The FIRE within...
Light Blue legend Gough recalls how he once got Gerrard sent off and tells why the Ibrox manager’s drive will fix Rangers and line up a Liverpool return
ON the very first occasion they crossed paths, Richard Gough was given a close-up view of the competitive fire that burns within Steven Gerrard.
Gough readily admits he sought to fan the flames when Gerrard, then just 19, was sent off in a Merseyside derby defeat some two decades ago.
It was the first red card of what would bloom into a legendary playing career with Liverpool and England.
Gerrard may now be both older and wiser — able to control his emotions in the heat of battle — but Gough knows his drive remains undiminished.
To the captain of Rangers’ iconic nine-in-a-row team, Gerrard embodies the relentless mentality required to bring success to Ibrox. He admires the strides taken since the 39-year-old began his managerial work 14 months ago.
A Rangers ambassador, Gough is an occasional visitor to the Hummel Training Centre and always willing to relay advice to the current generation of centre-backs aiming to provide a solid foundation at home and in Europe this season.
That has led to a friendship of mutual respect being formed with Gerrard. So it is with a smile that the 57-year-old recalls how they were once enemies.
On the evening of Monday, September 27, 1999, Gough was battling to protect a 1-0 lead for Walter Smith’s Everton at the home of their greatest rivals. With added time ticking away, and both sides already down to ten men, Gerrard would deplete Liverpool further.
‘I played against him at Everton. I got him sent off in one of his first Merseyside derbies,’ recalled Gough, who had joined Smith at Goodison after a post-Ibrox spell in America.
‘I hadn’t been at Everton that long. We’d actually started the season quite well and the game was at Anfield.
‘We ended up winning 1-0 and it remains the last time any Everton side beat Liverpool at Anfield in the league.
‘I remember the game well. People were asking me beforehand about the match. They were saying: “Oh, you’ve never played in a Merseyside derby at Anfield before”.
‘I said I’d played in a few North London derbies, not to mention over 50 Old Firm derbies. I said to them: “I think I’ll be alright”.
‘I remember Steven coming on (as a 65th-minute substitute for Didi Hamann). He kicked Kevin Campbell about waist height. I went over to the ref and said: “He’s got to be off for that, ref. There’s no question that’s a red”.
‘I’ve actually got a picture of me pulling Steven away from Campbell. Anyway, he got sent off. I suppose it showed his competitive nature.’
Gough was a setter of standards whenever he wore the captain’s armband. Much like Gerrard became. And he now sees the younger man trying to drag
Rangers upwards in a similar manner. Linked with Derby and Newcastle earlier this summer, Gerrard has made the Ibrox outfit UK-wide news again.
There is, however, one bulletin Gough fears hearing in future years. He would expect Gerrard to be top of Liverpool’s list should Jurgen Klopp leave Anfield.
‘I send him the odd text before the big games and he always comes back straight away,’ the former Scotland centre-back said of Gerrard.
‘He is a very respectful person. He is very secure within himself. He has done everything at the highest level.
‘He’s won England caps, he’s won the Champions League and he’s won the FA Cup.
‘The only thing he didn’t win was the Premiership title, but he never had a great team around him.
‘He’s brought something to the club which we never had, or certainly had been lacking in the last few years — and that was a profile.
‘We’re now back on Sky Sports News and we’re back in the spotlight.
‘No one is bigger than the club, but Steven is the face of it and it has given Rangers a lot of positives. Everyone down in England follows his progress.
‘I think most expect him to return to Liverpool one day and he probably will. But I certainly hope he’s here for another three or four years.
‘I am always delighted when I see Liverpool winning because I know they’ll be happy with their manager and that means we can keep hold of Steven.
‘As soon as Liverpool start to lose, I think Mr King will be getting a knock on the door. Steven won’t be able to refuse that and I understand that.
‘But, hopefully, he can get us back on track before all of that. Like I said, I hope he’s here for a good while yet.’
Tomorrow evening gives Gerrard a chance to exorcise a demon created prior to his tenure.
Building on a 2-0 first-leg lead against Progres Niederkorn would help soothe memories of the humiliating Europa League exit made by Pedro Caixinha’s side in Luxembourg two years ago.
Gough would regard that as another sign of progress. With the Premiership campaign kicking off this weekend, he sees grounds for optimism in Gerrard’s second campaign.
‘I think he’s done a remarkable job,’ added Gough, speaking to promote the ‘Everyone, Anyone’ diversity and inclusion campaign launched by Rangers.
‘He will have learned a lot from his first year in charge. He will have learned a lot about his players.
‘I remember, as a captain, you learned a lot about your team-mates when you went to places like Parkhead.
‘Overall, Steven has brought a different level of professionalism back to the club. Mark Warburton was here and he did a reasonable job.
‘Pedro came in and that turned out to be a nightmare.
‘Steven has settled things down. Slowly but surely, a better standard of player is returning to the club.
‘The game against Progres will be interesting. Rangers lost over there the last time but you have to say the club is in a much better place than where it was two years ago.’