“He hasn’t got a clue what he’s letting himself in for.”
Steven Gerrard has taken the plunge. A fearless leader on the pitch, there has always been an expectancy that Liverpool’s former captain would follow some of the club’s most iconic players into management.
Graeme Souness did it badly. Kenny Dalglish did it brilliantly (then badly). Kevin Keegan…well, Kevin Keegan did it.
No, that Gerrard has decided to abscond his cushy punditry gig at BT Sport is about as shocking as Celtic winning the league. That he has chosen the club desperately trying to cling onto to Celtic’s coattails as his maiden managerial voyage is genuinely shocking.
Fortunately, Gerrard wasn’t short on support. Joey Barton said some nice things, while Jurgen Klopp claimed he was ‘happy’ for him.
Coincidentally, Martin O’Neill just happened to be completing a round of media commitments in Dublin last week. As news of Gerrard’s move intensified, the Republic of Ireland manager – a veteran of the Old Firm, of course – offered his own brand of advice.
“He hasn’t got a clue what he’s letting himself in for,” O’Neill said. “But he has been born and bred in Liverpool so he must have an idea.
He hasn’t got a clue? Even if said in jest, that’s exactly the opposite of what Gerrard needs to hear right about now.
“I hope he does (get the job), it would be nice to see him. I think he’d be terrific for Rangers at this stage because it’s unquestionably the worst side that has ever, ever played for Rangers.”
“They are so, so bad. They are worse than bad, they are dreadful! I think the only way is up for him, if that’s the case.”
It’s difficult to accept the idea that a Rangers side so desperately below the standard required to challenge Celtic’s supremacy will benefit from a man who has zero managerial experience.
As a legendary Celtic manager, O’Neill has no obligation to say anything positive about Rangers but his assertion that they are the ‘dreadful’ won’t exactly instill a lot of confidence in Gerrard.
As for ‘the only way is up?’ I mean, let’s not kid ourselves here. Gerrard transforming the Gers to the point where they are threatening to depose Celtic on Scottish football’s throne is not a likely outcome.
Rangers, at the moment, are behind Aberdeen in the table and only ahead of Hibernian thanks to their superior goal difference. If the Rangers players struggle to implement Gerrard’s nascent managerial philosophy, the likelihood of a descent becomes greater.
Does O’Neill really think that Gerrard is going to be terrific?
Every manager needs to start somewhere but some appointments just feel off from the outset. Gary Neville has been an outstanding pundit since retiring but you can’t honestly tell me anyone genuinely thought he was the man to haul Valencia out of the flaming wreckage that was their season a few years ago.
Alan Shearer, like Gerrard, swapped the sofa for a suit when he was appointed Newcastle boss. The Magpies’ fourth manager that season, Shearer failed to steer the club clear of relegation. He was passed over for the job on a permanent basis and hasn’t managed since.
The task facing Gerrard is not entirely dissimilar to Shearer at Newcastle or Neville at Valencia. Gerrard won’t be battling relegation – not immediately, anyway – but, as proven by the fact that he is the fifth manager since Ally McCoist’s departure in December 2014, Rangers are a remarkably difficult club to lead.
