WE DID EVERYTHING WE COULD
Rangers told fans to abide by rules, says Gerrard
STEVEN Gerrard has insisted Rangers did ‘everything we could’ to calm the title celebrations that have sparked a war of words with the Scottish Government.
Rangers clinched their 55th Premiership crown at the weekend as Gerrard’s side beat St Mirren and Celtic were held by Dundee United at Tannadice.
Fans gathered in huge numbers at Ibrox on both days and in George Square on Sunday and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has blasted Rangers for their handling of the situation.
Ibrox chairman Douglas Park issued a strong rebuttal to Sturgeon on Tuesday and Gerrard has now had his say following the jubilant gatherings that saw thousands break Covid regulations to mark their title triumph in a decade.
Gerrard said: “I was asked by the club to remind fans to stay safe but I’m human, I can understand the reaction but moving forward we must remain calm and safe.
“It’s clear we were in constant chats with police to do all we could to make it as safe as possible but when you’re in that moment and you’ve been through that as fans and players, the work we’ve put in, I hope there is some understanding.
“I can understand the reaction, we are going through a pandemic. I can say from the bottom of my heart we did everything we could to calm that situation down.
“It’s the achievement, it’s the historic moment. No one can take this away. In an ideal world we’d love fans there. If anyone deserves to be in the crowd it’s the two clubs most important to me.”
The escalation in tensions with the
Government came as the Scottish FA issued Notices of Complaint to five Rangers players – Nathan Patterson, Calvin Bassey, Bongani Zungu, Brian Kinnear and Dapo Mebude – for breaching Covid rules and attending a house party in Glasgow last month.
The Ibrox quintet will face a disciplinary hearing on Thursday, March 25 and could see their seasons brought to a premature end as Rangers look to finish with a flourish this term.
Gerrard’s success has sparked speculation of a return to Liverpool to replace Jurgen Klopp as manager following a difficult campaign that has seen the Reds fail to retain their Premier League crown.
But the Anfield legend has dismissed the prospect of a move in the near future as he focuses on savouring his first silverware with Rangers this term.
Gerrard said: “We shouldn’t talk about this [whether he has aspirations to manage Liverpool]. We have one of the best managers leading our club at the minute, I love him. I hope he stays for a few more years.
“But I’ve got a job here, I don’t think it’s helpful to talk about this and I hope Jurgen stays at Liverpool for many years. Liverpool is my club. I had a great journey. Is it a dream for me to one day be the Liverpool manager?
“Yes, it is, but not yet and who’s to say I’ll ever be good enough. There’s a lot of managers on this planet, we need to respect Jurgen first and foremost.”