Which Insights Should We Take Away from Gerrard's Time as Glasgow Rangers Manager?

The former Liverpool captain is in the spotlight of conversation after Rangers dismissed Russell Martin on the weekend, and the former manager will talk about a possible comeback with the team's leadership.

Those in charge at Ibrox announced that a "comprehensive, thoughtful hiring process" is now in progress.

Additional names are set to be reviewed, but if ex Liverpool and England skipper is open to a second stint at the club, could the position essentially his?

The 45-year-old coach has recently mentioned about “remaining goals” in coaching and revealed he has started contacting prospective staff for his coaching team.

In a recent podcast discussion with the former defender, which seemed to be filmed prior to Martin's short tenure ended, Gerrard stated he desired “to be at a club that's going to compete to win because I think that suits me better”.

He continued: “If the right call arrives, the appropriate team, the right challenge, and I've assembled my staff, which I will have at some point, I'll accept that role because it's part of my nature.”

Gerrard's Record at Rangers in His First Stint

After gaining knowledge as a youth development coach at Anfield, Gerrard accepted his maiden coaching role in the summer of 2018.

During three complete campaigns at Ibrox, he won only a single trophy – but it was a big one.

After finishing nine and 13 points after their rivals in his first two campaigns, Gerrard led Rangers to their first premiership championship in a ten years, which just happened to prevent their Old Firm rivals an historic tenth consecutive title.

And he achieved it impressively, with his team unbeaten in the process.

Rangers won all of their domestic games, netted 92 goals and conceded a only 13.

The drawback was that it occurred amid of Covid and empty stadiums.

It remains Rangers' only league triumph since the 2010-11 season.

How Did Gerrard's Derby Record Look?

In stark contrast to Martin's unhappy experience, Gerrard hit the ground running at Rangers, remaining 12 games unbeaten until his first visit to Parkhead.

In his debut season the derby results were even, each side securing two home wins, with Rangers having previously defeated Celtic in 2012.

Two losses to Celtic came in the next truncated season, after which Rangers securing a victory in the eastern part of Glasgow for the initial occasion since 2010.

From then on, Gerrard stayed undefeated in Old Firm clashes, claiming five more and tying once.

Rangers came through four stages of preliminaries to enter the group stage of the European competition in Gerrard's first season.

In the 2019-20 campaign, they advanced to the knockout rounds of the same tournament, losing out to the German side in the last 16, with their journey ending at the identical round the following season.

Why Did Gerrard Leave Rangers?

The Birmingham club made an approach in November 2021, forking out £4.5m in fees.

He left Rangers with a lead ahead of Celtic at the summit of the table – but their local opponents would claw that back to prevail by the identical gap.

The attraction of the Premier League is powerful and it could have been viewed as the next logical step on a fairytale comeback to Anfield at a time when his coaching reputation was at its peak.

“Steven and his backroom staff have ensured that the team is clearly in a stronger position today than it was several seasons ago,” commented then Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson.

“We have shared a goal to advance the club, to update our facilities and to make the club win again.”

How Did Gerrard's Record at Villa & Al-Ettifaq?

Gerrard did not last a full season at Villa Park.

Inconsistent results yielded a 14th-place finish at the conclusion of the 2021-22 campaign before a three-goal loss at Fulham left them 17th in autumn 2022 when he was dismissed.

During 2022, he won only eight of his 31 games, losing 15.

He transferred to Saudi Arabia in July 2023 when he assumed control at Al-Ettifaq.

His most recent role lasted a year and a half and he departed with the club sitting in 12th in the Saudi league, just five points clear of the drop zone.

“In summary, I have learned a lot, and it's been a positive journey for me and for my family,” he remarked in late January. “But football is uncertain, and sometimes things don't go the way we hope.”

These post-Ibrox experiences could cause some pause for thought and the man himself may have concerns over inheriting a underperforming squad, but Gerrard likely has the character to manage such a prominent post.

He is the sole Rangers boss to have lifted the league trophy since the great Walter Smith. That experience could be hard to ignore for an pressured Ibrox board.