Peter Anderson in the latest from his run of soccer pieces, explores the future options for current Ranger boss Steven Gerrard.

Steven Gerrard is getting a lot of press this weather. With his success at Rangers and the rumours of Klopp's imminent departure from Anfield, the press is touting Gerrard as the next Liverpool manager. 

I'm having none of it. I can't see Klopp wanting to leave Liverpool under such a cloud. I believe he will stay and next season we'll see Liverpool back to their best. But it still throws up the question of what is next for Stevie G.

You don't have to support the Scousers to appreciate what a player Gerrard was. He really was like something out of Roy of the Rovers. Who can forget his last-minute winners in the Champions League and FA cup final against West Ham, or his headed goal that started the comeback against Milan in the CL final? In his prime he was the ultimate bow-to-box midfielder. His link up play with Fernando Torres was terrific and a joy to watch. 

At Liverpool he won the Community Shield, the FA cup, the League cup, the UEFA cup and the Champons League, the only thing he didn't win was the one he wanted most: the Premier League. And in the cruellest of sporting ironies, it was his slip against Chelsea that cost Liverpool the prize they craved so much. In 2014 Liverpool were 4 points clear at the top with 3 games left, the league looked all but over, until Gerrard slipped and gifted the ball to Demba Ba who duly scored. Liverpool lost and the collapse started. Even though my team, Man City, benefitted and won the league that year I really would have liked Gerrard to crown his career with the league trophy.

Now Gerrard is setting the Scottish league on fire with his brilliant management of Rangers. The league was all but won in January. While I'm not much of a fan of Scottish footy it has been great watching the Green Brigaders melting down on Twitter as their nailed on 10 in a row turns to dust. Cheers for that Stevie! But his success north of the border throws up the question of when to move south and to whom. He didn't win the Premier League as a player so obviously it's his number one target as a manager. He will have watched as his former England colleague Frank Lampard failed at Chelsea after moving from Derby too soon. So, if Klopp was to leave now and Gerrard is offered the job, he would have to take it lest he never gets offered it again, but you can't help thinking that it is maybe a year or two too soon. 

I think the best scenario for Gerrard is that he gets another season or two at Rangers, some more titles and a decent dig in Europe, then gets offered the Liverpool job. If he doesn't get the Liverpool job I am pretty sure one of the top English clubs will take him as he seems to be a serial winner. Whatever he does I will be watching on with great interest and hoping that he finally wins his first premier league title.

Peter Anderson is a Unionist with a keen interest in sports.

So What Next For Stevie G?

Peter Anderson in the latest from his run of soccer pieces, explores the future options for current Ranger boss Steven Gerrard.

Steven Gerrard is getting a lot of press this weather. With his success at Rangers and the rumours of Klopp's imminent departure from Anfield, the press is touting Gerrard as the next Liverpool manager. 

I'm having none of it. I can't see Klopp wanting to leave Liverpool under such a cloud. I believe he will stay and next season we'll see Liverpool back to their best. But it still throws up the question of what is next for Stevie G.

You don't have to support the Scousers to appreciate what a player Gerrard was. He really was like something out of Roy of the Rovers. Who can forget his last-minute winners in the Champions League and FA cup final against West Ham, or his headed goal that started the comeback against Milan in the CL final? In his prime he was the ultimate bow-to-box midfielder. His link up play with Fernando Torres was terrific and a joy to watch. 

At Liverpool he won the Community Shield, the FA cup, the League cup, the UEFA cup and the Champons League, the only thing he didn't win was the one he wanted most: the Premier League. And in the cruellest of sporting ironies, it was his slip against Chelsea that cost Liverpool the prize they craved so much. In 2014 Liverpool were 4 points clear at the top with 3 games left, the league looked all but over, until Gerrard slipped and gifted the ball to Demba Ba who duly scored. Liverpool lost and the collapse started. Even though my team, Man City, benefitted and won the league that year I really would have liked Gerrard to crown his career with the league trophy.

Now Gerrard is setting the Scottish league on fire with his brilliant management of Rangers. The league was all but won in January. While I'm not much of a fan of Scottish footy it has been great watching the Green Brigaders melting down on Twitter as their nailed on 10 in a row turns to dust. Cheers for that Stevie! But his success north of the border throws up the question of when to move south and to whom. He didn't win the Premier League as a player so obviously it's his number one target as a manager. He will have watched as his former England colleague Frank Lampard failed at Chelsea after moving from Derby too soon. So, if Klopp was to leave now and Gerrard is offered the job, he would have to take it lest he never gets offered it again, but you can't help thinking that it is maybe a year or two too soon. 

I think the best scenario for Gerrard is that he gets another season or two at Rangers, some more titles and a decent dig in Europe, then gets offered the Liverpool job. If he doesn't get the Liverpool job I am pretty sure one of the top English clubs will take him as he seems to be a serial winner. Whatever he does I will be watching on with great interest and hoping that he finally wins his first premier league title.

Peter Anderson is a Unionist with a keen interest in sports.

12 comments:

  1. Good one Peter - I really enjoy these pieces and hope you continue with them. I think he might go abroad to manage before taking up the LFC job. I agree with you about Klopp - no point in him leaving. He will come good again. But they did look suspect against Wolves last night. Mane, Trent and Philips the only ones to sparkle.

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  2. I know next to nothing about football, except for an honest, understandable and (old) firm loathing of Rangers FC and everything that they stand for.

    Whilst this is simply not going going to happen, I would love Celtic to sign Gerrard.

    I should add, that whilst senior management at RFC appear, on the surface, to have changed their bigoted ways, the support is still a few centuries behind.

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  3. Certainly true that the Rangers have been the best team this season and absolutely deserve to be champions.

    It's also true that Gerrard has won one trophy from a possible 8 in his time in Scotland.

    Highly likely that the club would have sacked him after his first two (entirely unsuccessful) years, if they could have found the money to pay him off.

    Given the low English estimation of football in Scotland, how impressed are people down there likely to be by his record?

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  4. AM
    Thanks, I was wondering when you post this. I thought you'd forgot about me:-)

    RTW
    In his unsuccessful years he was up against a much superior Celtic team, so one league win out of 8 trophies is still good in the context. As for the English, they were quite impressed by Brendan Rodgers because of how Celtic operated in Europe. Gerrard's Rangers have also been superb in Europe. That will be the key to his future offers.

    Brandon
    You think the Rangers support is bigoted? How about the Green Brigade singing songs about Lee Rigby getting beheaded or about the death of Captain Tom? You should acknowledge that both supports have large sections of sick bigots.

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    1. the blog just got a bit crowded Peter but I didn't forget - just wanted to get it into a day time slot.
      I think too much is made of the bigotry of supporters. Nobody thinks much of the bawdy songs at Rugby matches. I doubt the Rangers fans in Belfast are any more bigoted than the Celtic ones. In the Netherlands Feyenoord fans make a hissing sound towards the Ajax supporters to mimic the gas in the death camps. I think Kevin Rooney has written about the detrimental effects of attempts to over-police the fans.

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    2. Sick of Scottish football degenerating into a secterian slagging match.

      Rangers backed Gerrard and gave him the years he wanted to implement his vision. Simply put, Gerrard bought very athletic workhorses who would run themselves into the ground, got his coaching team sorted out by getting the highly respected Michael Beale in from the Liverpool Academy and Gary McAllister to act as his go betweeen with the squad and board.

      It's amazing how many people still think it's down to just the manager in football when these days you are really talking about a corporate board where the coach is CEO and his staff are the technical directors. More so when you realize that the players themselves at the highest level are already millionaires and it's a skill in itself to motivate those!

      The only comment I'll make about Celtic is that I have never seen a celtic side so disinterested in winning the league in my memory, and I can remember the 80's!

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  6. Peter

    Agree about SG doing well as manager in Europe, this year at least.

    Not so sure about Rodgers' European record... few Celtic fans were that impressed.

    In regard to the opposition Gerrard has faced during his time in Scotland... Celtic strengthened their squad in summer 2020 (at least in terms of spending money... quality's another matter) and didn't sell any big players. If anything, they have a stronger set of players this year than in recent seasons. Quite remarkable how they've imploded.

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  7. Oh come on Ramon, getting a Scottish team into the group stages is a major achievement for any manager! And some creditable performances against City and Barça. I think he did alright.

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  8. Are you maybe being a bit too generous to Rodgers, Peter?

    Celtic played Barça twice in his time, losing both games, 7-0 and 2-0.

    Drew twice with City, fair enough.

    We did beat Barça 2-1 in the 2012 CL. The manager at the time was Neil Lennon, though.

    You're right about reaching the group stages with a Scottish club. Four qualifying rounds... Remember in 2014 watching the World Cup Final, and two nights later Celtic playing in the CL qualifiers.

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  9. Dumped out fair and square after Roofe made his pitch for UFC.

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