale of the task at Ibrox. I don’t think it’s just a one-man job and certainly not for someone of his inexperience. It might take years for it all to come together.
The appointment would be a huge risk — and not just from Rangers’ point of view.
If Gerrard was to stay at
Liverpool doing what he’s doing well, in three or four years he’ll undoubtedly be in the running to be the next manager.
They have a proud history of promoting from within.
No matter what you’ve done as a player, if you don’t hit the ground running as a manager in Glasgow, it could almost finish your career before it’s really started. Just ask Graeme Murty.
Jack Ross was telling me about his experiences of working with youth-team football at Hearts, a part-time team like Alloa and then battling relegation at St Mirren.
If he has any advice for an up-and-coming manager it would be to take that route.
Learn your trade and make your mistakes at a lower level.
He had to tick every single box before he was ready to enjoy the success he’s had in the past year.
Graeme Souness had no managerial experience when he came to Rangers in 1986.
But he had unprecedented financial backing.
John Barnes later arrived at Celtic as a Liverpool legend but had never managed before. He lasted seven months.
No matter how good a player Gerrard was, it’s a huge leap to being a full-time manager.
It won’t be long before Rangers are probably preparing for European qualifiers at the start of a 60-game season.
He’s also starting out another career as a pundit. He’d be putting a lot on the line.
For all we know, he might — one day — be an outstanding manager. But he needs time and the right career choices for that to happen.
We’ve heard about Murty having to learn on the job — stepping up from the Under-20s to dealing with international players.
At Rangers, you shouldn’t be learning on the job. It’s not an apprenticeship.
Is Gerrard going to uproot his family? Or will he move up here on his own?
The commitment, in terms of putting in the hours, to get the very best out of your team is enormous. If you really want the job you have to be 100-per-cent committed.
Rodgers is in that building 12 hours a day, every day.
That’s what you need to do if you’re going to strive for greatness.
Gerrard was at the last Old Firm game at Ibrox, so he’ll have a rough idea how far Rangers are behind Celtic.
There’s talk of Allan McGregor and Scott Arfield joining. But as a squad they need huge investment. Do Rangers have that kind of money?
One thing we do know is that if you’re a player in that dressing room now and there’s a chance Gerrard could be your next manager, it will put an extra spring in your step. Because naturally he’ll be watching on Sunday.
Who knows? It might even get a performance out of those who played so dismally at Hampden.