AT long last, Steven Gerrard knows how it feels to be a league winner. The former Liverpool midfielder enjoyed many glorious moments over the course of his legendary career as a player, but the Premier League title famously evaded him. As Rangers manager, though, Gerrard has exorcised some past demons.
Sunday saw the Ibrox outfit clinch the Scottish Premiership title, their first top flight honour in a decade, with Celtic’s goalless draw away to Dundee United turning Rangers from champions-election to champions for real. After years of financial meltdown and underachievement, Rangers are now back at the top of the Scottish game and Gerrard is the man who got them there.
The manner of Rangers’ triumph has been most impressive. Gerrard and his players were braced for a tight title race against a Celtic team that had had nine straight championships and 12 successive domestic trophies (a Treble Treble), but what materialised was a procession. That Rangers clinched the title in early March is symbolic of their dominance.
Under Gerrard, Rangers improved season-on-season. It started with proof that the Govan side could at least compete with Celtic, beating their historic rivals for the first time in over six years in December 2018. Then Rangers showed they could stick with Celtic at the top of the table until after Christmas, finally going all the way this season.
Nobody knew what to expect from Gerrard as a manager when he was appointed at Ibrox almost three years ago, but the 40-year-old has proved himself as an astute, methodical boss who knows how to use his aura as a legend of the sport to get the best out of players. Almost everyone at Rangers has improved under Gerrard’s tutelage.
Gerrard’s backroom staff deserve credit for the role they have played in Rangers’ resurgence, with first team coach Michael Beale in particular viewed as key to the success enjoyed this season. The former Chelsea, Liverpool and Sao Paulo coach is the one who most commonly takes training and is believed to be the tactical mastermind behind the whole operation. Gerrard and Beale are frequently seen deep in conversation on the bench.
A decade-long journey for @RangersFC. A lifelong obsession for their manager.
Steven Gerrard has delivered what he set out to achieve in Glasgow. A winning Rangers!
A sleeping giant has been awakened. and counting… pic.twitter.com/pZZWkwbbh6
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) March 7, 2021
But Gerrard, in his role as figurehead, is the one who has made the biggest difference. From the moment he arrived in Scotland, standards at Rangers were raised. This was a club that had allowed a culture of mediocrity to fester for years, but Gerrard instantly demanded better and put in place the framework that a successful title challenge would ultimately be built upon.
There is no young British manager operating at the level Gerrard is right now. Eddie Howe was long seen as the country’s next great homegrown boss, but he has been out of work since last summer. Frank Lampard looked to be on to something at Chelsea, but lost his way in his second season before suffering the sack in January. Wayne Rooney has made a good start to life in the dugout at Derby County, but it’s too early to draw any conclusions on his management potential.
While Gerrard was primarily charged with delivering the title, his greatest achievement as Rangers manager could come in Europe, with his team preparing for the Europa League round of 16 this week. The newly crowned Scottish champions are undefeated in 11 continental games (including qualifiers) this season and could feasibly make a run to the latter rounds. Rangers will be competitive against whoever they face.
Great players don’t always make great coaches, but Gerrard is on his way to the top as a top manager in his own right. The sight of a league trophy finally in his hands is emblematic of this, but the way he got there is even greater proof of his credentials as the best young boss British football has to offer at this moment.
