STEVEN GERRARD has sent his support and wishes to victims and survivors of the Ibrox Disaster as Rangers prepare to pay tribute ahead of the Old Firm fixture this afternoon.
The derby will mark the 50th anniversary of the 1971 tragedy that saw 66 supporters killed and around 200 injured in a crush on Stairway 13 at the end of a 1-1 Premier League draw with Celtic.
The Ibrox Disaster was the worst loss of life in a British stadium until 56 fans died in the fire at Valley Parade in 1985, and Gerrard's cousin, Jon-Paul Gilhooley, was the youngest of the 96 supporters killed at Hillsborough four years later.
Covid regulations will prevent Rangers holding a large-scale service of remembrance this afternoon and Gerrard has urged fans to remain at home to pay their respects.
Gerrard said: "I can certainly connect with my own experiences of Hillsborough and what happened here and at Bradford.
"They were terrible, terrible events for everyone that was involved or had a connection to someone involved and we all hope and pray that no other team and no other city ever goes through that again. A lot of work has gone in to make sure that stadiums are a lot safer and try and avoid any of these situations in the future.
"This is a very important and significant day for everyone connected with this club and I want to take the opportunity to send my best to the survivors and their families and also pay my respects to the people who are no longer with us.
"The club wanted to make a big deal before the game to show our support and respect but obviously due to Covid it will look a lot different.
"Unfortunately we can’t have people at the stadium to pay their respects and we can’t put on a service that we would like to put on but we will give it the same amount of respect.
"People have to stay away because of the situation and the pandemic which is unfortunate and sad but we have no choice.”
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