DANNY STEWART
Playing FIFA Manager is nothing like the reality of the job
Steven Gerrard admitted that he understood why Rangers supporters had gathered outside Ibrox yesterday.
The fans’ presence at the stadium before, during and after yesterday’s game against St Mirren brought criticism from the Scottish Government.
Gerrard tackled the tricky subject of public gatherings during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
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.
“When I turned up at the stadium, it was emotional. You could see on the fans’ faces what the day meant.
“We heard the rumours about how it could be when we turned up.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.”
Striker Alfredo Morelos scored for the fourth consecutive game and is clearly a man enjoying his football.
Gerrard indicated that he would be
stopped by the club from playing for Colombia in World Cup qualifiers later this month, but those games have now been cancelled.
The Rangers boss was delighted with the composure shown by his players as they approached the league finishing line.
He went on: “I think everyone
– and me included – has expected at some point as we got closer to see some nerves or tension or some inexperience.
“But this shows the strength of the dressing room. There’s a lot of fearless young players and some real calm heads. We’ve got the balance spot on at the moment.”
St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin said his players hadn’t been unsettled by fans outside the ground.
He added: “It didn’t have any impact. “We walked through them and they shouldn’t be there, but can you blame them?
“It was good humour, no malice. I walked through 100 of them and it was all good humour. They generated a good atmosphere and the Rangers players didn’t let them down.”
Saints can claim a top-six place by beating Hamilton Accies in their last game before the split.
Goodwin said: “If you had offered me one game to get into the top six with all the carry on we’ve had to deal with Covid and everything, we’d have bitten your hand off.”