If Steven Gerrard is unveiled as Rangers’ manager for the second time in the coming days, there will be similarities with the way his former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers returned to Celtic.
While Gerrard’s departure for Aston Villa in 2021 didn’t stir up nearly the same levels of anger as the Northern Irishman’s abrupt switch to Leicester City two years previously, he still left Scotland under something of a cloud.
Accordingly, as with Rodgers, any second coming at Ibrox wouldn’t be greeted with quite the same fervour as when he first set foot in the place back in 2018.
Like the man he might well lock horns with again at Hampden next month, however, Gerrard remains one of the big beasts of the British game.
He restored Rangers’ big-club feel seven years ago and would help build that again if he’s given the nod. His name alone attracts players and TV crews from far and wide. He is and always will be big news.
But there remains one distinction between Rodgers and Gerrard in terms of how they are perceived by most observers.
Steven Gerrard looks like he could be on his way back to Rangers, where he won the league title unbeaten in 2021
There are certain similarities between Gerrard’s return and his old adversary Brendan Rodgers (right) heading back to Celtic
Gerrard restored Rangers’ big-club feel seven years ago and would help build that again if he’s given the nod
The former had no playing career to speak of. From his early coaching days with Reading youths, Rodgers had to fight for every chance that came his way. As his standing rose at Swansea, Liverpool came calling.
At the point when he left Celtic, he’d won seven domestic trophies out of seven. Only the most one-eyed supporter saw fault in the club going back for him when Ange Postecoglou left for Spurs.
In contrast, Rangers was Gerrard’s first job in management. After two barren seasons, he looked to be running out of road until Covid cast its shadow on the world.
When football resumed, he won the coveted 55th title – unbeaten.
Those citing this achievement as the principal reason for rehiring him present a powerful argument. It unquestionably has merit. Yet, the more circumspect among the Light Blue legions point to a record of just one trophy out of nine.
Setting aside the emotional and box-office appeal, they remain to be convinced that revisiting their club’s past offers the best chance of a brighter future. Unlike his initial appointment then, which had almost unanimous backing, the prospect of a return divides opinion.
So why Gerrard, if it is to be him, and why now? Essentially, it would come down to timing.
When the American consortium took control of the club in May, their discussions with the former Liverpool captain only went as far as him telling them that he didn’t feel the moment was right.
Gerrard’s name alone attracts players and TV crews from far and wide. He is and always will be big news
The former Liverpool midfielder celebrates victory at Celtic Park with Borna Barisic in December 2019
After a lifetime at the coal face of the game as a player and a manager, Gerrard was intent on recharging his batteries with his family in the luxury of Bahrain. But it wasn’t quite a ‘no’. More of a ‘not now’.
Five months down the line, he’s certainly open to a more in-depth discussion. The feeling appears to be mutual.
What’s often forgotten is that Rangers were leading the Premiership by four points when he left four years back. Gerrard also made strides in Europe. If he can repeat that trick, the new owners would start getting some bang for their buck.
As unremarkable as his subsequent stints with Aston Villa and Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia were, the consensus among those who support him at boardroom level is that he’ll be the better for the experience.
And if he can hit the ground running and win over the doubters? Those tasked with expanding the club’s commercial and merchandising operations will be pushing at an open door.
From Gerrard’s perspective, the fact that there are now new faces in the boardroom lifts the one major barrier to a return.
While the difference of opinion he had with his former employers didn’t quite reach ‘terminado’ levels, they were clearly not on the same page when he also jumped ship to the Midlands.
‘After we won the title, maybe I would have wanted a bit more,’ he later reflected.
Gerrard was sacked by Aston Villa in October 2022 after winning just two of the first 12 league games that season
His reign at Saudi side Al-Ettifaq was not much happier, despite the arrival of his former Liverpool midfield partner Jordan Henderson
As is the case with any manager who comes in during October’s sacking season, there would have to be realism about what’s immediately possible.
Under Russell Martin, Rangers signed 13 players. Apart from Djeidi Gassama, they have much to prove. With the manager becoming Public Enemy No 1 in recent weeks, those under his wing were handed a free pass. They’ll have no hiding place now. Can a new voice get a reaction from them?
If he does agree to a return, Gerrard would have to accept that he’ll largely be playing the cards he’s been dealt for the remainder of the season.
The club spent £20million net indulging Martin this summer. Financial sustainability rules will preclude the owners from spending like a sailor on shore leave come the New Year to address the squad’s many shortcomings. This is a key point which is believed to be concerning Gerrard.
If he’s sat in the Blue Room next week, the composition of his backroom staff will be fascinating. Although there would be no impediment to Gary McAllister rejoining him in Glasgow as his assistant, the smart money would be on them looking elsewhere for a first-team coach.
Michael Beale was very much seen as the coaching mastermind first time around but proved to be a disaster as a manager when he raced out of Queens Park Rangers to succeed Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
While Beale did latterly move to work with Gerrard in Saudi Arabia – ending talk of a rift – he was only marginally less popular than Martin in his final weeks in the Glasgow hotseat. It feels, therefore, inconceivable that he could return, even in a lesser role. And that might constitute a problem.
In his first spell at Rangers, Gerrard’s estimation of Beale’s coaching ability was hard to understate. Their respective skill sets seemed to dovetail.
Will Gerrard still be able to shine without the likes of Gary McAllister (left) or Michael Beale (right) alongside him?
A healthy dose of realism may be needed for Gerrard – he won’t be indulged in the transfer market after mass expenditure this summer
Gerrard’s results at Villa nosedived when Beale left for Loftus Road. The team had sunk to 17th in the Premier League in October 2022 when he was shown the door.
By the time Beale joined him in Saudi in November, it was much too late to repair the damage. Al-Ettifaq had won two of their past 14 matches and were sitting 12th in an 18-team league at the point when his £15m-a-year contract was ripped up in January.
If those forwarding his case get their wish, Rangers must then hope that, just like the mariner navigating choppy seas, Gerrard will be the better for everything he’s encountered in the past four years.
Much is different at Ibrox since he last took charge of a match there, not least the faces in the directors’ box. That was on November 7, 2021 – a 4-2 win over Ross County. The old stager James Tavernier remains the only survivor from the 18-man squad that day.
The playing staff may have changed at an extraordinary rate. If the deal goes through this time, Gerrard will need no one to tell him that the level of expectation in these parts hasn’t altered one bit.
