No letting up as Gerrard urges Gers to finish job

STEVEN Gerrard knows Rangers are almost within touching distance of success at home and abroad but he insists there will be no letting up until they have got it firmly in their grasp.

The Ibrox boss – who yesterday clocked up his 1,000th day in the job – and his “unstoppable” team need just seven more points to clinch heir first league crown in a decade.

They also stand on the precipice of matching last year’s run to the last 16 of the Europa League, but Gerrard is fully aware now is not the time to stand still and admire what has been achieved.

He has ordered his rampant Rangers to make sure it is job done as they look to put the seal on a remarkable campaign.

Speaking ahead of tonight’s second leg with Royal Antwerp, who Gers lead 4-3 after last week’s Flanders thriller, he said: “It’s not about me is the truth. It’s about the supporters, the club, the players. I totally respect the position I’m sitting in right now.

“We’re on the verge of turning Europe into a successful season again by matching last season’s efforts of reaching the last 16, but we’ve still got a big job to do tomorrow night.

“If we can do that it will be a real positive in terms of our journey. That will give us the determination to go one step further than last year from a European point of view.

“We’re obviously on the verge in terms of the league campaign, which I’m extremely proud of, but my attitude and focus won’t change until we go get it done.

“There’s still work to do. There are still hurdles to get over and tough games on the horizon, but we’re extremely determined to take the opportunities we’ve got here right now.

“And that opportunity is to make

Europe a success and to do the same in the league. It’s a fantastic position to be in, but we’ve got to go grab it now and really capitalise on the position we’re in.”

In Gerrard’s first two campaigns in charge, Rangers had already seen their league challenge implode.

This term they are the side going from strength to strength as Celtic begin the search for a new boss after Neil Lennon’s departure amid the ominous realisation their bitter rivals could celebrate their title win at Parkhead on March 21.

Gerrard puts his side’s transformation down to improved recruitment and the work of his backroom team. He added: “I think it has been a real combination of things, but I think they key thing has been a real determination to become more consistent.

“Our results have proved that. We have been unstoppable up until this point. Obviously St Mirren have been the only team that have been able to do that, but we weren’t ourselves on that night.

“Credit to St Mirren but we came off what we’ve been for the majority of this season, which is a real hungry team that has managed to find that consistency to get results.”

Rangers showed that hunger to fight for victory in Belgium that week and Gerrard insists there will be no change in tact for the Ibrox return just because they hold a first-leg lead.

He said: “We want to improve from a defensive point of view, but we still want to score as many goals as we can.

“This is our home and we want to show everyone how difficult it is to play against this team when they come to Ibrox.”

Meanwhile, Gerrard has been boosted by the news that Ryan Jack is only likely to miss a couple of weeks after a recurrence of his calf problems.