Six years ago today Stevie G became our manager

cooprfc said:
A Rangers legend.

People can say what they want now but, just over 6 years ago, we had just lost the title at Parkhead in a 5-0 defeat with still 4 games or so left. It genuinely could have been 10-0 to Celtic that day. Then we appointed Gerrard and went on the most remarkable journey- beginning to remember what it was to be Rangers.

From where he picked us up to where he put us down, there has potentially never been a greater difference made to our whole club by anyone else. Certainly in the modern era. Most Rangers managers just have to come in and keep the place ticking along. He had to drag us kicking and screaming back to the top on and off the field.
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I think his greatest moment against them was the 2-1 win at the piggery in 2019.just a couple of weeks before we had played them off the park in the league cup final but we still lost.we went to the piggery and played exactly the same as we had in the cup final and got our just reward.
 
Was unsure at first since he had no proper managerial experience, but he was a phenomenon. Did an outstanding job considering where we were when he took on the job. We went on to win title 55 and gave us many great European memories. Here's hope Clement replicates it.
 
madride said:
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What an appointment he was! Kudos to Mr King, we needed a big character to take us back to winning championships and beating the filth. The European adventures were a massive bonus, and his legacy in Europe still lives on. It was only a month or so ago that UEFA were worried that Rangers would make the final in Dublin! That isn’t down to Gio, that is Stevie G!
He gave us standards and our pride back. Thankfully I think big Phil has a similar aura, but beating them next week would be a massive step forward. That said Phil has been robbed by the refs and let down by some bad luck, but I’m hopeful.
Mon the Teddy Bears!
 
You just need to watch the highlights from his first old firm game at Ibrox to see the instant impact he had on the team.

We dominated them from start to finish.

 
I still even now hear Rangers fans slate him and say 1 trophy in 9.

While that is factually correct that 1 trophy was lets be honest the one we all wanted and needed.



Domestically yes we probably should have picked up a couple more cups BUT for me what he done in Europe more than made up for it - he made us a big club again and gave us european nights that we had all missed.


Financially the European performances were much better than winning league and Scottish cups.


Dont get me wrong was pissed he left but overall he done a fantastic job for us imo.
 
ICA_86 said:
Initial signs on this specific area aren’t too promising, if we’re being totally honest.
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I’m still positive.

You can only piss with the cock that you’ve got, and Beale left PC with a little disfigured bugger.

However, I’m hopeful Big Phil’s going to strap on a vein-laced meat baguette after the summer window…

Edit - much to Brenda’s delight :D
 
IrvineLoyal said:
I still even now hear Rangers fans slate him and say 1 trophy in 9.

While that is factually correct that 1 trophy was lets be honest the one we all wanted and needed.



Domestically yes we probably should have picked up a couple more cups BUT for me what he done in Europe more than made up for it - he made us a big club again and gave us european nights that we had all missed.


Financially the European performances were much better than winning league and Scottish cups.


Dont get me wrong was pissed he left but overall he done a fantastic job for us imo.
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Context is always king.

Always staggering when people look at things in such a black and white fashion.
 
RaoulDuke11 said:
Context is always king.

Always staggering when people look at things in such a black and white fashion.
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Put it this way if Gerrard was in charge now i would fancy us to get the results wee need to get us over line.



Thats not dismissive of Clement as in time he could be that man but Gerrard seemed to know how to beat them, every manager since has lost their jobs because they couldnt beat them when it mattered.
 
Just one of those inspirational moves that got everyone excited again. The comparisons to Souness were not unfounded.

His first league game we drew 1-1 at Pittodrie but I saw a professional team who knew what they were doing for the first time in years and I was convinced then we’d be alright.

Remember that McInnes had knocked us back the previous summer - that’s how much of a mess we were. Even when the Gerrard rumours were abound there were still people convinced we should have got DM instead.
 
The 55 season is the one highlight in what has been an utterly miserable period in our history. You have to be thankful to him for that alone.
 
IrvineLoyal said:
I still even now hear Rangers fans slate him and say 1 trophy in 9.

While that is factually correct that 1 trophy was lets be honest the one we all wanted and needed.



Domestically yes we probably should have picked up a couple more cups BUT for me what he done in Europe more than made up for it - he made us a big club again and gave us european nights that we had all missed.


Financially the European performances were much better than winning league and Scottish cups.


Dont get me wrong was pissed he left but overall he done a fantastic job for us imo.
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Go and look at the squad for the 5-5 game with Hibs, immediately before his arrival.

If anyone needs reminded:

Alnwick, Tavernier, Bates, Martin, Halliday, Holt, Rossiter (Hodson 68), Candeias, Goss (Bruno Alves 28), Murphy, Cummings (Windass 62)

Subs not used: Herrera, Kelly, O'Halloran, Docherty

We should have won a few more trophies, but when you think he was left with the remnants of that squad and having to bring in several new players on a tight budget, it’s fair to say the first season or 18 months was a huge challenge.

The rebuilding of our stature on Europe was a decent alternative offering, in my eyes anyway.
 
ICA_86 said:
Go and look at the squad for the 5-5 game with Hibs, immediately before his arrival.

If anyone needs reminded:

Alnwick, Tavernier, Bates, Martin, Halliday, Holt, Rossiter (Hodson 68), Candeias, Goss (Bruno Alves 28), Murphy, Cummings (Windass 62)

Subs not used: Herrera, Kelly, O'Halloran, Docherty

We should have won a few more trophies, but when you think he was left with the remnants of that squad and having to bring in several new players on a tight budget, it’s fair to say the first season or 18 months was a huge challenge.

The rebuilding of our stature on Europe was a decent alternative offering, in my eyes anyway.
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Thats why i never bought the theory we bottled it after Xmas his first season when the reality was we had 8 games to qaulify for the Europa league then the 6 games in the league which we took to the last game and nearly qaulified.



The squad altho top of league at Xmas was nowhere near strong enough or good enough to win the league that season.
 
The only Rangers manager in recent times who hated them as much as they hate us.

I’m not sure PC fits that category either and unless he changes that, he too will end up losing his job in the next year or two.

Would love Gerrard back.
 
frankie_dux said:
Would take him back tomorrow

The one manager we have had recently that hated them and the team played that way

Always had the better of them
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I think most of us would have him back as our record against Celtic since he left has been shocking. He showed them no respect and knew how to beat them.
 
Nothing but admiration for the gaffer. He had the tims sussed and knew what it took to win they games. I would love him back at some point.
55 was one my greatest ever moments in my life.
 
We need to get back the attitude Gerrard installed in us.

He fucking despised the tims, and his players did to.
Was always confident playing them when Stevie was in charge.
 
I was fully on board that Stevie G train, it was a great time for us in terms of getting some confidence back.
 
Remember it well. Was on a stag do in Albuferia and most of us went along to the wee Rangers bar that was there to watch the unveiling (3pm iirc). What a great wee afternoon that was. A player I'd always admired despite having no real affinity for Liverpool but You could feel from that day that something special was going to happen.

I'll always be thankful for Gerrards stint at our club and 55 was up there with any title win as the odds were still really stacked against us in terms of the transfer market we were playing in compared to the bheasts.
 
Back in 2012 when we were stabbed in the back - and front and sides - by everyone I was 60 and thought I may not live to see another title win.
Whatever the arguments for and against Gerrard he brought the league back and gave us all a sense of pride again. It's gone a bit haywire in the last couple of seasons but Steven Gerrard will always be one of my all time greats at Ibrox. Now hoping I'm still around for 56.....
 
IbroxMainStand said:
Not backing Gerrard after he delivered 55 was such a big mistake in hindsight. Had he stayed we probably don't get the Seville run but I think we would have won the title that year and continued a run of domestic success.
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We didn't back him, but had a side capable of getting to the EL Final? If anything, it proves that his failure to beat Malmo was not good enough.
 
JMCK said:
We didn't back him, but had a side capable of getting to the EL Final? If anything, it proves that his failure to beat Malmo was not good enough.
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yeah and a side that capitulated in the league in the 2nd half of that season, much like they’ve done again now
 
Javi said:
yeah and a side that capitulated in the league in the 2nd half of that season, much like they’ve done again now
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But won the league the season before? Had the following season, beat Dortmund, and Leipzig?
 
JMCK said:
But won the league the season before? Had the following season, beat Dortmund, and Leipzig?
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1 league in how many attempts. The EL I accept they over achieved, but less pressure on them?
 
Javi said:
1 league in how many attempts. The EL I accept they over achieved, but less pressure on them?
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What it indicates to me is that Gerrard had a team capable of beating Malmö, and Van Bronckhorst had a team very capable of winning the League.
 
Javi said:
1 league in how many attempts. The EL I accept they over achieved, but less pressure on them?
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There isn't less pressure playing a Europa League Quarter and Semi final than there is playing in the Scottish League mate. For goodness sake. People don't half go on about mentality and pressure.

What's different is we haven't always had the quality to consistently break down teams who sit in and occasionally labour to the point we lose a goal and lose or draw. Whereas in Europe teams come out to play and it's more of a "real" game of football.

That's all it is. Football. Not pressure.
 
JMCK said:
We didn't back him, but had a side capable of getting to the EL Final? If anything, it proves that his failure to beat Malmo was not good enough.
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Malmo was a poor result but we've had great teams that have had poor results in Europe. The team he had his results in Europe was actually very good and I'm fairly certain had we backed him after winning 55 we'd have went through against Malmo.
 
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IrvineLoyal said:
I still even now hear Rangers fans slate him and say 1 trophy in 9.

While that is factually correct that 1 trophy was lets be honest the one we all wanted and needed.



Domestically yes we probably should have picked up a couple more cups BUT for me what he done in Europe more than made up for it - he made us a big club again and gave us european nights that we had all missed.


Financially the European performances were much better than winning league and Scottish cups.


Dont get me wrong was pissed he left but overall he done a fantastic job for us imo.
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Loved having him as our manager.

Yes, he should have done much better in the cups, but built up to dominating the OF games.

Most importantly also made us a team to be reckoned with in Europe again - beating Porto, drawing with them, Villarreal & Feyenoord away etc etc - dreamland from where we were when he took the job.

Malmo was an unexpected blow that seemed pivotal to his/our future, and I completely understand why he took the Villa job.
 
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