Maybe i should remove 'the owners' given the Kenny appt - but i don't think Rodgers was chosen particularly poorly, look how close he got to winning the league.
Steven Gerrard the Manager
- Thread starter King Binny
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Maybe i should remove 'the owners' given the Kenny appt - but i don't think Rodgers was chosen particularly poorly, look how close he got to winning the league.
What about the CL?
We are a different beast now to when those two were appointed
Any person picking on Kenny for whatever reason should be banned and have their balls hit repeatedly with an icecold spoon. That man has never done anything but put the club first and served it with a dignity and respect we can never repay.
[article]Steven Gerrard and Mark Allen were not in sync and Rangers was never a long-term project for the former director of football
It's up for debate whether Mark Allen's time at Rangers was a success after he left his post as director of football last week.
Fans are appreciative of signings such as Ryan Kent, Scott Arfield and Allan McGregor, while Allen played a huge part in Steven Gerrard 's arrival.
On the other hand, he has to take some responsibility for a number of players who failed to hit the mark, such as Eros Grezda. Umar Sadiq and Aaron Nemane.
On this week's Record Rangers podcast, Scott McDermott is joined by Jonny McFarlane to review his tenure at the club and discuss whether Rangers need a replacement.
Scott believes there isn't a need for a director of football at either Rangers or Celtic and isn't convinced that Gerrard and Allen's relationship was sustainable in the long-term.
He said: "I think Steven Gerrard is a bit old school, he's surrounded himself with good coaches and people he can trust. He likes being in contact with the board and Dave King.
"I don't think he needs that middle-man, I don't think he's the type to complain to Allen if he wants something done. He'll go straight to King, the same way Walter Smith went to David Murray back in the day.
'I'm not that surprised that Mark Allen is gone. I think he partly did what he had to do with stuff behind the scenes, we know the recruitment team is now in place. We know the academy is in much better shape, although it was pretty much in place when he got there under Craig Mulholland's stewardship.
"I just never got the impression from Mark Allen that it was going to be a long-term project for him.
"I don't know any of them personally, but having interviewed them, it's just a personal thing, but they strike me as different characters, different personalities, different people.
"I know Steven Gerrard spoke very highly of Mark Allen when he left last week and those sentiments might be 100% true, I don't know.
"But for me, personally, are these guys really that in sync with each other? I'm not so sure."
Also on the agenda was Alfredo Morelos ' improved discipline as the pair look ahead to Rangers' Europa League group stage opener against Feyenoord on Thursday night.[/article]
It's up for debate whether Mark Allen's time at Rangers was a success after he left his post as director of football last week.
Fans are appreciative of signings such as Ryan Kent, Scott Arfield and Allan McGregor, while Allen played a huge part in Steven Gerrard 's arrival.
On the other hand, he has to take some responsibility for a number of players who failed to hit the mark, such as Eros Grezda. Umar Sadiq and Aaron Nemane.
On this week's Record Rangers podcast, Scott McDermott is joined by Jonny McFarlane to review his tenure at the club and discuss whether Rangers need a replacement.
Scott believes there isn't a need for a director of football at either Rangers or Celtic and isn't convinced that Gerrard and Allen's relationship was sustainable in the long-term.
He said: "I think Steven Gerrard is a bit old school, he's surrounded himself with good coaches and people he can trust. He likes being in contact with the board and Dave King.
"I don't think he needs that middle-man, I don't think he's the type to complain to Allen if he wants something done. He'll go straight to King, the same way Walter Smith went to David Murray back in the day.
'I'm not that surprised that Mark Allen is gone. I think he partly did what he had to do with stuff behind the scenes, we know the recruitment team is now in place. We know the academy is in much better shape, although it was pretty much in place when he got there under Craig Mulholland's stewardship.
"I just never got the impression from Mark Allen that it was going to be a long-term project for him.
"I don't know any of them personally, but having interviewed them, it's just a personal thing, but they strike me as different characters, different personalities, different people.
"I know Steven Gerrard spoke very highly of Mark Allen when he left last week and those sentiments might be 100% true, I don't know.
"But for me, personally, are these guys really that in sync with each other? I'm not so sure."
Also on the agenda was Alfredo Morelos ' improved discipline as the pair look ahead to Rangers' Europa League group stage opener against Feyenoord on Thursday night.[/article]
Well there's always Woy Hodgson if everything goes pear-shaped.
That is jumping to a populistic conclusion based on that article.
Next match is against Porto though
He needs to win a trophy
[article]Jurgen Klopp has earmarked Steven Gerrard to take over as Liverpool manager when he leaves or if he is ever sacked.
The club legend is currently cutting his teeth in charge of Rangers but makes no secret of his desire to one day take the reigns at Anfield.
And Klopp, who led Liverpool the the Champions League last season, says when the time comes he would give Gerrard as much help as he needs.
'If Liverpool were to sack me tomorrow, then maybe Kenny would be the first choice to replace me, but they would probably bring Stevie down from Glasgow,' he told FourFourTwo.
'If you ask who should follow me, I'd say Stevie. I help him whenever I can. If someone gets your job, it's not about them, it's about you not being good enough.'
'I'm old enough to know that I give this job everything. I'm not a genius, I'm not perfect, but I give the club 100 per cent. If that's enough, great. If it's not, then it's just the problem of the situation.'
He continued: 'I'm not jealous, I'm not sceptical. I'm completely open. If you want my help, you'll get it.
'My family often thinks that I'm too quick to open up, but I think being any other way is a waste of time. I love life, I love my job, I like most people – that's how it is.'
Gerrard worked under Klopp at Melwood before heading to Scotland as he learned the mangerial trade with Liverpool's Under-18s.
The 39-year-old has a strong relationship with the German and the early signs are promising as he has improved Rangers.
They finished second behind Celtic last season and acquitted themselves well in the Europa League, despite not progressing to the knockout stage.
This season, they trail their fierce rivals by three points but the gap between the two Scottish powerhouses seems to be closing.
Klopp's Liverpool deal runs until 2022 and no doubt Gerrard will be keeping a close eye on the situation as it develops.
Thoughts of his departure will surely be far from Klopp's mind for the forseeable future with the Reds flying high and leading the Premier League by five points. [/article]
The club legend is currently cutting his teeth in charge of Rangers but makes no secret of his desire to one day take the reigns at Anfield.
And Klopp, who led Liverpool the the Champions League last season, says when the time comes he would give Gerrard as much help as he needs.
'If Liverpool were to sack me tomorrow, then maybe Kenny would be the first choice to replace me, but they would probably bring Stevie down from Glasgow,' he told FourFourTwo.
'If you ask who should follow me, I'd say Stevie. I help him whenever I can. If someone gets your job, it's not about them, it's about you not being good enough.'
'I'm old enough to know that I give this job everything. I'm not a genius, I'm not perfect, but I give the club 100 per cent. If that's enough, great. If it's not, then it's just the problem of the situation.'
He continued: 'I'm not jealous, I'm not sceptical. I'm completely open. If you want my help, you'll get it.
'My family often thinks that I'm too quick to open up, but I think being any other way is a waste of time. I love life, I love my job, I like most people – that's how it is.'
Gerrard worked under Klopp at Melwood before heading to Scotland as he learned the mangerial trade with Liverpool's Under-18s.
The 39-year-old has a strong relationship with the German and the early signs are promising as he has improved Rangers.
They finished second behind Celtic last season and acquitted themselves well in the Europa League, despite not progressing to the knockout stage.
This season, they trail their fierce rivals by three points but the gap between the two Scottish powerhouses seems to be closing.
Klopp's Liverpool deal runs until 2022 and no doubt Gerrard will be keeping a close eye on the situation as it develops.
Thoughts of his departure will surely be far from Klopp's mind for the forseeable future with the Reds flying high and leading the Premier League by five points. [/article]
Good article, but in LFC we don't cut the teeth we bleech them!!
Trophies are important, but what would it prove one way or the other if he won one in Scotland?
The last manager to win the Scottish League was Neil Lennon. Before that Brendan Rodgers, then Ronny Delia, then Neil Lennon (three times in a row). Eight Celtic wins on the bounce. The last Rangers winner was Walter Smith (who, again, won it three times in a row).
What does winning trophies in Scotland tell you about the quality of a manager?
(Clue: FUCK ALL).
[article]Gerrard said he was flattered by Klopp’s comments but insisted that he hopes for him to remain at Anfield for a little longer yet.
"I was surprised and flattered at the same time," Gerrard said when asked about Klopp's comments. "But when you read the quote really carefully, like I have, it said, 'if I get sacked tomorrow' he thinks Steven Gerrard should be the next Liverpool manager.
"Jurgen Klopp's not getting sacked tomorrow. I don't want him to get sacked tomorrow. He's doing a fantastic job.
"I'm a Liverpool fan. I'm sure every Liverpool fan on the planet endorses what I'm saying here. We want him to stay for many, many years and bring as much success to our club as possible.
"But yeah, it was very flattering at the same time."[/article]
"I was surprised and flattered at the same time," Gerrard said when asked about Klopp's comments. "But when you read the quote really carefully, like I have, it said, 'if I get sacked tomorrow' he thinks Steven Gerrard should be the next Liverpool manager.
"Jurgen Klopp's not getting sacked tomorrow. I don't want him to get sacked tomorrow. He's doing a fantastic job.
"I'm a Liverpool fan. I'm sure every Liverpool fan on the planet endorses what I'm saying here. We want him to stay for many, many years and bring as much success to our club as possible.
"But yeah, it was very flattering at the same time."[/article]
Walter Smith
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/f...d-manager-turned-Rangers-bulls-free-zone.html
[article]It is a crisp afternoon in late September of last year, at a venue far removed from Steven Gerrard's elite experiences as a player.
The former Liverpool captain has just watched Rangers lose 1-0 on Livingston's plastic pitch thanks to a goal from a Belgian-Angolan striker by the name of Dolly Menga. Headline-writers are preparing for an easy shift.
Inside the 9,500-capacity Tony Macaroni Arena, a rudimentary media room has been flooded by the contents of a tea urn perched upon a folding table that eventually collapses under the weight of persistent attention.
The sorry sight could almost have been considered a visual metaphor for the performance of Gerrard's team. Scrutiny of their domestic away form was intensifying. Rangers had failed to win any of their four games on the road in the Scottish Premiership. They were slumped sixth in table after seven matches, eight points behind early leaders Hearts.
Between the artificial playing surface and relentless graft of the modestly-paid opposition, this was Scottish top-flight football as its rawest. And Rangers were the ones left nursing the scrapes of defeat.
It persists in the memory because Gerrard's response to journalists on that difficult day summed up one pillar of his managerial approach. An approach that, if Jurgen Klopp has his way, will be coming to Anfield at some point in the future given the German's recent comments about his preferred successor.
There were no excuses from Gerrard about the modest surroundings in West Lothian, no complaints about the result and no soft-soaping for those under his command. Blunt about a woeful lack of cutting edge, he warned his players they couldn't expect to figure in a title race if such an underwhelming display was repeated.
Gerrard had waited to shake hands with every Livingston player who made his way up the tunnel. He would later chastise two of his own - Alfredo Morelos and Daniel Candeias - for snubbing opponents following a little post-match flare-up.
This is how it tends to be. Win or lose, honesty is a hallmark. Unlike some of his recent predecessors at Ibrox, Gerrard has been a bulls***-free zone from day one in Glasgow.
There are times when he freely expresses emotion, warmly embracing his players after significant victories. The 39-year-old wants to be close to them - and be clear in his communication.
Everyone tends to know where they stand - even if they don't always like what they hear. It has helped create unity at a club previously no stranger to cliques.
That forthright style of leadership is one of the factors behind a clear, year-on-year improvement at Ibrox.
Last September's Livingston game was the 18th of Gerrard's debut campaign in charge after leaving his post as Liverpool's Under-18s coach. It left a record of nine wins, seven draws and two defeats across all competitions. The same period this season saw 15 wins, two draws and only one defeat. Getting the job done has become far more of a norm. Enough to have Rangers leading the Scottish Premiership table eight matches in.
Gerrard's personal development has followed a similarly upward path as his experience has grown. He has shown impressive nous at times, notably in twice steering Rangers through the four-tie qualification process for the Europa League.
The ultimate vindication of ending the club's eight-year wait for major silverware remains an ongoing project, however. And that is one reason why some eyebrows were raised - perhaps including Gerrard's himself - when Klopp publicly anointed him as his replacement in a magazine interview last month.
Gerrard responded to those 'flattering' comments by admitting such an outcome would be a 'dream' - while firmly stressing that his mind wasn't wandering from Ibrox. Speaking as a fan, he said he hoped Klopp remained at Anfield for 'many, many years'.
But Gerrard isn't just a fan, of course. He is Liverpool's greatest player since the golden age of the 1980s and it's only natural that succession talk has lurked in the background ever since he exited 17 months ago. It must be said that it is not a discussion he has ever personally encouraged, viewing it as disrespectful to his existing employers and the task he has taken on.
Gerrard's contract at Ibrox runs until 2022, the same length as Klopp's deal on Merseyside. If that might seem like the obvious point for change then Gerrard also recognises it is a lifetime away in football. Particularly in an Old Firm environment when any manager is only ever three games away from a crisis.
As it is, the Rangers hierarchy are untroubled by Klopp's comments and regard them as a compliment. There is logic in thinking that if they are to one day lose Gerrard to his first love then it would be on the back of tangible success in Scotland that stamps his managerial reputation. Regardless of Klopp's views, the Fenway Sports Group might be unlikely to make decisions based on solely emotional ties and hopeful promise.
Gerrard does, however, look firmly in the hunt for trophies in the months ahead. While adamant he isn't getting carried away by a two-point lead over Celtic in mid-October, he also feels he has moulded a stronger force than the one dogged by inconsistencies last term. A place in the League Cup semi-finals has already been secured.
Even so, overcoming Celtic's dominance remains a fearsome challenge. Chasing a ninth successive league title, the Parkhead club have both a proven pool of winners and the powerful financial advantage to spend big in January if needed. Their latest accounts show £38.9million in the bank – a great amount of spending money in Scottish terms.
Rangers are still supported by investors, but Gerrard has improved their position through money-spinning progress in Europe. He has also unquestionably raised the club's profile. Some 7,000 fans turned up at Ibrox for his unveiling last May, while the club's Twitter and Facebook engagements were measured in the millions.
Last season's Europa League play-off against Russian outfit Ufa was a wider case in point. After the team flight touched down in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Gerrard was summoned from the passport queue by a stern-looking guard.
He was taken to what appeared to be an interrogation room, yet any concern about his fate quickly disappeared. The space was lined with Liverpool jerseys of varying vintages. A polite request was made for them to be signed.
That level of fame brings some advantages. Not least in how Gerrard is able to cope with the Glasgow goldfish bowl. A city some outsiders find stifling is second-nature to him. Crucially, he gets it in the terms of the relentless demand for success. It's in his DNA.
A fluid, free-scoring 4-3-2-1 has become Gerrard's preferred system since the latter part of the season, but he is not a manager who tends to dwell on philosophies or grand visions.
'Football doesn't change,' he argued last season. 'It's exactly the same as it was 100 years ago. I'm telling these players now what I got told in 1999 by Gerard Houllier or by Rafa Benitez.
'Winning teams have the same principles, the same tempo, desire and commitment.
'Some coaches try to overcomplicate things, they've got the gift of the gab and the silver tongue, but I haven't.
'I just tell you how it is, I tell my team how it is and what's expected at this club, and we will go into these tests and give it a go.'
There can also be an old-school streak to the motivational techniques he deploys. Before the recent Europa League win over Feyenoord, Gerrard scoured newspapers and websites for quotes that portrayed over-confidence from their Dutch visitors.
Articles were pinned onto the dressing room wall. Others were projected onto a big screen. His search for 'marginal gains' isn't afraid to turn back the clock.
None of which is to suggest he is somehow stuck in the past. Freshly qualified on a UEFA Pro-License, Gerrard has dragged Rangers up to date by demanding more in sports science - recruiting former Anfield physio Jordan Milsom as head of performance - and analysis.
Standards were laid out from the very first meeting with the squad he inherited in June of last year.
Getting fitter was high on the list. After poring over previous matches, Gerrard was convinced Rangers were lacking. It had to improve to deal with the rigours of what he hoped would be a 60-game campaign - and the intense style of play wanted.
Pre-seasons under Gerrard's command have been brutal, but structured. Regular training tends to be sharp and acutely focused. The result has been even some of the more experienced players feeling in the best condition of their careers.
Another key influence is first team coach Michael Beale, who previously worked at youth level with both Liverpool and Chelsea. A deep thinker immersed in the latest methods to develop both player potential and team strategies, it is often to Beale whom Gerrard turns in technical area debates.
There has been physical change, too. The day Gerrard walked into the Hummel Training Centre, about eight miles north-west of central Glasgow, he decided it wouldn't do. State of the art when opened in 2001, the facility had suffered from a lack of investment over the past decade.
Improvements to the dressing rooms, dining room and several other areas were detailed. The aim was to try and encourage the players to spend more time in a welcoming environment.
A little too welcoming as it turned out. A fence was later constructed around the main training pitch after Gerrard was irked by certain team selections leaking out via onlookers.
An ability to pick his strongest team was hindered by a dreadful disciplinary record last season. Gerrard was guilty of over-indulging those flaws, but his patience finally snapped when 30-goal striker Morelos was sent off for the fifth time – albeit one dismissal was rescinded - in an Old Firm defeat at Celtic Park in March that ended Rangers' last hope of applying title pressure.
A tougher code of conduct including more stringent financial penalties was introduced. It has borne dividends with significantly improved numbers.
Morelos, to take the prime example, has only been booked four times in 19 appearances this season, yet lost none of his competitive edge by delivering 14 goals. Gerrard is reluctant to accept credit for that transformation, but the Colombian speaks warmly of their relationship.
There will be further lessons to be learned and many more problems to overcome. Gerrard knows it is his job to keep supplying the answers.
If he does, and the title comes to Ibrox, then he will have a legendary status among the blue half of Glasgow to go alongside the lasting adoration of Merseyside reds.
Gerrard actually played spells for both Liverpool and Rangers in a charity Legends match at Ibrox last Saturday, but any split-loyalty ended on the final whistle. For now, his managerial ambitions are being shaped solely in Scotland.[/article]
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Kent > Barisic > Morelos
Besides silverware, player development & management is definitely something to judge a manager's success on. Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Jack have been superb this season.
Kent's assist for Morelos today
Kent's assist for Morelos today
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Should be a good cup final.
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