GOING FOR GOLDSON
Gerrard went the extra mile to seal the deal for Brighton defender who has set Rangers on road to success...
PURSUING Connor Goldson could have driven Steven Gerrard to distraction. Stuck in his car for ten hours on a 550-mile round trip across England’s motorway network, the Rangers manager hoped his sat-nav would eventually point towards success.
Ten weeks on, Gerrard insists it was worth every second of traffic jams and takeaway coffee. Trekking south to apply the personal touch helped seal a £3million-plus signing that now appears to be that rarest of things. A bargain from the English market.
On Thursday evening, Goldson poked home from close range to give Rangers a precious advantage to take to Russia for next week’s Europa League play-off second leg against FC Ufa. That was the second goal of a short Ibrox career to date, yet it is his authority at the opposite end of the pitch that has been the most obvious benefit to Gerrard’s Rangers revamp.
The Liverpool icon felt he would get an English Premier Leaguequality centre-back if he could prise Goldson away from Brighton. Hence his willingness to hit the road. Even if it required significantly more fuel than he first thought.
‘Connor is a Midlands boy and his wife is from Brighton,’ recalled Gerrard, beginning to smile. ‘There is a good story, actually, from when I went to go and meet him.
‘He said he would like to meet me face-to-face because we had spoken a lot on the phone. I said: “Of course, I will come down and see you”. I’m thinking an hour, hour-and-a-half from Liverpool to the Midlands — not a problem.
‘So I said: “Send me your postcode” and he sent me a message. He was in his missus’ house in Brighton, so it was a ten-hour round trip. I thought: “If he doesn’t sign today...”
‘Did he at least make me a cup of tea? He never. But his wife gave me a nice cup and I got a very nice welcome. We had a good chat face-to-face and it was cards on the table.
‘What do you want? What do you need in terms of your career? What is the next step? We went from there. And him being a Liverpool fan certainly helped, as well.’
Gerrard had rapidly identified Goldson as a key foundation stone of his plans. Eighteen months after undergoing preventative heart surgery, the 25-year-old was becoming unsettled by a lack of first-team football in Sussex.
‘The reason Connor wasn’t playing at Brighton wasn’t because he wasn’t good enough,’ insisted Gerrard. ‘Connor wasn’t playing at Brighton because (Shane) Duffy and (Lewis) Dunk were in the form of their lives. They were solid. It was a hell of a partnership.
‘Sometimes as a footballer, you’ve got to hold your hands up and say: “If they are consistently playing well, I can’t get in”. We benefited from that because Connor was frustrated. He loves playing.
‘He was our main target from the off. I wanted to start from the back to the front. (Allan) McGregor was virtually done. The priority for myself and Mark (Allen) was Connor Goldson because we knew he would be big for us. We have got a Premier League defender here, without a shadow of doubt.
‘He is a humble person and someone who is going to go on and have a fantastic career in the game, I have no doubt. I think (Brighton manager) Chris Hughton was really respectful and honest and understood he wanted to play football. He is in a good place and long may that continue because he has been fantastic for me.’
Goldson would doubtless say the same of Gerrard. Already a favourite of the Ibrox crowd, the defender has embraced life at Rangers.
‘First and foremost, he thinks he belongs at a club like that,’ added Gerrard. ‘He has been waiting for a set of supporters to jump on him and come with him. I think it was a perfect match. I think Rangers was perfect for Connor and vice versa.
‘He wants to win and he’ll do everything he can to win football matches. If someone wants to come and mix it with him, he’ll mix it with them, but Connor can play football.’
Goldson’s goal ultimately made the difference against Ufa, but Gerrard views it as a sign of progress that there was frustration among his players about not doing themselves ‘full justice’ in terms of performance levels.
Ovie Ejaria was one who could be happy with his input. Gerrard felt the on-loan Liverpool midfielder produced his strongest 90 minutes yet for Rangers.
‘I think he is settling into the dressing room, the lads are helping him a lot,’ said Gerrard. ‘I have always said to Ovie that nobody will ever judge you in terms of technical ability because you have got more technical ability than anyone, than I ever had.
‘But I think for him to keep progressing in his career, if we can add competing as a man in the middle of the pitch and doing the ugly stuff around the technique, he is going to be a fabulous player.’
Another fascinating aspect of Thursday’s match was the presence of Lee Wallace on the bench. His disciplinary dispute with Rangers — over a fine of four weeks’ wages imposed for an alleged bust-up with former manager Graeme Murty — was heard by an SPFL tribunal last week.
Gerrard revealed the club would stick by the outcome of that process and that Wallace — whose contract runs until the end of this season — would now remain available for selection.
‘We are waiting for the results (from the SPFL) but, whatever the decision is, we will roll with it,’ said the Rangers boss.
‘I have had a chat with the board over it and whatever decision comes, it comes and we move on.
‘Lee has been out for a year (with groin problems), so he obviously needs matches. We will consider bringing a team in for Lee to try and play and speed him up.
‘I think it was important for him, for his own head, to be in and around the dressing room and also around the crowd.
‘He is fit, he is available, he is in full training. It is about sharpness and getting his head ready to play competitive football again.’