Gerrard: We’re not legends yet
STEVEN GERRARD insists his Rangers team have not yet earned the right to be feted alongside the club’s European legends. Avoid defeat to Spartak Moscow tonight and the Ibrox side will reach 11 successive European games unbeaten in a single season, surpassing the record set by Walter Smith’s class of 1992/93. Insisting his side are nowhere near the level of the great Rangers teams of the past, however, Gerrard says the only unbeaten run he concerns himself with is the Ibrox side remaining top of their Europa League group at the halfway point after games against Villarreal, Rapid Vienna and Spartak. Addressing the chance to make a small slice of history, Gerrard countered: ‘I wasn’t aware of that stat. It’s news to me, to be honest. Milestones like that are always nice, but it’s not our focus. ‘And listen, we’re not ready to be spoken about in the same breath as successful teams in the past. ‘We are nowhere near ready to be put on a par with teams like that. We cannot be spoken about in the same breath as that. We have a
long, long way to go. We are on the back of a nice run in Europe. We need to protect that and try to extend it for as long as possible. ‘But in terms of putting us back alongside teams of ten years ago or 20 years ago, we’re not ready for that yet.’ A 2-2 draw against Villarreal was followed by a high-octane 3-1 home win over Rapid Vienna. Urging a sell-out Ibrox to add to the flux of managerless Spartak after Italian Massimo Carrera was fired on Monday, Gerrard admitted: ‘I wouldn’t be standing here now as a Champions League winner without the atmosphere at Anfield — there’s no doubt about it. ‘And I wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t for the Ibrox crowd because they have helped to get us where we are. ‘If we have any ambitions of getting out of this group, we need the fans to keep pushing us. ‘I was happy with every aspect of our last performance against Rapid. We managed to get in front and we scored late on. ‘We did so much work in the first half, matching their aggression and grinding them down. Of course, the atmosphere was excellent. ‘All the talk afterwards was that it was like the atmosphere of old. I don’t think Ibrox had been like that for a long time. ‘I’d love nothing more than to see that atmosphere again (versus Spartak). It’s a big lift for the players. It drives them on. I felt it as a player. I know how much it pushes you on. ‘We have to ignite it all though with our performance.’ Scott Arfield is out of tonight’s game, with Graham Dorrans also missing after seeing a surgeon for a diagnosis on his latest injury setback. Challenging his players to move to seven points from three games before travelling to Moscow in two weeks’ time, Gerrard added: ‘This Spartak team in the next few weeks will improve. They will have more confidence with getting a fresh start as a new manager. ‘We need to try to jump on them now. We are underdogs on paper, but we will go in with confidence and belief.’