Which Lessons Can We Learn from Steven Gerrard's Tenure as Glasgow Rangers Head Coach?
Steven Gerrard has been at the center of conversation since Rangers parted ways with Russell Martin on the weekend, while the former manager will discuss a possible comeback with the club's leadership.
The decision-makers at Rangers announced that a "thorough, considered hiring process" is now in progress.
Additional names will be considered, however if the former Liverpool and England skipper is open to a second stint at Ibrox, could the position as good as his?
The 45-year-old manager has recently spoken about “remaining goals” in coaching and revealed he has begun approaching potential members for his coaching team.
In a recent podcast interview with Rio Ferdinand, which seemed to be recorded before Martin's brief tenure ended, Gerrard stated he wanted “to be at a club that's set to compete to win because I think that suits me more”.
He added: “If the right call arrives, the right club, the right challenge, and I've got my people set, which I will have at some point, I'll accept that role because it's in me.”
Gerrard's Record at Rangers in His First Stint
Having acquired knowledge as a youth development coach at Anfield, Gerrard took on his maiden coaching role in the mid-year of 2018.
Over three full campaigns at Ibrox, he secured only a single trophy – but it proved significant.
After finishing 13 and nine points behind their rivals in his initial pair of campaigns, Gerrard guided Rangers to their maiden premiership title in a decade, which coincidentally deny their Old Firm rivals an historic tenth consecutive title.
And he did it impressively, with his team undefeated throughout.
Rangers triumphed in all of their home games, netted 92 goals and allowed a only 13.
The drawback was that it came against a backdrop of the pandemic and fanless grounds.
It remains Rangers' only title success since 2010-11.
What Was Gerrard's Derby Record Perform?
In sharp difference to Martin's unhappy experience, Gerrard hit the ground running at Rangers, remaining 12 games without defeat until his initial trip to Parkhead.
In his debut season the derby honours were even, each side securing two domestic victories, with Rangers having last beaten Celtic in 2012.
Two losses to Celtic occurred in the following truncated season, followed by Rangers securing a victory in the eastern part of Glasgow for the initial occasion since 2010.
From then on, Gerrard stayed undefeated in Old Firm clashes, claiming five more and drawing once.
Rangers progressed through four rounds of preliminaries to reach the main phase of the Europa League in Gerrard's debut season.
In 2019-20, they progressed to the knockout rounds of the same tournament, losing out to the German side in the last 16, with their run concluding at the identical round the following season.
What Led Gerrard Leave Rangers?
The Birmingham club made an approach in November 2021, forking out £4.5m in compensation.
He left Rangers four points ahead of Celtic at the summit of the standings – but their local opponents would recover to prevail by the identical gap.
The lure of the English top flight is strong and it may have been seen as the natural progression on a fairytale comeback to Liverpool at a point when his managerial stock was at its peak.
“Steven and his backroom staff have made sure that the team is clearly in a stronger position today than it was three-and-a-half years ago,” commented then Rangers football executive Ross Wilson.
“We have had a desire to advance the club, to update our facilities and to return the team to winning ways.”
What Was Gerrard's Record at Villa & Al-Ettifaq?
Gerrard failed to complete a full season at Villa Park.
Inconsistent performances resulted in a 14th-place position at the end of the 2021-22 campaign before a 3-0 loss at Fulham left them 17th in autumn 2022 when he was sacked.
Across 2022, he secured only eight of his 31 games, suffering defeat in 15.
He moved to the Middle East in summer 2023 when he assumed control at the Saudi club.
His latest job lasted 18 months and he departed with the club sitting in 12th in the Saudi Pro League, only five points clear of the relegation zone.
“Overall, I have learned a lot, and it's been a positive experience for me and for my loved ones,” he remarked in the end of January. “But football is unpredictable, and sometimes events don't unfold the way we want.”
These after Rangers experiences could cause certain hesitation and the individual may have concerns over inheriting a underperforming team, but Gerrard likely has the character to handle such a prominent post.
He is the only Rangers boss to have lifted the league trophy since the great Walter Smith. That achievement might well be hard to ignore for an pressured Rangers leadership.
