Rangers boss Steven Gerrard was a proud man after guiding the Gers to the Last 16 of the Europa League for the second season in a row.
Not only that, but Rangers were the competition’s top scorers for this round and were every inch the exciting young European team the club’s fans are labelling them.
But there was one aspect of Steven Gerrard’s post-match interview which – in my opinion – the Ibrox gaffer got majorly wrong.
On the night where Gerrard beat Walter Smith’s European win record with his 24th victory on the continent, the Liverpool legend claims he doesn’t deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the legendary Gers boss.
But whilst Euro wins have spanned longer qualification campaigns and ultimately weaker opponents, Gerrard is certainly in the bracket of legendary Gers bosses for how he has transformed the club.
“Extremely proud [of the record],” said Gerrard [BT Sport].
“When I came in there was still a lot of noise of this team not qualifying on the first hurdle of this competition.
“The Board made it abundtantly clear that for this club to be successful and compete it needs to qualify in Europe.
“But it’s the boys that need to take all the credit for that and I shouldn’t be named in the same conversation at Walter Smith especially not standing here just now.”
Whilst a humble Stevie hasn’t won anything (yet) and Walter earned an astonishing 21 trophies at Ibrox – including 10 league titles and a UEFA Cup Final – Gerrard’s achievements are sensational.
With 55 a formality, Gerrard has transformed a club on its knees into a talented European force with ambitions well beyond its Scottish station.
Whilst Gerrard might not have won the trophies Sir Walter did, there can be little doubt that his Ibrox legacy will reverberate around the stadium in the same breath as the iconic Gers gaffer – even if he’ll never admit it.
The result has Rangers through to the last 16 where they will play – here’s how fans reacted to the news.
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