Which Lessons Can We Take Away from Steven Gerrard's Time as Glasgow Rangers Manager?

The former Liverpool captain is at the center of discussion since Rangers dismissed Russell Martin on the weekend, while the former manager will talk about a potential return with the team's owners.

Those in charge at Ibrox announced that a "comprehensive, considered hiring procedure" is now underway.

Other candidates will be reviewed, but if ex Liverpool and England captain is open to a return spell at Ibrox, is the job essentially his?

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

In a latest podcast interview with Rio Ferdinand, which seemed to be recorded before Martin's short tenure ended, Gerrard expressed he wanted “to be at a team that's set to challenge to win because I believe that fits me more”.

He continued: “If the right call arrives, the right club, the right challenge, and I've assembled my staff, which I plan to have at a future date, I'll accept that role because it's part of my nature.”

Performance at Rangers in Initial Period

After gaining knowledge as a youth development manager at Liverpool, Gerrard took on his maiden coaching position in the mid-year of 2018.

During three full campaigns at Ibrox, he secured just one trophy – but it was a big one.

Following placements of nine and 13 points behind Celtic in his first two campaigns, Gerrard guided Rangers to their maiden premiership title in a decade, which coincidentally deny their Glasgow rivals an historic 10-in-a-row title.

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

Rangers won all of their home games, scored 92 goals and allowed a only 13.

The downside was that it occurred against a backdrop 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 initial trip to Celtic Park.

In his debut campaign the derby results were shared, each side securing two domestic victories, with Rangers having last beaten Celtic in 2012.

A pair of defeats to Celtic occurred in the next shortened season, after which Rangers winning in the eastern part of Glasgow for the first time since 2010.

After that, Gerrard stayed unbeaten in derbies, claiming five additional and tying once.

Rangers progressed through four rounds of preliminaries to reach the main phase of the Europa League in Gerrard's first season.

In the 2019-20 campaign, they progressed to the knockout rounds of the same tournament, being eliminated to Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16, with their journey concluding at the identical round the next year.

Why Did Gerrard Depart Rangers?

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

He left Rangers four points ahead of Celtic at the top of the standings – but their local opponents would claw that back to win by the identical gap.

The lure of the English top flight is strong and it could have been viewed as the next logical step on a dream comeback to Anfield at a point when his managerial stock was high.

“Steven and his backroom staff have ensured that the club is clearly in a better place today than it was three-and-a-half years ago,” said then Rangers football executive Ross Wilson.

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

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

Gerrard failed to complete a full season at Aston Villa.

Inconsistent results resulted in a 14th-place position at the end of season 2021-22 before a 3-0 defeat at Craven Cottage placed them 17th in autumn 2022 when he was sacked.

During 2022, he secured only eight of his 31 games, suffering defeat in 15.

He moved to the Middle East in summer 2023 when he assumed control at the Saudi club.

His latest job lasted a year and a half and he moved on with the team placed in 12th in the Saudi Pro League, only five points clear of the drop zone.

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

Those post-Ibrox exploits may give certain pause for thought and the man himself may have doubts over taking over a struggling team, but Gerrard probably has the personality to manage such a high-profile post.

He is the sole Rangers manager to have won the championship since the legendary Walter Smith. That experience might well be difficult to overlook for an under-pressure Rangers leadership.