It does not generally take much to render Rangers supporters excitable. Vehement defense of custodians of their club, although natural, has not proved particularly valid in recent times. Which did not stop it existing.
A year ago the early stages of Pedro Caixinha’s tenure were triggering alarm bells which were largely ignored until European humiliation at the hands of opponents from Luxembourg kicked off a new season. Caixinha, whose critics were labeled xenophobic, limped on until October.
The scenario is now entirely different, whereby Ibrox fervor is entirely justified. A rudderless seven months have been forgotten. Rangers followers may be in danger of being seduced by a name but it is quite the name to be seduced by. One of Scottish football’s boldest, most headline-grabbing moves in decades has turned heads way beyond Govan and a club currently playing a distant second to its city rivals.
Legitimate skepticism surrounding Steven Gerrard’s choice of employer can, for now, be cast to one side. After all, it does not really matter; the key opinion, that of Gerrard, is that managing Rangers is a smart move. Gerrard clearly has the courage of his convictions, in ignoring warnings to take on a club which really does not allow free hits. His every move is about to be cross-examined as never before.
Others are being afforded a box office seat, from Pittodrie to Rugby Park, as an individual renowned the world over seeks to make managerial inroads. Even for cynics, this is an engaging prospect. Pressure instantly lands at the feet of the Rangers board with regard to keeping to the promises which encouraged Gerrard to leave one of precious few comfortable environments in football.
There must be a hope that Scottish football, too, will seize the opportunity as provided by wider profile. How Gerrard performs as the Rangers manager will inevitably dictate the extent to which people elsewhere are intrigued but that the Liverpool icon has opted for Glasgow as his first posting – he spurned numerous earlier overtures – can hardly be anything other than a benefit to a game subject to routine kicking. Rather than an isolated case, Gerrard’s arrival is part of a wider picture which shows shoots of recovery for a national sport reduced to irrelevance for too long.
This is not a worn-out professional seeking a final pay day; Gerrard is at the beginning of a journey which he logically hopes will lead him back to Liverpool, as the manager, one day. The 37-year-old Gerrard will rightly cite Rangers, the institution, as the key attraction but, if the Scottish game were in as dismal a state as many insist, a lower-league job in England would have been far more appealing. Rangers, not awash with resources, caught Gerrard’s imagination more than Rotherham ever would. There is something admirable, perhaps old-fashioned, about that.
Gerrard was not even put off by the Rangers horror show at Celtic Park on April 29, where the hosts were 5-0 victors. That illustrates a level of self-confidence which is to be admired. Gerrard will need that in abundance; reputation counts for nothing should Old Firm managers wobble.
The subplots are numerous. Nothing at the Old Firm appears to occur without impact on a city rival. That Brendan Rodgers, Gerrard’s former manager at Liverpool, is in charge of all-conquering Celtic leaps out from any analysis sheet. Rodgers regards himself as an elite coach, which in turn means a desire at some stage to return to an elite league. In the meantime the prospect of demonstrating his level of experience – and superiority – over his one-time pupil will enthuse the Northern Irishman. The pair know each other well enough for buttons to be pressed should Celtic and Rangers find themselves meaningfully competing with one another. “Welcome to the land of no sleep,” said Rodgers, with a smile, when Gerrard’s switch was confirmed. For all their troubles, Rangers now have a manager who will know more about Rodgers than anyone else in Scotland.
How Gerrard performs in the transfer market will be worthy of immediate scrutiny. This Rangers squad is in need of overhaul. Rangers and their supporters reckon Premier League players will be queuing to perform on Gerrard’s watch. This appears one of many exaggerations, just as it must be noted loanees have arrived in Scotland – including at Rangers – from a host of top-level English clubs and vanished without trace.
The managerial traits and temperament of a man who learned at the feet of varying characters at Anfield are about to be proved. Gerrard’s punditry has shown his analysis of the game to be strong, though no team in Scotland play in anything approaching a cosmic style. The simplicity of the game, and people within, is to be commended rather than sneered at.
Gerrard’s decision is as bold as Rangers have been in handing a rookie manager a four-year deal. The club is banking on Gerrard scaling something even approaching the epic highs of his playing career. Whether he does or does not, onlookers have been afforded the kind of illustrious show not common in Scottish football. That, at the very least, is to be cherished.
The Guardian Sport
