Rangers assistant manager Gary McAllister has to start showing why Steven Gerrard brought him to Ibrox.
McAllister was previously out of work before being recruited by Gerrard before the summer. It is thought that the move to bring the long-time Rangers fan to the club was to provide an experienced head.
The former Liverpool and Leeds United star has two management spells under his belt at Coventry City and Leeds. He also spent some time as caretaker manager at Aston Villa back in 2011.
Indeed, the Scottish hero has had plenty of experience in the coaching side of things. His illustrious playing career also deserves a mention, as he helps Gerrard make the key decisions in Govan.
Experienced head
This isn’t the time to go back into the last-minute sub at Fir Park. That’s in the past and McAllister has to learn from it.
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Yet, what on earth was he doing at Celtic Park last weekend when Gerrard clearly needed help?
Once more, this is the kind of situation the assistant manager has to start trying to keep control of. His role is to assist, and ensure mistakes made by Gerrard are minimal. This has all been said before, yet once again he made some big mistakes in the East End on Sunday.
With Celtic cruising the game in the first 45, you would’ve expected McAllister to try and change things. Whenever the camera panned in on the coaching staff, the assistant manager looked glum.
As well as that, why did McAllister not get in Gerrard’s ear when players clearly needed hooked. Instead, both he and Gerrard watched on as Brendan Rodgers made his move and made two substitutions to try and change the game.
It took Gerrard over 80 minutes to bring on Glenn Middleton. Nothing against the youngster, he’ll be a real talent in years to come. But for the here and now, Rangers needed something different and inspiring from their manager.
The introduction of Middleton had a stench of desperation about it. McAllister should’ve been pulling Gerrard aside and advising him on what needed done.
Instead, he seemed to sit there and just accept what his protege was doing.
Gerrard has made a storming start to football management. Qualifying for the Europa League remains an incredible achievement.
But with mistakes bound to be made, McAllister has to pick them up. So far, he doesn’t seem to be doing that.