PERFECT FIT FOR IBROX HOTSEAT
Gerrard has dealt with pressure all his life and will thrive at Rangers SAYS JAMIE CARRAGHER
Steven will have respect as soon as he walks into that dressing room
JAMIE CARRAGHER and Steven Gerrard were brothers-in-arms over the course of a decade-and-a-half at Anfield. The elder by three years, Carragher watched his friend grow from schoolboy prodigy into a talismanic figurehead who carried the hopes of every Liverpool supporter on his shoulders.
Pressure was Gerrard’s constant companion. From the moment he traded kickabouts in front of the terraced houses on the Bluebell Estate in Huyton for a place in the Liverpool youth system, he had to cope with expectation. And Carragher could see that he thrived upon it.
A playing career crowned by that extraordinary Champions League triumph in 2005 has now been left behind. A first step into management with Rangers is the new challenge confronting Gerrard. The relative comfort of a role as Liverpool’s Under-18s coach is being abandoned for a far more stressful existence.
When his four-year contract formally begins on June 1, Gerrard will be plunged into the scrutiny of Glasgow’s goldfish bowl. The dreams of Rangers fans left frustrated by years of floundering will be tied to his name. Against that backdrop, some have questioned why the 37-year-old has not taken on a lesser task — at a club where mistakes can be made without severe consequences.
Carragher, however, knows that simply is not Gerrard’s style. He sees a situation that the former England captain will embrace with unstinting determination. Just as he did during their days in the Anfield dressing room.
‘I wasn’t shocked when I heard that Steven would be a manager because it is obviously something that he was desperate to do,’ insisted Carragher.
‘When he went into Liverpool’s Academy, the whole point of that was to become a manager.
‘I’ve got so much respect for him for taking the job on. People keep saying it’s a big job and it’s a brave move.
‘Listen, I’m well aware of how big a club Rangers are. It’s a huge club with a lot of similarities to Liverpool in that there is big pressure to win every game, there are 40,000 or 50,000 people at every home game with massive expectation.
‘And why not start at a huge club rather than maybe lower down the leagues in England or wherever it may be? You are going right in at the top.
‘There is big pressure of having to win every game, but that’s what he’s been used to every single day of his life at Liverpool. I think it is a brilliant move all round.
‘It’s a brilliant move for Scottish football and it makes things a lot more interesting in terms of the Old Firm now.’
Indeed, Gerrard’s contest with Brendan Rodgers, his former manager at Liverpool, will be a truly fascinating aspect of next season.
Carragher insists that it is only natural for a degree of patience to be required at Ibrox. For all his glorious backstory, Gerrard remains a coaching novice.
Yet Carragher also has no doubt about the impact his fellow Liverpudlian can make. He feels a personality forged through winning will provide a fresh sense of direction to Rangers.
‘I think Steven gives the belief to supporters,’ argued Carragher. ‘You saw that when he went into the ground when he signed. Maybe supporters would have turned out like that no matter who went in, but I think it gives them hope and a belief which has maybe been lacking for a long time.
‘Steven will have instant respect as soon as he walks in the door of the dressing room.
‘That is because of how good a player he was. But, of course, he is a manager now and he has to show leadership in a different way. That will be new to him.
‘Let’s not forget that it’s not as if he’s had ten years of experience. It’s something that will be new to him.
‘It’s something he’s naturally got as a person and he was able to show that as a footballer.
‘I’m sure he’ll have it as a manager, but it’ll be a different type of leadership. He’s had to show that at Liverpool with the youngsters, but this is different.’ Mark Warburton, Pedro Caixinha and Graeme Murty were all unable to deliver the consistency Rangers required for success. It will now be Gerrard’s mission to end a seven-year wait for a major trophy. ‘You have to lead by getting results for a huge football club — I’m well aware as it’s the same here at Liverpool,’ added Carragher. ‘If you draw a couple of games on the bounce, you get criticism — but Steven is used to that type of pressure. ‘Yes, it is his first job, but one of the owners said at the press conference when it was announced that there had been people with experience taken into the job and it hadn’t worked out.
‘So bringing Steven’s freshness, his new ideas, how he sees things coming from the top end of the game a few years ago, can only benefit Rangers.’
Gerrard (left) will have a strong support staff by his side. Gary McAllister has been confirmed as assistant manager, while Liverpool coaches Michael Beale, Tom Culshaw and Jordan Milsom could also head to Glasgow.
‘It’s a smart move taking Gary with him,’ insisted Carragher. ‘They were team-mates in the past with Liverpool and they get on well.
‘I think Gary has always wanted to play for Rangers and had been close at some stages.
‘He probably knows the Scottish game better than Stevie and he has taken a great coaching team up there from Liverpool’s Academy.’