RANGERS would be taking a massive risk by appointing Steven Gerrard as their next manager, according to Pat Nevin.
And the former Chelsea winger believes that John Barnes’ ill-fated spell at Celtic should serve as a warning to the Ibrox side.
Gerrard is closing in on a move to Glasgow after holding talks with the Gers hierarchy, but the 28-time Scotland internationalist is not convinced the Liverpool legend is the right man for the job.
Read more: Danny Murphy: Steven Gerrard is excited by Rangers but needs assurances over resources
The former England midfielder currently coaches the Under-18 side at Anfield and has no senior management experience and Nevin pointed to Barnes’ spell in charge of Celtic in 1999/00, when he was sacked after a shock Scottish Cup defeat to Inverness, as an example of a rookie appointment going wrong.
"You look at John Barnes at Celtic and it didn't work - a guy who was brought in when the backing didn't seem to be there," Nevin told BBC Scotland.
"Everyone looks back at that as a nightmare and disaster. If you look back at the figures, it wasn't as bad as people remember it was.
"It just shows you what happens if you get on the wrong side of what is expected of you here.
"And, if you are Steven Gerrard at Rangers, you are expected to beat Celtic in the league.
"We know every coaching job is a risky one when you bring anyone in.
"But, when you bring a rookie in, it is particularly difficult. It is massively risky.
Read more: Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer says Rangers job is a ‘no-brainer’ for Steven Gerrard
"Graeme Souness did very well but look what was behind him - a really steady club with a huge amount of money and great backing for him.
"I remember playing against Kenny Dalglish when he was Liverpool player-manager and they won the league, annoyingly against us at Stamford Bridge. So, yes, it can work."
Nevin was surprised to hear Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer describe the move as a ‘no-brainer’ for Gerrard on the day that the Gers handed Celtic a seventh successive league title with a 5-0 collapse at Parkhead.
"I don't think many people in Scotland would agree with that statement," he said.
"It was a real surprise to hear that and my ears were pinned back when I heard it.
"If Steven Gerrard comes, and he might be a great success, he'll need to be phenomenal because of all the disadvantages he has compared to the guy across the city from him.
"It is a big call - a massive one. And it is a brainer, not a no-brainer, and you would have to think about it.
"That was another statement I wasn't convinced by - that people would come because Steven Gerrard is there.
"You won't get the very top-level players. Then again, not many of them come to Scotland - they want to get to England or wherever."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here