‘Managing men’ – Lampard delivers verdict on potential candidate for Rangers manager hunt
Former Chelsea and England icon Frank Lampard thinks going to Rangers would be a “great opportunity” for Steven Gerrard to take his first steps as a manager in his own right – and insists he can handle the pressure of managing the Ibrox giants.
Gerrard has, according to reports, a four-year deal on the table from the Ibrox giants and could be confirmed as their new manager this week after Graeme Murty was relieved of his duties.
Lampard thinks that former England team-mate Gerrard has “cut his teeth” with Liverpools Under-18 side and is confident Rangers is an ideal opportunity to make his mark as a manager.
“In terms of the size of the club and knowing Steven pretty well, I think it’s a great opportunity for him,” Lampard said, as quoted by TalkSport.
“If it feels right, I think he can handle that pressure from his playing days, he’s no stranger to that with the career he had in the game.
“He has cut his teeth at Liverpool with the young lads there and at some point Steven is going to step out of that and go into managing men, managing a first team. So that’s why I think Rangers would be a great opportunity for him.”
The Light Blues are currently third in the Scottish Premiership after Sunday’s 5-0 thrashing by bitter rivals Celtic and trail Aberdeen by three points in the race for second.
The Gers have three games remaining before the end of the season and welcome Kilmarnock to Ibrox on Saturday before away trips to Aberdeen and then Hibernian.
Jimmy Nicholl will be the third man to have taken charge of the Gers this term – the third season in the last four the Gers have had three managers in a single season.
Football Insider verdict:
Lampard, like most other pundits down south, all see it as a great move for Gerrard with little thought of if it is the riht man for Rangers. The Liverpool legend is going to have to hit the ground running if he is to have half a chance of being a success. While it might be ok at Liverpool to have gone 30 or so years without a league title, coming second two years in a row isn’t going to cut it at Ibrox. There’s a weird impression coming from English pundits and ex-pros that this is something akin to sending a youngster out on loan to get some experience. It’s not. Gerrard will be under more pressure to win trophies at Ibrox than he ever was playing for Liverpool or England and will have 50,000 fans on his back every week if he doesn’t deliver.
In other Rangers news, Dave King must improve his offer to Gerrard after an English club joined the hunt to appoint the Liverpool icon.
Don’t miss out on breaking and exclusive Rangers news by clicking here for our brilliant 24/7 updates on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.