Honeymoon Is Over For The Manger Next Season

[daven37]

.


And if we don’t win a trophy, is it still a long term project?

I agree we’ve made progress, and up until the new year it felt almost deliriously so, but the subsequent collapse and inability to remedy the problems that caused it can’t be ignored.

The defeat against Hearts in the cup left him looking completely deflated and lost for answers. We then lost at home to Hamilton and it felt like the highs of the first half of the season had turned to rubble. Our European exploits aside, the failure to get us back up and running domestically was really alarming.

People talk of it being an annual problem, but the collapse this year was much worse than last and he appeared clueless as to how to fix it.

The obvious answer is to just buy better players.

I felt right from the first ball last season that we were still two or three real quality players short of where we needed to be to sustain a title challenge throughout the season and ultimately the lack of them was a big part in our implosion.

The question now though is: will he be given the funds to add that quality next season?

There’s also a sub strand of that which asks if the level of quality Gerrard is allowed to recruit is actually the level of quality we really need.

Despite similar pleas last summer the only player of genuine quality we added was Helander.

The rest were punts really, squad players for the most part, and yet the official line was that we’d added the quality we were felt to be lacking.

So, with money set to be tight once again due to the effects of the aborted season just ended, can we be certain that quality will arrive now?

If it doesn’t, I fear for his chances.

I get where you are coming from and I completely understand the frustration that we are not winning anything.

Is Gerrard really a problem - or the problem - is the big question.

We are miles behind the filth in terms of what we can spend on a player or pay a player.

The have knack of getting big money for average players (Van Dijk aside) while we struggle to get anything remotely worthwhile for our players. I've seen plenty moans on here about the media bigging up their players and I agree it is nauseating.

The pisser is we don't have anyone building up our players - we don't have the media contacts/PR expertise that they have to do that. Almost everyone on here pours scorn the idea of building relations with the press/media but it is a valuable tool when it comes to getting money for players.

I doubt Gerrard needs to be told that we are lacking real depth of quality in the squad. You are not in football for as long as he is and not know how the squad looks.

For what it is worth, I think Dykes would be a good signing for us as it gives us something different next to Morelos - if he stays - or Defoe. He is a handful and would be a welcome physical presence in the team.

Has Gerrard made mistakes - I think we all know he has although our opinions on what those mistakes have been may vary. For instance in my opinion it was wrong to get rid of Candeias and Windass. They may have wanted to leave - I don't know - but they were capable of big contributions - more so than the likes of a Halliday (as much as I love the guy) or an Ojo or even Greg Stewart, decent player that he is.

I don't think a lack of money should be something that costs Gerrard his job. Big progress has been made on the European side where we have rebuilt some long lost respect and exceeded expectations in the last two years.

With regards to money - do we get an end of season payment from UEFA for our European progress or has that already been paid? What can we expect from the new retail deal? What new investment is in the air?

This was a long term project and no matter what our fears are this season we all must unite - because all we have is each other - and get 100% behind the players and management and make Ibrox as hostile as we can for the opposition and when we travel (forget boycotts for the coming season) turn the air Blue with our songs........that is, of course, assuming we get some sort of normality back.

 

[VMS]

Am 60/40 in favour of SG at the moment after our last defeat I wanted him gone the current situation may well have favoured him,but if he can't stop 10 theres no fvking chance he will be trusted to stop 11.For all the glamour in having him as our manager it's all about stopping the scum now failure is not a option

 

[daven37]

Nobody knows who is available at present, what they’re current contract situations are, what the club’s budget is or what the future holds, and ultimately none of us will make that decision, so it’s an utterly pointless question and cheap deflection from the crux of the matter. It’s also absurd to suggest that in a global sport there aren’t other managers out there that are perhaps more qualified than a rookie manager whose only previous experience was coaching under 18’s. But then there are people who are being paid handsomely to seek out these candidates for us.

“The ability of the club to attract good players with financial restrictions”. You say that like we’ve brought in superstar players at bargain basement prices, when did this happen? Last I checked we were still heavily reliant on one player, a player who was signed by the previous manager, and the player generally deemed to be our second best outfield performer was signed by the manager before that. By the time this is done you’ll be crediting Gerrard with coming up with a vaccine for COVID-19.

Two players who have improved dramatically under Gerrard.

 

[bkerr72]

I always love that retort.

Firstly because it implies that there is no one better in the whole of world football who would be interested for a similar wage packet and transfer kitty, and secondly because it’s not the job of the support to offer up ideas for the board.

They’re paid to ensure there’s an effective progression planning strategy in place and we’ve been told several times by both King and Robertson that there is.

We should be confident therefore that they’ve already given consideration to who they might approach as a replacement. If they haven’t, then they’re not doing their job properly.

And that's the usual cop out response when someone is asked who they want to take over.

If Gerrard was to leave then who would you like to see takeover?

 

[LarkfiedLoyalNS]

Unless he develops a plan B, can organise the team to see a game out, and takes the blinkers off for his favourites, he won't be here this time next year. At least, he shouldn't be.

Hopefully it’s third time lucky because he’s made the same mistakes 2 seasons in a row he won’t get a sniff nor should he get a sniff if the league title is not at Ibrox next season.

 

[Danger Zone]

Two players who have improved dramatically under Gerrard.

Which isn’t in any way relevant to the point I was making.

 

[Danger Zone]

And that's the usual cop out response when someone is asked who they want to take over.

If Gerrard was to leave then who would you like to see takeover?

How’s it a cop out? It’s a pointless question. If he gives you a name then what does this prove? Or what does it achieve?

 

[SOB-WATP]

And that's the usual cop out response when someone is asked who they want to take over.

If Gerrard was to leave then who would you like to see takeover?

I 100% believe Chris Hughton would have us closer to them domestically but that's a different argument altogether.

As the guy you've quoted said, the support dont need to have a shortlist of applicants at the ready when criticising the manager.

It's a dangerous road some (not all) fans are going down with the Gerrard or bust mentality.

 

[ibroxcats]

Nobody knows who is available at present, what they’re current contract situations are, what the club’s budget is or what the future holds, and ultimately none of us will make that decision, so it’s an utterly pointless question and cheap deflection from the crux of the matter. It’s also absurd to suggest that in a global sport there aren’t other managers out there that are perhaps more qualified than a rookie manager whose only previous experience was coaching under 18’s. But then there are people who are being paid handsomely to seek out these candidates for us.

“The ability of the club to attract good players with financial restrictions”. You say that like we’ve brought in superstar players at bargain basement prices, when did this happen? Last I checked we were still heavily reliant on one player, a player who was signed by the previous manager, and the player generally deemed to be our second best outfield performer was signed by the manager before that. By the time this is done you’ll be crediting Gerrard with coming up with a vaccine for COVID-19.

Hagi, Aribo, Kent and Defoe wouldn't have been at Rangers without the influence of Gerrard. That's fact. Morelos probably would be gone. McGregor and Davis were signed by Gerrard. The question remains. Who is the great saviour you and your like want to bring in to replace Gerrard?

 

[bkerr72]

How’s it a cop out? It’s a pointless question. If he gives you a name then what does this prove? Or what does it achieve?

Well if you want Gerrard gone then must have someone in mind who he would like to see takeover no?

 

[Danger Zone]

Hagi, Aribo, Kent and Defoe wouldn't have been at Rangers without the influence of Gerrard. That's fact. Morelos probably would be gone. McGregor and Davis were signed by Gerrard. The question remains. Who is the great saviour you and your like want to bring in to replace Gerrard?

It’s a fact is it? How can you possibly know that?

Hagi is not even our player ffs, Aribo’s form is up and down but he is the one with most potential to make a tidy profit on, since signing Kent hasn’t been pulling his weight at all when you factor in his substantial £7m price tag (attracting players with financial restrictions, £7m ffs) and Defoe is pushing 40 and was getting no game time AT ALL prior to his loan spell.

 

[bkerr72]

I 100% believe Chris Hughton would have us closer to them domestically but that's a different argument altogether.

As the guy you've quoted said, the support dont need to have a shortlist of applicants at the ready when criticising the manager.

It's a dangerous road some (not all) fans are going down with the Gerrard or bust mentality.

It's not my mentality I am just interested in those that want Gerrard gone who they think can do a better job than him that's all.

 

[Calvinist]

I'm still waiting for one of you geniuses to tell me who is going to replace Gerrard, how the replacement is going to be better, how sacking Gerrard improves the squad, the standing of the club, the ability of the club to attract good players given the financial restrictions. Name someone as a viable alternative.

ok .

you tell me what our budget is for a manager and his back room team . What are our limits for wage and transfer budgets .

that might give a barometer of who we can afford .

is your argument based around posters naming alternatives and if not then we keep SG ?

not a ringing endorsement of Gerrard .

 

[Danger Zone]

Well if you want Gerrard gone then must have someone in mind who he would like to see takeover no?

Why? As fans it’s not our job to identify or bring in the replacement, and as I explained above, we can’t possibly make an informed suggestion without knowing the details of potential candidates contracts, our own club’s budget etc etc. As fans all we need to look at is the domestic failure and say “if this happens a third time, then it’s not good enough”, and you guys know yourselves that you’d be saying that now if the results were the same but the manager’s name was Derek McInnes.

So why is this pointless and flimsy deflection used so often? Are you suggesting to us that there’s not one manager out in the sport who can improve on what Gerrard’s done?

 

[UniRoyal]

We’ll only know, for sure, when we see what a coo’s erse Gerrard makes of his next job, but it’ll not help us, then, to say ‘told you so!’

 

[ibroxcats]

It’s a fact is it? How can you possibly know that?

Hagi is not even our player ffs, Aribo’s form is up and down but he is the one with most potential to make a tidy profit on, since signing Kent hasn’t been pulling his weight at all when you factor in his substantial £7m price tag (attracting players with financial restrictions, £7m ffs) and Defoe is pushing 40 and was getting no game time AT ALL prior to his loan spell.

Usual long-winded evasion of anwering the question. ZZZZZZ

 

[Bottom Line]

Have had concerns on SG team selection on numerous occasions this season,the teams collapse after beating the scum is baffling to say the least.He must deliver the title simple as that, 10 would be unthinkable

I agree with your concerns about some of SG`s team selections (Barisic and Morelos on bench at home to C*ltic) his go to favoured 10 + a n other team selection for Europe and the latter stages of the league cup only played once in the league all season against that lot in December.

 

[KensingtonBlue]

It's quite pathetic that some of our 'fans' seem to think Steven Gerrard is bigger than Rangers.

No one signs for the club on the basis of the manager. The club will always sell itself. What sort of diddy team mentality do some of our fans now have? Unreal.

 

[theredwhiteandblue]

The 2nd half of the season collapse is the worrying thing. I hope that privately the staff know exactly what the problem(s) are/were and are addressing this. If not, I fear the worst.

I also think the powers at be within Scottish Football want the 10* in a row to happen. Too many clubs willing to roll over / accept this is the way it is, means there’s little resistance. Once that rubicon has been crossed there may be changes but not before.

huge task ahead.

 

[Gazb1962]

I’m not going to agree or disagree with any of the posts or the OP.

But the fact is he has only lost one league as this season the title was “ awarded “ to our rivals.

And as many on here have said they were catchable with us having to play them twice etc.

 

[bkerr72]

Why? As fans it’s not our job to identify or bring in the replacement, and as I explained above, we can’t possibly make an informed suggestion without knowing the details of potential candidates contracts, our own club’s budget etc etc. As fans all we need to look at is the domestic failure and say “if this happens a third time, then it’s not good enough”, and you guys know yourselves that you’d be saying that now if the results were the same but the manager’s name was Derek McInnes.

So why is this pointless and flimsy deflection used so often? Are you suggesting to us that there’s not one manager out in the sport who can improve on what Gerrard’s done?

If there wasn't signs of progress then yeah I would agree it would be time for him to go but he deserves another season at it. Domestically we only have ourselves to blame again this season but we aren't helped by the fact they have also kicked on and improved this season again in terms of points total so even if we kept winning as well we would still be behind them.

While Europe has been a bonus you can't take away the difference he has made which has also helped the financial side of the club as well.

It's not deflection either my opinion is purely based on that we need stability at the club and we can't just keep sacking managers it doesn't work. We also can't continually afford the turnover of players in the squad either.

 

[Danger Zone]

Usual long-winded evasion of anwering the question. ZZZZZZ

And for the second time you’ve completely ignored my debunking of your retort. And if you scroll up twice I’ve already explained very clearly why asking “ehhh but who weh gonnae bring in?” id absolutely pointless. Honestly I’ve explained in plain English, scroll up and read it, or come up with a better deflection tactic.

 

[greigsdestiny]

When Steven Gerrard signed up to be manager, we were in an awful place at the time. It had to be small steps , for me, at a time. I wanted us to but the mhanky mob in his first season, & think about all those dreadful performances in the couple of seasons before, & he delivered that + the euro run & sitting pretty at Xmas. This season I wanted a win at breezblock & a trophy. First part delivered & we all thought we were mugged in the league cup final.
Again, we over performed in Europe & going well in the league, but let it slip away.
This season coming, & everything hopefully back to near normality, I want us to bring home 55.

 

[Sam English]

We need to put Europe on the back burner next season and treat the league as our priority.also need to change our style of play against the teams that sit in .two up top and be more direct put pressure on other teams back fours and let them make mistakes. Instead of playing in front of them most of the game.

100% spot on.

 

[ibroxcats]

ok .

you tell me what our budget is for a manager and his back room team . What are our limits for wage and transfer budgets .

that might give a barometer of who we can afford .

is your argument based around posters naming alternatives and if not then we keep SG ?

not a ringing endorsement of Gerrard .

Obviously I don't know the exact budget and neither do you. What I do know is there's a clumsy, but determined little band on here who want to undermine the manager.

 

[Thesieg49]

I agree with this.

Regardless of what your opinion is, there’s still a large swathe of fans star struck by the name. The reality is that the same mistakes were made two years on the bounce at exactly the same time.

The annual February-March collapse is a massive issue. The fact it’s now happened twice means it is a big thing for the players and manager. Whether it’s tactical or whether it’s mental who knows, but the buck stops with Gerrard.

Add into that the marriage he has to 4-3-3, the continual playing of underperformers, criticising and dropping some players for mistakes but not others and some quite concerning post match interviews - it’s not overly promising for me.

couldn’t agree more

 

[BlueLagoonCo]

Where's the gif of the wee toddler walking in the room about turning and walking back out, when you need it?

 

[HandsomeHead]

And that's the usual cop out response when someone is asked who they want to take over.

If Gerrard was to leave then who would you like to see takeover?

I don’t know, but does my own lack of knowledge of who’s who in world football, and more importantly who’s available and who would be interested within our price range render the point invalid?

And if I offer a name and you dismiss it for this reason or that, is it also invalid?

It’s not the job of fans on an internet forum to solve the problems our MD and board are paid huge sums for.

 

[CaptainCourageous]

The answer has to be get rid of Gerrard and bring in the new messiah who's gonna waltz in and do what?

Put up a title challenge (Gerrard hasn't done that), not have us collapsing domestically two seasons on the trot, win regularly against the dross (Kilmarnock, Aberdeen, Hibs, Hearts for example), lift a trophy, show some tactical awareness and clout. Install a winning mentality, eradicate the basic errors and mistakes that cost us - there's been plenty. Show that when the going gets tough - questions are being asked, we can win over the doubters and prove them wrong.

Domestically it's been absolutely brutal. Domestic football is our bread and butter.

I loved Gerrard the player - hate Liverpool with a passion - the prime example of a midfielder, leader and captain. He was better than any English midfielder of his era (I'll leave that debate for another thread). I like the man, I think he's as honest as they come, intelligent, down to earth and clearly a man with standards. The way he conducts himself in the public and out with football is second to none. You see what he does for people, families, charities. A genuine good guy and you don't get many in football these days.

I want him to succeed, I want him to be the man that leads us to '55 but I won't sit on my hands and pretend every thing is rosy when it's not.

I'm one of his biggest critics when it comes to the domestic side of his tenure. I'm also up there with his biggest supporters when it comes to the job he's done in Europe. He's been praised to the hilt and rightfully so.

Some people won't see any criticism what so ever. If people give their opinion on why they feel he's doing a great job then fair enough, I'll listen and debate - every one has an opinion.

No matter what you think or say we all want one thing, the best for Rangers.

When the new season finally takes off we had better be prepared from the get go. We've got a league title to win and Gerrard takes us on that journey.

 

[Calvinist]

Obviously I don't know the exact budget and neither do you. What I do know is there's a clumsy, but determined little band on here who want to undermine the manager.

by offering on different opinion ?

I’m sure Douglas park will not sack SG on the back of what posters say on FF .

this is a forum , people will have Different opinions to you . You shouldn’t take it so personally , unless you are SG .

 

[bkerr72]

I don’t know, but does my own lack of knowledge of who’s who in world football, and more importantly who’s available and who would be interested within our price range render the point invalid?

And if I offer a name and you dismiss it for this reason or that, is it also invalid?

It’s not the job of fans on an internet forum to solve the problems our MD and board are paid huge sums for.

No I am just genuinely interested in who you would like to see takeover that is all wouldn't dismiss it as it's your opinion

 

[KensingtonBlue]

I’m not going to agree or disagree with any of the posts or the OP.

But the fact is he has only lost one league as this season the title was “ awarded “ to our rivals.

And as many on here have said they were catchable with us having to play them twice etc.

That’s a cop-out though. He doesn’t get let off the hook because of a global pandemic.

Ignore how the season was ‘completed’. We won 21 games out of 29, losing 4 and drawing 4.

You can’t drop points that often and expect to win the title. It’s not good enough.

 

[albert_left_peg]

Put up a title challenge (Gerrard hasn't done that), not have us collapsing domestically two seasons on the trot, win regularly against the dross (Kilmarnock, Aberdeen, Hibs, Hearts for example), lift a trophy, show some tactical awareness and clout. Install a winning mentality, eradicate the basic errors and mistakes that cost us - there's been plenty. Show that when the going gets tough - questions are being asked, we can win over the doubters and prove them wrong.

Domestically it's been absolutely brutal. Domestic football is our bread and butter.

I loved Gerrard the player - hate Liverpool with a passion - the prime example of a midfielder, leader and captain. He was better than any English midfielder of his era (I'll leave that debate for another thread). I like the man, I think he's as honest as they come, intelligent, down to earth and clearly a man with standards. The way he conducts himself in the public and out with football is second to none. You see what he does for people, families, charities. A genuine good guy and you don't get many in football these days.

I want him to succeed, I want him to be the man that leads us to '55 but I won't sit on my hands and pretend every thing is rosy when it's not.

I'm one of his biggest critics when it comes to the domestic side of his tenure. I'm also up there with his biggest supporters when it comes to the job he's done in Europe. He's been praised to the hilt and rightfully so.

Some people won't see any criticism what so ever. If people give their opinion on why they feel he's doing a great job then fair enough, I'll listen and debate - every one has an opinion.

No matter what you think or say we all want one thing, the best for Rangers.

When the new season finally takes off we had better be prepared from the get go. We've got a league title to win and Gerrard takes us on that journey.

100% bang on the money. His unwillingness to change things domestically plus his unwavering loyalty to certain players is my biggest gripes.

Hopefully with Ross Wilson leading the recruitment we see less of the quantity and more quality in the squad.

 

[daven37]

Which isn’t in any way relevant to the point I was making.

Ha ha, right ye are pal.

 

[HandsomeHead]

I get where you are coming from and I completely understand the frustration that we are not winning anything.

Is Gerrard really a problem - or the problem - is the big question.

We are miles behind the filth in terms of what we can spend on a player or pay a player.

The have knack of getting big money for average players (Van Dijk aside) while we struggle to get anything remotely worthwhile for our players. I've seen plenty moans on here about the media bigging up their players and I agree it is nauseating.

The pisser is we don't have anyone building up our players - we don't have the media contacts/PR expertise that they have to do that. Almost everyone on here pours scorn the idea of building relations with the press/media but it is a valuable tool when it comes to getting money for players.

I doubt Gerrard needs to be told that we are lacking real depth of quality in the squad. You are not in football for as long as he is and not know how the squad looks.

For what it is worth, I think Dykes would be a good signing for us as it gives us something different next to Morelos - if he stays - or Defoe. He is a handful and would be a welcome physical presence in the team.

Has Gerrard made mistakes - I think we all know he has although our opinions on what those mistakes have been may vary. For instance in my opinion it was wrong to get rid of Candeias and Windass. They may have wanted to leave - I don't know - but they were capable of big contributions - more so than the likes of a Halliday (as much as I love the guy) or an Ojo or even Greg Stewart, decent player that he is.

I don't think a lack of money should be something that costs Gerrard his job. Big progress has been made on the European side where we have rebuilt some long lost respect and exceeded expectations in the last two years.

With regards to money - do we get an end of season payment from UEFA for our European progress or has that already been paid? What can we expect from the new retail deal? What new investment is in the air?

This was a long term project and no matter what our fears are this season we all must unite - because all we have is each other - and get 100% behind the players and management and make Ibrox as hostile as we can for the opposition and when we travel (forget boycotts for the coming season) turn the air Blue with our songs........that is, of course, assuming we get some sort of normality back.

The long term project line is one I’ve heard attributed to various managers before including PLG and Warburton, but ultimately it’s results and fan pressure that determine the longevity of our managers and will do so again.

If he gets off to a poor start in the league, fails to win the League Cup, Europe isn’t quite as thrilling as it has been to date, pressure will mount on him.

If he and the players are unable to rise to that challenge then I don’t think anyone should be surprised if he fails to see out the season.

This is the job he signed up for. It’s one of the biggest and most demanding in British football and three trophyless seasons won’t be tolerated . . . and neither they should.

 

[ibroxcats]

by offering on different opinion ?

I’m sure Douglas park will not sack SG on the back of what posters say on FF .

this is a forum , people will have Different opinions to you . You shouldn’t take it so personally , unless you are SG .

Show one quote where I've taken it "personally".

 

[ClockworkOrange]

The but-who-else-would-take-the-job excuse is absolutely tragic.

It's not the job of internet punters to suggest prospective managers. No one posting a thread about their doubts over James Tavernier or whether Joe Aribo can cut it is aggressively met with a chorus of BUT WHO ELSE COULD DO THE JOB?

If anyone actually thinks that we would struggle to lure a competent manager to the biggest club in Scotland and one of the biggest in British/world football, and that we have no option but to stick with Gerrard regardless of how much success he brings us, then you're supporting the wrong club. Go and get a St Mirren season ticket.

Moving this post in a slightly different direction, no one could argue that Warburton deserved more time. He brought improvement to Rangers and took in up a level, yet it was right that he left when he did, and should probably have left earlier than he did. Why should Gerrard be treated so differently?

 

[Calvinist]

Show one quote where I've taken it "personally".

your tone and passive aggressive posting suggests you do .

“determined little band “

sarcastic use of “genius”

 

[subversive_bear]

The two successive post-December collapses have been very concerning. Even more concerning is that the coaching staff seemed to be unable to identify why it happened or arrest the slump. Losing at home to Hamilton is not okay. But when it comes to Europe I can't praise them enough. A very odd situation but if he tries to win the league with more academy loan signings next season it will not end well for us.

 

[Rudolph Hucker]

What I do know is there's a clumsy, but determined little band on here who want to undermine the manager.

What I do know is there’s a clumsy, but determined little band on here who want to ignore justified criticism of the manager.

 

[ibroxcats]

your tone and passive aggressive posting suggests you do .

“determined little band “

sarcastic use of “genius”

One would need to try a little harder than that to gain credibility.

 

[BrooklynBlue]

The but-who-else-would-take-the-job excuse is absolutely tragic.

It's not the job of internet punters to suggest prospective managers. No one posting a thread about their doubts over James Tavernier or whether Joe Aribo can cut it is aggressively met with a chorus of BUT WHO ELSE COULD DO THE JOB?

If anyone actually thinks that we would struggle to lure a competent manager to the biggest club in Scotland and one of the biggest in British/world football, and that we have no option but to stick with Gerrard regardless of how much success he brings us, then you're supporting the wrong club. Go and get a St Mirren season ticket.

It's a discussion board. Surely if you're advocating for the departure of a manager then it's not unreasonable to ask for an example of who could be the replacement.

It's the easiest thing to shout for change.

I'm sure we could lure a competent manager. Certainly the prospective list of candidates would be a lot better than it was 2 years ago. In a large part due to the Board sorting out the Club and additionally, Gerrard improving individual players and the squad.

 

[daven37]

The long term project line is one I’ve heard attributed to various managers before including PLG and Warburton, but ultimately it’s results and fan pressure that determine the longevity of our managers and will do so again.

If he gets off to a poor start in the league, fails to win the League Cup, Europe isn’t quite as thrilling as it has been to date, pressure will mount on him.

If he and the players are unable to rise to that challenge then I don’t think anyone should be surprised if he fails to see out the season.

This is the job he signed up for. It’s one of the biggest and most demanding in British football and three trophyless seasons won’t be tolerated . . . and neither they should.

Yes it is one of the most demanding jobs in football, Gerrard will be very aware of that even before he signed up.

It is made a thousand times harder considering the journey we have been on and the massive head start they have on us.

I am sure pressure will mount if the negatives you mention come to pass.

However, no matter how good a start we make, the doubting Thomas's will be waiting for the slip ups and get back on the negative train.

Let's see how we get on before speculating on any dreadful scenarios.

 

[BroomloanWATP]

Moving this post in a slightly different direction, no one could argue that Warburton deserved more time. He brought improvement to Rangers and took in up a level, yet it was right that he get moved on. Why should Gerrard be treated so differently?

Warburton was attempting to engineer a way for him to get a new job while retaining a big fat severance payment. He showed little ability to improve once we were promoted, defensive mistakes were not being learned from and the recruitment of Garner and Barton, arguably his two biggest signings, was (and I'm being charitable) flawed. I do not think that the comparison is sufficiently valid.

The above does not mean that I think a level of sycophantic behaviour towards anyone involved with Rangers is healthy. We have collapsed in consecutive new years, the squad seem to swing from mentally strong to very fragile almost week to week and our slavish devotion to a rigid system does us no favours domestically because we have been figured out.

I have seen improvement which means that I am personally happy to see Gerrard continue. Bringing in a new manager is not without risks, it is an expensive process and I think that continuity is important. All in all I would rather wait until the season has actually started before attempting to build a rod for Gerrard's back.

 

[ibroxcats]

What I do know is there’s a clumsy, but determined little band on here who want to ignore justified criticism of the manager.

Good, original patter.

 

[UpperCanadianLoyal]

How long are people using the last decade as an excuse? Dave King stepped down because in his words the club are back to normality.If you're comparing him to 2012 -17 he's had vastly more money to spend on transfers and wages with ultimately the same end results.No major honours.

How long are people using the last decade as an excuse

However it's not an excuse. 2012 was an unprecedented disaster which has never happened to a major club before. Literally starting again. Moreover, we aren't even back to wage budget parity with the scum yet.

When you pair that with poor managerial choices and money wasted, it's absurd to expect instant domestic success.

 

[Kylegib]

The stuff he's pointing out isn't negative though it's just what happened?

He's pointing out the negatives that has happened. I prefer to look at the positives where we are able to beat Celtic home and away, we are punching well above our weight in Europe and went on a great undefeated run. I think we are the only team to qualify for the last 16 when starting from first qualifier in Europa league. I believe we were very unfortunate not to have won the league cup this season as we were by far the better team in the final. If we can improve our consistency then we have a chance to be successful next season.We have a huge season coming up and we need everyone to play their part not having fans sharpening their knives in the prospect of things going wrong.

 

[ClockworkOrange]

It's a discussion board. Surely if you're advocating for the departure of a manager then it's not unreasonable to ask for an example of who could be the replacement.

It's the easiest thing to shout for change.

I'm sure we could lure a competent manager. Certainly the prospective list of candidates would be a lot better than it was 2 years ago. In a large part due to the Board sorting out the Club and additionally, Gerrard improving individual players and the squad.

It's less of an unreasonable question to ask when there is unanimity amongst the fans about the lack of quality of the man in charge. Wanting Murty removed wasn't a position dependent upon being able to name a replacement, and questioning the suitability of certain players isn't subject to the same scrutiny either.

I think the appointment of the last Rangers manager was one of the most important in the club's history and there was never a more important moment to go for a competent, experienced, safe pair of hands. The board made a populist gamble based in part on their beyond abysmal handling of the previous two years, and in terms of fan approval at least, it's paid off. Consequently any suggestion of the man to follow the internationally famous superstar Stevie G - defended by some in this thread on account of his name, remember - will be treated with almost immediate disdain and disappointment. It's a non-starter, especially when your footballing knowledge about prospective managers doesn't stretch that far.

This is slightly tangential, but I think one of the biggest disappointment of his run so far is the lack of development made by players in the team, so I find your last comment about improving individual players difficult to understand. I think Gerrard would agree to some extent, since the team he played against Hearts in the cup had only two players in it that were at the club before he joined: Tav, who it'd be difficult to say had really truly developed, and Jack, who, to be fair, probably has to some extent. Morelos' two half seasons could probably see him considered as well, but it's not a great return when you consider the stagnation or departure of dozens of players.

 

[top_cat]

He doesn't win the league next year, but wins the Scottish Cup, what then? Given the sack, I don't think so, imo.

 

[Kylegib]

That’s because I’m a realist and bar two great runs in Europe, we’ve had nothing to be positive about, before the pandemic hit the scum were well on their way to a second treble under Gerrard’s watch. Happy clapping will not improve the quality of the players or management nor will it put points on the board or trophies in the cabinet. I get that you want to be supportive of the team, that’s great, and of course be vocally supportive in the stadium etc, but honestly, they’re not reading this forum so you can be as honest as you like on here. There’s no need for sugar coating two crap domestic years.

To finish all I’ll say is at the end of it, I hope you’re right and I’m wrong and on here at the end of next season apologising to the gaffer for casting doubt.

I personally thought being 5 nil down at the piggery or watching the scum achieve there biggest victory at Ibrox in 50 years or part timers from Luxembourg eliminating us from European competition shit. Since Gerrard has come in he has improved us massively and has given me a lot more confidence that we can be successful again, that's not sugarcoating anything that is me being honest.