Morelos’ idiotic red card made Gerrard look like a mug
ON the basis of what we saw yesterday, Alfredo Morelos will month.be odds-on to get
himself sent off at Celtic Park later this
If he can’t keep his cool in a fairly low-key game against Motherwell, then he’ll have no chance in an atmosphere that’s ten times more hostile.
Look at the facts. For all that Fir Park can be a difficult venue for visiting teams, you’d hardly call it the Lion’s Den.
The little pocket of supporters over in the corner of the stand whom Morelos gestured towards generate most of the noise from the home support.
The majority of them are all young lads and I don’t doubt for one second that they were probably giving Morelos pelters all game.
But so what? You should relish that as a player. Opposition fans trying to noise you up means they obviously rate you and see you as a danger.
Morelos basically got himself sent off because a daft wee group of 50-odd Motherwell fans wound him up and he spat the dummy.
That’s not a good look. When it’s 60,000 in his ear at Celtic Park, you wouldn’t give him much chance of lasting the 90 minutes.
Yes, objects were thrown at him as he celebrated yesterday and there’s absolutely no way anyone can defend that. That shouldn’t be happening, plain and simple.
But they were thrown after he had gone over to the fans and given it the big ’un. He instigated the whole thing.
What was he thinking? His own fans were behind the goal when he scored. Just go off and celebrate with them like any normal person would.
Look at it from the perspective of any scouts who were there to watch him .... ‘Can he score goals? Tick. Can he hold the ball up? Tick. Can he head it? Tick. Decent turn of pace? Tick.
‘But he’s liable to lose the plot and get himself sent off any time a bunch of daft young kids give him some stick.’ Try selling that one to a club’s head of recruitment.
It was brewing all day. Morelos was at it all game — having cheeky little kicks at players, leaving his foot in, chatting back to the referee.
Steven Gerrard could barely look at him after he was given his marching orders and was walking off the pitch — and I don’t blame him.
Morelos has made a fool out of his manager. He’s made Gerrard look like a mug with one of the most idiotic red cards you’re ever likely to see.
Gerrard has spoken time and time again this season about how the Colombian has cleaned up his act and is a reformed character.
That’s now been shown to be nonsense. It might have taken him until December, but the real Morelos has finally come out of hibernation. The mask has slipped — and the Colombian has even made a mockery of his own comments in Rangers match-day programme prior to the Europa League game against Young Boys last Thursday night.
When he was asked about his disciplinary record, and the idea he has cleaned it up this season, the Ibrox striker was clear.
‘That subject is already in the past for me,’ he claimed. ‘The advice I got from the manager has helped me a lot.
‘My team-mates have also taught me to be calmer on the field. I haven’t had a single red card yet this season. That’s very positive for me.’
You have to hand it to him. For a man who doesn’t do many interviews, Morelos’ timing with that one was impeccable. His conduct yesterday was both unprofessional and embarrassing — and I don’t buy this argument that says: ‘Oh, but it’s only happened once this season’.
That doesn’t excuse it. So he’s only made a clown of himself once, as opposed to umpteen times. That makes it all right, does it?
It doesn’t wash. Gerrard sets higher standards than that and so do Rangers as a club. Or at least they used to.
Gerrard indulged Morelos far too often last season but, deep down, he’ll be fed up with his antics because he knows he’ll have to answer questions about it.
Nothing has changed from a couple of years ago when Pedro Caixinha openly admitted that he’d tell his players to wind the striker up if he was an opposition manager.
You can guarantee that Scott Brown, Kris Ajer and Co have taken note.