Former Rangers defender Kirk Broadfoot has hailed Steven Gerrard for bringing back an aura to Ibrox.
Broadfoot, who’ll line up against the Gers today at Rugby Park for Kilmarnock, played for the Ibrox side between 2007 and 2012.
The Scotland international played under the heroic Walter Smith during his second stint in Govan. Smith’s blueprint involved being known for being tough to break down and having a winning mentality.
This led to a highly-successful stint for the right-back in Govan, winning three Scottish Premier League titles in his five years there.
Broadfoot still has friends who go to Ibrox, and speaking to the Daily Record, he said Gerrard’s side reminds them of the successful Bears teams under Smith.
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I have mates who are season-ticket holders at Ibrox that says they’re seeing a Walter Smith team now. You see the comparisons to a Walter team. They look hard to beat, they stay in games and are capable of nicking 1-0 wins. I watched them away to Aberdeen and they were superb with 10 men. Without being disrespectful to anyone at Rangers last season, they’re going to be harder to play against.
Ibrox is slowly but surely returning to it’s beautiful best. Under Smith, Govan would generally be packed to the rafters with supporters getting behind a side they believed in. That confidence is once again returning to the club, with a belief around the blue half of Glasgow that this could be a special season.
The one man to bring all of that confidence back to the club is Gerrard. Broadfoot acknowledged this, and claims there is a “fear factor” being brought back to the club.
The former St Mirren defender also took time to speak about several of their new signings. Broadfoot was happy to give them high praise, despite not knowing much about them before arriving in Scotland.
Previously going to Ibrox there would always be a fear factor. It was certainly the case when I played for St Mirren going there. That’s probably back now. I spoke to a couple of the St Mirren boys who were there last week and they said they’d never seen Ibrox like it.
The atmosphere has certainly risen a few notches since Gerrard’s arrival. The crowds consistently turned up at Ibrox under previous regimes, but weren’t as confident or vociferous.
The new manager is, however, bringing both class and confidence since taking up the role. However, what Gerrard is providing that’s perhaps most important is a cool head.
Despite boisterous claims and predictions from previous managers, Gerrard has remained composed and with his feet on the ground. The manager has used this to put strong foundations in place.
Rangers face Broadfoot’s Kilmarnock side at Rugby Park at 12:30pm this afternoon.