MONEY TALKS
There is no shortage of pundits and punters who find it difficult to imagine why Steven Gerrard would wish to take his first steps as a boss with Rangers.
Ibrox has become a managerial graveyard since Dave King’s concert party assumed control of the club in 2015. Since then Kenny Mcdowall, Stuart Mccall, Mark Warburton, Pedro Caixinha and now (in slow motion) Graeme Murty have either been sacked or resigned.
On top of that, as the recent 4-0 and 5-0 drubbings from Celtic have confirmed, Rangers are miles behind the champions in footballing and financial terms. Rangers continue to lose money each year and, should Celtic qualify for the Champions League for a third successive season and add another £30m to their coffers, their domestic hegemony will be guaranteed for the foreseeable future.
In spite of that, chairman Dave King’s statement – issued prior to their Scottish Cup semi-final defeat – claimed that their new manager must be capable of “ensuring immediate success”.
Rangers have now gone seven years without major silverware but Gerrard will be expected to rectify that at the first attempt. Even so, former Celtic striker John Hartson believes that it’s a win-win situation for the Liverpool Under-18s coach.
“Steven has a big decision to make,” he said. “I know him, I played in his golf event for a couple of days over in Portugal a few months ago. If he wants to go and have a shot at it I don’t think he’s under any pressure because he can’t make Rangers any worse.”
Hartson concedes, though, that it would be wise of King and Co to rein in their expectations because it is unlikely that Gerrard will deliver instant solutions to a myriad of problems.
“Steven can’t do that; Pep Guardiola couldn’t do that,” he said.
“How could you work with that group of players? They got their best player, Declan John, on loan from the Championship. Then they bought him from Cardiff; that’s what they’re dealing with.
“So, does Steven want to sit at Liverpool
“The two big things he [Gerrard] needs to tell Rangers is, I need some money, I want to bring in some players to help the team. Rangers need that. They need a lift in the dressing room. Then it’s about who he can get rid of”
JOHN HARTSON