What Insights Can We Learn from Steven Gerrard's Time as Rangers Head Coach?
Steven Gerrard has been at the center of conversation since Rangers parted ways with Russell Martin on Sunday, and the former manager will discuss a possible comeback with the club's owners.
Those in charge at Ibrox have stated that a "thorough, thoughtful hiring process" is now underway.
Additional names will be reviewed, but if the former Liverpool and England captain is willing to a return spell at the club, is the job as good as his?
The mid-forties coach has recently spoken about “remaining goals” in management and revealed he has started contacting potential members for his backroom team.
In a recent podcast interview with Rio Ferdinand, appearing to be filmed prior to Martin's short tenure ended, Gerrard stated he wanted “to be at a team that's going to challenge to win because I believe that suits me more”.
He added: “If the right call arrives, the appropriate team, the right challenge, and I've got my people set, 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 experience as a youth development coach at Liverpool, Gerrard took on his maiden coaching role in the mid-year of 2018.
During three complete campaigns at Rangers, he secured just one title – however it was a big one.
Following placements of nine and 13 points behind their rivals in his first two seasons, Gerrard guided Rangers to their maiden premiership title in a ten years, which just happened to prevent their Old Firm rivals an unprecedented 10-in-a-row win.
And he did it in style, with his team undefeated in the process.
Rangers triumphed in all of their home games, netted 92 goals and conceded a only 13.
The downside was that it came against a backdrop of Covid and fanless grounds.
It continues to be Rangers' only league triumph since 2010-11.
What Was Gerrard's Derby Record Perform?
In stark contrast to Martin's disappointing spell, Gerrard hit the ground running at Rangers, remaining 12 games unbeaten until his first visit to Celtic Park.
In his debut campaign the Old Firm results were shared, each side securing two home wins, with Rangers having previously defeated Celtic in 2012.
A pair of defeats to Celtic came in the next shortened season, after which Rangers winning in the eastern part of Glasgow for the first time since 2010.
After that, Gerrard stayed undefeated in Old Firm clashes, claiming five additional and tying once.
Rangers came through four stages of qualifying to enter the group stage of the Europa League in Gerrard's first season.
In 2019-20, they advanced to the elimination stage of the same tournament, losing out to Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16, with their journey ending at the identical round the next year.
Why Did Gerrard Leave Rangers?
The Birmingham club came calling in November 2021, paying £4.5m in fees.
He left Rangers with a lead ahead of Celtic at the top of the table – however their local opponents would recover to win by the identical gap.
The lure of the English top flight is powerful and it may have been viewed as the natural progression on a dream comeback to Anfield at a time when his coaching reputation was at its peak.
“Steven and his backroom staff have ensured that the club is clearly in a stronger position today than it was several seasons ago,” commented at the time Rangers football executive Ross Wilson.
“We have had a goal to advance the club, to update our facilities 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 Villa Park.
Inconsistent performances yielded a 14th-place finish at the end of season 2021-22 before a 3-0 defeat at Fulham left them in 17th in October 2022 when he was dismissed.
During 2022, he secured just eight of his 31 games, losing 15.
He transferred to the Middle East in July 2023 when he took over at Al-Ettifaq.
His latest job continued for 18 months and he moved on with the team sitting 12th in the Saudi league, just five points above the drop zone.
“In summary, I have learned a lot, and it's been a beneficial journey personally and for my family,” he remarked in late January. “But soccer is unpredictable, and sometimes things don't go the way we want.”
These post-Ibrox experiences may give some pause for thought and the man himself may have concerns over inheriting a underperforming team, but Gerrard probably has the character to handle such a high-profile post.
He is the only Rangers boss to have won the league trophy since the legendary Walter Smith. That experience might well be difficult to overlook for an under-pressure Rangers leadership.
