Steven Gerrard’s post-match comments against St Johnstone seem to have caused a stir amongst opposition support.
Rangers overcame St Johnstone 2-1 at McDiarmid Park this afternoon to secure a huge three points. The result kept Rangers on track at the top-of-the-table with Celtic, as they leapfrogged Aberdeen into second place.
Yet it was the post-match comments of Gerrard that seems to have many talking post-match. It’s all coming from opposition fans of course, but many feel the Rangers manager as disrespectful in his summary of the game.
You can watch exactly what got supporters riled up in the video below:
Arrogance or a demand for improvement?
This is a tough one.
It’s a staple of football management cliches that you have to work hard to win any game. No game is a god-given right to get three points or a win out of it. That much is 100% spot on.
Here, however, you have to imagine that Gerrard is simply wanting an improvement from his players. No disrespect was meant to St Johnstone in his comments, but they were a tad careless.
It’s quite clear that the Rangers manager has seen his rivals go there, win comfortably, and wants Rangers to replicate that. Looking back to Rangers teams of old, hammering opposition at their own ground was a key component of any successful Gers team.
Until Rangers get that swagger back into some of their matches, they won’t win the league or be title-contenders. Gerrard understands that, and was simply sending out a message to his players that he wants improvement.
When it comes to Gerrard’s main argument, can you truly say he’s wrong? Rangers, given their budget and the size of the club, should be going to McDiarmid Park and winning comfortably without needing a late goal.
Could Gerrard have been more careful with his words? Undoubtedly. Was it wrong to suggest St Johnstone should be walkovers? 100%. Was he wrong in what he actually said? If we’re all being honest – absolutely not.
