What Insights Can We Learn from Gerrard's Time as Rangers Head Coach?
Steven Gerrard has been in the spotlight of discussion since Rangers dismissed Russell Martin on Sunday, while the ex-coach is set to discuss a possible return with the team's leadership.
The decision-makers at Rangers announced that a "comprehensive, thoughtful hiring procedure" is now in progress.
Other candidates will be considered, however if ex Anfield and Three Lions captain is open to a second stint at the club, is the job essentially his?
The mid-forties coach has recently spoken about “unfinished business” in coaching and disclosed he has started contacting potential members for his coaching team.
In a latest podcast interview with Rio Ferdinand, which seemed to be recorded prior to Martin's brief reign ended, Gerrard stated he desired “to be at a club that's set to challenge 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 take that challenge on because it's in me.”
Performance at Rangers in Initial Period
Having acquired knowledge as a academy manager at Anfield, Gerrard accepted his maiden coaching position in the mid-year of 2018.
Over three complete campaigns at Rangers, he won only a single trophy – however it proved significant.
Following placements of 13 and nine points after Celtic in his initial pair of seasons, Gerrard led Rangers to their first premiership championship in a ten years, which just happened to prevent their Old Firm rivals an unprecedented tenth consecutive win.
And he did it impressively, with his team undefeated in the process.
Rangers won all of their home games, netted 92 goals and conceded a mere 13.
The downside was that it came amid of Covid and fanless grounds.
It remains Rangers' only league triumph since the 2010-11 season.
How Did Gerrard's Old Firm Record Perform?
In sharp difference to Martin's disappointing spell, Gerrard hit the ground running at Rangers, going 12 games unbeaten until his first visit to Celtic Park.
In his first season the Old Firm results were shared, each side securing two home wins, with Rangers having last beaten Celtic in 2012.
A pair of defeats to Celtic occurred in the following truncated season, followed by Rangers securing a victory in the east end of Glasgow for the initial occasion since 2010.
After that, Gerrard stayed unbeaten in Old Firm clashes, winning five additional and drawing once.
Rangers came through four stages of preliminaries to enter the group stage of the European competition in Gerrard's debut season.
In 2019-20, they progressed to the knockout rounds of the identical tournament, losing out to Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16, with their run concluding at the same stage the next year.
What Led Gerrard Leave Rangers?
The Birmingham club made an approach in late 2021, forking out £4.5m in fees.
He left Rangers four points ahead of Celtic at the summit of the standings – but their city rivals would claw that back to win by the identical gap.
The lure of the Premier League is strong and it could have been seen as the natural progression on a fairytale return to Liverpool at a time when his coaching reputation was high.
“Steven and his coaching team have ensured that the club is undoubtedly in a stronger position today than it was several seasons ago,” said then Rangers football executive Ross Wilson.
“We have shared a goal to move Rangers forward, to update our infrastructure and to return the team to winning ways.”
What Was Gerrard's Record at Villa & Al-Ettifaq?
Gerrard did not last a full season at Aston Villa.
Inconsistent results yielded a 14th-place finish at the conclusion of season 2021-22 before a three-goal defeat at Fulham left them in 17th in autumn 2022 when he was dismissed.
During 2022, he won just eight of his 31 games, suffering defeat in 15.
He moved to Saudi Arabia in July 2023 when he took over at Al-Ettifaq.
His latest job continued for 18 months and he moved on with the club sitting 12th in the Saudi Pro League, only five points clear of the drop zone.
“Overall, 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 football is uncertain, and at times things don't go the way we want.”
Those after Rangers exploits could cause certain pause for thought and the man himself may have doubts over taking over a struggling team, but Gerrard probably has the personality to handle such a high-profile post.
He is the sole Rangers manager to have won the championship since the legendary Walter Smith. That achievement could be difficult to overlook for an under-pressure Rangers leadership.
