Alfredo’s bans are costing him and costing the team. He needs to keep the head
SAYS IAN DURRANT
W ITH 23 goals in 38 matches this season, the importance of Alfredo Morelos to Rangers cannot be overstated. But the Colombian striker’s influence on the Ibrox side can also be measured, in a more damning fashion, by the games he has missed.
In the six matches the Colombian has been forced to sit out through suspension, Steven Gerrard’s side has won just once; an unconvincing 1-0 victory against Hamilton at Ibrox in December. The other games without Morelos ended in four draws and a defeat.
Ian Durrant is in no doubt that the forward’s indiscipline has cost the Ibrox side, as precious points were dropped. He watched on as his old club toiled in front of goal while losing the semi-final of the Betfred Cup to Aberdeen.
But for all his faults, Morelos remains the man most capable of keeping the Ibrox club’s season alive.
The 22-year-old returns for a cameo appearance in a hazardous-looking home Scottish Cup replay against Kilmarnock tomorrow night before serving the third and final game of his latest ban at Hamilton on Sunday.
‘You can’t change the other things Alfredo has but it (indiscipline) is happening too regularly and some of it is pettiness,’ said Nine In A Row icon Durrant. ‘It’s costing him and it’s costing the team.
‘You’re seeing the effect now in the points that have been dropped when Morelos hasn’t been playing.
‘Who knows, if he had been playing in the games they had dropped points, it could have been a different story.
‘When I played for Rangers, I remember the gaffer (Walter Smith) saying about Paul Gascoigne: “You just let the genius be the genius”. I’m not saying Morelos is a genius but you forget the age he is.
‘Teams will try and noise him up and get an advantage but he is a massive asset for Rangers and he just needs to keep his head and do what he’s good at — scoring goals.’
After Saturday’s goalless draw with St Johnstone, Gerrard accused his side of ‘lacking leadership’ and warned they could forget about the title.
The Ibrox side are only three points better off under Gerrard than they were at the 26-game mark this time last year under caretaker boss Graeme Murty.
Celtic’s dramatic 1-0 win at Kilmarnock 24 hours later saw the champions’ lead at the top increase to eight points with 12 games remaining. With two Old Firm matches to play, Durrant believes Rangers must now win virtually every remaining league game, while Celtic must lose four, in order to stop Brendan Rodgers’ side clinching eight in a row. ‘If Rangers have any aspirations of catching Celtic, they have got to go unbeaten now — and hope that there are some twists and turns and Celtic drop points,’ added Durrant.
‘The gap is eight points and they’ve still got to play each other twice. So Rangers have to go on a run and Celtic need to lose four games.
‘I would never say it’s over, but when I heard Steven Gerrard’s post-match comments after St Johnstone (about forgetting about the title), I think he was looking for a reaction.’
Durrant is adamant there has been progress at Ibrox and believes the former Liverpool and England captain remains the right man for the job.
‘Steven Gerrard’s comments after the St Johnstone game were strong,’ said Durrant. ‘But he will be trying to get a reaction from his players ahead of what is now a massive game — a cup final if you like.
‘The pressure is now cranked up a notch for Wednesday. Kilmarnock can go to Ibrox as underdogs but if Rangers have any aspirations of lifting major honours, then they need to win.
‘I do still think Steven has the potential to win the league with Rangers.
‘They may be only three points better off than last season but I think there has been a big improvement when you consider the run to the group stage of the Europa League.
‘He also laid down a marker in the last Old Firm game but they fell well below that standard last Saturday.
‘It’s still a work in progress but Steven Gerrard is a young, passionate manager who wants success.
‘There has been progress but not the progress Steven wants. But what he’s done in a short space of time has been incredible.’
Should Celtic wrap up eight in a row, Durrant believes Gerrard will need to find players with the character to handle the unique pressure of trying to stop Nine In A Row.
But the former Rangers and Everton midfielder believes that the closer Celtic get to that elusive Ten In A Row, the more those wearing green and white will feel the heat.
‘If it does go to eight, Rangers are going to need players that can wear that badge because it’s going to be a hell of a season,’ said Durrant. ‘But there’s a pressure that comes with nine.
‘I can remember s ******* my pants because of the expectation when you are nearly there. Any game you played, there was huge pressure on you.
‘We had the chance of reaching ten and we ran out of steam. It’s about how you handle it, so it will be interesting.’ Meanwhile, Gerrard will look to Connor Goldson for the leadership against Kilmarnock that he felt was lacking in his side on Saturday. The former Liverpool captain says the exBrighton and Shrewsbury Town defender’s mentality reminds him of former Anfield and England team-mate Jamie Carragher.
Gerrard said: ‘Connor has been huge for us from day one. When I first sat down with him, I got a feeling that he was a winner and a leader.
‘He wanted to play football. We have tried to manage Connor on different occasions, to pull him out and give him a breather. But he won’t have it.
‘He reminds me in many ways of Jamie Carragher, who would get confrontational when you tried to rest him.
‘That’s the mentality we need at this football club. We need players who are desperate to put their bodies on the line. He certainly ticks that box.’ Ian Durrant will help manage a rangers Legends side against a Liverpool Legends and English Premier League Select at Blackpool’s Bloomfield road ground on Saturday, March 22 with funds raised going to Kilbride Hospice, the Emmie Smillie Charity Foundation and Hillsborough & Ibrox Disaster Memorial Fund. tickets are available from ticketmaster. co.uk