HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY
Wilson and Gerrard are thriving thanks to playing things straight
AS work begins on his first transfer window at rangers, ross wilson readily recognises that no deal may be quite as important as the one completed three weeks ago.
Getting Steven Gerrard’s signature on a new contract until 2024 was a pretty straightforward process. rangers wanted to reward the 39-year-old and his backroom staff for the job done to date. reciprocally, Gerrard was more than happy to underline his commitment. It was a win-win scenario.
wilson does not stint in his appreciation of all that the former Liverpool captain brings to the Glasgow club. Indeed, he views Gerrard’s personal qualities — a straight-talking, emotionally smart style of leadership — as being just as important as his technical merits as a coach.
Appointed as sporting director in october after Mark Allen’s resignation, wilson has spent the past three months forming a relationship with Gerrard that will be crucial to the future direction of rangers.
‘As a manager, he is doing a wonderful job — I thought that before I came here,’ said wilson. ‘But, I’ll tell you what, he is an absolute first-class man, too. I think he takes his personal qualities into the job each day.
‘He’s really good with people, he is a strong communicator, but he is also really honest.
‘Honesty in football is an outstanding quality because, even if you don’t like what you hear, at least you know where you stand.
‘He has a really strong emotional intelligence and he is so aware of others around him.
‘I probably couldn’t do my job if I didn’t have the same approach and the same understanding I have with Steven.
‘It doesn’t mean you have to agree on everything but, in terms of how I work, I have always had a strong relationship with the manager.’
Gerrard’s passion for his role was clear when the final whistle sounded at Celtic Park on December 29. roaring into a television camera after guiding rangers to a first old Firm win on away soil since 2010, the former England midfielder made no apologies for showing exactly what those three points meant to him and the club as a whole.
rangers hope Gerrard’s drive will help deliver on the promise looming in the second half of the season. Now just two points behind the nine-in-a-row-seeking champions with a game in hand, the Ibrox squad will warm up for the second half of the campaign by flying out to begin a Dubai training camp today.
‘It was really important that we got something done because Steven has embraced this football club,’ said wilson, reflecting on
Gerrard extending his contract by two years.
‘I could see that from afar. I could see that before I joined the club. Now I am here, I appreciate his connection with the club even more.
‘But it would be remiss of me to talk about Steven and not mention his staff because they are massive for him, he places a lot of stock in them.
‘we have a really strong group of people leading this club now.
‘But, from our point of view, it was important that we confirmed our faith in the direction we are going by handing Steven a new contract.
‘Steven is very clear on the size of the club he is working for. He is a bit like me in that we have both known rangers all our lives.
‘It’s not until you step inside the place, however, that you get a true feeling of its size.
‘Steven loves it, he loves every aspect of it and he’s extremely excited by what lies ahead.’
wilson declares a similar enthusiasm. Having felt a professional bond with ralph Hassenhuttl when at Southampton, he felt it was essential to link up with another manager on a similar wavelength.
‘My relationship with ralph Hasenhuttl was excellent,’ added wilson. ‘The hardest part of leaving Southampton was telling him I was going.
‘It would have been difficult for me to step into something else, into a relationship that was totally different to the one which I enjoyed there.
‘Before I took the job, I met with Steven to make sure that we were compatible.
‘we want the same things, we speak the same language and we both have the same energy.’ wilson began his career with an administration role at Falkirk, taking on more responsibility and building a reputation before moving south to watford. A year at Vicarage road was followed by a switch to Huddersfield. In 2015, he was appointed by Southampton as head of scouting but progressed to become their director of football operations. It adds up to a sizeable amount of experience for a 36-year-old, though rangers may well provide his most scrutinised post yet. ‘I don’t know if the job is more full-on than I imagined,’ said wilson. ‘It’s been enjoyable, that’s for sure. A lot of work has already been done but, of course, there is still a lot more to do. ‘It’s busy. we have a lot of things we want to do. we have done a lot in terms of the reconfiguration of various departments.
If you don’t like what you hear, at least you know where you stand
‘We’ve done a lot of good work in terms of Steven’s contract and contracts to the likes of Steven Davis and Allan McGregor. We have a few things ongoing with the academy as well.
‘The job here is very similar to the one at Southampton. It’s dealing with different people and, of course, it’s dealing with the different ambitions at both clubs.
‘My biggest fear when I took the job was that I was leaving a brilliant club, with brilliant people after five brilliant years.
‘But, on reflection, there was no need to be fearful because the people at Rangers are excellent.
‘It’s odd when you consider the size of this club, but Rangers have come a long way in just a few short years. That has to be recognised.
‘Right now, it feels as though everyone is pushing in the right direction. Everyone is driving towards the same goal.
‘We are working together, we’re one club. Whether it’s our medical team or our academy. That is important moving forward.’