RESPECT BETWEEN STEVE & GERRARD

enormous respect for as a coach. I absolutely loved his sessions as a player.

“He’s a football man who knows the game.

“He has been brought up at Chelsea and has also had the benefit of working under (Jose) Mourinho, who I know he took an awful lot from to add to what he already had.

“It’s no shock to me that his players enjoy the training, he simplifies the game and the game plan when you go out and play for him.”

Gerrard is unbeaten in eight games as a manager but a trip to Rugby Park’s artificial surface currently presents one of the biggest challenges in Scottish football.

Gerrard said: “His Kilmarnock team are strong at home, have a very good record, they are difficult to beat there. They are obviously used to the surface a lot more than visiting teams.

“From our point of view we have to be confident we can break anybody down.”