I need to get this house in order before I can even think about the neighbours
WISELY on his first day as the manager of Rangers, Steven Gerrard steered conversation away from the destructive force on the east side of Glasgow.
One day soon a conversation about Celtic will be unavoidable. The Parkhead side stand at seven-in-a-row now and a failure to halt their progress before they reach nine or ten could be as hazardous to the new structure at Rangers as a force ten gale.
For now, however, the former England captain prefers to concentrate on some home improvements.
Stopping the rot running through Rangers. Making Ibrox wind-tight and water proof. Preventing the leak of goals and points which have made the task of finishing second in the Scottish Premiership significantly harder than it should be.
With a glance towards the artwork on the Blue Room ceiling, he admitted: ‘My priority is Rangers and this house.
‘I need to get this house in order, I need to produce a team and squad that’s capable of winning football matches.
‘I want the supporters to skip into this place to watch that team and be proud of them and to see we can take the team and club forward and make it competitive. ‘That’s my priority, not what Celtic have been doing and not what other people have been doing in the league.
‘I have to focus on every challenge that’s coming at us, but for us to win those challenges and come out on top of them we need to sort Rangers out first.’
There would be much to sort out for a wizened old head with the miles on the clock of a Walter Smith. For a first-time manager, the road ahead looks riddled with potholes.
The questions are obvious. Who provides the investment to fund the squad-rebuild Gerrard has to undertake? How much is available? Last week, Gordon Strachan described his first weeks at Celtic — he had already managed Coventry and Southampton — as the loneliest of his life.
Most intriguing of all, what relationship will he have with his former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers? The man whose dominance of the Scottish game poses the greatest threat to his success as manager of Rangers?
‘I’m not sure how the relationship will change,’ he shrugged. ‘Right now, as I sit here, everything is fine.
‘I really enjoyed my time as a player under Brendan, I have nothing but respect for the man and the coach.
‘The way I see it, it’s a very exciting challenge for myself to go up against not just Brendan but the other top managers in the league and the managers around Europe, as well.
‘That’s where I am now and that’s what I’ve got to face, that competition from other managers around the world — not just the closest ones.’
There will, inevitably, be testing days ahead. Days when Gerrard has to draw on experiences from the past under old managers. Days when he might wonder what the hell he has let himself in for.
Yet, yesterday, his demeanour suggested a man at ease with his decision to dip a toe into a managerial shark pool. ‘The size of the club, the history of the club, the values that this club has — I feel I’m a good fit,’ he claimed. ‘I feel like me and this club can have a special connection and have some good times together. ‘I’m looking forward to the fun we can have together.’ People will debate how much fun Pedro Caixinha had managing Rangers. Graeme Murty had his moments until it all went horribly wrong.
In Gerrard’s favour is a reservoir of goodwill. Rangers supporters are hardly noted for their patience and understanding when things go awry, but there might now be the realisation that a first-time manager can’t be expected to storm the Bastille against a dominant opponent in his first season in charge.
There were 7,000 people at Ibrox to welcome the new man yesterday, a sense of euphoria in the air. Supporters might harbour private doubts, but they want this to work very much.
‘I thought it was going to be a secret,’ joked Gerrard of his reception.
‘The supporters are the main thing here, not just one of the main things. My relationship with those supporters, if I can get them with me, if I can create a team they are proud of, that they look forward to coming here to watch — then we’ll be in a good place.’
It’s an interesting measure of Gerrard that the size of Rangers served as an incentive to join the club rather than an impediment.
He had other offers to start his managerial career — ‘as many as eight’ — and none of them held the appeal of wet Saturday afternoons in a Glasgow goldfish bowl.
‘I never got the right feeling from them. When Rangers came, it was a game changer,’ he added.
By his own admission, he has a decent life. He could easily have stuck with the Liverpool academy, while taking the easy midweek money on offer for sitting beside Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard in a BT Sport studio.
Since ending his playing career with LA Galaxy, however, he has missed the cut and thrust of a first-team dressing room. Accustomed to big, demanding football clubs, Rangers ticked the box.
‘When I signed as a professional at Liverpool, for the majority of my life I competed for three important points,’ said Gerrard. ‘That has been the buzz for me.
‘That’s what my life has been around for a long time and since my playing days have ended I’ve really missed that.
‘I’ve been around some talented players at the Liverpool academy and I’ve enjoyed it — and I’ve done a lot of learning in the last 12 months — but I always knew one day I wanted to compete for three important points.
‘I wanted to feel that pressure and buzz again of preparing for a Saturday on a Monday morning. I loved that about my life when I was a player.’
There were plenty offering free advice. Some pros, some negatives. Kenny Dalglish sent a good-luck message, while Gerrard plans to speak to Graeme Souness in the coming weeks.
When push came to shove, Gerrard went with his gut.
‘You can’t stop opinions in the game — from players, from ex-players, from managers, from coaches,’ said Gerrard.
‘I have been in the position where I have had an opinion myself. I can’t control what people’s opinions are. Everyone is welcome and I respect everyone having an opinion. That’s fine.
‘The important thing is I make my own decisions. I’m my own man.
‘I certainly believe in this football club and what they’re trying to do. I know I’ll get the support from the gentlemen who are close to me now. I know I’ll get the support from the supporters.