100 NOT OUT
MANAGER’S MILESTONE:
STEVEN GERRARD will enter his 100th game as Rangers manager with thoughts trained on what might be possible during the next century of matches. That’s the way it has to be. The way he wants it to be. All the statistics — win percentages, points tallies, goals scored and conceded — point to an obvious and wholescale improvement over his time in charge.
But Gerrard doesn’t indulge in any sense of satisfaction. Not while silverware remains absent.
He feels the squad he has constructed is now primed to deliver as they await tomorrow’s landmark assignment at Tynecastle. Still, though, the demand will be for more and better from every department in pursuit of success in the Premiership and Scottish Cup.
Gerrard admits it is an all-consuming process. Time off now tends to be measured in minutes rather than days. With his wife, Alex, and four children still resident on Merseyside, family life has inevitably had to be reshaped into something different than before.
The 39-year-old was warned by Jurgen Klopp that management would do that to him. Even so, enthusiasm for the challenge of reshaping Rangers remains as vigorous as when he first got his hands on a previously beaten and bedraggled club.
‘I had an idea we were around those numbers because of the heavy load from last season and us progressing in the cups,’ admitted Gerrard, when asked about becoming an Ibrox centurion.
‘But it has flown by. They do say time flies when you are having fun and this has been an enjoyable journey. I have loved it. I hope I’m around for the next 100. I am as ambitious and hungry as I was when I walked in the door. But there is something missing. And we all know what that is. We will do everything we can to make sure that changes.
‘I think at a lot of football clubs the stats would be really, really good and strong. But you know and I know what you get judged on at this football club.
‘I have never, ever shied away from that. That is the responsibility and pressure I live with every day, but it is the pressure and responsibility I wanted and that I enjoy. We will continue to fight for it. There has been a lot of success in Europe in terms of where we were and where Scottish football was. We were really close in a cup final that didn’t go our way.
‘So we can smell it, feel we are getting close to it, but we need to keep working hard and performing at this level and consistency. Hopefully it won’t be too far away.’
Gerrard was working back at Liverpool as coach of their Under-18s when the call from Ibrox arrived.
Eager to grasp the opportunity, he turned to the German in charge at Anfield for some key advice.
‘One of my most important sounding boards has been Jurgen Klopp,’ continued Gerrard. ‘Everyone knows that because I have been open about it — not so much in what is said between us but that we speak.
‘One of the things he said to me was to be ready because it is not a 9-to-5 or a 6-to-8, it is a round-the-clock, 24-hour gig that you commit to. I know exactly what he means now, trust me.
‘I think the not ever being able to get away from it has been a slight surprise. This has basically dominated my life from the day that I said I am up for it.
‘Is that because it is Rangers? Possibly, possibly. I have never done a job elsewhere, so it is difficult for me to answer that question.
‘But when I was coaching and managing Liverpool’s 18s, it didn’t totally dominate my life. My wife might say different!
‘But you can understand what I mean. When you sign up for a club like this and a challenge like this you have to, not give your life up, but make major sacrifices off the pitch because that is what the fans would expect from you. There would be a queue as long as you like to take this job, so you have to do that.’
Being apart from his family for periods is testing, but Gerrard speaks warmly about life in Glasgow. The city’s reputation as a goldfish bowl riven by rivalries has not matched his experience.
‘Listen, I’ll be honest and frank with you, one of the biggest challenges for me is managing my family and my time,’ he said.
‘I have got four kids and a big family that do like to see me, so one of my biggest challenges is managing that side. But, in terms of the city and me being settled, I love the city.
‘It is very similar to what I am used to and where I am from and I am really enjoying my time here.’
There is a narrative that says Gerrard was brave to take on the Rangers job. That someone with a world-class pedigree as a player was risking failure and being branded something different. A managerial dud.
‘I don’t think it was bravery,’ he countered. ‘It was my choice. If I end up being a dud, I end up being a dud. I have to accept that and take whatever criticism that comes my way.
‘Over the years I have got better with that and I am not so thin-skinned. As a young player, I was a lot more fiery. If someone said I didn’t play well I would have been jumping out of my seat.
‘I have learned about the game and I have even dipped my toe into the media side of things, so I know you need to give opinions and all the rest of it. But over time I have become ready for this role. Whether it goes incredibly well or whether I am a dud, I will take whatever comes my way. One thing is for sure, I will commit to it.’
When first unveiled at Ibrox on May 4, 2018, Gerrard said his primary task was to get Rangers’ ‘house in order’. So has that happened?
‘It is a good question, actually, because I don’t think there is a gauge or limit,’ he argued.
‘I think we are a lot more organised, the house is a lot more settled and there is a lot more togetherness and connection from all the departments.
‘From the outside, it looked as if there was disconnect in areas from the dressing room to the supporters.
‘That is a lot better but I am not going to sit here and say everything is perfect and I am going to rest now. We need to keep driving it in all areas. We haven’t completed anything yet.’