Alison McConnell: I had a wee chuckle at what Gerrard said about Rangers ace after 8-0 win
Football journalist Alison McConnell admits she had a “wee chuckle” when Rangers manager Steven Gerrard explained why he substituted Ryan Jack off against Hamilton on Sunday.
Jack, 28, was taken off at half-time as the Light Blues won 8-0 against Brian Rice’s side at Ibrox so that he could be fresh for Scotland duty this week.
As quoted by the Independent, Gerrard said after the big win: “I made the change at half-time just to respect the lads that have got big international games.
“The game was done at half-time, with all due respect, and I wanted to respect Jacko and the Scotland situation.”
It’s hard to argue with Gerrard when saying that the game was “done” as Rangers were four goals to the good at the break and Jack had played a key role in helping that happen.
The former Aberdeen star has been tremendous for the Ibrox giants this season and was superb for Scotland in the last international break.
And with Steve Clarke’s side set for a huge match against Serbia on Thursday, where Euro 2021 qualification is on the line, Gerrard wanted to ensure that Jack was fully fit and ready to star in that play-off fixture.
When discussing what Gerrard said about Jack, freelancer McConnell told PLZ Soccer’s Football Show on Monday: “Yeah, I had a wee chuckle at that. I think it was a year and a half ago there was a wee bit of tension between the Scotland camp and Rangers over Ryan Jack and his exposure coming back from an injury.
“I think having it in mind that he’s going to play on Thursday night, Steven Gerrard thought it was in everyone’s benefit – particularly Rangers- that he was taken off and given a breather when the team were coasting like that.”
Ryan Jack has been in and out of the Rangers side this season due to Gerrard’s rotation of his midfield but the Scotland international had played all 90 minutes away at Benfica on Thursday night before starting against Hamilton.
It’s good of Gerrard to take into account the importance of Scotland’s match this week.
If Clarke’s side wins, it will be the first time since France 1998 that the nation has qualified for a major international tournament.
It’s the biggest Scotland match for a very long time and we need Jack in that midfield to stand a chance of victory.
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