GERRARD: SHAKEONIT
Gers boss tells his stars to be classy
STEVEN GERRARD has warned his players they have to show class at Rangers by shaking their rivals’ hands even in defeat.
The Ibrox boss weighed in as the fallout from the weekend loss to Livingston continued with Lions striker Lee Miller branding Alfredo
Morelos a disgrace for refusing to shake hands with Declan Gallagher.
Miller said it was unprofessional from the Colombian and claimed he wasn’t the only one as a full-time rammy followed Livi’s 1-0 victory.
Gerrard has made a point of shaking the hands of opposition players after every game since taking charge of the Light Blues.
And ahead of tonight’s Europa League clash with Rapid Vienna at Ibrox, he said: “We are Rangers and we are playing for a historic club that shows class.
“You should shake hands whether you win, lose or draw. I shook hands with every single one of their players and their coaching staff. I didn’t enjoy it but I showed my respects.
“We are representing Rangers so sometimes you have to bite your tongue or hold your emotions back and save it for when we are behind closed doors.
“You have always got to be respectful. You know that when you come to a club like this.
“We are lucky because we play for a team that wins more than we lose.
“But you always have to be respectful to your fellow professionals, the challenge and the test.
“It was a good game against Livingston. We were on the wrong side of it and we are all disappointed but you still have to show a bit of class.”
Gerrard insisted after the game that Livi were entitled to celebrate wildly but claimed there was fault on both parts after the full-time whistle.
He said: “It’s an emotional game, that’s why we play it. Maybe they got it slightly wrong, maybe we got it slightly wrong.
“It was a massive win for them. When Rangers come to town it’s a cup final, everyone wants to beat us.
“They are within their rights if they keep it respectful. We are well within our rights to feel upset and disappointed.
“All the players were angry and annoyed. If my players had skipped off the pitch happy it wouldn’t have been right, likewise if the Livingston players hadn’t celebrated.”