DANGER ZONE
Gerrard demands action before Ibrox star is hurt in Leith
STEVEN GERRARD fears one of his Rangers stars will come to serious harm at Easter Road before fan violence against opposition players at the venue is eradicated.
The Ibrox boss was aghast that stricken defender Borna Barisic had a vodka bottle hurled in his direction in the latest frightening flashpoint to blight Hibernian in a big televised fixture.
A second red card of the season shown to Ryan Porteous for a lunge on Barisic sparked the ugly events on Friday night, with multiple missiles thrown on to the pitch by home fans.
The scenes marked the third troubling episode of hooliganism against visiting Old Firm players this year — from the same area of seating.
In March, Rangers captain James Tavernier was confronted by a supporter on the pitch and Celtic’s Scott Sinclair was targeted with a Buckfast bottle.
Handing out bans to three fans, including two season ticket holders, Hibs chief executive Leeann Dempster stressed that ‘nothing was off the table’ as
regards to sanctions after those incidents.
However, she stressed that closing any problem section of a stand was very much a last resort measure.
Asked if he felt Hibs needed to follow through on those threats after his side’s fine 3-0 victory, Gerrard stated: ‘They need to carry the actions out.
‘Look, across the board, we don’t want to see that type of behaviour from the supporters.
‘With all due respect, it is Hibs’ problem. It is disappointing to see, though, when all we ask is safety of the players and safety of everyone who comes to the stadium.
‘It would be a disservice to my players if people only focus on the behaviour of the Hibs fans when there was so much quality on the pitch from us.’
Hibs spent £100,000 on a new, upgraded CCTV system in the summer in a bid to better identify culprits.
The club swiftly issued a statement following Friday’s defeat to stress they would be examining such footage and manager Jack Ross expressed his disgust at the incident.
After receiving treatment, Barisic was seen looking back incredulously at the section of Hibs fans berating him.
Gerrard explained: ‘I think he was just asking: “Why?” I think he just put his arms out to say: “Why? And stop”. It is going to take someone to get extremely hurt before it stops, I think.’
Hibs fan Cameron Mack was given a 100-day jail term and a 10-year football banning order for breach of the peace after clambering on the pitch to aggressively confront Tavernier nine months ago.
Ahead of the first Rangers visit to Leith since that night, Gerrard issued a note of caution to his stars about potential intimidation and maintaining restraint.
The Ibrox boss revealed: ‘We knew because of what happened here last year.
‘We spoke to the players about not just playing well but also showing discipline.
‘And I am pleased and proud of how they handled themselves. In football terms but also when there are lighters and bottles going over your head, which is a very dangerous situation.
‘I was really pleased that my players kept their cool.’