Football: Gerrard leads Rangers to title glory
When Steven Gerrard was appointed manager of Rangers in 2018, many predicted he was “destined for perennial seconditis”, said Ewan Murray in The Guardian. Entirely new to club management (he’d retired as a player just 18 months before that), he was never going to transform the fortunes of a oncegreat club in its longest-ever spell in the “doldrums”. Last weekend, however, Gerrard proved his doubters wrong. Rangers’ 3-0 win over St Mirren (followed the next day by Celtic’s 0-0 draw against Dundee United) meant that for the first time in a decade, the Scottish Premier title will return to Ibrox.
Gerrard’s impact at Rangers was by no means instantaneous, said Roddy Forsyth in The Daily Telegraph. Just a year ago, the club had reached something of a “nadir”, with the domestic league yet again eluding them and a humiliating quarter-final exit from the Scottish Cup. But in the “bout of introspection” that followed, Gerrard reconsidered the team’s make-up and tactics. He signed new attacking players and instilled a “commitment to a relentless pressing game, characterised by quick and intricate interplay around the opposition’s penalty area”. This strategy has borne remarkable fruit: Rangers are undefeated in their last 33 league games.
They have also been greatly helped by Celtic’s “implosion”, said Ewan Murray. After spectacular success under Brendan Rodgers, Rangers’ Glasgow rivals faltered under Neil Lennon. Unhealthily fixated on winning ten domestic titles in a row, they made some truly “awful” signings. Yet nothing should detract from Gerrard’s achievement, said Michael Grant in The Times. He has now proved beyond doubt he has the skill and temperament for top-flight management. A Liverpool player born and bred, he’ll be an “obvious candidate” when Jürgen Klopp departs Anfield. And with the problems Liverpool are now facing, that moment could arrive sooner than expected.