CRUNCH TIME
Gerrard says ‘positive Ibrox talks’ will resume tomorrow
STEVEN GERRARD last night broke his silence and admitted he has held ‘positive talks’ with Rangers — before revealing both sides will get back round the table tomorrow.
The former England and Liverpool captain will pick up discussions when he returns from Rome, where he is on television duty for Liverpool’s Champions League semi-final with Roma tonight.
Gerrard (right) remains the No 1 target for the vacant manager’s post at Ibrox following Graeme Murty’s sacking yesterday.
Sportsmail understands a three-year deal is on the table, with Rangers hopeful of an announcement by the end of the week. Gerrard wants former Scotland captain Gary McAllister as his No 2 and, speaking on BT Sport before last night’s Champions League clash between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, the Anfield Under-18s coach admitted: ‘There is truth in the rumours.
‘I’ve held initial talks with Rangers and the plan is to pick them up in a couple of days’ time.’
Pressed on whether he would
take the role vacated by Pedro Caixinha and now Murty, Gerrard added: ‘We’ll see. I’ve held positive talks with them. I’m busy for a couple of days, but I’ll pick them up on Thursday and we’ll see if we can progress them.’ Kilmarnock are poised to face their third different Rangers boss this season at Ibrox on Saturday, with Murty’s No 2 Jimmy Nicholl placed in charge of the team alongside coach Jonatan Johansson for the final three games of the campaign. In a statement, Rangers confirmed 43-year-old Murty had been ‘relieved of his duties’ after a troubled period for the former Under-20s coach. Murty will now take some time to consider his options, which include ‘returning to his role at the Rangers academy’. Gerrard had asked Rangers for time to fulfil his Champions League duties with BT Sport before making his decision. Yet former Celtic and Scotland boss Gordon Strachan warned him he risks becoming the new John Barnes if he makes Rangers his first job in management. Despite him winning nine major honours, including the Champions League, Strachan has told Gerrard that nothing can prepare him for the Glasgow goldfish bowl. Strachan was in the dugout at Celtic Park between 2005 and 2009 and, even though he boasted a ten-year career in management at that point, still found himself overwhelmed. ‘I was 48 years old when I joined (Celtic),’ he said. ‘I had worked at Premier League clubs, with Sir Alex Ferguson and all these kind of people. ‘I had done my time, was ready to go again, got the opportunity and thought I could deal with it. ‘Three weeks in, I thought: “Oh dear”. I’ve never felt so alone in my life. It was me and my wife taking on the world. It was so stressful. I’ve never felt like that. ‘Me and my wife used to sit in the city, hold hands and hope it would get better. The whole of Glasgow, you belong to them. There’s nothing that can prepare you for that.’ Strachan drew parallels with another Liverpool great, Barnes, whose first ever job came when he was appointed Celtic boss alongside director of football Kenny Dalglish. The ‘Dream Team’ turned into a nightmare and a reign best remembered for a Scottish Cup defeat against Inverness was ended after just eight months. Strachan told talkSPORT: ‘Look at John Barnes at Celtic. John knew the game, a clever, educated man. You go there and think: “I can deal with this”. No, you can’t. ‘He (Gerrard) has to think about where he wants to go and how long he wants to be in football management.’