‘This is a monumental day for the club... it was emotional for us all’
acknowledged by the players at full-time yesterday as they ran towards the stadium gates to celebrate near the fans who had flouted lockdown restrictions to congregate outside.
Goals from Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos and Ianis Hagi delivered Rangers’ 28th win of an unbeaten league campaign, a result that also sets the squad up nicely for Thursday’s Europa League trip to face Czech champions Slavia Prague.
Gerrard insisted a recovery session had always been planned for this morning but admitted the players will afterwards refuel with at least one eye on the coverage from Tannadice.
He said: ‘The plan, because of Thursday night, was always to have a recovery day.
‘So we’ll come in for a session and have lunch together.
‘I’m sure the game will be on in the background. I’m not going to lie, that’s normal and we’ll see what happens.’
Asked to describe his own emotions after effectively ending his own near three-year wait for his first major honour as a manager, he said: ‘Bubbling.
I’m obviously really happy and proud right now.
‘I want to stay controlled and humble because obviously it’s not confirmed as of yet. But I think everyone knows it’s 99.99 per cent done.
‘Because of what’s going on right now in the world it’s very difficult to get carried away and celebrate for real if you like, so I’m trying to keep a lid on things.’
Thousands of Rangers supporters had gathered at
Ibrox from early morning, their actions bringing condemnation from both the police and Scottish Government.
Gerrard, however, pleaded for understanding.
He said: ‘I’ve got to get my words right here — we are still experiencing and are involved in a pandemic. It’s important fans try to stay humble and safe.
‘That’s the priority — fans’ safety and people’s safety. I totally understand that.
‘But, at the same time, if you’ve got anything inside you or any part of your heart can understand what the fans have been through, you can totally understand what’s gone on outside this stadium.
‘It’s my job to try and control that. Safety is paramount at the moment but it’s tough because it has been an emotional three years for me. The fans have been here for much longer than that and have been through a lot in 10 years. So you can certainly understand it.’
The league title will represent Gerrard’s first honour in management and the club’s first major success since being forced to reboot in the bottom tier of the old SFL after its financial collapse in 2012.
He continued: ‘When I turned up at the stadium today, it was emotional. You could see on the fans’ faces what the day meant.
‘On a really big, monumental day for the club this is probably the most important three points we have delivered.
‘It puts us millimetres away from being champions. We will try and stay humble. It’s tough, because we are so close.
‘I’m really proud of the players’ efforts because they have been outstanding. From a league point of view, they have been close to perfect.
‘It’s been a long journey over the three years. There have been some lows in there. But I just walked into a really happy dressing room, as you can imagine.
‘We heard the rumours about how it could be when we turned up at the stadium today. That can take you to an emotional place, a real high.
‘Some of my new players haven’t seen the supporters yet, so it was a big eye-opener for them.
‘For me and the staff, it was important we connected with that and respected that but at the same time we never forgot the game plan or what we had to do to get the three points.
‘On May 4, 2018 I didn’t expect to turn up to 8,000 fans outside the stadium who had to be brought inside for safety reasons.
‘So I had a real good idea that once we got that first big success together, which was always going to be the hardest, what the reaction would be like.
‘During a pandemic, you think maybe it wouldn’t be like it was today. But what you saw today is 10 years of what these supporters have been through.’
Gerrard also expressed pride at how his team has evolved over the course of his tenure.
He added: ‘In year one and year two, we have at times been heavily reliant on certain individuals.
‘Now, I think the star is the team. There is no ego in the team. Everyone is playing together. There’s a great spirit in the group.
‘There are a lot of fearless young players and some real calm heads. We’ve got the balance spot on at the moment.
‘That doesn’t mean we’re set. We need to keep moving it forwards and improve things — and we will.
‘The priority now is to get the players ready for Thursday as it’s going to be a real tough challenge, probably our most difficult of the season so far.’