What Insights Can We Learn from Steven Gerrard's Tenure as Glasgow Rangers Head Coach?
The former Liverpool captain has been at the center of discussion after Rangers dismissed Russell Martin on the weekend, and the ex-coach is set to talk about a possible return with the club's owners.
Those in charge at Rangers have stated that a "thorough, considered recruitment process" is now in progress.
Additional names are set to be considered, but if the former Anfield and Three Lions skipper is willing to a return spell at Ibrox, is the job as good as his?
The 45-year-old coach lately spoken about “remaining goals” in management and revealed he has started approaching prospective staff for his backroom team.
In a recent podcast discussion with Rio Ferdinand, which seemed to be filmed prior to 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 better”.
He continued: “If the right call comes my way, the appropriate team, 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.”
Performance at Rangers in Initial Period
After gaining knowledge as a academy manager at Liverpool, Gerrard took on his maiden coaching position in the mid-year of 2018.
During three full seasons at Rangers, he won only a single trophy – but it was a big one.
After finishing 13 and nine points behind Celtic in his initial pair of campaigns, Gerrard led Rangers to their maiden premiership title in a ten years, which just happened to deny their Glasgow rivals an historic tenth consecutive win.
And he did it impressively, with his team unbeaten in the process.
Rangers won all of their home games, scored 92 goals and allowed a mere 13.
The drawback was that it came against a backdrop of Covid and empty stadiums.
It remains Rangers' only league triumph since the 2010-11 season.
What Was Gerrard's Derby Record Perform?
In sharp difference to Martin's unhappy spell, Gerrard hit the ground running at Rangers, going 12 games without defeat until his first visit to Celtic Park.
In his debut campaign the derby honours were shared, each side earning two home wins, with Rangers having last beaten Celtic in 2012.
A pair of defeats to Celtic occurred in the following truncated season, after which Rangers securing a victory in the east end of Glasgow for the first time since 2010.
From then on, Gerrard stayed undefeated in Old Firm clashes, winning five additional and tying once.
Rangers progressed through four rounds of qualifying to enter the group stage of the Europa League in Gerrard's debut season.
In 2019-20, they progressed to the knockout rounds of the identical competition, losing out to the German side in the round of 16, with their journey concluding at the same stage the next year.
Why Did Gerrard Leave Rangers?
The Birmingham club came calling in November 2021, paying £4.5m in compensation.
He left Rangers with a lead ahead of Celtic at the summit of the standings – but their local opponents would recover to win by the identical gap.
The attraction of the Premier League is powerful and it may have been viewed as the natural progression on a fairytale return to Anfield at a time when his managerial stock was at its peak.
“Steven and his backroom staff have ensured that the team is clearly in a stronger position today than it was three-and-a-half years ago,” said then Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson.
“We have had a goal to advance the club, to modernise our infrastructure and to make the club win again.”
How Did Gerrard's Record at Aston Villa and in Saudi Arabia?
Gerrard did not last a full season at Aston Villa.
Up and down results yielded a mid-table position at the end of the 2021-22 campaign before a three-goal loss at Fulham left them 17th in autumn 2022 when he was dismissed.
During 2022, he secured only eight of his 31 games, losing 15.
He transferred to the Middle East in July 2023 when he took over at the Saudi club.
His latest role continued for 18 months and he moved on with the team sitting in 12th in the Saudi league, just five points clear of the relegation zone.
“In summary, I have learned a lot, and it's been a beneficial experience personally and for my loved ones,” he remarked in the end of January. “But soccer is uncertain, and sometimes things don't go the way we hope.”
Those post-Ibrox experiences could cause certain pause for thought and the individual may have concerns over taking over a underperforming team, but Gerrard likely has the personality to manage such a prominent position.
He is the sole Rangers boss to have won the championship since the great Walter Smith. That experience might well be hard to ignore for an under-pressure Rangers leadership.