LOSING BATTLE
After yet more trouble, Gerrard says message still isn’t getting through to fans
STEVEN GERRARD has condemned the Motherwell lout who threw a lighter at Rangers captain James Tavernier during yesterday’s 3-0 win at Fir Park.
And the Ibrox manager admitted he wondered when the message would finally get through to the mindless minority who have persistently tarnished Scottish football’s name.
The 37th-minute incident, which occurred as Tavernier was preparing to take a throw-in, prompted stewards and police to gather in front of home fans housed in a section of the East Stand.
Tavernier passed the lighter to referee Nick Walsh, who handed it to police. Television pictures showed a pie was also hurled towards the right-back.
It continues a concerning trend witnessed
throughout the season. The Edinburgh derby on Saturday saw smoke bombs and, bizarrely, a coconut being launched on to the pitch.
Gerrard admitted he found it depressing the missile-throwing continued to happen despite so much attention being placed on fan behaviour in recent months.
Asked about the Tavernier incident, he said: ‘It’s a sad thing to see but there’s a lot of it going on and there’s a lot of other sad stuff going on in world football. It seems like we’re trying to send messages out every time we speak to the media, which is a shame.
‘It’s dangerous for players when there are objects thrown on to the pitch, whether it be a lighter or whatever. It needs to stop.’
The Rangers boss was far happier about the football as Scott Arfield’s first-ever senior hat-trick completed his side’s second successive 3-0 win to trim Celtic’s lead to 11 points.
Pushed into a more advanced role in support of Jermain Defoe, the 30-year-old midfielder ensured Motherwell were punished for their defensive errors.
‘We were certainly very clinical in front of goal,’ said Gerrard. ‘Scott’s finishes were all excellent in different ways but, as a manager, I’m more pleased with the all-round performance.
‘It was a good, professional solid away performance and what we’d worked on came out in the game, so I’m pleased with that.
‘In terms of the position Scott played, you’ve got to give Sean Dyche the credit for that. I played against Scott many times when he played that narrow left-sided role for Burnley.
‘He’s very effective at it but he can do it from both sides. You saw him doing it against Hearts from the right. He’s a very clever individual out on the pitch, he understands tactics and he understands where to be in and out of possession, he played the role very well from start to finish and he got his reward by being clinical in front of goal.’
Celtic could still become champions in the first post-split weekend if Rangers fail to beat Hearts. Regardless of when that inevitable coronation occurs, Gerrard has emphasised the importance of his side finishing the campaign in a positive manner.
‘We carry on focusing on this season, there’s plenty of time in pre-season to focus on next season,’ he added. ‘There are five important games after the split and we want to finish as strongly as we can, take as many points as we can and try to find this level of consistency we’ve been looking for all season.
‘These five games will be a good test for us, we’re looking forward to them, and come Hearts we’ll be ready.’
Gerrard would not be drawn on the SFA charges that last week followed from an explosive Old Firm defeat at Parkhead.
The former England captain sat in the stand at Fir Park after accepting a one-match ban for comments made to referee Bobby Madden. Both Rangers and Celtic have been cited over the melee at the end of the derby, with Parkhead captain Scott Brown also in the dock over his full-time celebration.
‘I’ve nothing to say on the SFA charges or anything that’s gone on in the past, all I want to do is talk about my team,’ said Gerrard.
Asked if it was difficult watching from the stand, he added: ‘You actually get a better view up there. It’s a bird’s-eye view. The communication was fine, I was speaking to Mick Beale during the game. I’d rather be with my staff, but it is what it is.
‘The players were excellent and all the talk should be about them. I thought they were terrific from start to finish in how they carried the game plan out.’
Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson admitted his team’s switch to a more high-risk, technical style of play had been a factor in their defeat.
Tom Aldred was unable to cut out the pass to Arfield prior to the opener, with players then caught on the ball for the next two goals.
‘I’m disappointed with the result,’ said Robinson. ‘We cost ourselves the game. I don’t think there was any great Rangers play which won it, it came from three individual errors. We don’t deal with the ball in our own box when we should clear it and that leads to the first goal.
‘We are playing differently, we are playing out from the back, it’s risk versus reward, and our decision-making was poor for the next two goals. But we are not going to rip everything up and say that’s not the way we are going to play. It’s about educating people with regards when to play and when not to play.
‘It is frustrating, but if you go long you get hammered, if you play short you get hammered. What do people want? We are a young squad. I looked around and I had Jamie Semple to bring on, a 17-year-old, we had an 18-year-old up front, and they are going to make mistakes.
‘I’ll take the blame for that. We will continue trying to progress with what we are doing.’