Kettlewell is keen for end to the silent treatment

NEARLY 18 months into Premiership management, Stuart Kettlewell admits he has barely spoken to Steven Gerrard. Covid, of course, has made it impossible for managers to meet for a post-match tea or tipple for much of 2020.

However, the Ross County boss was not indulged in the tradition at any of his club’s three meetings with Rangers last season.

There’s no big moan, no animosity as Kettlewell explains. But you sense he would enjoy the opportunity to chew the fat with the former Liverpool and England captain.

‘I’ve not had any dealings with Steven,’ he says. ‘I don’t know him or have had any conversations with him. He’s quite clearly doing a brilliant job at Rangers but in terms of any personal contact, I’ve not had that.

‘As a football person, I sit and respect the work he’s doing just now. You can see they’re flying and brimming with confidence. They’re continually repeating good performances, not just once a week but twice.’

Now i n sole charge after co-manager Steven Ferguson stepped upstairs, 36-year-old Kettlewell is the youngest-serving manager in the SPFL Premiership by a stretch.

Yet he declares an unapologetically old-school streak. Outgoing and chatty by nature, Kettlewell (below) enjoys the company of his fellow coaches and has missed the matchday ritual. He managed to steal a few brief words with Neil Lennon after County pulled off a fine Betfred Cup victory over Celtic at Parkhead last weekend.

He admits that’s far less likely to happen with Gerrard as Rangers occupy the changing facilities at the opposite side of the Global Energy Stadium stadium for today’s league fixture.

‘With the pandemic, that whole thing has been curbed,’ he admits. ‘We’re all rounded up and put back on buses. You might get a brief word before or after a game.

‘Last season, there were signs that tradition isn’t always there. It doesn’t happen every week.

‘Myself and Steven (Ferguson) always did it, purely on the basis that it was a mark of respect. We’re all doing a difficult job here and it’s that mark of respect for what others are doing.

‘You might have a wee spat at the side of the pitch but it always gets put on the back burner after the game. Win, lose or draw, we would always pop our head in, even just to wish the opposition all the best.

‘The game is changing in so many aspects with things like VAR, so I need to check myself. I continuously say: “The game used to be like this, we used to do that”, but it’s not like that anymore. ‘Maybe that’s another one, that managers don’t go and spend 15-20 minutes with each other after the game.

‘With Neil Lennon, very similar to Brendan Rodgers before him, these guys took us into their office for 45 minutes to an hour after the game. It was almost about picking their brains and trying to take wee nuggets from them.

‘That’s where that huge amount of respect comes from.

‘They are managing a huge club, they’ve got big reputations, they don’t need to spend time with the manager of Ross County. But there was a genuine will to help us out and I won’t ever forget that.’

Kettlewell admits he indulged in a somewhat risky strategy of going public with some stern criticism of his players in the wake of a 3-1 defeat against Kilmarnock.

The ploy could have backfired but instead his players rallied and claimed that 2-0 win at Parkhead.

‘Everything I said last week was not for show,’ he insists. ‘I believe in honesty, whether you’re winning or losing.

‘The previous Saturday at Kilmarnock showed a bad version of us. Eight days later, there was a far better version of us.

‘I never had a fear we couldn’t do that, hence why I get to be honest.

‘If the players can’t handle that, they’re in the wrong business.

‘It’s about time we started being more honest. I have a strong will and it’s not for effect or to try to impress anybody. I would rather have my own integrity and look myself in the mirror than come away citing injuries, the fact I didn’t like the astroturf pitch or the weather conditions.

‘Hopefully it’s one we can look back on at the end of the season and say: “Remember that day. That’s what changed our fortunes”.’

An assignment against Gerrard’s in-form league leaders offers a challenge that promises to be far stiffer than that offered by Celtic in the Betfred Cup last week.

‘You’re playing a different style of football, a team that’s set up differently,’ adds Kettlewell. ‘But you’re still dealing with the top players in the country.’