STEVEN Gerrard has taken Rangers into the Europa League group stages and up to first place in the Ladbrokes Premiership this season as a result of accepting full responsibility for their setbacks according to his former team mate Joe Cole.

The Ibrox club atoned for their defeat to Rapid Vienna in Austria in their final Europa League game last Thursday night when they beat Hamilton 1-0 at home to go above their city rivals Celtic in the league.

Cole, who played alongside Gerrard in midfield with both Liverpool and England, has been delighted to see his countryman, who is in his first job as a manager, do so well since moving to Scotland in the summer.

The former Chelsea player, who brought an end to his 20 year career last month, revealed that he may travel to Glasgow to see his compatriot at work on the training ground as he prepares to make the move into coaching or management himself.

But he feels the 38-year-old has done so well since stepping into the dugout due to the grounding that he received at Anfield and by staying loyal to the players he has working under him.

“It is the first job he took and it is a massive job,” said Cole. “People were obviously worried about whether he knew what he was getting in to.

“Let me tell you, there ain’t no tougher job than being captain of Liverpool. Coming from that club and that city is a perfect apprenticeship for stepping into a club like Rangers. They have a similar ethic and support.

“It will have prepared him for it. You could have 20 years of experience of management and not be ready for Rangers. By all accounts, it is a complete whirlwind because of the demands and the expectation and the passion of the fans.

“It takes a special kind of player who has gone down a certain route in the game to be able to take that in their stride. Stevie seems to have done that. It has been brilliant what he has achieved so far. I am so pleased for him.”

Cole added: “It is very rare for somebody as talented as him to have such humility. He will step up when things don’t go well.

“That is rare as a manager. A lot of the managers who I played for wouldn’t hesitate to hang you out to dry. But that is the kind of man Stevie is. He will always be the man at the front. But what he did at Liverpool makes that second nature for him.

“I just hope the players up there respond to that. There will come a time they are going to have to repay him.

“He has got a great squad of good players there and he has brought them together. But there will come a point this season where they are going to have to pay him back. I am sure that is what is going to get them over the line.

“I might make a phone call to Stevie and see if I can come up and spend a few days in Glasgow watching him and seeing what he is doing. I might do the same with Frank (Lampard) at Derby and some of the other managers I have worked for. I just want to suck in as much knowledge and experience as I can.”

Cole, will travel to Glasgow to play for England in the Star Sixes, a six-a-side tournament for legendary international footballers that is being held at the SSE Hydro next month, and hopes to make an impact.

“I have been playing at a good level in America,” he said. “People turn their noses up at the football over there, but it is a very high standard with a lot of international players and that will mean I am in good shape for this event.”

Star Sixes reunites the world’s greatest players in national team colours to renew old rivalries in six-a-side action. It will be held at the SSE Hydro, Glasgow, from January 4 to 6. Tickets from £20/£10 at www.thessehydro.com