Great for Scotland... but remember John Barnes
MAKE no mistake, it would be brilliant for Scottish football if Steven Gerrard took over at Rangers. Old Firm battles with Gerrard and Brendan Rodgers in the dug- outs would be box office. To have such a high-profile figure would spark huge interest in the game north of the border. But Gerrard will ultimately have designs on one day becoming Liverpool manager. Why would he even risk tarnishing his reputation with wi such a difficult first job? jobR Rangers is not a club where w you can develop your career. ca You are there to win. For the Old Firm, finishing i second is the same sa as coming last. Celtic may have finished 21 points behind Rangers the season before Martin O’Neill took charge, but he at least inherited a squad which included the likes of Henrik Larsson and a Lubomir Moravcik. If Gerrard watched Rangers’ R 5-0 defeat, how many of those players would he seriously consider good enough to challenge for the title next season?
Even if Rangers backed him in the transfer market, Celtic have the resources to further strengthen a squad that is already streets ahead.
Gerrard could prove us all wrong. He showed time and again in his playing career that he is capable of rising to a challenge.
Yet he only need look at what happened to John Barnes, another Liverpool legend, when he took over at Celtic.
That was Barnes’ first managerial role and he was sacked after seven months. At Rangers or Celtic, you are not given a year to get your feet under the table.
This move could bring about the end of a promising managerial career before it has even begun.