Ibrox APPETITE for destruction
Gerrard can’t afford to crash and burn against Accies but signs look good for rock-solid Rangers
THE old joke in football goes something like this. There could be all sorts of mayhem and obstacles thrown at them, with all hope lost, and yet Hamilton would still survive and bite opponents where it hurts most. Rangers certainly do not need reminding of the dangers that lurk when Brian Rice’s men, serial fighters in the Premiership, turn up to try to cause chaos.
Last season, before coronavirus began to wreak havoc in the world, Accies added more salt to the wounds of Steven Gerrard’s side by securing a 1-0 victory at Ibrox on March 4.
Enduring yet another slump after the winter break, it was a costly defeat which saw Rangers fall 13 points behind Celtic at the top of the league.
Indeed, the anger among supporters i ncreased and the optimism which had been generated after a 2-1 Old Firm success last December quickly vanished.
However, in the early stages of the new season as clubs continue to cope with Covid-19 — certainly not a laughing matter — things appear to be changing.
This Rangers side, while not dramatically different in personnel compared to the one which struggled at the start of this year, now have an appetite for success.
It’s a message which Gerrard wants to keep drilling into his players. Sitting pretty at the top of the table, nine points ahead of Neil Lennon’s men having played two games more, they can’t afford to lose their hunger for success.
So often criticised — rightfully — under his leadership for slipping up against teams in the lower half of the division, unbeaten Rangers are moving in the right direction.
But the boss, still frustrated by drawing 3-3 with Benfica in the Europa League on T h u r s d a y, w i l l always be wary. Especially when lowly Accies come to Ibrox for today’s league encounter.
Reflecting on that calamitous loss to Hamilton last season, Gerrard said: ‘It was certainly a low. I don’t want to pay Hamilton a disservice because they deserved the result and football is football.
‘If you don’t take your chances, if you are not clinical in front of goal and you don’t show that hunger to go and score goals, it can come and bite you on the backside.
‘That is what happened that night. It was a smash and grab. ‘You have to pay Hamilton respect, they came to Ibrox, did a job and took three points away from us. But it was certainly a low from our point of view.’ Gerrard (left) even faced questions over his future in the hotseat as Rangers endured a rotten run at the start of 2020, which included a quarter-final exit against struggling Hearts in the Scottish Cup.
The Ibrox men had to deal with intense scrutiny, but so did the former Liverpool captain.
‘My job is to manage people, but before I manage people I have to manage myself,’ said Gerrard.
‘You know, the next day was a new day and we had to move on and try and lift people. That is what I get paid to do.
‘It was certainly a disappointing time for us as a group together and we don’t want to experience that again.
‘So it is important that we go into this fixture with the right attitude and mentality. I am sure we are going to go and create a lot of chances because we have got that type of player in the squad and the group. It is about us trying to execute in front of goal and taking maximum points.
‘It is a new game, we have to forget about what has happened in the past and what will happen in the future.’
So what has changed? Well, the defence is looking much stronger. Domestically, Rangers have conceded only three goals since the start of the new campaign and have yet to taste defeat.
Indeed, in the 20 matches played in all competitions since action resumed in August, they have lost only once — a 1-0, second-leg defeat against Bayer Leverkusen in their delayed last-16 tie from the previous season’s Europa League.
Dealing with pressures on and off the pitch as Rangers try to halt Celtic’s bid to win 10 in a row,
Gerrard has been pleased with how his players have coped so far.
Receiving praise in November is one thing — but the big question will be if the league leaders can maintain consistency with their performances unlike in previous campaigns.
‘I think it is probably a combination of different factors, but there has definitely been a shift in the mindset,’ added Gerrard.
‘The players have come back after lockdown really hungry and in the zone. They have come back looking as if they want to learn from their experiences together.
‘The hunger is there. They know, we know, because we have lived it twice in terms of the two league campaigns what we have to do and what we can’t afford to happen.
‘I have been really pleased with the mindset and application from the players but we need to show that we can continue this.
‘We need to show that we can go the distance and the only way to do that is to keep this level of consistency going.’
If you don’t show that hunger to score goals, it can come and bite you on backside