Gerrard's Impressive Start Restores Rangers' Old Firm Belief
Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published September 01, 2018 | 10:06 AM
Steven Gerrard's first foray into management under the spotlight at Rangers drew plenty of skepticism, but in his first three months in the Glasgow goldfish bowl, the former England captain has barely put a foot wrong.
Glasgow, Sept 1(APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Sep, 2018 ) :Steven Gerrard's first foray into management under the spotlight at Rangers drew plenty of skepticism, but in his first three months in the Glasgow goldfish bowl, the former England captain has barely put a foot wrong.
Gerrard faces old Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers in his first experience of the ferocity of the Old Firm derby against Celtic on Sunday on the back of a 12-game unbeaten run to start his managerial career.
In doing so he has already restored some of the club's lost prestige by ensuring progress to the group stages of a European competition, the Europa League, for the first time in eight years.
However, the ultimate test for how far Gerrard has brought Rangers in such a short period in charge will be if he can prevent Rodgers extending his unblemished record in Old Firm games to 12 at Celtic Park on Sunday.
In two years in Glasgow, Rodgers has rehabilitated a reputation damaged by his final days at Anfield by winning back-to-back domestic trebles.
On Rangers' last visit to Celtic Park, the hosts romped to a 5-0 win that sealed a seventh straight Scottish title and took Rodgers' personal record against Rangers to nine wins and two draws in 11 games with a 30-6 aggregate superiority.
At the time the chasm between the two sides seemed so great that few questioned whether Celtic would ease to a historic 10-in-a-row.
- Bold response - Rangers' response was immediate and bold. Gerrard was hired on a four-year contract within a week and has been backed with 14 new arrivals over the summer.
There have been a few bumps in the road.
Last-minute equalisers for Aberdeen and Motherwell in Rangers' first three league games mean Celtic have a one-point lead over their rivals heading into Sunday's clash.
But in stark contrast to Celtic's last seven years of dominance, it is the green-and-white half of Glasgow giving off the sense of a club lacking in unity and direction.
At their pre-match press conferences on Friday, Gerrard was allowed the chance to bask in the glory of reaching the Europa League group stages despite being reduced to nine men in the second leg of their playoff away to Russian side Ufa on Thursday night.
Rodgers, by contrast, was bombarded with questions on the actions of wantaway star striker Moussa Dembele, who was finally allowed to join Lyon after Celtic accepted a bid for the unsettled striker late on Friday.
There have been a number of false dawns for Rangers since returning to the top flight in 2016 after the club were liquidated in 2012 and forced to reform in the bottom tier of the Scottish football league pyramid.
However, for once the air of confidence at Ibrox over mounting a realistic challenge to Celtic's hegemony is backed by the conviction of having a leader who hasn't shirked a challenge.
"I can't wait for it," insisted Gerrard of facing the Celtic Park cauldron. "This is where I wanted to be as a player, this is where I want to be as a manager.
"I want to compete against the best. I'm going against a top manager from a personal point of view and my team are going up against a good team. We're going into a stadium which is renowned for a top atmosphere."
Related Topics
Recent Stories
MoU was signed between Punjab Police, KIPS education system
Russia targets Ukraine railways as Western aid due to arrive
Football: French Ligue 1 table
Miner Anglo American rejects BHP's near $39-billion takeover bid
115 held for selling roti at higher rate
New Zealand cricket CEO visits PSCA, expresses satisfaction over security arrang ..
NAB Lahore holds open court, promises compensations for victims
2 injured over money dispute
At least 10 people killed in Brazil fire: officials
'Transforming Punjab Agriculture' plan to help develop farm sector on modern lin ..
Chairman PRCS engages in humanitarian collaboration with ambassador of Morocco
US stocks rebound on tech earnings, London hits new record
More Stories From Sports
-
Football: French Ligue 1 table
29 minutes ago -
New Zealand cricket CEO visits PSCA, expresses satisfaction over security arrangements
41 minutes ago -
Asia Cricket Week from April 28
2 hours ago -
Spanish football federation appoints Rocha as president
4 hours ago -
Father, son killed in firing
7 hours ago -
Victor Boniface: Leverkusen boss Alonso makes you 'up your game'
11 hours ago
-
ICC Womens T20 World Cup Qualifier, Match 2: Ireland Women open with Comfortable victory over UAE
15 hours ago -
Robinson, bowlers help New Zealand go 2-1 up against Pakistan
21 hours ago -
National Hockey camp to be organized for Azlan Shah tournament
22 hours ago -
Islamabad Tennis Club demolished by CDA amid anti-encroachment action at public park: Tarar
1 day ago -
Shayan, Rashid, Junaid to represent Pakistan in U12 Regional Qualifying Jrs
1 day ago -
Olympic Games Paris 2024: How teams qualified
1 day ago