Nice stats are all very well but it’s SILVERWARE that matters for Gerrard
MANAGER VOWS TO GET BACK TO WINNING WAYS AFTER CUP EXIT
RECORDS we r e broken, praise flowed fulsomely and statistics piled up to support the mood of optimism. Over 27 unbeaten matches, the narrative surrounding Rangers rose like a chorus of approval.
They opened up with a new landmark in clean sheets. Then it became the club’s best start to a season for 53 years. Just nine days ago, winning a Europa League group with a record points total showed their excellence could extend beyond the domestic game.
All of those feats remain highly creditable, but Steven Gerrard knows a cold Wednesday night i n Paisley provided a harsh reminder of what truly counts in the final assessment.
The Ibrox manager doesn’t want to end this season reflecting on nice sets of numbers. He wants to see his face looking back from a surface of polished silver.
Gerrard yesterday expressed confidence that his group of players have everything required to respond correctly to the shock Betfred Cup exit against St Mirren that crushed their first hope of a trophy this term.
Bluntly, they have to. The weeks ahead could be viewed as one of the defining phases of the season.
Celtic will look for any signs that Rangers might start to repeat the mis- steps of previous title challenges. There is one obvious way to quickly quash that notion.
By reasserting their earlier form ahead of the next Old Firm game on January 2, Gerrard’s side can prove their midweek lapse was merely a blip on a chart otherwise heading upwards.
Defeating Motherwell at Ibrox this afternoon would push them 16 points clear at the Premiership summit, although Celtic would hold a third game in hand due to participation in tomorrow’s Scottish Cup final.
Victory would also take Rangers’ league winning streak into double figures — their own ten in a row in a season dominated by that phrase. Again, though, Gerrard does not see that as any feat in itself.
The priority today is for a team to get back on its feet. And take another small step along the long road that now leads to the next opportunity of a first trophy.
‘All we need to focus on is three points and getting back to winning ways,’ said Gerrard.
‘Analysing the other night, we didn’t really do that much wrong in terms of our general play, in terms of our approach, in terms of trying to create. We did really well getting ourselves in front but we haven’t been good enough from a defensive point of view in three situations.
‘Listen, the run we have been on is fantastic. If we beat Motherwell to get ten on the spin, it’s a great runn of games.
‘ But f or me, it is about the long goal of what we can achieve as a group. Come the end of the season, it’s important we are nott talking about runs we went on, we need to be talking about success.
‘ We j ust need to f ocus on Motherwell, give the players a game plan, see who reacts the right way and who deserves to play.
‘We go from there. If we break records or set landmarks or go on runs along the way then great, but for me it is all about the end goal.’
Defeating Motherwell would actually be a first of sorts. Rangers have never won the next match after exiting a domestic cup under Gerrard’s command.
Last season’s 1- 1 draw with Young Boys that followed the League Cup final loss to Celtic can’t be considered a negative as it still led to a place in the Europa League last 32. Otherwise, though, the hangovers have persisted. In t he 2018- 19 campaign, draws with Kilmarnock followed both of the cup setbacks handed out by Aberdeen. Last term, a 1-0 home loss to Hamilton came hard on the heels of defeat from Hearts in the Scottish Cup. ‘We need to reset,’ admitted Gerrard, considering the qualities now required. ‘ We need to reset and remember what has taken us on this fantastic run of results. ‘That’s sticking to our identity, in and out of possession. We have to remind ourselves as a group of what has got us qualified in Europe top of the group, what’s got us on this big stretch of results, what’s made us a difficult team to play against and concede a small number of goals — but that has also made us look really entertaining as a team.
‘We have to reset and remind ourselves of what got us there and get back to it as quickly as possible.
‘Knowing this group, who are a good group, I’m sure they are going to want to react in the right way and it’ s extremely important we do that.’
Rangers have certainly shown resilience this term, notably when twice recovering from a goal down to defeat Standard Liege and qualify from their Europa League section.
But their capacity to extend that trait across the necessary length of a title race remains unproven. Gerrard fully accepts questions are being asked again, but doesn’t view it as an additional burden.
‘I’m not surprised one little bit, but I haven’t seen any of it or read any of it and I’m not interested in any of it,’ he said of the criticism that followed their first, costly defeat of the season.
‘Listen, we have ticked a lot of boxes in many areas this year. We have shown consistency, hunger, we’ve shown a real big focus.
‘We’ve gone on a stretch of results which has been very impressive. And we took a lot of praise for that in many areas.
‘People have talked about our resolve, our character, the guts we have shown for really digging in at times.
‘After the result the other night, it’s normal that, on the outside, there will be noise from a critical point of view. We don’t go and look for that, but we are well aware that will be the case.
‘We are in Glasgow. We know what happens if you suffer a draw or a defeat or something that bumps you along the way. That’s life.
‘We’ll take responsibility for it. And we will try to get back to winning ways tomorrow. It is what it is. It’s life at Glasgow Rangers.’
“If we break records or set landmarks, then great. But it’s all about the end goal’’