What Insights Should We Learn from Steven Gerrard's Tenure as Rangers Manager?
Steven Gerrard has been in the spotlight of discussion after Rangers parted ways with Russell Martin on Sunday, and the former manager is set to talk about a possible return with the team's owners.
The decision-makers at Rangers announced that a "thorough, thoughtful hiring procedure" is now underway.
Other candidates are set to be reviewed, but if ex Liverpool and England captain is willing to a return spell at the club, is the job essentially his?
The mid-forties manager has recently mentioned about “remaining goals” in management and disclosed he has begun approaching prospective staff for his coaching team.
In a recent audio discussion with Rio Ferdinand, which seemed to be recorded before Martin's brief tenure ended, Gerrard stated he desired “to be at a club that's going to compete to win because I think that fits me more”.
He added: “If the right call comes my way, the right club, the right challenge, and I've assembled my staff, which I will have at a future date, I'll accept that role because it's in me.”
Performance at Rangers in Initial Period
After gaining knowledge as a youth development manager at Anfield, Gerrard accepted his maiden coaching position in the summer of 2018.
Over three complete campaigns at Rangers, he secured just one trophy – however it proved significant.
After finishing 13 and nine points behind Celtic in his first two campaigns, Gerrard led Rangers to their first top-flight championship in a ten years, which just happened to deny their Glasgow rivals an unprecedented tenth consecutive win.
And he did it in style, with his team unbeaten in the process.
Rangers triumphed in all of their home games, netted 92 goals and allowed a mere 13.
The downside was that it occurred against a backdrop of the pandemic and empty stadiums.
It continues to be Rangers' only title success since 2010-11.
How Did Gerrard's Old Firm Record Perform?
In stark contrast to Martin's disappointing spell, Gerrard started strongly at Rangers, remaining 12 games without defeat until his initial trip to Celtic Park.
In his first campaign the derby honours were shared, each side earning two domestic wins, with Rangers having last beaten Celtic in 2012.
A pair of defeats to Celtic came in the following shortened season, after which Rangers winning in the east end of Glasgow for the initial occasion since 2010.
From then on, Gerrard stayed undefeated in derbies, winning five additional and tying once.
Rangers progressed through four stages of preliminaries to reach the group stage of the Europa League in Gerrard's debut season.
In 2019-20, they progressed to the elimination stage of the same competition, losing out to the German side in the round of 16, with their journey concluding at the identical round the following season.
Why Did Gerrard Leave Rangers?
The Birmingham club made an approach in late 2021, paying £4.5m in fees.
He departed Rangers with a lead clear of Celtic at the top of the standings – however their local opponents would claw that back to win by the same margin.
The attraction of the Premier League is powerful and it may have been seen as the natural progression on a dream comeback to Liverpool at a point when his managerial stock was high.
“Steven and his backroom staff have made sure that the team is clearly in a better place today than it was three-and-a-half years ago,” said then Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson.
“We have shared a desire to advance the club, to update our infrastructure and to make the club win again.”
What Was Gerrard's Record at Aston Villa and in Saudi Arabia?
Gerrard did not last a year at Villa Park.
Up and down performances yielded a mid-table position at the end of the 2021-22 campaign before a 3-0 defeat at Fulham placed them in 17th in autumn 2022 when he was dismissed.
During 2022, he won just eight of his 31 games, losing 15.
He transferred to Saudi Arabia in summer 2023 when he assumed control at the Saudi club.
His most recent job continued for 18 months and he moved on with the club placed 12th in the Saudi league, just five points clear of the drop zone.
“In summary, I have gained valuable experience, and it's been a beneficial journey for me and for my loved ones,” he remarked in the end of January. “But soccer is unpredictable, and sometimes things don't go the way we hope.”
Those after Rangers exploits could cause certain hesitation and the man himself might harbor doubts over taking over a underperforming squad, but Gerrard likely has the character to manage such a prominent post.
He is the only Rangers boss to have won the league trophy since the legendary Walter Smith. That achievement could be difficult to overlook for an pressured Rangers leadership.
