Gerrard’s keen to bin duds robbing him of kitty cash
Celtic. Lennon, though, was still able to o draw positives from that defeat.
He said: “We went toe- to- toe and d came up short but of course you can n draw positives from it.
“It will be different personnel for us s with the injuries but we took a lot from m the game, particularly in the second half. f.
“We played very well and matched d them for long periods – but in the first t half they were a cut above, which you u would expect.
“We’ve got to be very mindful with h Celtic coming in great form and they’re e a formidable team at any point during g the season.
“But I think that, psychologically, , these games look after themselves in n terms of motivation.”
Lennon has seen capital rival Craig g Levein at Hearts carpeted for his s comments about referees after the e Jambos narrowly lost to Rangers and d other bosses, including Kilmarnock’s s Steve Clarke, also land in hot water r this season.
But the Northern Irishman is not t concerned about the standard of refereeing in Scotland despite the controversy surrounding them.
He believes that VAR could be the way forward to help the under-fire whistlers, while not reducing their responsibilities.
Asked how he felt referees had performed so far this season, he said: “All right. I haven’t had many complaints.
“VAR is still down to the referee’s interpretation but it gives them added support. It might also take away a lot of the shenanigans in the penalty boxes as well.
“VAR worked well at the World Cup on a lot of occasions.
“There were a number of incidents in Russia when I thought ‘that needs to be amended’ and they looked at it, amended it, and the right decision was made in the end.
“But at the same time it doesn’t take away responsibility from the referee.”
squad, Gerrard also revealed:
The difficulties in trying to rebuild Rangers in one transfer window with just £5million to spend on fresh faces.
How some of his summer signings just aren’ t giving him enough.
Why he had to send Roma flop Umar Sadiq back to Italy.
He could bring back Greg Docherty from his loan early.
Why red-hot reserve striker Andy Dallas ISN’T ready for his Gers first-team.
Gerrard said: “Between now and January 5 we’ ll make a decision on Pena. Does he have any future here? I think that would be a very long shot.
“It’s a huge frustration for me when large sums of money are going out of the club and we don’t get any contribution for it.
“Some of the players not with me are earning big money compared to the rest of the group. That’s money I could be doing with to recycle, make the team stronger and make it compete better.
“Hopefully we can wheel and deal, move people on, bring others in and put us in a better position.
“I inherited these issues. I was aware of them when I came in but it’s very difficult to f ind people new clubs if they’re earning extreme amounts of money that other clubs aren’t prepared to pay.
“And those players aren’t playing at a good level or giving a good account of themselves for people to come and want them.”
One player Gerrard wants in January is 21-year- old Dowell, who will be allowed to leave Everton on loan.
He watched him at the Toulon Tournament last summer and has kept tabs on his situation.
Gerrard said: “I definitely admire Kieran and I’ve watched a lot of him.
“He’s an Everton player so I can’t say anything else on him at the moment – but he’s certainly one I admire.”
Gerrard will attempt to tinker with his squad in January as Gers try to compete with Celtic for the Premiership title.
But the Ibrox boss said: “The reality is that we had to make wholesale changes in the summer on a small budget.
“We had to try and find loans and frees and in important areas we had to try and spend some money.
“The facts are that, net, we probably spent around £ 4.5m -£5.5m. I’m not sure you can do magical and wonderful things in one window with that.
“If you look at the ones we added, the majority of them have given us an awful lot.
“They’re doing really well and I’m delighted with what they have brought.
“But without naming names, there’s two or three who can give more and step up more.”
Gerrard has already started the process by off-loading Sadiq back to Roma after a disastrous loan spell.
Unsettled midfielder Ejaria has also headed back south after the Ibrox club and Liverpool agreed to end his loan period. Now, with Docherty performing well at Shrewsbury, he has the option to recall him.
He said: “There was no point in us standing in Sadiq’s way because it was clear how far away from first-team football he was.
“It’s in the best interests of Rangers, Roma and the kid that he tries to find the best next step for his career.
“Hopefully that might free up some funds in January as it’s clear that we need to give Alfredo Morelos and Kyle Lafferty some support up front.
“Docherty is a tough one. He’s still young, he’s enjoying his football and getting games.
“I could drag him back here just to suit me. But I have to think about the kid’s future and what will make him grow and be available for us on a regular basis. We’ll speak to him and get his thoughts on it. ”
Rangers fans are keen to see Gerrard promote Dallas, who has hit 51 goals in 50 games.
But Gerrard said: “Andy’s scoring heavily and deserves a lot of praise.
“We’ve looked at Andy on many occasions in training and in games – his all-round game, not just volume of goals.
“And although he’s close, we’re not sure he’s ready to be thrown into a first-team environment just yet.”