Former Rangers boss Steven Gerrard would be “welcome” back at Ibrox despite his sudden departure for Aston Villa.
That is according to Celtic hero Chris Sutton – who reckons that any success in his second spell could be dictated by the “resources” behind the Light Blues amid the San Francisco 49ers backed takeover of the club. Barry Ferguson has stepped into the hot seat on an interim basis the door could still be open for the Liverpool icon to seal a sensation return at the end of the campaign after Philippe Clement was shown the door on Sunday after the lacklustre defeat to St Mirren.
But Gerrard could land the job on a permanent basis after the season is over and has already been named as the bookmakers favourite. After lifting the Scottish Premiership trophy in the previous season, Gerrard would leave Rangers midway through the campaign for Villa Park – sparking a furious response. However, Sutton told It’s All Kick Off that all would be forgiven “There is a lot of fans, quite rightly, excited about the 49ers takeover and what is happening there – but it’s about what is happening in the short term.
“They still have the Europa League against Fenerbahce. Steven Gerrard is interesting – he did stop Celtic doing 10 in a row and he is viewed as a success down south. I would argue that Celtic won two Trebles and Callum Davidson, the St Johnstone manager, won more silverware.
“He took over in very difficult situation, they won the league in Covid season and stopped the 10 for Celtic. He will still be held in high regard. It’s one with the 49ers takeover there is a lot of positivity from the Rangers fans because they want to see stability – and Glasgow swallowed up Philippe Clement.”
Pressed on if Gerrard could pick up where he left off at Ibrox, Sutton went on: “It’s about the resources he would have. I think it would be welcome. What Steven Gerrard did have first time round, he had that aura, that presence, that clout to attract some good players to Ibrox. ‘[The likes of] Ryan Kent, Connor Goldson, Steven Davis, Scott Arfield, players that he, he relied heavily on, he does have that. It is all to do with the financial backing.”
Former Ibrox star Andy Halliday reckons that Ferguson and his coaching team of Allan McGregor, Neil McCann and Billy Dodds will know they are only being given until the end of the campaign.
He told Clyde 1 Superscoreboard: “In terms of hiring the four ex professionals at Rangers, when it comes to hiring interim staff you are either hiring from within or you are dealing with a very small pool of people who will come for three months, to steady a ship, under loads of scrutiny and pressure – and ultimately know that a new manager is going to be appointed in the summer anyway. I think it is a positive the interim staff.”