What Insights Can We Learn from Gerrard's Tenure as Glasgow Rangers Manager?
The former Liverpool captain is at the center of conversation since Rangers parted ways with Russell Martin on Sunday, while the ex-coach is set to discuss a potential comeback with the club's leadership.
Those in charge at Rangers announced that a "thorough, considered hiring procedure" is now underway.
Other candidates are set to be considered, but if ex Anfield and Three Lions captain is willing to a return spell at Ibrox, could the position as good as his?
The mid-forties manager has recently spoken about “unfinished business” in coaching and revealed he has started approaching potential members for his coaching team.
In a recent podcast interview with the former defender, which seemed to be recorded before Martin's short tenure concluded, Gerrard stated he wanted “to be at a team that's set to challenge to win because I think that suits me better”.
He added: “If the suitable offer comes my way, the right club, the right challenge, and I've got my people set, which I plan to have at some point, I'll accept that role because it's in me.”
Gerrard's Record at Rangers in Initial Period
After gaining knowledge as a youth development manager at Liverpool, Gerrard accepted his first managerial position in the mid-year of 2018.
Over three full campaigns at Ibrox, he secured just one trophy – but it proved significant.
After finishing 13 and nine points behind Celtic in his initial pair of campaigns, Gerrard led Rangers to their first top-flight title in a ten years, which just happened to prevent their Old Firm rivals an historic tenth consecutive win.
And he achieved it in style, with his team undefeated in the process.
Rangers won all of their domestic games, netted 92 goals and allowed a only 13.
The downside was that it occurred amid of the pandemic and empty stadiums.
It remains Rangers' only league triumph since the 2010-11 season.
How Did Gerrard's Old Firm Record Look?
In stark contrast to Martin's disappointing experience, Gerrard started strongly at Rangers, remaining 12 games without defeat until his first visit to Parkhead.
In his first season the Old Firm honours were shared, each side securing two domestic victories, with Rangers having last beaten Celtic in 2012.
A pair of defeats to Celtic occurred in the following truncated season, after which Rangers winning in the eastern part of Glasgow for the initial occasion since 2010.
From then on, Gerrard remained undefeated in derbies, claiming five additional and tying once.
Rangers progressed through four rounds of preliminaries to reach the group stage of the Europa League in Gerrard's debut season.
In the 2019-20 campaign, they progressed to the knockout rounds of the same competition, losing out to the German side in the round of 16, with their run concluding at the identical round the next year.
Why Did Gerrard Depart Rangers?
Aston Villa came calling in late 2021, forking out £4.5m in fees.
He departed Rangers with a lead clear of Celtic at the top of the table – however their city rivals would claw that back to prevail by the same margin.
The attraction of the English top flight is powerful and it may have been viewed as the next logical step on a dream comeback to Anfield at a point when his coaching reputation was high.
“Steven and his coaching team have made sure that the team is undoubtedly in a stronger position today than it was several seasons ago,” commented at the time Rangers football executive Ross Wilson.
“We have had a goal to move Rangers forward, to modernise our facilities and to return the team to winning ways.”
How Did Gerrard's Record at Villa & Al-Ettifaq?
Gerrard did not last a full season at Aston Villa.
Inconsistent performances yielded a 14th-place finish at the end of the 2021-22 campaign before a 3-0 loss at Fulham placed them 17th in October 2022 when he was sacked.
Across 2022, he secured only eight of his 31 games, suffering defeat in 15.
He moved to the Middle East in July 2023 when he assumed control at Al-Ettifaq.
His latest job continued for a year and a half and he moved on with the team sitting in 12th in the Saudi Pro League, just five points clear of the relegation zone.
“In summary, I have learned a lot, and it's been a beneficial journey personally and for my loved ones,” he said in the end of January. “But football is uncertain, and at times things don't go the way we hope.”
Those post-Ibrox experiences could cause certain pause for thought and the man himself might harbor doubts over taking over a struggling team, but Gerrard likely has the character to manage such a prominent post.
He is the only Rangers manager to have won the championship since the great Walter Smith. That experience might well be difficult to overlook for an pressured Rangers leadership.