Jonny’s had his Hayday
The Ibrox manager is facing his toughest challenge in proving his Rangers side can handle the pressure.
The Liverpool icon hasn’t had a sniff of silverware in his first two seasons at the club.
Now the boss must deliver at the third time of asking if he’s to stop their city rivals from claiming the bragging rights.
Gerrard has been backed by his board, with the £3m signing of Romanian playmaker Ianis Hagi last week the latest example of their willingness to support him.
But McCal l, who spent seven seasons at Ibrox and won five titles, said: “Most people looking in from outside will have Celtic as the favourites to be champions again and I can understand that.
“It isn’t inevitable though – nothing is in football.
“But the major thing for Gerrard is to get his recruitment right between now and the games kicking off again.
“When Steven was appointed manager he was essentially given three years to build a team that was capable of stopping Celtic f r om making it to 10. “Last year was huge for him – but this one is going to be massive. That’s why the players he signs in the next few weeks need to be capable of handl ing everything that comes their way. “I’m not talking about spending millions either because, as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, there won’t be as much money circulating in the game as there used to be. “In any case, spending £5m on a player doesn’t guarantee that he’s going to be the answer. “Free transfers could be a solution, provided your scouting and background checks are all done properly.
“There will be a lot of free agents looking for a club this summer.
“It also doesn’t matter how old you are – Neil Warnock signed me for Sheffield United when I was 38. “I played every week as we reached the FA Cup semi-final, the League Cup semi-final and the Premiership play- off final. What Steven will be looking for is players with character, men who can be leaders and will be able to cope with the demands of playing for Rangers next season.
“Obviously, there will be pressure on Celtic to make history next season but there wil l be even more on Rangers to stop them.
“I remember feeling under more pressure to equal their nine-in-a-row record than I did to make it to 10.
“But once we’d reached nine, the pressure seemed to ease off. It seems to flip that way and, to be fair, Celtic coped well with the situation.
“They had to make signings as well and the two key arrivals for them that season were Henrik Larsson and Paul Lambert – they made a difference.”
While the spotlight will be on Gerrard in the months to come, McCall insists that some of his stars will also have plenty to prove.
He said: “Alfredo Morelos was scoring for fun until December then didn’t look like the same player afterwards. In fact, the whole team collapsed in the new year.
“At least that won’t happen next season because there won’t be a winter break! Steven will have spent days and weeks trying to dissect why and where that went wrong.
“Can they not handle the pressure? Rangers struggled when they came back from Dubai while Celtic got stronger and stronger.
“Rangers did well in Europe and against Celtic so the players can take some positives from that.
“However, they lost twice to Hearts and they were beaten at home by Hamilton.
“They have a lso dropped more points to Kilmarnock than anyone else since Steven took over, which suggests that it’s down to mentality.
“Ryan Kent can be a key player for them – he didn’t do enough last season after signing from Liverpool.
“When you spend £7m on a player in Scotland then he needs to be a game- changer. Hopefully, he’ll be better for that experience and show what he can really do this time out.”
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Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes has poured cold water on suggestions he could swoop for ex-Pittodrie favourite Jonny Hayes.
The Dons gaffer admits he i s “aware of Jonny ’ s situation” as Hayes prepares to leave Celtic.
Prior to joining the Hoops the Republic of Ireland internationalist enjoyed a blistering five-season stint in the Granite City, notching 29 goals in 206 outings.
The esteem in which McInnes’ holds Hayes is evident but he insists the Dons are in no position to dip into the transfer market amid the Covid cash crisis.
McInnes said: “I’m well aware of Jonny’s situation but we’re not at the stage of thinking about bringing people in.
“Normally when agents are phoning you are worried about missing out and then seeing a good player roll up somewhere else.
“But the truth of the matter is we aren’t in a position to do business.
“That will be the case until we know the lay of the land, no matter how good the player is and how much they would add to the team.”
An inability to swoop for Hayes is the least of Aberdeen’s concerns , McInnes concedes.
Dons chairman Dave Cormack has been open about the financial impact of the coronavirus outbreak, claiming it would cost the club around £ 5million by the summer.
He initially budgeted to have fans back by September, which now appears a pipe-dream.
McInnes said: “We have made a lot of progress in terms of raising cash but that was made with the premise that we would be back playing football in front of crowds by September.
“I ’ m just t r y ing to safeguard the future of the staff and players we have at the club already.”
Despite the monetary challenges ahead McInnes admits news they will be able to return to phased training on June 11 is a reason to be cheerful.
He added: “We a re grateful and excited to get everyone back in.”