Steven Gerrard slammed over Rangers comments as former Ibrox figure forced to tune out
Steven Gerrard has been slammed over the reasoning behind rejecting the chance to return as Rangers manager.
Gerrard was in the running to replace Russell Martin at Ibrox last month, but the job instead went to Danny Rohl after the Englishman turned down the opportunity.
Many speculated tax reasons were behind Gerrard’s decision to reject Rangers after working in the Middle East with Al-Ettifaq.
However, the fact Gerrard held talks with Andrew Cavenagh and Paraag Marathe raised eyebrows, as he would have been aware of the issues beforehand.
Kevin Muscat is also rumoured to have rejected the Rangers job, with Rohl being appointed on 20 October.
Rohl has since won three Scottish Premiership games in a row, most recently Rangers’ 3-0 win at Dundee on Sunday, but he has tasted three defeats in cup competitions.
Steven Gerrard speaks out on rejected Rangers job opportunity
Gerrard broke his silence on the Rangers job speculation while working as a pundit for TNT Sports earlier this month.
The former Aston Villa manager confirmed he was “very close” to agreeing to return to Ibrox, where he previously spent three-and-a-half years in charge.
Gerrard went on to add: “There was a few things that I was uncertain about. And if I’m going to take a challenge that big and that important, I’ve got that affection and that connection with Rangers.
“For me to take that on again, it had to be perfect and I had to be 100 per cent ready.“
In the view of former Rangers player Derek Ferguson, however, that is simply not a good enough reason behind Gerrard rejecting the job.
And Ferguson, speaking exclusively to Ibrox News, said he turned the TV over when Gerrard started elaborating on his decision.
“You know what, I switched off when I saw that,” Ferguson said. “I was quite disappointed in Gerrard. I heard what he said – “the job has to be perfect”.
“Well nothing’s perfect in life. He knows the issues that have gone on at the club and that’s why we wanted Gerrard, who has experience of the club, to come in and sort things out.
“I was so disappointed listening to that interview. That word – “perfect” – stuck out a mile. You can’t have “perfect”.“
Gerrard has been out of work since leaving Al-Ettifaq in January after 18 months in charge of the Saudi Arabian club.
Andrew Cavenagh botches Russell Martin successor search
Cavenagh oversaw Rangers’ appointment of Martin and subsequently the hiring of Rohl.
Rohl, on the face of it, was Rangers’ third-choice option to replace Martin after Gerrard and Muscat turned it down.
While some circumstances are out of Cavenagh’s hands, it sounds as though he was unable to talk Gerrard into returning to Ibrox.
The fact the Englishman agreed to fly over for talks suggests he had no qualms about returning, but those talks broke down.
That is all in the past now, of course, and Rangers fans are fully behind Rohl after what has been a mixed start all things considered.
With a bit of luck, Gerrard will be watching from afar wondering what could have been if he sees Rohl succeed at Ibrox.
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