As Rangers Are Set for New Takeover, the Stars Have Aligned for a Steven Gerrard Return
It’s safe to say this season has been a massive disappointment for Rangers. They trail their greatest rivals by 16 points in the league, lost the League Cup final and were shockingly dumped out of the Scottish Cup by Queens Park. The season is effectively over and we’re only in March. The Light Blues recently sacked Phillippe Clement following their dismal 2-0 loss to St Mirren at Ibrox and appointed club legend Barry Ferguson as interim manager until the end of the season – a decision that split the support due to Ferguson’s poor managerial CV as he had only managed in the Scottish lower leagues.
However, off the field there has been some positive news as the Gers have ‘agreed in principle’ to a sale with a group of US investors that would see them acquire 51% of the club. It’s an investment group led by Leeds United chairman and 49ers Enterprises President Paraag Marathe.
The Ibrox club have been struggling financially for quite some time and have fallen massively behind Celtic in every department – so this takeover news has given the Rangers faithful a glimmer of hope that they can once again return to the top of Scottish football.
We all know that Ferguson most definitely won’t be getting the job once the season has concluded, but the question is who will be the man in the Ibrox dugout next season?
The speculation has been rife since Clement was given his marching orders on who will replace him full-time going forward, and I believe there is one man for the job who has unfinished business in Glasgow – and that’s Steven Gerrard.
Yes, hear me out. I know many Rangers fans can’t forgive him for leaving in 2021 for Aston Villa, but he’s admitted one of the sole reasons why he jumped ship to England was due to a lack of backing in the transfer window after delivering the most important league title in the club’s history.
It’s well documented that the 44-year-old’s move to Villa Park didn’t work out as he was sacked after 11 months in charge, and he then had a two-season stint in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq but left due to personal reasons. Despite having those two wee blips, that doesn’t take away from the success the Liverpool legend had in Scotland and his abilities as a manager.
One thing Rangers have most certainly struggled with over the past four seasons is their inability to win Old Firm games. Since Gerrard’s departure, the Govan club have only beaten Celtic THREE times. One was under Giovanni van Bronckhorst in the Scottish Cup semi-final, the second one was a dead rubber 3-0 win at Ibrox under failed manager Michael Beale, and most recently under Clement.
Gerrard’s record against the Hoops is an impressive one and he understood more than anyone how important these games are to the supporters.
Gerrard’s Old Firm record:
Eight wins
One Draw
Four losses
The only real criticism you could point at the former England international during his time as Rangers manager was the lack of trophies, and it is a fair one to make as he should have won more but at the end of the day – he delivered what was asked of him and that was to win the league and stop the Parkhead club winning ten league titles in a row.
Gerrard is a global name. A box office attraction, who commands respect in every room he walks into, and from a commercial perspective – he would tick a lot of boxes for the new owners. He would attract sponsorships, big name players who would want to play under him because of his standing in the game and would bring even more eyeballs to the club. It’s time for Gerrard to come back home and finish what he started.
By: Scott Bradley / @ScottBradleyX
Featured Image: @Juannfrann / Neville Williams