IT’S A NEW BEGINNING FOR GERRARD AND RANGERS
He sparkled as a Liverpool legend, but now Gerrard must shine in the spotlight and brace himself for the demands expected as Rangers boss
STEVEN GERRARD’S debut as a player was a low-key affair. Rewind to November 29, 1998 and the final minute of a 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers. Gerard Houllier turns to the bench and beckons an 18-year-old kid in a long-sleeved Liverpool jersey that looks at least one size too big for him. Vegard Heggem, the Norwegian right-back, is the man replaced as the clock ticks down.
Gerrard’s name wasn’t even on the back of the programme that day. Had it been, it would have been recognised only by followers of the Anfield youth system.
They knew he was the boy from Huyton who had been included on an Under-18 tour of Spain as a 13-year-old. A player whose gifts and attitude marked him out as a potential star. For the rest of the world, however, Gerrard was a footnote in a routine Premier League victory. There was time and space to grow before the glare of the spotlight illuminated his presence.
His debut as a manager will be a little different. A further 709 appearances for Liverpool, not to mention 114 caps for England, established Gerrard as a bona fide great. Pretty much every football fan on the planet is now familiar with his name.
Today marks the formal start of a four-year contract with Rangers. It also kicks off a 41-day countdown towards his first competitive appearance in the technical area. The June 19 draw for the first round of Europa League qualifiers will determine which unwitting continental club is about to be swamped with media requests from across the UK and beyond.
That Gerrard will be followed by intense and widespread interest is the one absolute certainty of his tenure. His first game, his league debut, his first Old Firm derby; the 38-year-old will dominate the narrative of them all and more besides.
Scottish football can surely only benefit. The hunt for validation outside our borders can often be tiresome and self-defeating, but those intrigued by Gerrard’s progress might also catch sight of the raw, exciting, often crazy product that now forms his working environment. His fame could prove an asset in talks to renew television contracts that expire in 2020.
Gerrard’s unveiling on May 4 provided a snapshot of his draw. The fact 7,000 people filled the front enclosure of the Bill Struth Main Stand spoke of a depth of excitement among Rangers fans.
They fervently hope this high-profile managerial novice can grant fresh focus to a club that has drifted without direction for far too long. It created scenes not witnessed around Ibrox since Paul Gascoigne’s signing 23 years previously.
Even so, it was how widely Gerrard’s image and words were spread beyond G51 that was most interesting. Rangers have added 58,000 new followers across all social media platforms since his unveiling. The impact on May 4 itself was huge. Gerrard-related Tweets from Rangers generated 1.03 million engagements and 1.77 million video views.
On Facebook, there were 1.45 million video views and 180,000 reactions, comments or shares. The Ibrox club’s digital department produced a behindthe-scenes review of Gerrard’s arrival that kept the numbers ticking after the formal media conference was over.
The fascination even crossed into the political arena. While negotiations were ongoing, SNP transport minister Humza Yousaf had Tweeted to insist Gerrard wouldn’t become Rangers manager. The day after his appointment, the club responded with a graphic of a rail information board full of train cancellations — with Gerrard as the only arrival. Celtic-supporting Yousaf took the trolling with good grace.
Gerrard’s ‘Let’s go’ message to fans may have created a neat hashtag to spread, but there was no bombast about his initial address. Controlled and contained, while expressing confidence in his readiness, he spoke of winning football matches rather than next season’s league title. Questions about Celtic’s dominance were met with an insistence that his priority ‘is Rangers and this house. I need to get this house in order. I want the supporters to skip into this place to watch the team and be proud of them, to see we can take the team and club forward and make it competitive.’
That surely struck the right tone. When Gerrard stepped into the Blue Room as the cameras flashed, he was replicating the steps Graeme Souness had taken in 1986. In truth, however, comparisons between the respective circumstances begin and end with a shared status as Liverpool legends.
It’s stating the blindingly obvious to say that Rangers can no longer afford to buy the England captain, as they once
did with Terry Butcher. Gerrard has also retired from playing, while Souness — who was assisted by the peerless influence of Walter Smith — started 24 of 44 league games en route to winning the 1987 title. Then there are the resources they inherited. The Ibrox side finished a miserable fifth in 1986, yet Souness still walked into a dressing room that had the club’s greatest goalscorer in Ally McCoist, a sublimely-gifted winger in Davie Cooper and perhaps the most promising Scottish midfielder of his generation in Ian Durrant. Derek Ferguson, Robert Fleck and Stuart Munro further supplemented the signings. Gerrard may not feel so fortunate. The challenge of remoulding Rangers in 2018 is vast. Some will point to how Brendan Rodgers drew far more out of the Celtic squad following his appointment in 2016 but, again, there are clear differences. Although several Parkhead players appeared out of both form and shape under the hapless Ronny Deila, they were still experienced title-winners. Rodgers applied his skill to ensure the additional ten per cent that matters was forthcoming. It is a task he has been perfecting ever since his appointment as Chelsea’s head youth coach in 2004.
Gerrard feels he learned much over a year in charge of Liverpool’s Under-18s but this is obviously a new arena. And, to such a driven personality, the mentality within the Ibrox squad may offer as much concern as any technical limitations.
It was a point touched upon by Jimmy Nicholl during his short spell in interim charge. The 61-year-old has been round the block more times than a vintage ice-cream van, so he knows enough about what makes players tick.
He spoke of his disappointment in how Rangers had reacted to adversity at key moments. Losing 3-2 to ten-man Celtic in March was the signal for their season to fall apart in embarrassing fashion, leading to humiliation by Celtic in the remaining derbies.
Some players under expensive employment are simply not cut out to be Rangers stars. Successive overhauls by Mark Warburton and, more particularly, Pedro Caixinha have left the club mired in mediocrity while burning through millions of pounds. Raising the standard and clearing out those draining finance for little return will be an obvious priority for Gerrard.
Which is not to say the cupboard is completely bare. In Ross McCrorie, Greg Docherty, Alfredo Morelos and Jordan Rossiter, Rangers have young players with plentiful room for development. James Tavernier, Declan John and Daniel Candeias had largely positive seasons. Ryan Jack, a solid Premiership performer, will be fit after a long-term knee injury.
Then there is Josh Windass, scorer of 18 goals last term. The 24-year-old infuriates many Rangers fans, yet his attributes are obvious on the occasions he is sufficiently involved to display them. Deciding whether or not to engage interest in Windass from Cardiff and others south of the border could be an important early call for Gerrard.
Certainly, his work in developing the personality and maturity of Liverpool’s young players was widely admired.
‘The word talent frustrates me,’ said Gerrard last year. ‘I love talent and I love seeing it, but these players need to understand the other side of the game: fighting, winning, tackling, going where it hurts, letting your lungs burn, really digging deep.
‘The end of games when young kids want to give up, you can’t do that at Premier League level or Champions League level so, for me, just as important as talent is the other side of the game.’
Over the past 12 months, Gerrard has sought and listened to advice from other coaches at Liverpool — including manager Jurgen Klopp and academy director Alex Inglethorpe — to refine his style. He would be at the academy at 7am, sometimes joining a five-aside game among the staff before the players arrived. The ‘obsession’ that drove him as a young player looks like being replicated in this newer field.
Ultimately, the improvements Gerrard made impacted upon their challenge for the Under-18 league as a number of players, including left-back Adam Lewis and attacking midfielder Curtis Jones, were fast-tracked up the ladder.
It is highly likely that loaning players from Anfield will form part of his Rangers strategy. Liverpool are keen to help if possible, although decisions on who exactly they make available may have to wait until pre-season training has resumed.
Gerrard gave his seal of approval to the signings of Scott Arfield, Allan McGregor and Jamie Murphy, set in motion before his appointment, but it will be fascinating to see how he seeks to imprint his own mark on the squad. And, indeed, how much he is able to spend.
Chairman Dave King has spoken of at least £6million from a future share issue being added to the pot. A move for Brighton centreback Connor Goldson is ongoing after two offers were rejected.
Further reinforcement is unquestionably needed if Gerrard is to make any significant inroads on Celtic’s dominance — and threaten Rodgers’ position as top dog in the coming seasons.
That contest with his former manager at Liverpool needs no hyping. It is the perfect script for a league which already holds a wide cast of coaching talent — from Derek McInnes to Neil Lennon to Steve Clarke and others.
These are now Gerrard’s contemporaries as he seeks to establish his merits as manager in one of Britain’s most demanding roles. It is time for the spotlight to shine again.