A cushy BT Sport contract. A pressure free role coaching the young lads in the Liverpool Academy. Plenty of dough in the bank and a reputation as not only one of Liverpool’s greatest ever players but English football’s.
His words and opinion as a pundit carry serious clout mainly due to the career he has had and the level he has produced the goods at. Let’s be honest, Steven Gerrard has it made. Or so you would think.
If the rumour mill is to be believed, Gerrard will trade all of the above to be the new manager of Glasgow Rangers next season.
I say this with apprehension bearing in mind the absolute nightmare and embarrassment the Rangers board endured trying to lure Derek McInnes from Aberdeen. But all the indications are this deal is very close to completion.
When I first heard about Gerrard being linked with Rangers, I said it would be crazy firstly for Rangers to go for another rookie coach, but even more bonkers for Gerrard to actually take the gig. I’m cooling on that opinion now.
Yes the pressure and scrutiny he would be under in Glasgow trying to topple his old gaffer Brendan Rodgers would be insane. To give up what he has and put his reputation on the line you would think it would be a massive gamble for him. But the bar from the previous couple of Rangers managers hasn’t exactly been set high has it? It’s not like he is taking over from an Alex Ferguson or a Arsène Wenger.
Rangers are a club on their knees on the park. The punters are desperate for success. The only way is surely up and maybe this is what is attracting Gerrard to the job.
The easy decision for Steven would be to sit in a studio and coach kids at Liverpool. A lot of people would say he is crazy to give up a comfortable life.
Read more: Neil Cameron: Celtic were so dominant that they could have scored seven against Rangers
If you haven’t been involved in football it’s difficult to comprehend giving all that up to go into the management bear pit. But it is an itch that people ingrained in football have to scratch. It seems like Gerrard has had that same urge to go out and do it for himself.
For Rangers, a massive global name like Gerrard ticks a lot of boxes. Sponsorship deals, season tickets and media attention will go through the roof at Ibrox if he walks in the door. Rangers supporting businessmen with money who have been disillusioned by goings on at the club will surely put their money on the table and get behind a name like Gerrard and his name alone would attract players that would otherwise not be interested in a move to Scotland.
But ultimately it will be on the grass that Gerrard will be judged. Yes he has had a glittering career at the very highest level but that doesn’t automatically make you a good manager. I saw it first hand at Hibs when Franck Sauzee who, like Gerrard was a European Cup winner, lasted only 12 winless games at Easter Road as manager before being brutally sacked. Look at Gary Neville and Neil McCann too.
But that’s not always the case. Neil Lennon did very well at Celtic with no experience and likewise, the great Zinedine Zidane. Every management appointment is a gamble whether you have experience or not.
So it’s unfair to say that Gerrard would be a gamble pureely because he hasn’t had a managers job before. He would command instant respect in the dressing room because of his playing career unlike Ian Cathro, who would have had to have earned it the hard way. Pretty unfair on the outside looking in but it’s the way a lot of footballers think.
But that goodwill will only last so long for Gerrard if he doesn’t get results on the pitch.
If Gerrard comes into Rangers and is a success his next move will probably be to one of the biggest clubs in England. Perhaps even his beloved Liverpool. This will mean he has done a great job at Rangers.
If he doesn’t, yes his reputation will have taken a hit but like Gary Neville he will slip back into his nice punditry role with experience of management under his belt to talk about. And probably back into the Liverpool youth set-up. It’s not really the gamble that most think it is for Gerrard or for Rangers. 10 in a row seems a formality for Celtic anyway.
Perhaps this time the apprentice can topple his master.
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